Musical Genre: Cheese
Created | Updated Sep 21, 2005
The Genre of Cheese, or Cheesy Music
'Cheese' is a generic term given to music which is specifically 'recent' but was popular for reasons nobody young who buys music now is willing to admit they are aware of. It is listened to for three major reasons:1) For nostalgic value
Generally - to remember a moment, or a person a song reminded of. Cheese songs have strong emotional links to many people, but usually only the 'ballad cheese' sub-genre.2) To 'handbag-dance' to
Cheese songs are simple ion construction generally (i.e. Gina G's Ooh,Aah, Just a little Bit) and feature simple riffs. This aids greatly in actually dancing to it as an unskilled member of the public. Also , the social pressure to dance well is notably absent during any cheese-music themed event.3) To sing to
Generally, everybody knows cheese songs and therefore, going to a cheese night in a nightclub you can sing away to your heart's content without the normal nightclub syndrome of 'will-they-notice-I'm-not-mouthing-the-right-words'Subgenres:
Not a definitive list! There are so many and they overlap too much!
1. Temporally Specific (or Mouldy):
This type of cheese is specific usually to a person or an event (i.e. 1970's music for an 70's night). Popular songs from a specific era are related to by the audience (who were regularly born after that era). They know all the words and radio stations still played these tracks when they were young. There's something comforting about listening to the tracks your parents used to play you which makes you feel safe to get totally inebriated on a night out. Usually 'boppy' in feel. Music to party like it's 1999 to. Good examples from many times are the Foundations' Build me up Buttercup, almost anything by the Jackson 5, Madness's Our House and Steps' 5,6,7,8!2. BalladCheese (or Rubbery)
This type of cheese is exemplified by Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2U. Generally, any slow piece with lots of synthesisers and overused reverb can be categorised safely here. Also included are the likes of the Spice Girl's 2 become 1. Generally listened to for nostalgia, and seldom danced to.3. Singalong-a-Cheese (or Crumbly)
Crumbly cheese is something you could well find yourself singing on a dancefloor and bump into your own mother doing the same thing after the office party. Obviously, this is hideously embarrassing and should be avoided at all costs. Singalong-a-Cheese is mainly used at karaoke sessions by people not quite 'up-to-the-minute' on modern music, although 'perpetual favourites' (a slightly more P.C. term for Cheese) are used by people too drunk to remember the last 5 years too.and so on...
Cheese is, by its nature simple a genre featuring music which was popular once and isn't now, so naturally has so many subgenres, with new (or is that old) subgenres popping up every few years.It's interesting to note that with the resurgence of 'retro' as popular, tracks which are being released are instantly being relegated to cheese playlists in nightclubs (anything Steps ever released, S Club too).
Cheese has a particularly strong following within these groups: over-40's (nostalgia purposes) students (drinking purposes)and the 'gay clubbing' community (one of few communities prepared to accept 'recently' released tracks into its cheese playlists - S Club 7, Justin Timberlake, etc.) The gay community is usually the quickest to declare music cheese.
The enduring popularity of cheese is a testament to the artists of the time, although a warning: Certain cheese is acceptable at certain times - do not play ballads at a party (until wind down time) do not play funky cheese to your girlfriend over a candlelit dinner (unless you're particularly quirky so it's in context) and again, so on.
Cheese also carries a health warning:
Enjoy this music and if you're under 30, your friends will think you decidedly uncool.
