The pop ballads of the twentieth century

When one talks about balladry, music can't be overlooked either. In fact, by the end of the 19^th century, the term ballad also described the sentimental song of the Victorian parlour. Such songs determined the success of the new sheet music and phonograph industries and remained at the heart of European and American popular music throughout the 20^th century. It became normal for music hall, radio, and television comics to conclude their performances with a crowd-binding sentimental song, and such heart-tugging numbers have been equally significant for the success of stage and film musicals.

Jazz musicians of all eras have used the ballad as the takeoff point for improvisation. The ballad, then, remained central to rock's appeal. Even punk and heavy metal acts discovered the use (and sales appeal) of the ballad to unify their audience into an emotional community. But the rock ballad as such is derived from soul music and, in particular, from Ray Charles, whose gospel reading of a country song, I Can't Stop Loving You ( 1962), became the blueprint for generations of rock balladeers.

Charles had a direct effect on such singers as Tom Jones and Joe Cocker, but his most lasting influence was on lighter-toned singer-songwriters such as Elton John and Billy Joel, who drew also on rock's lyrical pretensions (and had a major impact on younger performers such as George Michael). The power of the rock ballad in articulating private feeling as public emotion was dramatically illustrated by Elton John's performance of Candle in the Wind at the funeral of Diana, princess of Wales, in 1997, the recorded version of which became the best-selling single of all time. Here are some the ballad hits (see the Table below).