Listening to popular music can be a good way to stay in touch with change in our culture. Many popular bands make it to the pop chart. They are heard on the radio, are seen on TV shows and on the internet. There are some major differences about these bands that make them either appealing or trash. Some of these differences include their sound, image, and audience. These differences are prominently seen between two major pop groups: Green Day and the Jonas Brothers.
Sound is one of the most important things for any musical group and for them to survive it has to be appealing to the masses. Green Day’s lyrics focus mostly on alienation, hysteria, girls, the effects of doing drugs, and political issues; the latter is important in their acclaimed album American Idiot. Their sound is generally more pop punk, consisting of distorted guitar, fast manic drums, and relatively high treble bass, all accompanying Billie Joe Armstrong’s abrasive baritone as he belts out his rebel libretto and intense swearing that enlivens his already lively fans. In contrast, the Jonas Brothers’ lyrics relate to no one over 13 and are shallow, unintelligent, and extremely unoriginal, recycling overused themes such as love, losing your girlfriend to someone else, how everybody wants you, and being popular. Many of the Jonas Brothers’ fans must be deaf to the fuzzed up guitars with their simple and uninspired chords, and the rather weak vocals singing cotton-candy choruses in three part harmonies. According to a reviewer, the Jonas Brothers’ music is “typical sugar-coated crap that is launched at the hormonic girly population.”
In appearance, Green Day and the Jonas Brothers’ have only one thing in common: sloppy private school uniforms. Green Day, though, again utilizes more punk garb: spiky hair and mohawks, black eyeliner, leather, piercings, and tattoos. Their stage appearance, too, employs punk themes; on a live video of one of their most famous singles-“Boulevard of Broken Dreams”-their stage is lit with bright green dry ice and at the ending climax, flames shoot up from the stage. In an interview, the frontman, Billie Joe, explained that they are “three guys that like to play pop-punk music and get naked on stage. What’s not to like?” For JB fans, the rebel look obviously isn’t appealing; each of the three bros are clean-cut Disney stars that wouldn’t utter a swear word if their life depended on it. The corny clapping of hands and waving of arms accompanies their rather bad attempts at mock-playing their instruments, techno lights erratically flashing to the insistent beat, blinding the frenzied devotees as they scream “I love you” to their favored Jonas Brother.
How a band is born depends on its audience and to continue existing it must constantly feed its audience with just what they want. Green Day is a symbol of rebellion from the social structure, drawing the attention of hardcore punk fans, some Goth and emo, and many various ethnicities. The age group is diverse, as well. Any longtime pop punk connoisseur will swear upon their copy of Green Day’s newest album 21st Century Breakdown that Green Day belongs among the punk rock gods. On the other hand, the Jonas Brother’s have scaled Candy Mountain not just by their rather adorable faces and physic; they also have appealed to the overwhelming Christian sect, wearing purity rings to show they will abstain from physical pleasure until after marriage. Although not an altogether disagreeable tactic, the JB have become a symbol of purity and morality. Many hope that through their example, their children will follow their lead and make good choices. Again, the JB have made a fairly admirable maneuver in gaining the confidence of many parents whose young teenyboppers have been sucked into the gravitational pull of the Jonas Brother’s whirlwind.
Though different, these groups have a share in popularity, reaching out to hundreds. They introduce new ideas, draw attention to important issues, and change our culture with their inspirational compositions. Since 1987, Green Day has rocked the pop charts with their alluring unruliness. For four years, the Jonas Brothers have ruled the kiddie-rock stage with their recycled bubblegum. The question is: how much longer will either remain alive? Having experienced the sound and image of both Green Day and the Jonas Brothers, I have to say that my vote is for Green Day to “rock on” long after the Jonas Brothers have passed into obscurity like their predecessors: N’sync and the Backstreet Boys. The messages that Green Day imparts and their driving rock sound that sends the messages out, appeals to a larger range of ages and types of people, and will help with their longevity in the pop rock market. Although I have chosen one particular style of popular music that I prefer, I know that it is important to listen to many different groups that are on the market today to keep in touch with our ever changing culture.