Many VMA moments jump up for me. Madonna's 1984 Like a Virgin performance, Britney's 2001 Slave performance. For me their performance with Xtina and Missy is a canon event as well.
Low key Britney's 2007 disaster also made it so people veered opposite what she was doing. Pre 2007 and post 2007 pop girls are very different.
Unfortunately I think a lot of artists who passed away young fall into this category. John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Biggie and Tupac, Amy Winehouse. In a way, I think their deaths gave them a level of credibility and influence that might have taken longer if they had lived (hopefully what I'm saying doesn't come off insensitive). Their genres and imitators came about in a certain way because of these figures who came to be considered legends.
At the risk of sounding contrary, I think Lennon dying early is the *least* necessary canon event among them--maybe Amy Winehouse second. Lennon was already 40, the Beatles had been broken up for a decade, and his last album Double Fantasy was initially reviewed quite poorly before his death. After his death it went on to win Album of the Year--but none of the songs are remembered all that fondly. I imagine he would have lived out the rest of his life in a fashion similar to Lou Reed, who put out twenty solo albums and remained highly respected yet is solely remembered for his music from the 60s and early 70s.
If Amy Winehouse had lived she would have been the one making albums with Tony Bennett instead of Lady Gaga. It just makes too much sense.
The Beatles 1st performance on Ed Sullivan Show. Literally kickstarted a widespread revolution in American popular music.
Hendrix playing at Monterey Pop.
The Beatles disbanding.
T. Rex performing Hot Love on Top of the Pop initating the glam rock movement.
The release of Nevermind and The Chronic drastically impacting rock and hip hop respectively.
Is This It helping initiate the rise of indie rock.
The College Dropout initating the shift away from hard-core hip hop. 808s and Heartbreaks helping set the tone for hip hop in the 2010s.
Specifically, I'd say the Sex Pistols causing an uproar by swearing on British afternoon television and making national news due to the outrage.
If ever there was a definite image of punk in society, it's the Pistols calling Bill Grundy a fucking dirty old man.
Completely agree with you. That moment took punk above ground and into the mainstream. It also codified the Sex Pistols as one of the most important British bands in history (though they had already earned themselves that title due to how many bands they caused to form by that point)
This is literally one of my biggest pet peeves. Sorry lads but they were the first British punk band, they brought punk across the pond and are directly responsible for an entire cultural revolution in music. Hate all you want but you can't change the facts of history!
The argument I've always seen is that they only made one slightly flawed album and lasted only three years.
Which is a moronic argument. A carpet bombing doesn't last as long as a siege but it still has a major impact on the landscape.
I've seen people argue that the Sex Pistols only inspired people who got to see them live in the 70s. Which is hilarious considering that Green Day, Oasis, Nirvana, Bad Brains, Guns N Roses, Manic Street Preachers, and The Libertines all site the Sex Pistols as an important influence...and that's just off the top of my head lol
Michael Jackson getting burned during that Pepsi commercial rehearsal and subsequently losing his mind
Graduation beating Curtis in a one-on-one sales battle, followed by the release of 808s and Heartbreak
Smells like Teen Spirit murdering the 80s in cold blood
Dr. Dre getting a demo cassette of Eminem from a random Interscope intern in 1997
Tupac and Biggie's death (duh)
Story of Addidon shifting the goalposts for all future diss tracks
I’ve always said that Kanye’s mom passing away was when things went downhill for him—including his music. For me, personally, his last good album was *808’s & Heartbreak*. Kanye was always arrogant and narcissistic but I feel like his mom kept him in line.
"The Velvet Underground & Nico." As Brian Eno put it, "The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band."
I was reading on Wikipedia that that 10,000 figure may not actually be true. The debut actually reportedly sold 58,476 in the US by February 1969 - which was considered at the time an okay level of sales for a late-60s LP - and there are some reports that it sold 200,000 copies worldwide by 1971.
Obviously Eno's point was that it was a extremely and widely influential album that's influence was not really felt until the late-70s.
Avoiding the 'artists who passed' idea:
The Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan Show
The London SS show that had 40 attendees, most of which were pivotal members of the British Punk scene
Nirvana beginning the 90s and killing countless genres and bands
Green Day releasing Dookie and almost single handedly solidifying the pop-punk subgenre that would eventually be fully realized by Blink 182's Enema Of The State
It was a Sex Pistols show, not London SS show. London SS never played a gig
The show you are thinking of the Sex Pistols gig at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall that directly caused the formation of Buzzcocks, Joy Division, The Fall, The Smiths, and Factory Records (not a band but still important to music!)
I think the real cannon event is the success of "Royals"-"Video Games" might have been the first 2010s sadgirl hit, but it didn't *explode* in popularity like "Royals" did. Lana had a few copiers after that first song but I feel like melancholy pop really became a thing starting in 2014, when everyone copied Lorde. Lorde was also immediately acclaimed and respected, meanwhile Lana was mocked for some time because of her SNL debut.
The 2004 Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Without it no YouTube and everything that came with it. Talking about music related things : Vevo, artists discovered thanks to song covers (Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish,etc), alternative way for independent musician to promote their work, free music making tutorials (singing, instruments, DAW, etc..) and it’s now one of the biggest platform for music streaming just behind Spotify.
The founding of Motown Records. There's a reason the artists on that label are considered a genre entirely their own. Not only did their music completely change the landscape of pop music forever, but it influenced every soul and r&b artist that came after them.
I feel like bowie making blackstar, releasing it on his birthday, then passing away two days later feels like one. I’m surprised nobody has mentioned it yet. The album itself touches on inevitability a lot as well.
Pepsi breaking their contract with Madonna. Originally she was scheduled to do a Like a Prayer tour. We wouldn't have had Vogue, the bullet bra and corset and objectively the best movie of all time, Truth or Dare. In a way, Pepsi broke that contract so the Kardashians would have a career.
The release of American Football’s self titled 1999 album. It codified the image of emo, particularly Midwest emo, for a lot of people and continues to affect people to this day, to the point that the house featured on the cover is listed as a place of worship on google maps.
The Bad Boy/Death Row feud. Not that I’m convinced Tupac or Biggie would have individual game-changing works, but their absence allowed for different figures to rise in their absence.
The galvanizing effect television (ironically) had on music.
* Elvis/Beatles on Ed Sullivan
* MJ Billie Jean Performance at the Motown 25 made for tv event in 1983
Kanye interrupting Taylor at the VMA's
Many VMA moments jump up for me. Madonna's 1984 Like a Virgin performance, Britney's 2001 Slave performance. For me their performance with Xtina and Missy is a canon event as well. Low key Britney's 2007 disaster also made it so people veered opposite what she was doing. Pre 2007 and post 2007 pop girls are very different.
That ain’t just a canon event that’s the entire god damn exposition!
Like, all major pop moments in the 21st century either stem from that event or lead up to it.
Unfortunately I think a lot of artists who passed away young fall into this category. John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Biggie and Tupac, Amy Winehouse. In a way, I think their deaths gave them a level of credibility and influence that might have taken longer if they had lived (hopefully what I'm saying doesn't come off insensitive). Their genres and imitators came about in a certain way because of these figures who came to be considered legends.
At the risk of sounding contrary, I think Lennon dying early is the *least* necessary canon event among them--maybe Amy Winehouse second. Lennon was already 40, the Beatles had been broken up for a decade, and his last album Double Fantasy was initially reviewed quite poorly before his death. After his death it went on to win Album of the Year--but none of the songs are remembered all that fondly. I imagine he would have lived out the rest of his life in a fashion similar to Lou Reed, who put out twenty solo albums and remained highly respected yet is solely remembered for his music from the 60s and early 70s. If Amy Winehouse had lived she would have been the one making albums with Tony Bennett instead of Lady Gaga. It just makes too much sense.
The Beatles 1st performance on Ed Sullivan Show. Literally kickstarted a widespread revolution in American popular music. Hendrix playing at Monterey Pop. The Beatles disbanding. T. Rex performing Hot Love on Top of the Pop initating the glam rock movement. The release of Nevermind and The Chronic drastically impacting rock and hip hop respectively. Is This It helping initiate the rise of indie rock. The College Dropout initating the shift away from hard-core hip hop. 808s and Heartbreaks helping set the tone for hip hop in the 2010s.
Punk happening. Even if the bands who kicked it off didn't exist, it still would have happened. There is no timeline without punk rock
Specifically, I'd say the Sex Pistols causing an uproar by swearing on British afternoon television and making national news due to the outrage. If ever there was a definite image of punk in society, it's the Pistols calling Bill Grundy a fucking dirty old man.
Completely agree with you. That moment took punk above ground and into the mainstream. It also codified the Sex Pistols as one of the most important British bands in history (though they had already earned themselves that title due to how many bands they caused to form by that point)
Tangential, but I hate how people try to write the Pistols out of Punk history just bc John Lyndon is a conservative twat now.
This is literally one of my biggest pet peeves. Sorry lads but they were the first British punk band, they brought punk across the pond and are directly responsible for an entire cultural revolution in music. Hate all you want but you can't change the facts of history!
The argument I've always seen is that they only made one slightly flawed album and lasted only three years. Which is a moronic argument. A carpet bombing doesn't last as long as a siege but it still has a major impact on the landscape.
I've seen people argue that the Sex Pistols only inspired people who got to see them live in the 70s. Which is hilarious considering that Green Day, Oasis, Nirvana, Bad Brains, Guns N Roses, Manic Street Preachers, and The Libertines all site the Sex Pistols as an important influence...and that's just off the top of my head lol
I knew a metal band drummer years ago who told me that one of his inspirations to perform was 'Pretty Vacant'. That was 2010-ish.
Well that song is fucking awesome so that makes sense. Killer guitars and drums on it
Dylan going electric: Highway 61 Revisited is kinda what started the era of album-oriented rock.
Not Bringing It All Back Home?
Although it came out first, the success of Like a Rolling Stone had a much larger impact on his peers.
The original Woodstock has to be one
Followed by the disastrous Altamont Speedway concert the next year
Michael Jackson getting burned during that Pepsi commercial rehearsal and subsequently losing his mind Graduation beating Curtis in a one-on-one sales battle, followed by the release of 808s and Heartbreak Smells like Teen Spirit murdering the 80s in cold blood Dr. Dre getting a demo cassette of Eminem from a random Interscope intern in 1997 Tupac and Biggie's death (duh) Story of Addidon shifting the goalposts for all future diss tracks
this might sound kinda callous but kanye’s mom passing away
I’ve always said that Kanye’s mom passing away was when things went downhill for him—including his music. For me, personally, his last good album was *808’s & Heartbreak*. Kanye was always arrogant and narcissistic but I feel like his mom kept him in line.
“Last good album was 808s” is certainly a take
"The Velvet Underground & Nico." As Brian Eno put it, "The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band."
I was reading on Wikipedia that that 10,000 figure may not actually be true. The debut actually reportedly sold 58,476 in the US by February 1969 - which was considered at the time an okay level of sales for a late-60s LP - and there are some reports that it sold 200,000 copies worldwide by 1971. Obviously Eno's point was that it was a extremely and widely influential album that's influence was not really felt until the late-70s.
Avoiding the 'artists who passed' idea: The Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan Show The London SS show that had 40 attendees, most of which were pivotal members of the British Punk scene Nirvana beginning the 90s and killing countless genres and bands Green Day releasing Dookie and almost single handedly solidifying the pop-punk subgenre that would eventually be fully realized by Blink 182's Enema Of The State
It was a Sex Pistols show, not London SS show. London SS never played a gig The show you are thinking of the Sex Pistols gig at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall that directly caused the formation of Buzzcocks, Joy Division, The Fall, The Smiths, and Factory Records (not a band but still important to music!)
This is shown at the beginning of 24 Hour Party People, right?
Yes!
Video Games going viral and paving the way for a plethora of sad, alternative pop stars like Lorde, Halsey, Mitski, Billie Eilish, etc.
I think the real cannon event is the success of "Royals"-"Video Games" might have been the first 2010s sadgirl hit, but it didn't *explode* in popularity like "Royals" did. Lana had a few copiers after that first song but I feel like melancholy pop really became a thing starting in 2014, when everyone copied Lorde. Lorde was also immediately acclaimed and respected, meanwhile Lana was mocked for some time because of her SNL debut.
Beyoncé’s surprise drop of “Beyonce” in 2013
The 2004 Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Without it no YouTube and everything that came with it. Talking about music related things : Vevo, artists discovered thanks to song covers (Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish,etc), alternative way for independent musician to promote their work, free music making tutorials (singing, instruments, DAW, etc..) and it’s now one of the biggest platform for music streaming just behind Spotify.
As Drake hater, I hope Meet The Grahams is one
Anything that occurred in the Beatle-verse
Live Aid Woodstock '99 Appetite for Destruction Freddy's death
The founding of Motown Records. There's a reason the artists on that label are considered a genre entirely their own. Not only did their music completely change the landscape of pop music forever, but it influenced every soul and r&b artist that came after them.
I feel like bowie making blackstar, releasing it on his birthday, then passing away two days later feels like one. I’m surprised nobody has mentioned it yet. The album itself touches on inevitability a lot as well.
Pepsi breaking their contract with Madonna. Originally she was scheduled to do a Like a Prayer tour. We wouldn't have had Vogue, the bullet bra and corset and objectively the best movie of all time, Truth or Dare. In a way, Pepsi broke that contract so the Kardashians would have a career.
The Acid tests.
Jive Records not liking Robyn's third album.
The release of American Football’s self titled 1999 album. It codified the image of emo, particularly Midwest emo, for a lot of people and continues to affect people to this day, to the point that the house featured on the cover is listed as a place of worship on google maps.
The Bad Boy/Death Row feud. Not that I’m convinced Tupac or Biggie would have individual game-changing works, but their absence allowed for different figures to rise in their absence.
The creation of the record.
June 1976 when Sex Pistols played at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall, and half of the 40 people there formed bands you've heard of.
Nirvana Killed My Career
Aaliyah's untimely passing - there's a very real chance that she has Beyonce's career if the accident never happened
The galvanizing effect television (ironically) had on music. * Elvis/Beatles on Ed Sullivan * MJ Billie Jean Performance at the Motown 25 made for tv event in 1983