THE FEELGOOD GENRE THAT DOESN’T TAKE ITSELF TOO SERIOUSLY
STEVE O'BRIEN
WHAT IS IT?
Isn’t it just typical of the UK to refer to Europop as something only from other countries, even when we’re part of Europe geographically and were members of its political bloc for nearly 50 years. But no, the sound, it was decided, was entirely separate, even when Brit-born artists got caught up in its sparkle.
Allmusic describes the Europop genre as, “a style of pop music that was deliberately lightweight, silly, and slickly produced”. The term can be used, then, in a pejorative way to describe something that’s utterly trivial, or that’s talked about approvingly as, well, something fluffy and fun.
That’s not to say that absolutely all Europop is inherently “lightweight and silly”. ABBA, who are often seen as Europop, may be slickly produced but you’d hardly call lyrics referencing the Battle of Waterloo witless. But though ABBA are indeed pop and, yes, from Europe, that’s not the sound most of us have in our heads when we think Europop. For that, we have to head to a band like Aqua. The Danish-Norwegian quartet’s Barbie Girl is the quintessential Europop track, with its bouncy dance beats and joyously frivolous lyrics.
Unlike most genres we feature here, Europop doesn’t have a sound that’s rooted in cement. It can be slickly produced, until it’s not (Right Said Fred), summery and silly, until it’s not (All That She Wants) and squarely aimed at the dancefloor – until it’s not (Fernando).
So, it’s best to look at those songs that absolutely are, without a shadow of a doubt, Europop, in the way most of us think of it. Forget the outliers, cast aside the artists with weight and respect – here we give you the cream of the Europop crop, in all their frothy, insubstantial, camp glory.
WHAT THEY SAY
“It took itself less seriously than Eurodisco and, as vacation music, could bring a smile to even the most jaded rock fan, as did Aqua’s Barbie Girl, which became Europop’s greatest global success to date when it was released in the late 1990s.”
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA
“The 90s dance-pop revival spearheaded by groups like Take That, the Spice Girls, and Backstreet Boys owed a great deal to the sound and style of Europop, while English-speaking artists who imitated the style for its incessant catchiness often added elements of irony and/or trashy camp.”
ALLMUSIC
ESSENTIAL NAMES
