US Dollars
"[Writing about music adds] an irreplaceable dimension to our experience of the artform. As long as humans crave music, they will also long to share their experiences of it.”
—From the introduction by Geeta Dayal
In Sound Bites: Big Ideas in Popular Music, writers reflect on the immense impact of popular music on our culture, our lives, and our ways of thinking about the world. The 30 selections in this exciting new collection explore popular music across genres and consider varied aspects of creating, listening, and performing. Inside you’ll find:
- Acclaimed authors, including James Baldwin, Bobbie Ann Mason, David Remnick, Sonia Sanchez, and Tracy K. Smith
- Writing on memory, fandom, patriotism, science, and soul
- Essays, short stories, lyrics, memoirs, and poetry
Please note, this book contains mature content.
Creating
- Don't You Wonder, Sometimes?
- Voice and Hammer: Harry Belafonte's Unfinished Fight*
- Lush Life
- Electronic Dance Music's Love Affair with Ecstasy: A History*
- Bop
- I Am Your Conscious, I Am Love: A Paean 2 Prince
- Amor Prohibido*
- Thieves in the Night
- Bowie*
Performing
- When Whitney Hit the High Note
- Black Flag
- Millie Jackson's Country Roots
- Beatlemania: A Love Story
- Sonny's Blues
- A Poem for Ella Fitzgerald
- Elvis Presley*
- Star Child*
- When Johnny Cash Visisted Leavenworth
- Soul Survivor
Listening
- Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock
- Why the Shirelles Mattered
- Earbud
- Salsa y La Naturaleza: How a Willie Colón Song Taught Me About Queerness and Love
- Brainworms, Sticky Music, and Catchy Tunes
- Reluctant Exegesis: "(I Bless the Rains Down In) Africa"
- Good Citations: The Rise of the Rock Curator*
- Beginning to See the Light
- Old Records Never Die: One Man's Quest for His Vinyl and His Past*
- Just a Little Bit: Loudness
- Let's Talk About Love
*Indicates a selection taken from a longer work.
