3 Legendary Pop Albums That Hit the Reset Button on the Genre

These three pop albums rewrote the rulebook. They ushered in new eras, paving the way for innovation in a genre often criticized for leaning into convention. These albums stood on their own, daring not to follow any trends and instead creating new ones.

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‘Thriller’ — Michael Jackson

We have to start with the King of Pop himself. Few albums have been as transformative for a genre as Thriller. Not that anyone really could recreate it, but the onus to measure up was certainly there.

When we look at the tracklist for this iconic pop album, we’re in awe of how many signature Jackson songs it includes. “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”, “The Girl Is Mine”, “Beat It”, the title track, and “Billie Jean”? It reads like a greatest hits album, yet it was a singular work. You don’t get called “The King” for nothing.

‘Pet Sounds’ — The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys operate in several genres. They are a rock band for sure, but they have plenty of crossover appeal. Their genre lines are blurred, making Pet Sounds an apt choice for this list. This pop album hit like a bomb when it was released. It was an unfathomable innovation. This band, known for their lulling harmonies and simple tracks, had decided to go for the experimental title. They earned it tenfold.

This album influenced (and still influences) every corner of the music industry. Whether you were a pop artist or rocker back then, you knew the power of what you were hearing. Even today, countless artists mention this record when discussing their influences.

‘Melodrama’ —  Lorde

Moving forward a bit, we have Lorde’s Melodrama. This record started a new minimalist trend in pop music. It’s a convention that we’re moving away from today, but it dominated the genre for much of the 2010s. Lorde set a standard for what intimate, lyric-heavy pop music could sound like. She took the introspection found in other genres and gave it a pop sheen.

From “Liability” to “Supercut”, this album is rife with referenceable material. It’s impossible to know how many musicians this record touched, but plenty of her peers still nod to it today. It’s one of those albums that came around at exactly the right time, bulldozed everything that came before, and rebuilt something new in its place.

(Photo by Bob King/Redferns)