What is Bubblegum Pop?

What is this thing called Bubblegum Pop/Rock/Music?

MusicMoz sez...

"...Bubblegum Pop Refers to bands and artists, typically in the 60's and 70's which targeted a preteen audience. Generally it was more lightweight and catchier than it's rock and roll brethren, and generally typified the one hit wonder class of the era..."

which is true but fairly superficial...

Wikipedia has an excellent overview of the genre tracing it from the early days of R&B and Doo Wop (and earlier) through to the golden age in the 70's & 70's with even a stop at The Ramones before covering the modern practioners of the art. Thier definition is pretty great too...

"...Bubblegum pop (bubblegum rock, bubblegum music) is a genre of popular music and rock and roll. The defining characteristics of bubblegum music include catchy or hummable melodies, simplistic three-chord structures, repetitive riffs or "hooks", and lightweight lyrics, deceptively simple at best or even only one step removed from nursery rhymes..."

Robert Fontenot, Oldies Music guru at About.com offers a short but informative look at Bubblegum proper ...

"...true bubblegum, not boy bands or tweener divas like Britney Spears - was quite the phenomenon in its heyday (roughly 1968 to 1974). Reportedly, it all started with rock guru Don Kirsher, tired of dealing with the egos of his manufactured pop group the Monkees, decided to create a TRULY manufactured group with no real faces and names to get in the way..."

...and Andy at Bubblegum Music History has a wonderfully personal view of the birth and heyday of Bubblegum...

"...Young AM radio listeners like myself were turned off by protest folk and rock music and psychedelic music that was influenced by substances we'd never tried (nine-year-olds didn't sell and use drugs in those days). Our experiences revolved around TV and minor explorations with the opposite sex. Bubblegum music filled that limited area of interest by combining simple children's music borrowed from schoolyard games and nursery rhymes and silly, barely concealed lyrics about sex..."