IMAGINE DRAGONS and The History of Popular Rock

[Music] right now imagine dragons are the biggest rock band on the planet even if you don't consider them rock you cannot avoid them imagine dragons have consistently had a hit on the charts since their debut in 2012 meaning they've never left the public's ears for six straight years in fact they're the only artists to see four separate singles spend at least a year on the Billboard Hot 100 their single radioactive still holds the record for the most total weeks spent on that chart they hold more number-one hits on the Billboard Rock charts than any artist before them and they've accumulated over 20 rock music awards and just as many nominations and while they have a massive dedicated fan base who fill arenas around the world they are by no means the most critically acclaimed group their albums have consistently been panned by critics and have rock fans disputing over the band's questionable presence on rock charts like it or not imagine dragons are the face of modern-day rock but how did we get here and what does that say about the current state of rock music [Music] dan Reynolds had been trying to get imagine dragons off the ground since 2008 and they sounded nothing like they do now their first EP was very musical theater after a number of lineup changes the group moved to Reynolds hometown of Las Vegas releasing two more eps before settling into their new sound with a single it's time a fairly average alternative rock song reminiscent of something by Mumford & Sons or Coldplay imagine dragons was soon signed to a major label working with hip hop producer Alex de Kidd in crafting an EP that would be the basis for their debut night visions radioactive was the standout track here and the most electronically influenced on the album its blend of dubstep hip hop and rock helped the track appeal to nearly everyone which might explain why it holds the record for the most weeks spent on the Billboard Hot 100 you know what still holds second place [Applause] that's right another electronic rock song night visions debuted at number two becoming the highest charting debut rock record since 2006 and the three singles released all found their way to the top 20 on the hot 100 with radioactive later earning them a Grammy for Best Rock performance by the end of their first world tour they wound up with 50 demos giving them enough material for their second album smoke and mirrors the album sold twice as many copies as their debut in its first week securing them their first number-one album again they'd release a few singles and they did do well but they wouldn't perform as well as some of the cuts off their debut which could perhaps be explained by the more rock influenced sound of this new record the group did a short hiatus before releasing their third effort evolve [Applause] and just as the name suggested the band's sound matured into more of their electronic elements and guess what their singles found their way back to the top 20 of the Hot 100 they removed themselves from what was left of their rock identity with some very EDM inspired tracks and rock radio embraced it most charts did all three of their albums posted mixed reviews by critics but they've continually outperformed nearly every other rock act in terms of sales and streaming numbers further showcasing that popularity and critic scores aren't interrelated when it comes to music and while there are many reasons to be critical of imagine dragons those same reasons for why you could hate this band seem to be the exact same reason so many others love them so I'll avoid that debate and talk about their label as a rock band because good luck trying to convince a traditional rock fan that this is rock music so why are they plastered all over the rock charts where did the real rock music go well that's a tough question to answer and one that's been asked for decades rock has been redefined and divided further into subgenres since its inception I think there is a consensus however that the music we understand to be rock began sometime in the 1950s pioneers like Muddy Waters brought us blues rock with an electric guitar at the forefront Chuck Berry and Little Richard and Elvis started a parental uproar when they introduced rock and roll to the youth of America in the 60s the beatles led the British Invasion initially receiving negative criticisms before making pop rock a part of pop culture later surf rock pop rock and folk rock culminated into an experimental form of rock also known as psychedelic or progressive it would push the boundaries of what was considered rock becoming an adult art form that yearned to be taken seriously younger audiences became disinterested in rocks new complexity and started looking for something new in response the 70s divided mainstream rock into two camps soft rock and hard rock with glam rock somewhere in between then punk came along to combat the extravagance of mainstream rock but none of these genres were generally accepted by the art rock generation before then in the 80s dance music emerged and hard rock saw resurgence in the form of glam metal combining pop hooks with guitar riffs the alternative rock label was also born being used to describe any rock that didn't fit into mainstream genres then the 90s happened like heavy metal and punk before it grunge surfaced in defiance of mainstream rock and would end up becoming the mainstream rock of the early 90s until pop punk with lighten the mood from then on we would only see fusions reinventions or second waves of previous rock genres until the turn of the millennium birth of post-punk revival with The Strokes and the white stripes leading a new generation of rock surely they were meant to be the saviors of rock and roll but much like history as the end of the decade approached they'd all fall off for one reason or another and then the public really lost rock music when CD sales started plummeting and digital sales took over putting an emphasis on singles rather than albums soon rock radio stations started falling like flies converting to top 40 stations since they brought in more listener and advertisers meanwhile indie rock bands were making waves online thanks to music blogs and internet radio their albums were breaking the Billboard 200 without any mainstream radio play when digital production arrived melody and lyrics took a backseat to singles and catchy hooks Radio Rock hasn't sounded much like rocks since guitars drums and pianos are being replaced with drum machines synths and our Peggy ators if you're not making music with some digital production there's nothing wrong with that you just aren't making it to the charts and then in 2017 for the first time in history R&B and hip-hop surpassed Rock to become the biggest music genre in the United States alternative or indie rock began to encapsulate any guitar based pop and was for the most part the only form of rock charting on the Billboard by the late 2000s groups like Linkin Park Coldplay The Killers and Foster the People all began using more electronic pieces in their music paving the way for what this generation perceives as rock music today the only rock music that can land on the charts have to knock down the sonic barriers between rock pop and hip hop just as modern music fans no longer listen exclusively to one genre bands no longer defined their music as exclusive to one genre imagine dragons were quick to adapt and now they sit in this awkward position of being mostly pop music with some occasional rock elements and they're judged as poorly done or uninteresting indie rock music when the band themselves describe their music as genre lists sometimes the music scene has never been this diverse genres have become virtually non-existent for millions of listeners as artists have started to ignore genre labels completely so will we ever see the return of rock as it once was probably not traditionalist rock fans and critics were so fixated on what rock music is or what it should be that music just moved on without them each era of rock reinterprets the styles of the previous age challenging and blurring the lines of what constitutes rock itself it was never one concrete idea it's been an ever-changing organism since its birth rock music is ultimately the next generations noise and generally very few fans migrate from one generation to the next considering each new era as a mediocre attempt reproducing the previous one so it kind of makes sense that imagine dragons aren't beloved by the previous generation of rock fans and critics because it's not meant for them there's no shortage of new critically acclaimed rock music continuing to pay tribute to Rock's past you just have to dig deeper than the radio charts to find them one day we will witness a new movement of rock reached the charts but don't be mistaken rock is alive and well it just may not be what you imagined it's a look or sound like but you don't have to wait for the new rock revolution start it if you have a passion for rock music Skillshare will help you refine your skills the online learning community has over 20,000 classes on things from vocal training guitar lessons digital production and whatever else might help you achieve that dream a premium membership starts at around ten dollars a month giving you unlimited access to all courses but the first 500 people to use the link in the description will get two months of Skillshare premium for free giving you plenty of time to kickstart your rock revolution thanks for watching ladies and gents if you enjoyed this video please give it a like rating subscribe to learn more about the music you love or hate and don't forget to hit that bell so you never miss an episode if you can support the channel head over to our patreon page for some rewards you can find us on Spotify Twitter and Instagram as the middle Oh Cho and that's it for me again thanks for watching and keep listening

Channel: Middle 8

Views: 443,190

Rating: 4.833343 out of 5

Keywords: Imagine Dragons, radioactive, believer, thunder, imagine dragons lyrics, imagine dragons new album, imagine dragons live, imagine dragons origins, imagine dragons full album, the history of rock, the history of pop rock, the beatles, elvis, the rolling stones, demons, imagine dragons music, twenty one pilots, modern rock, what happened to rock music, rock music, nirvana, guns n roses, how rock music has changed, when did rock music start, when did rock become popular, did rock die

Id: Yo1AZl1S2gc

Length: 9min 45sec (585 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 13 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/archangel610]

They're a pretty good band, but I don't think they should be the face of rock.

[u/Wdranes]

Oh boy the comments

[u/erinthecute]

Middle 8 is great. Such a good video.

[u/Happypepik]

All the people in the comments make me sick. There was even a comment with a #endimaginedragonscareer2k19. Like, there is a shit ton of music I don't like, but the solution is not to just burn it with fire because you are right...

[u/CptButchFlowers-]

WHAT THEY'RE 50 S+M DEMOS I NEED THEM NOW