Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
When it comes to contemporary pop music, you've no doubt heard this charge before: it all sounds the same.
That might be a bit of an overstatement, but there is a certain sonic sequence that seems to be taking over a lot of pop songs recently.
It's called the "millennial whoop."
You know, that “Wa-oh-wa-oh” line you've heard in so many songs?
If reading it doesn't ring a bell, here are just a few examples:
Katy Perry's California Gurls (at 0:51 and 1:05):
Demi Lovato's "Really Don't Care" (at 1:00):
And Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen's "Good Time" (at :04):
Musician and composer Patrick Metzger coined the term "millennial whoop" on his blog The Patterning. He joined Take Two to explain more about the melodic pattern and why so many pop singers are glomming onto it.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.