I thought this would be an interesting discussion. One thing that made soaps show how "current" they could be was them playing popular songs that most of us heard all the time on the radio. Somewhere along the lines they stopped doing that and they just play generic stuff etc... so what year did soaps decide it was too expensive or whatever to play real music?

I think after 2006 because after that it seemed like everyone's budgets went down.

I think after 2006 because after that it seemed like everyone's budgets went down.

Thanks, it's really a shame that it turned out that way. It's all just another example of how the soaps have sunk I guess.

I believe the last time i heard a more well-known song on a soap is when Katie and Bill got married on B&B, they played Jordan Spark's "this is my now", but even so whenever i watch them do fashion shows now, the OTT music just makes me cringe. If you watch the old B&B fashion show clips they played a mixture of oldies and early 90's pop that really went well with the theme.

Passions used a TON of current music during the first couple of years, so it's not surprising they had to change it when the show reran on super channel.

Also,at some point,didn't the law change as regards the cost of using current music?

I think it was a budget thing too. Now often even when they do major montages (not just popular music in the background) they use a little known indie artist.

Still, it may have been earlier than that--I remember people online going on about how surprised they were when AMC used a Madonna song (I think it was You Must Love Me from Evita) for a Liza montage.

The other question is when did they start? Late 70s? Because before then you would always just hear generic rock beats on the radio, etc (and of course music montages were largely nonexistant).

Days did heavily until about 2004. Then it decreased slowly until about 2008 when it just dropped off.

It drove me crazy how Fusion on AMC constantly played the same, nameless dance song.

I think it was a budget thing too. Now often even when they do major montages (not just popular music in the background) they use a little known indie artist.

Still, it may have been earlier than that--I remember people online going on about how surprised they were when AMC used a Madonna song (I think it was You Must Love Me from Evita) for a Liza montage.

The other question is when did they start? Late 70s? Because before then you would always just hear generic rock beats on the radio, etc (and of course music montages were largely nonexistant).

On the very first episode of Y&R, Leslie Brooks actually plays and sings a little of Burt Bacharach's "The look of Love". It wasn't playing in the background no, but it is an example that popular music was being used in soaps at an early time.

I recall Bill Hayes saying that in the 70's on Days he was restricted to singing songs at 'Doug's Place' that were part of the Screen Gems catalogue as SG was associated with Days production company and costs would be minimal,if not free.He mentioned singing 'Last Train to Clarksville'!

I don't miss popular music on soaps. I think it was JFP who killed that for me. She spent all of her OLTL run hiding behind music in order to avoid telling stories. Just about every episode had to had a long montage.

I thought this would be an interesting discussion. One thing that made soaps show how "current" they could be was them playing popular songs that most of us heard all the time on the radio. Somewhere along the lines they stopped doing that and they just play generic stuff etc... so what year did soaps decide it was too expensive or whatever to play real music?

I'm not sure when that was, but I do know that it decreased my enjoyment of soaps. (All the more reason why I appreciated OLTL featuring current acts on the show, even if it was just once in a blue moon.)

I really don't care if they have popular music on a soap as long as the background music isn't cheesy I don't care about musical act stutns to try to bring in viewers unless the artist are good. AMC was the only soap that brought in good singers in the past decade. I don't watch any show for the music, not in primetime or daytime.

Days would do these great montages in the 80s set to popular music and every couple had a theme. Bo and Hope had 'Tonight I Celebrate My Love' and 'Broken Wings' and 'Holding out for a Hero'. Kim and Shane had 'Friends and Lovers'.

The themes and montages would enhance the story and not overpower it. Days also had great background music up until Marty Davich left.

I'm glad they stop using music - lazy way to eliminate dialog, etc. particularly those tiresome 3-4 minutes montages at the end of an episode. Some shows used that two or three times a month. Yawn. Interestingly, the use of popular music has been problematic with the DVD releases. Think of how many episodes GL/ATWT - usually some of the most pivotal - we heard couldn't be released on DVD because of music rights. I hope they eventually find a way to strip out the audio and replace it. (This is common on some popular primetime shows when they go into syndication.)

That's also why Santa Barbara can't be rerun.

I don't miss music at all, although I do understand the purpose, and I'd be lying if I said some montages did not move me, some songs fit perfectly for background, too. But it just became a crutch.