HUMN240 Popular Culture

Rituals and stereotypes are two topics that are widely discussed when it comes to popular music. A ritual is an established procedure that is done for either religious or other reasons. Rituals may vary from country to country and have been present in society for thousands of years. A stereotype is a popular belief or preconceived notion about a specific type of person.
Rituals don’t affect popular music itself but there are rituals that are often related to the performance of popular music and there are songs that become a rite or passage for certain events.
There are many different rituals that are related to the performance of popular music. If you go to a wedding you will most likely hear songs like YMCA, the Chicken Dance, Electric Slide, or many more. These songs each have a ritualistic dance that accompanies them that most people know.
Some popular songs that have become ritualistic include playing the Wedding March at a wedding ceremony and singing Happy Birthday on someone’s birthday. There are other songs that have become ritualistic at these events as well. Different events have different popular songs that you often associated with them. At weddings you will often hear At Last by Etta James, at funerals you will often hear My Way by Frank Sinatra, and at confirmation you will often hear Ave Maria.
Stereotypes are also present in popular music and include things such as who listens to what type of music. There are often certain people that are associated with different types of music. Country music is often thought of as being listened to by people in cowboy hats or boots. Classical music is often thought of as being listened to by wealthy or boring people. There are many other stereotypes related to this idea that certain people listen to certain to certain types of music.

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