Baroque pop

[Couch Potatoe]

In simplest terms, [baroque pop] is a form of music that conflates rock n roll with classical.
Like music from the Baroque period, this style is characterized by ornate sound arrangements. A typical baroque pop song would include strings, harmonies, and amiable vocals. Though certainly not limited to the following, other instruments commonly found in baroque pop include: horns, pianos, mellotrons, and harpsichords.
[Baroque pop] began as a commercial product, which meant that most songs followed the composer-producer-performer formula that dominated popular music before the time of rock n roll (and still wildly popular, even amongst rock n roll, during the mid-60s, when baroque pop first emerged). Songs were typically aimed toward teenagers, and in typical pop fashion, themes mostly centered around [teenage romance].
Baroque pop, even to this day, has many faces. Sunshine pop, a sound pioneered along the West Coast during the 1960s, shares characteristics with baroque pop. Many [Northern soul], bubblegum, and psychedelic pop songs fall under the category of baroque pop as well. Even today, many rock n roll artists show influence by incorporating lush melodies, harmonies, and instrumentation into songs.
Two of the most popular baroque pop albums are [1966s] [Pet Sounds] and 1967s Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Though [baroque pops] origins are not definite, many believe that the sound was pioneered by The Zombies with the release of their first single, Shes Not There, in 1964.