Easy listening

Easy listening (including mood music[5]) is a popular music genre[6][7][8] and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s.[9] It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music[1] and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, non-rock vocals and instrumental covers of selected popular rock songs. It mostly concentrates on music that pre-dates the rock and roll era, characteristically on music from the 1940s and 1950s. It was differentiated from the mostly instrumental beautiful music format by its variety of styles, including a percentage of vocals, arrangements and tempos to fit various parts of the broadcast day.

Easy listening music is often confused with lounge music, but while it was popular in some of the same venues it was meant to be listened to for enjoyment rather than as background sound.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Keightley, Keir (2012). "Easy-Listening". In Shepherd, John; Horn, David (eds.). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Volume 8: Genres: North America. A&C Black. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4411-4874-2.
  2. ^ Rosen, Jody (June 7, 2005). "The Musical Genre That Will Save the World". Slate.
  3. ^ Murray, Noel (April 7, 2011). "Gateways to Geekery: Sunshine Pop". The A.V. Club. Onion Inc. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "Chill Hop, Jazz Hop, LoFi, Whatever You Call It, It's Catching on with Gen-Z". Forbes.
  5. ^ Musiker, Naomi; Musiker, Reuben (2014). Conductors and Composers of Popular Orchestral Music: A Biographical and Discographical Sourcebook. Routledge. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-135-91770-8. Mood music has come to be known as easy-listening music; however ... in the strict sense of the term, mood music means background music written for radio and television programs (including 'commercials'), as well as feature, documentary and newsreel films.
  6. ^ "BBC Four - the Joy of Easy Listening".
  7. ^ "What is Easy Listening Music?".
  8. ^ "Easy Listening Music Genre Overview". AllMusic.
  9. ^ Lanza, Joseph (2008). "Chapter 16: Zing! Went the Strings". In Miller, Paul D. (ed.). Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-262-63363-5.