Alex I say that everyday to people. The only sad part is that they don't know any better.

I think you gravely underestimate how many mindless drones are out there, and how many of them are willing to ostracize those who readily take shots at their collective un-intelligence.

I'm the opposite of being afraid when it comes to this stuff. I'm blunt as a hammer and I'm of the mindset that if someone can't handle something I have to say, and if they can't keep something objective, they're not worth being around in the first place. The problem is, I constantly have to associate with people who react quite aggressively to those who have different opinions than them. Not my friends, but those I work with, and have to deal with on a daily basis, for hours on end. The less you share in common with them, the harder life gets; the less willing they are to help you out when you really, really need it, and the less willing they are to network with you. It can literally cost you your career. So for me it's less fear and more common sense. I have, however, spoken with some people who do find it intimidating to simply say what they think about pop music. That's where the initial comment came from. Not necessarily saying it's good to be afraid about criticizing pop; just stating an anecdote.

That was exactly what I was saying to myself. When Steven played guitar solo in "Don't hate me" I was just stunned and Dave was not as good as for me for this band. No hate. You know what I mean.

correct on both counts!

I guess it was Stock Aitken Waterman. Some of them are the ones who have produced the songs with singers like Rick Astley, Dead or Alive or Kylie Minogue on United Kingdom. You can watch Embarrassing 80's - Stock, Aitken & Waterman on KZfaq.

"The term "pop song" was first recorded as being used in 1926, in the sense of a piece of music "having popular appeal".[10] Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music.[11]" "According to the website of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, called Grove Music Online, the term "pop music" "originated in Britain in the mid-1950s as a description for rock and roll and the new youth music styles that it influenced".[2] The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pop's "earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience ... since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the special meaning of non-classical mus[ic], usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, ABBA, etc".[12] Grove Music Online also states that "... in the early 1960s, [the term] 'pop music' competed terminologically with beat music [in England], while in the USA its coverage overlapped (as it still does) with that of 'rock and roll'".[2]"