Doo-Wop Music: Unique in Many Ways

First, let me say upon reading the title your first impression that this is geared towards senior citizens, but as someone in her early 30's I must say that I truly like all kinds of music. Disenchanted with today's music that has all of the cursing, references to drugs, drinking, exploitation of women and other frequent violations of acceptable morals, I tried to find music that was still upbeat, danceable, yet fit in with the same values that I have. One night on PBS, they were running a special on Doo-Wop music from the 1950's and early 60's; so I decided to check it out.

After the first "session" (the time before pledge break), I was pleasantly surprised that I actually knew most of the songs and really liked them. Unlike today's music, the songs relied on the singer(s)' voice and less on "enhancements" made in the studio. The music, itself, wasn't focused on "getting into a woman's pants" but more on "getting another dance with a girlfriend". Also, I noticed that a lot of the songs were actually the same songs; just recoded by different artists. Many times the exact songs were covered by rock, soul, and rockabilly groups; which made it interesting to see how each group but its own "sound" on the familiar tune. When the special ended, I enjoyed it so much that I would not mind watching it again.

For people that are interested in reverting to simpler times where the music was more "family friendly," as opposed to today's music, I highly recommend giving Doo-Wop music a listen. If you are unsure if you will like it or not, watch it on PBS when it comes on or go to Amazon and search for a Doo-Wop CD. Listen to the samples, and should you like it, consider adding it to your collection. If not, then at least you will not be out any money, and consider yourself now exposed to another genre of music.