“Ain't it fun? Living in the real world…” Ain’t it right? To others, it is true. But for some, it isn’t. We live in a generation where listening to music can be a way to isolate oneself to find peace or serenity. It can calm our nervousness. Or sometimes, it makes us want to believe in love again. The versatility of music is unique. And it depends on its beat, tempo, lyrics, singer, and many more factors that creates sound. The lyrics above are from “Ain’t it fun” (2014) by Paramore. They started modestly enough in Franklin, Tennessee, where Hayley Williams met brothers Josh and Zac Farro after moving to town from Mississippi, according to Andrew Leahey's biography on AllMusic.com. Williams, who was already a powerful vocalist at the age of 13, entered a band founded by the Farro siblings and local guitarist Taylor York. Soon after, she quit the band and signed with Atlantic Records as a solo artist, but she had a falling out with the label over the direction of her music. Josh and Zac Farro, as well as guitarist Jason Bynum and bassist Jeremy Davis, were all recruited for the job (All Music).
According to Paramore-Music.com, a band member's girlfriend attempted to describe their practice as paramour during one of their rehearsals (secret love). The musicians agreed to alter the spelling slightly, and thus the name Paramore was born. The first song they have written was “Conspiracy” (2015) (Paramore-Music). But right now, Paramore composes of three member: Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and Zac Farro. The band has 5 albums. From Master Thesis of Claudia Gielis entitled, “It’s not a Fashion Statement. An Exploration of Masculinity and Femininity in Contemporary Emo Music” The first one is All we know is Falling (2005) which is their debut album but with songs such as “All We Know” (2005) and “Emergency” (2005) they skyrocketed to fame. Riot! (2007) is Paramore’s second album. With their debut album, Paramore had already gotten a lot of attention from the general public, but this album expanded their fan base even further. Their third studio album Brand New Eyes (2009) again shows signs of the band maturing. This is expressed in their lyrics, which takes on query and challenging ideas. They do not take anything for granted, but they are willing to investigate and explore things. Paramore (2013) is Paramore’s fourth studio album. Before they released this album, they had taken a short break. During this time, emo has left the mainstream as the third wave ended. Paramore left emo as well. Paramore have created a new sound for themselves, leaving emo behind and turning to pop music instead. With this album, they reaffirmed their place in the charts. After Laughter (2017) is Paramore fifth studio album. Their sound has again completely changed. They can still be considered as a pop band, but they have also taken ideas from different genres. What sticks out is the 1980s vibe. They are heavily influenced by 1980s new wave and synth-pop, which shows in their music videos. That’s why I’m wondering why Paramore is not included in the canon. Just their song “Born For This” (2015) is screaming for their notability. Here are some factors why it is born to be included in the pop music canon.
Born for breaking the gender stereotypes. Paramore, a band with a female vocalist, performs the emo genre that encompasses both masculinity and femininity in their songs. As stated by Claudia Gielis in "It's not a fashion statement. An Exploration of Masculinity and Feminity in Contemporary Emo Music," Paramore has a different point of view, as it takes on a female perspective. This perspective shows the harm that comes with certain types of masculinity. In addition, Hayley advises her female listeners to go away from men with such behavior as these women are placed in subordinate positions. It is okay to stand up for yourself and thus transcend the gendered stereotype. She has rejected hyper-femininity multiple times, but the lyrics indicate that this comes with age. She came across as naive and inexperienced on her first album, but this naivete and inexperience gradually faded on subsequent albums. She matured along with the lyrics and representation of the band (Gielis 2018, 82).
Born for their beats. One of Paramore's hit songs, “The Only Exemption” (2010) is a soft rock song that can make you tap your hands in every strum of the guitar. It has soft beats that when you group them into a recurring pattern, can define a meter (Meter, Grove Music Online). As the piano starts in the beginning and gradually getting louder during the chorus and the bridge, we can notice that there are three beats in a measure and the quarter note gets the beat. This means that this song has a time signature of 3/4, classifying it as a triple meter. This meter is common in genres like ballads and classical music but rare in rock and jazz. However, as we can see, this meter really suits the style of Paramore which is a soft ballad that provides musical diversity to the album.
Born for their tempo. Taking the song, "The Only Exemption" as an example again, we can notice its slow tempo played at 48 BPM (andante). This slow tempo creates a harmony with the lyrics that tells you a heart pounding story. Hayley Williams, the vocalist explained to Kerrang! in 2009:
I’ve never written lyrics like this before. The first verse is about where I think the fear to be open or vulnerable started. Ever since the first story in Kerrang!, everyone has known about my family issues and domestic whatever, it’s something that’s kinda stayed with me and I’ve learned from. I played this song to my mom and there were tears. It was kind of embarrassing (Genius).
Born for their instrumentation. When was the last time a xylophone was featured prominently within a mainstream hit? Certainly, the instrument isn’t commonplace to popular music. In “Ain't It Fun,” it takes both the front and the center, offering both of the song's key instrumental hooks. This gives the song a distinct tone, allowing it to stand out and resonate amongst its mainstream contemporaries. The xylophone's "light" quality, combined with its associated melody, gives the section its pop nature in the song's intro. Within two seconds, a distorted electric guitar is added to the mix which puts the Rock vibe into effect. In the verse part, the bass is present. The bass's driving nature bends toward the rock side, while the bass's flourishes give the segment a funky twist. For the chorus, the upfront distorted guitars and driving drums provide the section with its retro ‘90s Alt Rock vibe. The xylophone hook and later the guitar accentuates the section's pop quality. The chugging electric guitar brings the rock, the flourishing bass brings the funk, and the synth adds a subtle electro-pop vibe to the segment (Hit Song Deconstructed).
Born for their texture. In this homophonic song - “The Only Exception”, the vocals are being the main melody while the instruments are backing it up. As one acoustic guitar is playing at the start, the texture seems thin and it gradually becomes thicker when other instruments came through.
Born for their timbre. The album, “Still Into You” (2013), according to Taylor York of MTV News, served as an introduction to the broad variety of styles and sonics explored by the trio on Paramore. It has been described as a power pop rock with Gotye-like skeletal guitar lines, alternative dance glockenspiel, and synths. It was written in the key of F Major and features a backbeat on the drums instead of the heavy guitar riff that Paramore is known for. The bass guitar, compared to an acoustic guitar with a clean or non-distorted sound, produces a resonant and piercing timbre. Taylor York said:
“Still Into You” came from our old way of doing things not working anymore; it came out of frustration. We’d be frustrated, and then we would just randomly play something on an instrument and it would spark something. 'Still Into You’ started [with] an organ part, and somehow it turned into this pop song. It took a cool shape that is different for us, I don’t think you can be too worried that it’s different, because this is what we believe in, and we’re excited about it (Genius).
Born for their vocals. The vocalist of the band, Paramore, is Hayley Williams. According to the article in Diva Devotee, she has a vocal type of Light-Lyric Soprano and a vocal range of Bb2-A5-A6. For instance: she can deliver speedy and flawlessly-timed phrasing that is clear and concise “Misery Business” (2007); or be powerful, sturdy and bright enough in tone to cut through instrumentation “Ignorance” (2001). To any of these styles, Hayley is able to apply a wide, developed and rolling vibrato that rings like a bell “Brick By Boring Brick” (2009). When Hayley performs "The Only Exception," her head voice has a thick, clean, and full timbre. It's easily accessible from the rest of her range, and despite its lack of use, it demonstrates excellent control. She also has power over registering whistle that can be carried for long periods of time. Overall, Hayley is a versatile vocalist with a wide range of tones and timbres to work with.
The band, Paramore, can be part of the pop music canon because it has the qualities of being a pop music. Their meter, tempo, instrumentation, texture of the songs, timbre, and their vocals were discussed and they clearly qualify. Compared to other artists, this band has it all. Their vocalist is a soprano with wide variety of tones and timbres in her voice. The group also has members who can play instruments like guitar and drums, as well as keyboard. Their music expresses different kinds of emotions one person can have. All kinds of genre are present. They can be rock, emo, pop, rock pop, and more. The audience can’t help but listen and jam to their sound. Paramore also have fascinating music videos that incorporates connection and excellent visual performance, lyrics, and music. Most importantly, their lyrics are speaking to every kind of people. It is powerful that it can change the mood of a person and make them feel something. The impact of their songs are clearly signs that Paramore can belong to pop music canon. Paramore is born for this.
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