The Return of the Acoustic Pop Song

FUSE TV - The Return of the Acoustic Pop Song

On Monday, I was lucky enough to sit down with the BRIT Awards' Critics' Choice and winner of the BBC Sound of 2014, the delightful Sam Smith. One of the things we talked about was the return of the acoustic version - or rather, the return of a stripped back, bare bones, no nonsense version of a pop song. Until recently, when it came to making a pop hit, the theory was always: "more is more." Smith is a fan of just letting the voice and the melody speak for themselves, and after chatting to him and listening to his EP, Nirvana, I think I see what he's saying. Powerhouses like Adele and Amy Winehouse never relied on bombastic synths and keys to carry a tune, and now Smith is taking that to the next level by releasing an acoustic version of his own EP.

Now don't get me wrong, I love a massive pop number as much as the next person- Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" is on repeat on my iTunes right now, but what was once essentially a gimmick for new artists to get spotted on YouTube (Justin Bieber first came to our attention as a kid with a guitar on the internet) has come full circle. Acoustic versions are being reclaimed by the artists where, until recently, they were primarily a way for people to cover their favorite artists' songs in order to: get noticed by said artist, get YouTube famous, and/or totally ruin what was a perfectly good track.

Here are five of the best acoustic performances of the last few months, to warm your hearts while winter rages on outside, (except some of them might make you cry. So… sorry about that).

The Rise of K-Pop

41m

The Rise of K-Pop

Return of the Ewing 33

5m

Return of the Ewing 33

Pop Goes The Question

20m

Pop Goes The Question

Don't Swear In Front of The Song

21m

Don't Swear In Front of The Song

The Dirtiest Song Ever Recorded

21m

The Dirtiest Song Ever Recorded

Madonna: Goddess of Pop

59m

Madonna: Goddess of Pop

12 Greatest Divas of Pop

41m

12 Greatest Divas of Pop

The Best of The Best Clash

2m

The Best of The Best Clash

End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock

1h 27m

End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock

War of the Wills

44m

War of the Wills

Clash of the Corps

Clash of the Corps

The Power of Weed

41m

The Power of Weed

Eye of The Beholder

20m

Eye of The Beholder

Art of The Azz

20m

Art of The Azz

Revenge Of The Nerfs

19m

Revenge Of The Nerfs

The Hilarious Reality of the American Rat Race

2m

The Hilarious Reality of the American Rat Race

Behind the Scenes: The Making of "Made From Scratch"

2m

Behind the Scenes: The Making of "Made From Scratch"

Rise of the Hot Girl

20m

Rise of the Hot Girl

DOMINO: Battle of the Bones

1h 49m

DOMINO: Battle of the Bones

Clash of The Corps - Trailer

1m

Clash of The Corps - Trailer

Attack Of The Tethered Strippers

8m

Attack Of The Tethered Strippers

The MisEducation of Bindu

1h 33m

The MisEducation of Bindu

The Clash of the Corps Cast Plays Would You Rather?

3m

The Clash of the Corps Cast Plays Would You Rather?

Asian Song Festival

21m

Asian Song Festival

Soul Food Pop-Up

20m

Soul Food Pop-Up

The Missy Elliott Hall of Fame

2m

The Missy Elliott Hall of Fame

The Making of Amber Rose's Puppet

3m

The Making of Amber Rose's Puppet

Lebron James: King of the Court

41m

Lebron James: King of the Court

Love In The Time Of Pandademic

20m

Love In The Time Of Pandademic

The King and Queen of  Bounce

21m

The King and Queen of Bounce

The Unfortunate Mishap of A Sneakerhead

2m

The Unfortunate Mishap of A Sneakerhead

The MisEducation of Bindu - Trailer

2m

The MisEducation of Bindu - Trailer

Bob Marley: Roots of the Man

42m

Bob Marley: Roots of the Man

Plenty Of Fish In The Street

20m

Plenty Of Fish In The Street

The Women of Standing Rock - Trailer

2m

The Women of Standing Rock - Trailer

The Legend of Baron To'a

1h 39m

The Legend of Baron To'a

Amy Winehouse: The Price of Fame

1h 1m

Amy Winehouse: The Price of Fame

Will Smith: The Prince of Hollywood

41m

Will Smith: The Prince of Hollywood

Clash of the Corps Cast Share Which Amenities They Miss The Most

1m

Clash of the Corps Cast Share Which Amenities They Miss The Most

This Season On Clash of The Corps

1m

This Season On Clash of The Corps

The Ladies of 'Transcendent' Share Beauty Tips

2m

The Ladies of 'Transcendent' Share Beauty Tips

Big Bear 2: The Wrath of Tito

23m

Big Bear 2: The Wrath of Tito

History of the Reebok Pump Part 1

5m

History of the Reebok Pump Part 1

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

1m

The Legend of Baron To'a - Trailer

The Hottest Music x Sneaker Collabs of 2016

2m

The Hottest Music x Sneaker Collabs of 2016

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

1m

What To Expect On Clash of the Corps

Monalisa Discusses The Nostalgic Appeal of Vinyl Records

1m

Monalisa Discusses The Nostalgic Appeal of Vinyl Records

King Keraun Steps Into the World of Goth

2m

King Keraun Steps Into the World of Goth

King Keruan Steps Into the World of Ghosting

1m

King Keruan Steps Into the World of Ghosting

The Missing Child Support of DaBaby Yoda

1m

The Missing Child Support of DaBaby Yoda

The DCI Struggles of Starting A New Summer

46s

The DCI Struggles of Starting A New Summer

The Beatles: In the Life

1h 2m

The Beatles: In the Life

The River and the Wall

1h 45m

The River and the Wall

The Blue Devils Bring The Parade

1m

The Blue Devils Bring The Parade

The Exchange

1h 27m

The Exchange

The Canvas

The Canvas

The FP

1h 20m

The FP

The 212

The 212

The Feels

1h 21m

The Feels

The Motorcycle

23m

The Motorcycle

The Citizen

1h 34m

The Citizen

The Reunion

45m

The Reunion

The Decision

44m

The Decision

The Hustle

20m

The Hustle

The Pilot

21m

The Pilot

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

21m

All the Focus is on the Diamonds

The Ladies Play "Fill In The Blanks"

1m

The Ladies Play "Fill In The Blanks"

Clash of The Corps Is Putting DCI Stereotypes To Rest

1m

Clash of The Corps Is Putting DCI Stereotypes To Rest

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

9m

Young M.A On The Struggle of Giving Up Meat

The Craziest Moments from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

1m

The Craziest Moments from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

The Best Workouts from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

2m

The Best Workouts from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

Yesenia Gives Financial Advice To Mia | Clash of The Corps

2m

Yesenia Gives Financial Advice To Mia | Clash of The Corps

The Craziest Moments from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

1m

The Craziest Moments from Season 1 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

The Fiercest Workouts From Season 2 of Fluffy Breaks Even

1m

The Fiercest Workouts From Season 2 of Fluffy Breaks Even

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

5m

G Fella Gives A Tour of The Bronx's Arthur Avenue

The Best Workouts from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

2m

The Best Workouts from Season 2 of Fluffy's Food Adventures

Inside Reebok and Future's Fury Pop-Up Shop

5m

Inside Reebok and Future's Fury Pop-Up Shop

Out With The Old, In With The New

20m

Out With The Old, In With The New

Into The Woods

21m

Into The Woods

Enter the Metaverse

21m

Enter the Metaverse

The Vest Guest

20m

The Vest Guest

The Revolution Generation

1h 17m

The Revolution Generation

Between the Shades

1h 22m

Between the Shades

Crossed the Line

1h 30m

Crossed the Line

Making The Retrograde

20m

Making The Retrograde

Rich The Kid

20m

Rich The Kid

Pink: The Truth

57m

Pink: The Truth

The Daphne Project

1h 7m

The Daphne Project

Facing The Truth

20m

Facing The Truth

Who's the Boss?

24m

Who's the Boss?

Making the Cut

46m

Making the Cut

The Feels - Trailer

1m

The Feels - Trailer

The Prison Within

1h 23m

The Prison Within

Missy: The Icon

20m

Missy: The Icon

Meet The Family

21m

Meet The Family

The North Shore

22m

The North Shore

Mind the Mints

21m

Mind the Mints

The Glow Up

20m

The Glow Up

The Read - Trailer

57s

The Read - Trailer

Surfing the Skies

22m

Surfing the Skies