How do we treat pop music as a vital, serious, and aesthetically-rich mode of cultural production? Is it art?

The Beatles showed that pop music can be art. Although Rubber Soul has a lot of simple love songs, this album also introduces songs with deeper meaning that people analyze in many different ways, such as “Norwegian Wood”. For the first time, The Beatles showed that they were experimenting with ideas, just in time for the 1960’s ways of change and rebellion. More importantly, they were also using new instruments, such as the Indian sitar to give pop music a new and distinct sound.