Power ballad
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A power ballad is a type of song typically characterized by having a slow tempo, long voiced notes, electric and/or acoustic guitars, and deemphasized percussion and bass. Some sections of the song may include strong percussion and bass that are more typical of the hard rock and heavy metal genres for increased emotional effect, and often the electric guitar comes back in the song's climax. Common power ballad themes include (but are not limited to) emotional pain, need, love and loss.
[edit] History
It is believed by artists and fans that power ballads first came into existence in the 1970s at the insistence of record company executives who may have coerced their signed hard rock and heavy metal bands to include a powerful ballad on an album, reasoning that the power ballad would attract a larger listening audience than the bands' typical music. By the mid-1980s, hard rock and heavy metal bands routinely released power ballads in an effort to cross over to Top 40 radio.[3]
Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" is often cited as the glam metal power ballad that popularized the genre, and aired frequently on MTV in 1985, eventually becoming the most requested video for three months straight.[3] Def Leppard's Bringin' On The Heartbreak was an even earlier aired power ballad, which was popular on the MTV charts in 1981.[4][5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "POP VIEW; The Male Rock Anthem: Going All to Pieces". The New York Times. Published February 1, 1998.
- ^ "Rock Concert Question: Are Lighter Salutes Bad for the Environment?" Live Science. Published July 15, 2006.
- ^ a b Aaron, Charles (2002). "Don't Fight the Power". in Jonathan Lethem, Paul Bresnick. Da Capo Best Music Writing 2002: The Year's Finest Writing on Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country, and More. Da Capo Press. p. 132. ISBN 0306811669, 9780306811661.
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/def_leppard/artist.jhtml
- ^ http://www.nadamucho.com/features/unsorted/the_glory_of_love_-_revisiting_the_power_ballad.html
