Proto-Everything: 5 of the Very First Songs From Popular Genres

Have you ever wondered about the very first songs from your favorite genre? We get it; it’d be fascinating to hear the very beginning of a whole trend in music. Unfortunately, there is no way to really determine the “first” song of a genre. However, each of the following five songs is widely considered to be one of the first examples of their respective genres. Let’s dive in, shall we?

1. “Here Come The Judge” by Pigmeat Markham (1968)

This hit song by Pigmeat Markham became a big hit upon its release in 1968. Markham was a soul and comedy artist, and that much is clear on this track. However, there are elements of hip-hop and rap in this song that one really can’t ignore. The track utilizes rhyming dialogue of a “boastful” nature over a quite funky drum rhythm, and that could very well be the precursor to modern-day rap music.

2. “Kick Out The Jams” by MC5 (1969)

“Kick Out The Jams” was recorded in 1968 by MC5. This was before the “first” (according to the opinion of many punk-leaning basement music historians) punk band The Stooges released their debut album. It’s a classic garage rock song, but some elements lean toward the very beginnings of punk rock.

3. “Popscene” by Blur (1993)

The 1993 song “Popscene” could easily be seen as the first Britpop song of the 1990s. At the very least, this stellar piece of work by Blur is regarded as a pioneer track of that particular genre. When it was initially released, “Popscene” didn’t do too well on the UK charts. However, it’s since become quite infamous for being so groundbreaking for its time.

4. “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks (1964)

Plenty of songs out there are considered the “first” heavy metal song, but a number of fans agree that such credit should go to The Kinks’ 1964 track “You Really Got Me”. The Kinks famously pioneered the modern use of distortion and power chords, which are all you really need to produce a basic heavy metal song. 

It doesn’t really sound like modern metal, but you can definitely hear the beginnings of metal instrumentation. The band had to slice up their amps with a knife to get that distorted, wild sound.

5. “After The Ball” by Charles Harris (1892)

Pop music can be a little hard to define, so choosing the very first songs considered “pop” is a bit difficult. In a way, we could simply define it as popular music; but it would need to be released in a time where the sharing of music in the broad sense was possible. 

Many believe that “After The Ball” by Charles Harris is the first pop song ever. It was written in 1891 and made its sheet music debut in 1892. It was a massive hit at the time, selling over 10 million copies of sheet music. The Wisconsin-based Harris became the first musician to sell over a million copies of sheet music with this particular hit.

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