>pop was a serious thing that attracted the best musicians and discerning listeners.

When was this ever the case? I'm not trying to be a dick, honestly. When was that statement true?

It's more true now than it ever has been. The majority of well known mainstream pop artists are highly competent musicians with an entire team behind them. The technical skill level of the engineers, music directors, and producers working in pop is unreal right now.

This is also true of pretty much all genres too I'm not trying to put anyone down here. The level of quality across all music is just exceptionally high these days.

But also https://youtu.be/eSuK_5zW2iM?si=2g9xUznIm1nCxhqV&t=653

This is probably my geriatric grumpiness speaking, but this seems subjective so I can disagree. Today's pop stars are beautiful faces with teams of highly competent, mostly invisible, professionals working behind the scenes to prop them up with music. It's much easier to take a handsome/pretty person and use technology to manufacture formulaic music around him or her, than it is to take a talented musician and make them picturesque and sellable.

It was also the case years ago, but somehow even moreso today.

I fully agree that quality outside of the mainstream / performance artists is better than ever though!

There are enough people who are talented and pretty, no need to compromise.

OK! I won't try to convince you!

Here's my favorite example of a pop song (though arguably second-tier in actual popularity) from the early 90s that, in my opinion, had some sophistication in the music, if not the lyrics: "That's What Love is For" by Amy Grant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPOe8VKqgJM Observe the way it moves between keys, the chord progressions in the chorus, and the way the guitar solo leads into a key change. Contrast that with so many later pop songs that are just a repeating four-chord pattern all the way through. I mean, there have been four-chord songs for decades (there's that famous Axis of Awesome video), but the classic four-chord songs usually didn't repeat those four chords through the whole song.

Here's a more recent example of a popular song on the theme of love and marriage from the UK.

From a band that focuses on the poetry and word play and who now draw in collaborators from about the globe and routinely pack venues.

The music is minimal but from song to song constantly inventivelt simplistic.

Official Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKcbSOjIzjQ

Live @Nottz Arena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cGo4isi1Tw

Lyrics: https://www.google.com/search?q=mork+and+mindy+song+sleaford...

Just watch Rick Beato's interviews for some hints.

We can start with the Police, all three of whom he's done: tell us who nowadays is as good as Andy Summers or Stewart Copeland? Or Sting, of course.

Or watch The Wrecking Crew. Or Hired Gun.