Listen to Pop!
Exploring a Musical Genre
Published on 1. September 2018
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-1-4408-6376-9 (ISBN)
Description
Listen to Pop! discusses the evolution of pop music in America from the 1950s to the present, diving into its impact on American culture, particularly through its association with television, and its enduring legacy.
Listen to Pop!: Exploring a Musical Genre provides readers with an overview and a history of the pop music genre. The bulk of the book is devoted to analysis of 50 must-hear musical examples, which include artists, songs, and albums. Additionally, the book contains chapters that analyze the impact of pop music on American popular culture and the legacy of pop music, including how the music is used today in film and television soundtracks and in television commercials.
The book deals with all of the various subgenres of pop music from the 1950s to the present. The selection of material discussed reflects the artists, songs, and albums topping the pop music charts of the period, and while the volume examines these items individually, it also discusses how our definition of pop music has evolved over the decades. This combination of detailed examination of specific songs, albums, and artists and discussion of background, legacy, and impact distinguishes it from other books on the subject and make it a vital reference and interesting read for all readers and music aficionados.
Listen to Pop!: Exploring a Musical Genre provides readers with an overview and a history of the pop music genre. The bulk of the book is devoted to analysis of 50 must-hear musical examples, which include artists, songs, and albums. Additionally, the book contains chapters that analyze the impact of pop music on American popular culture and the legacy of pop music, including how the music is used today in film and television soundtracks and in television commercials.
The book deals with all of the various subgenres of pop music from the 1950s to the present. The selection of material discussed reflects the artists, songs, and albums topping the pop music charts of the period, and while the volume examines these items individually, it also discusses how our definition of pop music has evolved over the decades. This combination of detailed examination of specific songs, albums, and artists and discussion of background, legacy, and impact distinguishes it from other books on the subject and make it a vital reference and interesting read for all readers and music aficionados.
Reviews / Votes
Although the series is avowedly for serious music fans and casual listeners, the present title is also appropriate for those interested in American popular culture in general...Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. * Choice * Overall, this book provides basic information on the pop genre and its background, and would be welcome in any high school or undergraduate library for introductory research. * ARBA *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
Illustrations
19 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
575 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4408-6376-9 (9781440863769)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2018
1st Edition
Greenwood Press
€55.99
Available for download
E-Book
09/2018
Greenwood Press
€55.99
Available for download
Person
James E. Perone, PhD, is Margaret Morgan Ramsey professor in music and associate dean of the faculty at the University of Mount Union, Alliance, OH.
Content
Series Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Background
2 Must-Hear Music
ABBA
Adele
"Ain't That a Shame": Bringing R&B to Pop
Louis Armstrong in the 1960s
"At Last": A Ballad for All Time
Back to Black
The Backstreet Boys
The Beatles
Beyonce
Justin Bieber
"Blueberry Hill": From Glenn Miller to Fats Domino
Blue-Eyed Soul: The Righteous Brothers and Hall & Oates
Bubblegum Pop
Glen Campbell and Country Pop
Mariah Carey
The Carpenters
Petula Clark
"Crazy"
Celine Dion
The Fame
"Gangnam Style"
"Georgia (on My Mind)"
The "Girl Groups" of the 1950s and 1960s and Their Legacy
"Hallelujah"
"Happy Together"
"I Will Always Love You"
Instrumental Hits
Michael Jackson
Like a Virgin
"Love Me Tender" and Other Pop Hits of Elvis Presley
The Lovin' Spoonful: "Do You Believe in Magic" and Other Hits
"MacArthur Park"
"Mack the Knife"
Barry Manilow: "I Write the Songs" and Songs He Actually Did Write
Motown
"On Broadway": Brill Building Songs That Keep Coming Back
Overexposed Earworms: "Macarena," "Who Let the Dogs Out," and "I'm Too Sexy"
The Piano Men: Elton John and Billy Joel
Purple Rain
Saturday Night Fever
Britney Spears
Taylor Swift
Tapestry
James Taylor
Television and Pop Music
"Theme from New York, New York"
"There's a Kind of Hush" and Other British Invasion Ballads
"Up, Up and Away" and Other Hits of the 5th Dimension
"We Are the World"
Stevie Wonder
3 Impact on Popular Culture
4 Legacy
New Versions of Old Hits
Jukebox Musicals
Sampling Existing Pop Recordings
Persistent Music
"Madison Avenue" and Pop Music
Hollywood and the Use of Pop Songs
Continuing Celebrity Status
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Background
2 Must-Hear Music
ABBA
Adele
"Ain't That a Shame": Bringing R&B to Pop
Louis Armstrong in the 1960s
"At Last": A Ballad for All Time
Back to Black
The Backstreet Boys
The Beatles
Beyonce
Justin Bieber
"Blueberry Hill": From Glenn Miller to Fats Domino
Blue-Eyed Soul: The Righteous Brothers and Hall & Oates
Bubblegum Pop
Glen Campbell and Country Pop
Mariah Carey
The Carpenters
Petula Clark
"Crazy"
Celine Dion
The Fame
"Gangnam Style"
"Georgia (on My Mind)"
The "Girl Groups" of the 1950s and 1960s and Their Legacy
"Hallelujah"
"Happy Together"
"I Will Always Love You"
Instrumental Hits
Michael Jackson
Like a Virgin
"Love Me Tender" and Other Pop Hits of Elvis Presley
The Lovin' Spoonful: "Do You Believe in Magic" and Other Hits
"MacArthur Park"
"Mack the Knife"
Barry Manilow: "I Write the Songs" and Songs He Actually Did Write
Motown
"On Broadway": Brill Building Songs That Keep Coming Back
Overexposed Earworms: "Macarena," "Who Let the Dogs Out," and "I'm Too Sexy"
The Piano Men: Elton John and Billy Joel
Purple Rain
Saturday Night Fever
Britney Spears
Taylor Swift
Tapestry
James Taylor
Television and Pop Music
"Theme from New York, New York"
"There's a Kind of Hush" and Other British Invasion Ballads
"Up, Up and Away" and Other Hits of the 5th Dimension
"We Are the World"
Stevie Wonder
3 Impact on Popular Culture
4 Legacy
New Versions of Old Hits
Jukebox Musicals
Sampling Existing Pop Recordings
Persistent Music
"Madison Avenue" and Pop Music
Hollywood and the Use of Pop Songs
Continuing Celebrity Status
Bibliography
Index