# What is this type of music called?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [May 31, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880 "2011-05-31T19:30:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/1 "2011-05-31T19:30:26Z")
In the '50s and '60s when Rock ‘n’ Roll and then Rock was becoming the dominant popular music in the U.S., there was briefly another type of easy-listening music that enjoyed popularity. Usually disparagingly called “elevator music”, it included arrangements by Mantovani, The Melanchrino Stings, The 101 Strings, Stanley Black, and other bands whose names escape me now. Is there a value-neutral name to refer to this genre?
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/2 "2011-05-31T19:32:39Z")
Semi-classical.
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### Author:  [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/3 "2011-05-31T19:33:30Z")
Easy-Listening?
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/4 "2011-05-31T19:34:12Z")
Instrumental diarrhea?
Seriously, it is sometimes called Muzak, which was the name of a popular wired-music service common in office buildings and elevators. Muzak hired musicians to record sell-known tunes in a style without vocals, and since these were works for hire, Muzak could use them perpetually without paying royalties as they would have to do with the original hit songs.
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### Author:  [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/5 "2011-05-31T19:38:11Z")
Light Music or Easy Listening
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### Author:  [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/6 "2011-05-31T19:41:56Z")
Easy listening.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/7 "2011-05-31T19:45:17Z")
Elevator music is an acceptable term.
Godawful mind-dissolving garbage works for me too.
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### Author:  [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/8 "2011-05-31T19:48:04Z")
Dentist Office Music and you forgot the Longines Symphonette.
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### Author:  [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/9 "2011-05-31T19:51:36Z")
I’ll add an echo to “Easy Listening” unless you’re implying some other things that went a little beyond the Muzak and “elevator music” types of things.
Check out [Space age pop - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_age_pop) or even visit [http://www.spaceagepop.com/](http://www.spaceagepop.com/)
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### Author:  [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/10 "2011-05-31T20:24:21Z")
[Here’s a definition of easy listening with some sub-genres.](http://allmusic.com/explore/genre/easy-listening-d30)
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/11 "2011-05-31T20:40:25Z")
[Beautiful music](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_music)?
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/12 "2011-05-31T22:41:30Z")
muzack?
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/13 "2011-05-31T22:52:10Z")
Rio… for 20 minutes… 1920s style… in quadraphonic high fidelity.
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### Author:  [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/14 "2011-06-01T16:23:16Z")
[Mood music?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_music)
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/15 "2011-06-01T16:30:47Z")
I call it “the stuff my parents listened to when I was growing up”. 😛
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### Author:  [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-type-of-music-called/583880/16 "2011-06-01T16:52:06Z")
The official term is, _“normal modes of music.”_
[As quoted by Lt. Steve Hauk in _Good Morning Vietnam._](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093105/quotes)