Question: What's the definition of a girl group?
Answer: Obviously, the term "girl group" is usually defined as a pop group made up completely of females. But the genre is more complex and more structured than that -- in fact, some of the groups included under the banner actually contain male members! Although there are exceptions to every rule, especially in pop music, the term "girl group" is usually used to represent a brand of early-Sixties pop with slight R&B overtones, sung by three or four girls, usually written by the famous Brill Building songwriters, dramatic or playful in tone and dealing with the heartbreak of teen girl love, or, alternately, dance crazes. The genre also intersects with other styles of music from this period, including Motown, beach music, and even garage rock! Although primarily a pre-British Invasion phenomenon centered in New York and Los Angeles, the girl group aesthetic -- if not the actual sound -- has lived on for decades in various forms.
