You have probably heard Don McLean’s song American Pie. In the song there is the phrase ‘The Day the Music Died’. At first when you listen to this song you may think the various phrases have no meaning to music but as you listen closer you will hear small facts about the musical world and the events behind these events. The phrase ‘The Day the Music Died’ refers to February 3rd 1959. On this day a small plane containing three of Americas well known rock n’ roll singers of that time crashed.

The singers were Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens. In the plane crash wreckage that was found all three of these singers and the pilot had died on impact from massive trauma wounds. It is for this reason that McLean’s song has the words that music died as three very promising singers who greatly influenced the music scene had their lives and careers cut short.

A variety of reasons led the three performers to taking a single engine Beechcraft Bonanza airplane to their performance venue. For Buddy Holly the bus traveling frustration is what lead him to choose to fly to the next venue, for Richardson his bout of flu had made the decision to fly as the ride to their next performance and for Valens it was a new experience that promoted him to ask to be one of the passengers in the plane.

Not long after the single engine airplane with its three passengers took, off the radio tower in Clear Lake, Iowa saw the tail light of the plane descending. This plus the flight plan file which was never called in prompted the tower to ask for a search operation into the whereabouts of the Beechcraft Bonanza airplane. Shortly after the search was begun the wreckage of the plane was found and its three dead passengers and pilot were also discovered.

Today you can find the memorial site where these three promising performers had their lives cut short in a private farm land. A stainless steel monument shows this location. It was in that crash that music died or as Don McLean’s put it that was ‘The Day the Music Died’.

Most of the time we hear pop music being played in stores, on the radio and even from passing cars. We play it  when we’re working, when we’re playing and generally at all times of the day simply because most pop music is just so aimlessly catchy that you find yourself drawn to it without even thinking about it.

In this case, you might be interested to know that the different sounds you can hear from the genre of pop music incorporates a lot of elements from rock n’ roll, disco, punk, country, R&B, hip hop, and even from Latin music. And sometimes you will even find strains of classical music in these pop songs. While this form of music is popular with a lot of people today it is interesting to know that pop music came into life on the heels of rock n’roll.

Originally pop music was called popular music as the music which was played and listened to were the ones which appealed to a wide audience base. The different tastes of people are what drives the changes in this music. For instance the Latin music scene is one which has captured the hearts and minds of a great many listeners and to that end you will now hear many singers from that genre of music crossing over into the pop music genre (such as Shakira and Enrique Iglesias). Likewise having facets of R&B, soul music and even jazz gives pop music a depth which it needs in order to evolve.

Pop songs becomes part of the pop music genre if they are played (sometimes seemingly endlessly) on radio stations, and are considered as being among the top most heard songs. You will also find that for the truly popular pop music artists, concerts are sold out long before they hit the stage, and singles are looked for and bought the second they hit the music stores.

All in all you will find that pop music is a style of easy listening. You will hear this music not just with your ears but also with your heart, soul and imagination so let the pop music revolution continue onwards.

A mashup of 2009′s top 25 pop songs:

Truly this is a good question. Sure music rocks your world, but in what manner do you allow it to do so? Do you listen to your favorite music through a radio station? With an mp3 player? A stereo system? Your computer; in your car; with a cd player; with your brother’s old hand me down system? A juke box? The list as you can see is just about endless.

For my part I have a few different methods of keeping in touch with my musical side, and these include (but are most definitely not limited to), my much revered Bose, through my PC, car, mp3 player, mother’s old cd player; radio…the list as you can see is endless.

The truth of the matter is that if you like music and if music rocks your world, then you will find some way or other of getting to your music. For instance, at this present moment in time as I write these words, I am listening to the strangely soothing strains of Tracy Chapman’s “Crossroads”, one of my favorite songs, on my PC.

Think about it, how does music affect your life? Do you find yourself humming along to songs while you are out grocery shopping? Do you create culinary masterpieces listening to the strains of your favorite song? Do you wake up to the sound of a bright and overly chipper DJ on your favorite radio station every morning?

And when you listen to music on your PC, what type of software do you use? The generic player pre-loaded with your PC, or one that you have become used to over the years and which can help you to keep track of your vast library of music?

Regardless of how you do it, and when you do it, one thing cannot be denied. If you love music, you will find a way in which to fill your day with it.

For many people listening to classical music is one of the best ways to calm themselves after a hard day’s work. The music you listen to will vary from person to person. Sometimes you will hear music which is soft and melodious. At other times the music will feel like it is tugging at your hear strings. Then there are the times when the music that you are listening to will have dramatic tones like the crash of waves on rocks or thunder crashing in the air.

While there are many people who will insist that classical music can’t match the popularity of today’s Rock, Pop and R&B music scene this is not really true. For instance there are some songs which are popular today which have classical music as the main background. In some cases movies and even television series will use this music to provide dramatic atmosphere to the various scenes.

If you are a fan of old school classical music you will find that most modern styles do not have much in common with many of the great composers of yesteryear. Even if you have never heard their music you must have heard of names like Mozart, Schubert, Haydn and Beethoven. The music of these geniuses has lived on long after some of today’s music has lost its appeal.

The combination of flutes, drums, harps, violins, the trombone and even the cymbals will show you how the musical geniuses like Mozart and Beethoven used these musical instruments to give life to their extraordinary works of living art. And see how this music can mesmerize you long after the music has stopped playing.

All in all while classical music can’t be heard everywhere there are still many people who love this musical style. To savour the music which can be heard from this style all that you need to do is to sit back and relax. Choose some music which will change from the soothing to the dramatic and let your imagination soar as the music flows in your blood.

This is a Bach’s “Air on the G String”, performed by Sarah Chang:

Or does it? Obvisouly Hip Hop music is not going to be everyone’s choice of music, but again, as with the other genres we looked at earlier, it cannot be denied that hip hop music has its place in the music world, and not always in the mainstream life either. So what makes hip hop rock the world?

Hip hop came into existence during the 70s in the Bronx, in the Big Apple. Along with the music the culture of hip hop also came alive. This fantastic style of music is the one to listen to if you like hearing a mix of different musical sounds. For instance did you know that you will find some disco, club, reggae, funk and performing poetry all within the world of hip hop? Interestingly, Break Dancing is one of the dance styles which uses hip hop as the creative background for its awe inspiring moves. It is this very diversity that makes hip hop such a popular music genre.

The world of music has undergone great changes because of its presence. In fact, the Brazilian music culture has wholeheartedly embraced hip hop music and its culture. You will find Brazil a short second place behind the USA in the hip hop stakes. In Europe you would find people of various ethnic backgrounds playing and enjoying hip hop and its fascinating, ever changing style.

Like the culture of hip hop the music has changed to suit the times and the people. From the golden decade of the 80s to the trend changing 90s hip hop has evolved with a life of its own. It has emerged from the underground music stream to the mainstream music world. In fact you can hear great singers like Chris Brown and Rihanna giving hip hop an infusion of color and depth which should appeal to all lovers of music. You could say that hip hop in all of its phases is here to stay and change the way we see the world.

Listen to some Rihanna with an aptly named song “Don’t Stop the Music”.