Music Is History
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times bestseller, Music Is History combines multi-Grammy Award winner Questlove’s deep musical expertise with his curiosity about history, examining America over the past fifty years.
Focusing on the years 1971 to the present, Questlove finds the hidden connections in the American tapestry, whether investigating how the blaxploitation era reshaped Black identity or considering the way disco took an assembly line approach to Black genius. And these critical inquiries are complemented by his own memories as a music fan, and the way his appetite for pop culture taught him about America.
A history of the last half-century and an intimate conversation with one of music’s most influential and original voices, Music Is History is a singular look at contemporary America.
“An entertaining, informative and far-reaching work, meticulously excavating American culture and history with the eye of a seasoned cratedigger.” —The Washington Post
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Whenever there's a history happening, there's more than one history happening," writes five-time Grammy winner Questlove (Creative Quest) in this exuberant look at the last five decades of history through the lens of music. He explains how, throughout time, music has touched upon a wide range of societal, social, and racial shifts, influencing culture in instances both big and small. In an effort to examine these moments, he selects a song for each year (starting in 1971, when he was born), to unpack "what was happening in the world in general," adding a layer of intimacy with biographical accounts of his life as a musician. The songs analyzed are quite varied: while A Taste of Honey's 1978 hit "Boogie Oogie Oogie" may serve as the perfect encapsulation of the disco era's carefree mindset, Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen" offers a more tongue-in-check lesson on aging. Conversely, Prince's rerecorded version of "1999" registers as a failed attempt to resist change, and as a bittersweet reminder that the past is something that can't be replicated. Richard Nixon's presidency, "Black Power," 9/11, and other key cultural touchstones are mentioned, with songs used as a springboard for further reflection into history and how memory actively shapes it. This stimulating work is sure to attract deep thinkers and music theorists everywhere.
