The document provides a timeline of popular music from 1950 to present day, summarizing influential songs from each decade. It describes how rock and roll emerged in the 1950s with songs by Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. The 1960s saw the rise of The Beatles and other bands. Subgenres developed in the 1970s like punk, metal and reggae. The 1980s brought artists like Michael Jackson and genres like hip hop. Electronic dance music grew popular in the 1990s. Boy bands and reality television influenced music in the 2000s, while genres like hip hop and garage rock also rose to prominence. The conclusion reflects on how music has revolutionized over the past seven decades.

1. Media Music Timeline By Ryan Gatland

3. 1950 Popular Music The decade of the fifties gave birth to Rock & Roll. When Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around The Clock’ became popular in 1955, the nation learned to swing to a whole new sound. The feel-good innocence of a lot of the Fifties music reflects on the post World War 2 optimism in America. The young people of the time, an emerging force called teenagers, hadn’t struggled through the war years. They were looking for something more exciting. They discovered that Vitality in Rock ‘n’ Roll.

5. 1960 Popular Music During this period, the Beatles became the most popular band of the 1960's. In the 1950's, the Beatles were also known as Johnny and the Moondogs and then the Moonshiners. They first became known as the Silver Beatles. They brought about the renewal of rock and roll, starting in Liverpool, England. John Lennon led the Beatles as the lead singer and songwriter. Also writing the songs for the Beatles was Paul McCartney, George Harrison added to the sounds of the Beatles. In 1962, Ringo Starr became the drummer for the band. They were now known as The Beatles,(the Fab Four).

7. 1970 Popular Music This decade saw the division of rock into subdivisions beyond the general categories of hard rock (extremely loud and electrically amplified) and mellow rock (softer, and with acoustic instruments). Rock blended with reggae, which emerged from Jamaica around 1972, and is a mix of rock, soul, calypso, and other Latin rhythms. Other styles emerging in the 70's were punk rock, bubble gum music, and heavy metal rock which continued the hallucinogenic approach of acid rock, but using loud volume, electronic distortion, and vulgar stage antics. Some bands expressing these feelings were Kiss, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin.

9. 1980 Popular Music The 1980s - the decade that style forgot. You’ll often hear people complain about how nothing good musically came out of the 80s, while in their next breath they are singing along to Girls On Film or proclaiming Take On Me is their favourite song… ever! Musically speaking the 80s were pure gold – this was the decade when some of the biggest acts of all time arrived on the scene, remember Madonna’s Like A Virgin? Jacko’s Thriller? Even some of today’s biggest stadium rock bands like U2 and REM were born in the eighties. OK, so this was the era responsible for Kajagoogoo but we all make mistakes.

11. 1990 Popular Music In the 1990s, music had gone through the rap and house revolution, totally changing the landscape of music. While up to the 1980s, music seemed to get louder and louder, the 1990s music seemed to take a step back in rhythm, going from the aforementioned Rap revolution, to the slower, romantic lyrics of late '90s bands, while also witnessing a rise in alternative rock and a couple of attempts at bringing back 80's style of pop. By the end of the decade electronic dance music (house, techno) was everywhere and the charts were full of manufactured corporate groups.

13. 2000 Popular Music Electronic dance music (house, techno, drum 'n‘ bass) is all over the place. The beginning of the decade had a peak and decline of Boy bands and Girl groups, notably those produced from the reality TV shows. With this phenomenon, the number of groupies or supporters rose to a significant number. These individuals watched their idols perform across the United States. There was a notable return to raw garage rock'n'roll with groups such as The Strokes, The White Stripes and The Kings of Leon. While, hip-hop music has dominated the Billboard Hot 100 list most of the first half of the decade in the 2000s

15. Conclusion My Conclusion is that these past 7 decades have revolutionised the music industry. The songs I have mentioned are just some of the thousands which we have all heard, We’ve had artists which have changed cultures, changed the way people think, Inspired people. This industry never stops, its like a continuous flow shape shifting from genre to genre. I personally think what these artists have achieved with their music, what they have done, is truly amazing.

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