The B Side

The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Business & Technical, Songwriting, Biography & Memoir, Composers & Musicians, Entertainment & Performing Arts
Cover of the book The B Side by Ben Yagoda, Penguin Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ben Yagoda ISBN: 9780698172517
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Publication: January 22, 2015
Imprint: Riverhead Books Language: English
Author: Ben Yagoda
ISBN: 9780698172517
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication: January 22, 2015
Imprint: Riverhead Books
Language: English

From an acclaimed cultural critic, a narrative and social history of the Great American Songwriting era.

Everybody knows and loves the American Songbook. But it’s a bit less widely understood that in about 1950, this stream of great songs more or less dried up. All of a sudden, what came over the radio wasn’t Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin, but “Come on-a My House” and “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” Elvis and rock and roll arrived a few years later, and at that point the game was truly up. What happened, and why? In The B Side, acclaimed cultural historian Ben Yagoda answers those questions in a fascinating piece of detective work. Drawing on previously untapped archival sources and on scores of interviews—the voices include Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Linda Ronstadt, and Herb Alpert—the book illuminates broad musical trends through a series of intertwined stories. Among them are the battle between ASCAP and Broadcast Music, Inc.; the revolution in jazz after World War II; the impact of radio and then television; and the bitter, decades-long feud between Mitch Miller and Frank Sinatra.

The B Side is about taste, and the particular economics and culture of songwriting, and the potential of popular art for greatness and beauty. It’s destined to become a classic of American musical history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

From an acclaimed cultural critic, a narrative and social history of the Great American Songwriting era.

Everybody knows and loves the American Songbook. But it’s a bit less widely understood that in about 1950, this stream of great songs more or less dried up. All of a sudden, what came over the radio wasn’t Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin, but “Come on-a My House” and “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” Elvis and rock and roll arrived a few years later, and at that point the game was truly up. What happened, and why? In The B Side, acclaimed cultural historian Ben Yagoda answers those questions in a fascinating piece of detective work. Drawing on previously untapped archival sources and on scores of interviews—the voices include Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Linda Ronstadt, and Herb Alpert—the book illuminates broad musical trends through a series of intertwined stories. Among them are the battle between ASCAP and Broadcast Music, Inc.; the revolution in jazz after World War II; the impact of radio and then television; and the bitter, decades-long feud between Mitch Miller and Frank Sinatra.

The B Side is about taste, and the particular economics and culture of songwriting, and the potential of popular art for greatness and beauty. It’s destined to become a classic of American musical history.

More books from Penguin Publishing Group

Cover of the book Hitler's Scientists by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life? by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Open Secret by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book The Invention of Wings by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Longarm Double #4 by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Jan Karons Mitford Years: Novels Six Through Nine; Plus a Father Tim Novel by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Double Down by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Thomas Paine by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book The Curious World of Drugs and Their Friends by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Crossed Blades by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book The Portable Walt Whitman by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Good Hope Road by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Bedtime Stories by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book The White People and Other Weird Stories by Ben Yagoda
Cover of the book Truth or Dare by Ben Yagoda
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy