Lounge music

Lounge music is a specific genre of easy listening music. It gained immense popularity during the 1950s and 1960s. This music aims to evoke specific emotions in its listeners. It often creates the feeling of being in a tranquil setting. These settings might include a jungle, an island paradise, or even outer space.

The genre encompasses many different styles. It includes beautiful instrumental music and modern electronica. Modern versions often use chillout or downtempo influences. However, the music remains focused on its retro-space age cultural elements.

To understand how lounge music is constructed, one must look at its diverse musical building blocks. It is largely derived from jazz and various global musical traditions. This is a major difference from rock and roll, which grew from blues and country.

Some styles, known as Exotica, use exaggerated percussion arrangements. For example, a Polynesian-themed song might feature heavy use of bongos. Vocalists in these tracks might even imitate the sounds of wild animals. Other styles, called space age pop, use special sound effects. These effects mimic the sounds of space exploration.

Artists like Juan García Esquivel used stereophonic technology to create spatial audio. This allowed orchestras to produce whooshing sounds that seemed to move through space.

Lounge music can be categorized into several distinct types. One type is purely instrumental, meaning it lacks a main vocal part. These instrumentals can use orchestral arrangements or jazz-style setups. They might also use instruments like the Hammond organ or electric guitar. Another type is "Swinging" music, which continued the swing jazz era of the 1930s and 1940s. This style places a much heavier emphasis on the vocalist. Finally, there are lounge singers who perform in venues like hotel cocktail bars. These performers often play cover songs or pop standards from the Tin Pan Alley era.

The history of this music begins much earlier than the mid-century boom. The earliest forms appeared during the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, the music was known as light music. The term "lounge" was actually applied retroactively to the era. You will not find the word "lounge" in 1950s documents like Billboard magazine.

During its heyday, Exotica artists like Les Baxter and Martin Denny sold millions of records. They blended various international genres into a relaxed sound. This included Latin genres like bossa nova, mambo, and cha-cha-cha. They also incorporated Polynesian and French musical elements.

The significance of the lounge scene is most visible in Las Vegas. Many artists performed in the featured lounges of famous casinos. The Mary Kaye Trio were documented pioneers of this Las Vegas scene in the early 1950s. Many legendary musicians actually began their careers as lounge performers. Billy Joel, for instance, worked in a piano bar for six months. He later wrote the famous song "Piano Man" about that specific experience. This shows how the lounge environment served as a training ground for many stars.

Many notable singers defined the sound of the era. Male vocalists included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Louis Armstrong. Famous female singers included Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and Peggy Lee. These artists provided the smooth, soft vocals that the genre requires.

The genre also saw a resurgence in the late 1980s. Younger fans began using "lounge" as a label of endearment. This revival included groups like Pink Martini and the multinational group Gentle People. Even the alternative band Stereolab released albums inspired by the space age style.

Today, lounge music continues to connect with other musical fields. It has influenced modern rock bands in surprising ways. The British band Arctic Monkeys shifted toward a lounge pop sound with their 2018 album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. This concept album was inspired by old science-fiction films and the 1969 Apollo 11 Moon landing. Other artists, such as the Parisian band Nouvelle Vague, cover post-punk songs using bossa nova styles. Even in comedy, the lounge singer is a recognizable character. From Andy Kaufman's Tony Clifton to various Saturday Night Live sketches, the style remains a powerful cultural touchstone.