soft rock

This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (May 2009)

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

Soft rock (also referred to as mellow rock, light rock, or easy rock) is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock and roll (often combined with elements from folk rock and singer-songwriter pop) to compose a softer, more toned-down sound for listening, often at work or when driving. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes saxophones. The electric guitars in soft rock are normally faint and high-pitched.

History

Soft rock emerged in the early 1970s, both as a reaction against the increasingly heavy music (heavy metal etc.) that was developing at the time, and also as a reflection of the changing priorities of the Baby Boom. What set 1970s soft rock apart from its 1960s counterpart, which for lack of a better word is usually just called "pop", is that in the 1960s pop existed for those who simply didn't like rock; the 1960s' pop artists usually were vocalists who were stylistic throwbacks to the pre-rock era. Soft rock developed organically to suit the needs of those who did have rock listening experience; as such, it can be considered a bona fide rock genre.

Soft rock became hugely popular later in that decade. By 1977, some radio stations, like New York's WTFM and WYNY, had switched to an all-soft-rock format. Around that same time, the band Chicago, which had previously been a jazz-rock band, switched to soft rock and reached their biggest commercial successes. British/American blues band Fleetwood Mac achieved its greatest success after adopting parts of the genre. Even Led Zeppelin, considered by some to be standard bearers of hard rock, flirted with the genre at the time in songs like 1979's "All My Love". By the 1980s, tastes had changed and radio formats reflected this change; the genre evolved into what came to be known as "adult contemporary", a pop categorization that bore less overt rock influence than its forebearer.

Some soft rock artists are Elton John, Billy Joel, and Air Supply.

See also

• List of Soft Rock Musicians
• Adult contemporary music
• Arena rock
• Yacht Rock
• Power ballad