Analyzing Popular Music

282 Pages·2009·10.09 MB·English

by  Allan F. Moore

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AnalyzingPopularMusic
Howdowe‘know’music?Weperformit,wecomposeit,wesingitinthe
shower,wecook,sleepanddancetoit.Eventuallywethinkandwriteaboutit.
Thisbookrepresentstheculminationofsuchsharedprocesses.Eachofthese
essays,writtenbyleadingwritersonpopularmusic,isanalyticalinsomesense,
butnoneofthemtreatsanalysisasanendinitself.Thebookpresentsawide
rangeofgenres(rock,dance,TVsoundtracks,country,pop,soul,easy
listening,TurkishArabesk)anddealswithissuesasbroadasmethodology,
modernism,postmodernism,Marxismandcommunication.Itaimsto
encouragelistenerstothinkmoreseriouslyaboutthe‘social’consequencesof
themusictheyspendtimewithandisthefirstcollectionofsuchessaysto
incorporatecontextualizationinthisway.
allan f. mooreisProfessorofPopularMusicandHeadoftheDepartment
ofMusicandSoundRecordingattheUniversityofSurrey.Heisauthorof
Rock:ThePrimaryTextandeditorofTheCambridgeCompaniontoBluesand
GospelMusic.Heisalsoco-editorofthejournalsPopularMusicandTwentieth-
CenturyMusic.

Analyzing Popular Music
edited by allan f. moore
  
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
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Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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© Cambridge University Press 2003
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without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2003
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- 
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Contents
Acknowledgement [vi]
Contributors [vii]
1 Introduction[1]
AllanF.Moore
2 Popularmusicanalysis:tenapothegmsandfourinstances[16]
RobertWalser
3 Fromlyrictoanti-lyric:analyzingthewordsinpopsong[39]
DaiGriffiths
4 Thesoundis‘outthere’:score,sounddesignandexoticismin
TheX-Files [60]
RobynnJ.Stilwell
5 Feelthebeatcomedown:housemusicasrhetoric[80]
StanHawkins
6 Thedeterminingroleofperformanceinthearticulationofmeaning:
thecaseof‘TryaLittleTenderness’[103]
RobBowman
7 MarxistmusicanalysiswithoutAdorno:popularmusicandurban
geography[131]
AdamKrims
8 JethroTullandthecaseformodernisminmassculture[158]
AllanF.Moore
9 Pangsofhistoryinlate1970snew-waverock[173]
JohnCovach
10 Isanybodylistening?[196]
ChrisKennett
11 Talkandtext:popularmusicandethnomusicology[218]
MartinStokes
Bibliography [240]
Discography [258]
Film/Videography [260]
Index [261]
v
Acknowledgement
PermissiontoquotetheREMsong‘Nightswimming’isgratefullyacknowl-
edgedfromWarner-Chappell.
vi
Contributors
ALLANF.MOOREisProfessorofPopularMusicandHeadofthe
DepartmentofMusicandSoundRecordingattheUniversityofSurrey.
AuthorofRock:ThePrimaryText (2ndedn2001)andTheBeatles:Sgt.
Pepper’sLonelyHeartsClubBand(1997),hehaspublishedarticleson
Yes,U2,BigCountry,theBeatles,FrankZappa,rockmusictheoryand
musicalmodernismandhascontributedextensivelytotherevisedNew
Grove.HeisajointeditorofPopularMusicandisontheeditorialboard
ofPopularMusicology.
ROBBOWMANistheauthorofSoulsvilleUSA:TheStoryofStaxRecords
whichwonthe1998ASCAP-Deems-TaylorandARSCAwardsfor
ExcellenceinMusicResearch.In1996hewontheGrammyinthe
‘BestAlbumNotes’categoryforthemonographaccompanyingthe
ten-CDboxTheCompleteStax/VoltSinglesvol.3,whichhealso
co-produced.Inthepasttenyearshehascompiledandwrittenliner
notesformorethan100CDreissues.HeisAssociateProfessorofMusic
atYorkUniversity,Toronto.
JOHNCOVACHisAssociateProfessorofMusicattheUniversityof
NorthCarolinaatChapelHill.Co-editorofUnderstandingRock(1997),
hehasalsoeditedspecialissuesofContemporaryMusicReviewandhas
writtenwidely,particularlyonProgressiveRockandonthephilosophy
ofmusic.
DAIGRIFFITHSisPrincipalLecturerinMusicatOxfordBrookes
University.HehaspublishedarticlesonsongsbyJohnCale,BobDylan,
MichelleShocked,BruceSpringsteenandAntonWebern.Otherrecent
papershaveincludedbookchaptersoncoverversionsandonthehistory
ofpopmusicsincepunk.
STANHAWKINSisAssociateProfessorofMusicologyattheDepartment
ofMusicandTheatre,UniversityofOslo,whereheteachescoursesin
popularmusic.Inadditiontohisbook,SettlingthePopScore:PopTexts
andIdentity(2002)hehaspublishednumerousarticlesandchaptersin
vii
contributors
thefieldofpopularmusicstudies.Heiscurrentlychiefeditorof
PopularMusicologyOnlineandtheNorwegianchairfortheNordic
BranchofIASPM(InternationalAssociationfortheStudyofPopular
Music).
CHRISKENNETTincludesamonghisresearchinterestspopmusic
sociology,thecognition,perceptionandanalysisofmusicinretail
environments,andfilmmusictheory,inadditiontohislong-held
interestinpitch-classsettheory.HehastaughtattheUniversitiesof
Bristol,Reading,Nottingham,Exeter,ThamesValleyandatGoldsmith’s
College,andiscurrentlyResearcherinSoundMediaattheUniversity
ofWestminster.HewritesforjournalsincludingMusicAnalysis,Popular
MusicandComputerMusicJournal.
ADAMKRIMSisAssociateProfessorofMusicandDirectoroftheInstitute
forPopularMusicattheUniversityofAlberta.AuthorofRapMusicand
thePoeticsofIdentity(2000)andeditorofMusic/Ideology:Resistingthe
Aesthetic(1998),hehaspublishednumerousessaysandarticleson
music,Marxism,urbangeographyandculturaltheory.
ROBYNNJ.STILWELLisAssistantProfessorofMusicatGeorgetown
University.Hermainresearchinterestslieinmusicasculturaltextand
intheinteractionofmusicandmovement.Shehaspublishedontopics
asdiverseasPhilCollins,DieHardandTorvillandDean,andhas
recentlyeditedaspecialissueofPopularMusicandSocietydealingwith
popularmusicandnationalandethnicidentitiesinthewakeofrecent
politicalchange.Sheiscurrentlyworkingonabook,Recontextualizing
Music:TheUseofPre-existingMusicinFilm.
MARTINSTOKESistheauthorofTheArabeskDebate:Musicand
MusiciansinModernTurkey(1992),theeditorofEthnicity,Identityand
Music:TheMusicalConstructionofPlace(1994),co-editorof
Nationalism,MinoritiesandDiasporas:IdentitiesandRightsintheMiddle
East (1996)andofaspecialissueofthejournalPopularMusiconthe
MiddleEast(1996).HehaspublishedarticlesinPopularMusic,New
Formations,TheBritishJournalofEthnomusicology,TheJournalofthe
RoyalAnthropologicalInstitute,theMiddleEastReport,theNewGrove
DictionaryofMusicandMusicians,andelsewhere.Currentlyheisan
AssociateProfessorintheDepartmentofMusicattheUniversity
ofChicago.
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