The phrase "Middle of the road" is also used in other contexts as a synonym for political centrism or general moderation. In Politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting Moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes Moderation is the process of eliminating or lessening extremes

Middle of the road or MOR is a broad term encompassing a number of musical styles. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Not technically a genre in its own right, it was, and in some places still is, a popular radio format. A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set This article is about Broadcast radio, for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. Music classed as MOR is broadly popular in outlook, but not cutting edge; it is generally strongly melodic and frequently uses vocal harmony techniques and arrangements involving orchestral instruments. Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more Avant-garde (avɑ̃gaʁd in French) means "advance guard" or "vanguard In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. In Music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing Music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch such An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well Such music is rarely (if ever) aggressive or abrasive. The Beautiful Music stations of the 1960s and 1970s can be regarded as a form of MOR radio, as could today's Smooth Jazz and Soft AC formats. Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, or BM / EZ for beautiful music / easy listening) is a mostly-instrumental music format that The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. Smooth jazz, also sometimes referred to as new adult contemporary music is generally described as a genre of music that utilizes instruments (and at times improvisation Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in

Conceived as a format that would include music of broad and almost universal appeal due to its pool of bestselling performers and its gently inoffensive sentimentality, it is often the format of choice for doctors' offices, stores, and other public and semi-public places of business. The combination of the unchallenging, decorous quality and its association with being piped in to places one is compelled to remain has drawn the genre its detractors. Ironically, the format has largely replaced what was once referred to as Elevator Music, or Muzak, which was anonymous, instrumental versions of such popular but mild tunes designed to lull the listener, yet the stigma of being unwelcome background music has transferred to the MOR genre if only because of its similar usage.

Some musical styles frequently included under the general heading of "middle of the road" include:

• Easy listening
• Traditional pop music of the pre-rock & roll era, or later recordings imitative of that style
• Orchestral ballads
• Songs from musical theater
• Smooth jazz
• Soft rock

MOR should not be confused with AOR (Album Oriented Rock), most of which is highly experimental. Easy listening music is a style of Popular music and radio format that emerged in the mid-20th century evolving out of swing and Big band music Traditional pop or Classic pop or Standards music denotes in general Western (and particularly American popular music that either wholly predates the advent of Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Smooth jazz, also sometimes referred to as new adult contemporary music is generally described as a genre of music that utilizes instruments (and at times improvisation Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of Music which uses the techniques of Rock and roll to compose a softer Album-oriented rock (sometimes referred to as Adult-oriented rock or as West Coast Rock) abbreviated AOR and originally called album-oriented radio

Notable MOR musicians

Some artists whose work falls wholly or mostly into the category of MOR include:

• Air Supply
• Tony Bennett
• James Blunt
• Michael Bolton
• Pat Boone
• Bread
• Boston
• Mariah Carey
• The Carpenters
• Nat King Cole
• Perry Como
• Rita Coolidge
• Bing Crosby
• John Denver
• Celine Dion
• Engelbert Humperdinck
• Jack Jones
• Norah Jones
• The Eagles
• Frankie Laine
• Melissa Manchester
• Barry Manilow
• Dean Martin
• Johnny Mathis
• Katie Melua
• Matt Monro
• Anne Murray
• Olivia Newton-John
• Patti Page
• Helen Reddy
• Kenny Rogers
• Sade
• Carly Simon
• Frank Sinatra
• Barbra Streisand
• Dionne Warwick
• Roger Whittaker
• Andy Williams
• Baja Marimba Band

Contemporary Usage

The term "middle of the road" has begun to be used in a pejorative sense by more dedicated (or genre-specific) music fans to describe musicians who avoid innovative or "edgy" material and calibrate their appeal to the lowest common denominator of popular taste; in other words, it is used as an accusation of blandness. Air Supply is a Soft rock Duo who had a succession of hits worldwide through the late 1970s and early 1980s Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto; August 3 1926) is an American Singer of popular music, standards James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974 is an English Acoustic / Folk rock Singer-songwriter whose debut album Michael Bolton (born Michael Bolotin on February 26, 1953) is an American Singer-songwriter, best known for his Soft rock Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone (born June 1 1934) is an American Singer whose smooth style made him a popular performer of the 1950s Bread was a 1970s rock / pop band from Los Angeles, California. Boston is an American rock band from Boston Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo consisting of Siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17 1919 &ndash February 15 1965 known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como ( May 18 1912 &ndash May 12 2001) was an Italian-American singer and television personality Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945, in Lafayette Tennessee) is a Grammy Award-winning American singer Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular John Denver (December 31 1943 &ndash October 12 1997 born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( OC OQ (born March 30 1968 in Charlemagne Quebec) is a Canadian pop Singer Engelbert Humperdinck (born Arnold George Dorsey, May 2 1936, Madras India) is a well-known British - American Jack Jones may refer to Jack Jones (banker, Texan tycoon Jack Jones (singer (born 1938 American jazz and pop singer Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar on March 30 1979) is an American Singer-songwriter, Pianist, Keyboardist Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio ( Chicago, March 30, 1913 – San Diego, February 6, 2007) Melissa Manchester (born on February 15, 1951 at New York, New York) is an American Singer-songwriter and actress Barry Manilow (born June 17, 1943) is an American Singer-songwriter, Musician, arranger, producer and conductor Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7 1917 &ndash December 25 1995 was an American Singer, Film Actor, television personality John Royce "Johnny" Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American Singer of Popular music. Matt Monro ( 1 December 1930, Shoreditch, London &ndash 7 February 1985, Ealing) was an English Anne Murray CC ONS (born Morna Anne Murray on June 20 1945 is a Canadian singer Olivia Newton-John, AO, OBE (born September 26 1948) is a Grammy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated English-born Clara Ann Fowler (born November 8, 1927) known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer one of the best-known female artists Helen Reddy (born October 25, 1941) is an Australian/American Singer / Songwriter. Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston Texas) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter Sade (pronounced "shah-day" ʃɑːˈdeɪ is an English group, which achieved success in the 1980s 1990s and 2000s Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25 1945 is an Oscar, Golden Globe and two time Grammy Award -winning American Singer-songwriter, Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Barbra Streisand (ˈstraɪsænd "STRY-sand" born April 24 1942 is an American Singer, Film and Theatre Actress Dionne Warwick (born Marie Dionne Warrick on December 12, 1940) is an acclaimed five-time Grammy Award -winning singer actress activist Roger Whittaker (born March 22 1936 in Nairobi, Kenya) is an English - Kenyan Singer / Songwriter and Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams (born December 3 1927 in Wall Lake Iowa) is an American pop singer The Baja Marimba Band was a popular musical group led by Marimba player Julius Wechter, initially intended by producer Herb Albert to cash in on the "south Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt In Mathematics, the lowest common denominator or least common denominator (abbreviated LCD) is the Least common multiple of the Denominators Critic Sasha Frere-Jones, in a generally positive article on Mariah Carey, characterized her music as "appeal[ing] to people who don't otherwise listen to pop. Sasha (Alexander Frere-Jones (born 1967 is an American Music critic based in New York City. These are people who probably also like Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion, singers who avoid the sexual tug of the blues and the glorious noises of rock and hip-hop in favor of tremulous expressions of chaste emotion. Andrea Bocelli, Grande Ufficiale Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana OMRI (born 22 September 1958 is an Italian Operatic pop Tenor Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( OC OQ (born March 30 1968 in Charlemagne Quebec) is a Canadian pop Singer Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with "^[1] Artists such as Westlife (by pop fans)^[2] or Train (by rock fans)^[3] would generally be considered to fall within this category. Westlife is an Irish pop band that was formed on 3 July 1998 They were signed on by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. Train is a Grammy Award winning rock band formed in San Francisco California. Similarly, the term is often used in a somewhat negative light when describing the progress of a band from innovative to more tried and true pop paths. For example, this excerpt from Pitchfork's review of Duran Duran's Rio displays some negativity: "The band peppered the 80s with a number of hot singles (most of which can be found on the unstoppable side A of Rio) before departing for MOR country. Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago -based daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary Duran Duran are an English Pop rock band famous for a long series of popular singles, albums and vivid Music videos for which they've won two Rio is an album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide on May 10, 1982, but re-released in November 1982 in the United States " Lyrics to the song "Hit Factory" by Godley and Creme on their album L include "MOR is safe. Godley & Creme were a duo of English Pop musicians and Music video directors Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. MOR is here. MOR is you. "

Nonetheless, Middle of the Road music does have a following, usually with listeners age 50 and up. Frequently referred to as adult standards or Nostalgia, a few radio stations continue to broadcast versions of the format. Adult Standards is a North American Radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations

References

See also

• Traditional pop music
• Adult Standards