Pop is a very overarching word when it comes to any genre of music.
While a lot of people would point to the flashiest music of all time being put under the ‘pop’ umbrella, the biggest names in rock were no strangers to the pop sphere when they first started, especially since everything else on the charts was easy listening. But even the industry veterans like Eric Clapton and Elton John knew that a handful of tunes were able to bring people together in a way that no one else could.
Granted, it’s not like Clapton and John’s music were on the same side of the musical spectrum back in the day, either. Sure, John had his moments of trying on different psychedelic flourishes in his early days, but it was nowhere near that caustic brand of rock and roll that ‘Slowhand’ was doing around the same time. If anything, John was probably more attuned to pop than the guitar legend most of the time.
He was brought up listening to almost everything, and while Clapton did eventually make his way towards pop music, it was interesting seeing how both of them approached it. Since they had wildly different backgrounds, you could easily hear their influences rubbing off on them even when they began working on their crossover records.
‘Wonderful Tonight’ is a fantastic song by ‘Slowhand’, but listening through the entire track, the guitar hook that plays throughout could have been considered a leftover from one of his bluesy albums. At the same time, John’s attention to detail was almost cinematic in scope, and when listening to the opening of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, it’s almost unclear if you’re going to be in for a fantastic pop record or something that feels ripped directly out of a Disney soundtrack.
But that sense of atmosphere always came from listening to the biggest names in pop at the time. The Beatles had dared people to test the limits of where pop music could go, and while Jimi Hendrix wasn’t too far behind them in terms of studio innovation, it’s hard to deny what Brian Wilson did on Pet Sounds. This was a genius painting his masterpiece, and it was easy for any stripe of music fan to feel the tides turning in between every track.
Despite coming from the pop convert after spending decades in blues music, Clapton had to admit the mastery Wilson had over the studio, saying, “I consider Pet Sounds to be one of the greatest pop LPs to ever be released. It encompasses everything that’s ever knocked me out and rolled it all into one.” But while Clapton could stare in amazement at the genius on display, John could nail down the finer details of what was going on.
The melody was one thing, but the kind of chord changes that Wilson was using was what completely knocked out the pianist when trying to figure out the nuances of the record, saying, “Pet Sounds is a landmark album. For me to say that I was enthralled would be an understatement. I had never heard such magical sounds, so amazingly recorded. It undoubtedly changed the way that I, and countless others, approached recording.”
The album is a timeless piece of musical art, but one thing that both legends didn’t touch on is the amount of emotional resonance in the record. Wilson always had difficulty trying to articulate his feelings, and even if not every song is meant to be the most heartfelt declaration of love by any means, there is hardly anyone on Earth who will make a love song sound as beautiful as ‘God Only Knows’ or manage to make intimacy sound so pure like on ‘Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)’.
While Wilson was making a record well beyond what any other rock fan was doing, you can still hear the teenage spirit poking through every single track. The music is definitely there and makes the whole thing sound gorgeous, but you never forget about the innocence in there as well.
