Rocking the world
NEW WAVE
Historical Context
New Wave was originally an umbrella term for the diverse styles of music that succeeded Punk Rock in the late 70s and 80s. The overgeneralisation of this genre led to much controversy and confusion fuelled by the music industry's multiple definitions and varying responses towards it. The lines are still blurred between new wave and its many substitutes and sub-genres. However, New Wave is generally seen as light and fun compared to it's politically charged predecessor.
A huge cultural change that was part of the reason why New Wave was revived in the early 80s was the arrival of MTV. This multinational cable music channel, popularised music videos and New Wave music. MTV also brought many alternative New Wave artists from Britain into the US spotlight such as "Duran Duran", best known for their huge US hit "Girls On Film."
​
New wave also has a certain romanticised connotation because of its feature in many of the classic high school drama films of the 1980s. Movies such as "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty in Pink", "Valley Girl", and "Sixteen Candles" all featured iconic New Wave soundtracks which is part of what makes this genre feel so nostalgic and relevant to this day.
Characteristics and Examples
New Wave music relies on quirky production and a heavy use of electronic and metallic tone colour. New Wave also has a distinct visual style seen in it's music videos and fashion. New Wave bands had a strong dedication to the "do it yourself", "indie rock" attitude of Punk, with many bands such as "R.E.M" giving up far more lucrative careers in defiance of the corporate entertainment industry.
​
The tempo of New Wave music is usually quite fast and includes the use of choppy rhythmic guitar, synthesisers or keyboards, and pop influenced song structure and melodies over danceable drum beats. Vocals are often high pitched and lyrics do not carry much political weight. This is largely what differentiated New Wave from genres like Punk and Post-punk; New Wave lacked commitment to a particular political movement. It wasn't dangerous or anarchic, it was danceable, romantic, and fun.
​
Male New Wave bands such as "Talking Heads" and "Devo" exaggerated their nervous, nerdy personas to both appeal to their fans and criticise caucasian stereotypes. Other examples of popular new wave groups where "Duran Duran", "Blondie", "Simple Minds", "Soft Cell" and "The Police". These bands were responsible for many New Wave classics such as "Tainted Love", "Heart Of Glass", "Don't You Forget About Me" and "Every Breath You Take". A very popular New Wave solo act was Cyndi Lauper who wrote some of the most recognisable New Wave songs. "Time After Time" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" have had a huge cultural impact and are still recognised today.
​
All of these bands and songs focus on the core things that define New Wave: upbeat rhythms, catchy electronic melodies and fun romantic personalities.
Impact
New Wave's impact lies less in its musicality and more in its cultural influence. New Wave's main musical impact was introducing a heavy reliance on synthesisers and dance beats into modern music. This lead to the developement of many of the popular dance genres of the 1990s.
The indie rock ethos that small New Wave bands adopted proved anyone can make it in the music industry which was crucial in kickstarting the alternative/college rock era during the late 1980s, and bedroom pop of the 2010s. New wave also pushed an agenda of acceptance with sexually ambiguous and even overtly homosexual acts rising to the top of charts which was previously unheard of in popuar music.
​
New Wave was also the first genre to fully realise the monetary and cultural power of music videos. Part of what makes New Wave so iconic is not just it's sound but it's unique visual style and appeal. This was something that had been explored before in rock but never to the extent that New Wave did. This was partly due to the establishment of MTV and to New Wave featuring heavily in classic films of the 80s.
​
New wave left a lasting impact on both the music and film industry in many ways; introducing the use of synthesisers in modern music, establishing the "do it yourself" attitude of college rock and bedroom pop, popularising music videos and cementing itself as the defining sound of the 80s.
Click here for analysis of "Girls On Film" by Duran Duran
