MUSI 3200-Y: Popular Music of the 1990s

Course Description

The 1990s are often described as a transformational decade built by significant political and economic changes along with culture-altering technological advances. These shifts shaped 90s popular culture, with music being among its expression. Music of the 90s is often described as eclectic, an idea music critic Robert Christgau emphasizes in his reflection on the musical developments of the decade. He writes that the 90s were “richly chaotic, unknowable,” and “highly subject to vagaries of individual preference” (Christgau’s Consumer Guide: Albums of the ‘90s, 2000). The rich variety of popular music in the 90s serves as the impetus of this course. We will take a journey through the soundscape of the 90s and survey some of the most prominent and important developments in popular music of the period. Specifically, we will examine some of the larger genres and sub-genres of the decade, ranging from Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop, R & B, Pop, and Country and situate them within the broader social, political, economic, and technological advances and events of 90s culture.

Terms Taught:

Fall 2021

University of Lethbridge, Calgary Campus