Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyonc

About this book

An addictively readable encyclopedic history of pop music in chapters as short and adrenaline-fueled as the best pop songs themselves. As much fun to argue with as to quote Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! is a monumental work of musical history tracing the story of pop music through individual songs bands musical scenes and styles from Bill Haley and the Comets Rock around the Clock (1954) to Beyoncs first megahit Crazy in Love (2003). It covers the birth of rock soul R&B punk hip hop indie house techno and more and it will remind you why you fell in love with pop music in the first place. Bob Stanleymusician music critic and unabashed fanrecounts the progression from the Beach Boys to the Pet Shop Boys to the Beastie Boys; explores what connects doo wop to the sock hop; and reveals how technological changes have affected pop production. Working with a broad definition of popone that includes country and metal disco and Dylan skiffle and glamStanley teases out the connections and tensions that animate the pop charts and argues that the charts are vital social history. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! is like the worlds best and most eclectic jukebox in book form. All the hits are here: the Monkees Metallica Patsy Cline Patti Smith new wave New Order Its the Same Old Song The Song Remains the Same Aretha Bowie Madonna Prince Sgt. Pepper A Tribe Called Quest the Big Bopper Fleetwood Mac Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Bikini Kill the Kinks Mick Jagger Michael Jackson Jay-Z and on and on and on. This book will have you reaching for your records (or CDs or MP3s) and discovering countless others. For anyone who has ever thrilled to the opening chord of the Beatles A Hard Days Night or fallen crazy in love for Beyonc Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! is a vital guide to the rich soundtrack of the second half of the twentieth century.