Easy listening

Easy listening (including mood music[5]) is a popular music genre[6][7][8] and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s.[9] It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music[1] and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, non-rock vocals and instrumental covers of selected popular rock songs. It mostly concentrates on music that pre-dates the rock and roll era, characteristically on music from the 1940s and 1950s. It was differentiated from the mostly instrumental beautiful music format by its variety of styles, including a percentage of vocals, arrangements and tempos to fit various parts of the broadcast day.

Quick facts: Easy listening, Other names, Stylistic origin... ▼

Easy listening
Easy listening CD section
Other names	Beautiful music[1] middle-of-the-road[1] Traditional pop[1]
Stylistic origins	Light music[1] big band[1]
Cultural origins	1940s, United States[1]
Derivative forms	Chill-out music[2] sunshine pop[3] adult contemporary space music ambient exotica lounge lofi hip hop[4]
Subgenres
Space age pop

Easy listening music is often confused with lounge music, but while it was popular in some of the same venues it was meant to be listened to for enjoyment rather than as background sound.