This Is Pop

For the documentary film, see XTC: This Is Pop. For the Canadian television series, see This Is Pop (TV series).

"This Is Pop" is a song by the English rock band XTC from their 1978 debut studio album White Music.A rerecorded version, typeset as "This Is Pop?", was released as the group's third single.^[4] The single was released on the 20th of January, 1978, the same day as the album, and promoted as the second and final single to the album.

"This Is Pop"
"This Is Pop?" single cover
Single by XTC
from the album White Music
Released	January 20, 1978 (1978-01-20)
Recorded	1977
Genre	New wave[1][2] new pop[3] post-punk[3]
Length	2:40
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Andy Partridge
Producer(s)	John Leckie (album version) Robert John "Mutt" Lange (single version)
XTC singles chronology
"Statue of Liberty" (1978) "This Is Pop" (1978) "Are You Receiving Me?" (1978)

Background

Guitarist Andy Partridge wrote "This Is Pop" as a response to journalistic terms for music genres such as "punk", which he believed were redundant of "pop".^[5] The song's opening F chord was based on the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" (1964).^[6]

Legacy

The song title was adopted for the 2017 documentary about the band, XTC: This Is Pop.^[7]

Personnel

XTC

• Barry Andrews – keyboards
• Terry Chambers – drums
• Colin Moulding – bass, vocals
• Andy Partridge – vocals, guitar