"Most of us have been raised in the tradition of tin pan alley, where the songs, beautiful or not, were meant to amuse or beguile, but that's all. They were embellishments on life. What these young people seem to say is that their music isn't just decorative.
And that's the pop music scene today, serious and silly, sweet and grandiose, but all of it coming out of the kids themselves. They are trying hard, but whatever young people do, they tend to overdo. The jury is still out on their social ideas, but the verdict is in on their music. A great deal of it is good. "
well, I was born in 1954, long after Tin Pan Alley had peaked - I learned early of another tradition of songs that were NOT meant simply to amuse or beguile - like that of woody guthrie - Frank Hutchison - pre-war hillbilly music - blues - folk-
there was always lots out there that the jazz press missed -
and I find the second graph a little condescending - if well meant -