Popular Music: Volume 33 -

The singer and the song: core components in Jimmy Webb's ‘Didn't We’
Thomas Robinson
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08 April 2014, pp. 315-336
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In the study of popular music, much attention is given to the cover version, a performance of a song filled with reference to and even commentary upon previous performances. Analysis of cover versions tends to reveal a lot about the performers and performances but very little about the work being performed. Because different versions of a song may vary widely, it is often difficult to determine what precisely is ‘the work’ in the first place, especially in the absence of a score. Using an original analytical apparatus, the pitch-prevalence contour, and using Jimmy Webb's ‘Didn't We’ as a case study, this essay attempts to quantify the ‘core components’ of a song, the parts of a song that are retained in most if not all of its versions. It is through the analysis of various performances, seeking similarities, that one is able to see the essence of the song revealed. What is more, isolating these components simultaneously brings the differences in the performances into greater relief. The methodology thus separates the singer and the song.

PopMAC, International Conference on Analyzing Popular Music, University of Liverpool, 2–4 July 2013
Esa Lilja
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08 April 2014, pp. 337-339
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Why we still need conferences: a report of the IASPM 2013 Conference in Gijón
Héctor Fouce
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09 January 2014, pp. 147-149
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Three is the magic number
Pete Astor
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28 August 2014, pp. 530-535
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The Poetics of American Song Lyrics. Edited by Charlotte Pence. Jackson, MS, University of Mississippi Press, 2012. 288pp. ISBN 978-1-61703-191-5
Keith Negus
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28 August 2014, pp. 536-538
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Conference report: 17th Biennial International Conference of IASPM
André Rottgeri
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09 January 2014, pp. 151-153
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Conference review: popMAC 2013
Joe Bennett
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08 April 2014, pp. 341-342
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The Sounds of the Silents in Britain. Edited by Julie Brown and Annette Davison. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. 334 pp. ISBN 978-0-199-79761-5
Maria A. Vélez-Serna
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08 April 2014, pp. 343-344
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Sound and Sentiment: Birds, Weeping, Poetics, and Song in Kaluli Expression. Thirtieth anniversary edition with a new introduction. By Steven Feld. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2012. 300 pp. ISBN 978-0-8223-5365-2 - Jazz Cosmopolitanism in Accra: A Memoir of Five Musical Years in Ghana. By Steven Feld. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2012. 311 pp. ISBN 978-0-8223-5162-7
Meri Kytö
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28 August 2014, pp. 538-540
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Media and Popular Music (Media Topics). By Peter Mills. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2012. 168 pp. IBSN 978-0-486-2751-6
Áine Mangaoang
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09 January 2014, pp. 155-157
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The Lost Women of Rock Music: Female Musicians of the Punk Era. By Helen Reddington. Sheffield: Equinox Press, 2012, 2nd edn. vii + 263 pp. ISBN 978-1-84553-957-3
Lucy Bennett
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09 January 2014, pp. 157-158
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Rock And Roll Always Forgets: A Quarter Century of Music Criticism. By Chuck Eddy. Durham, NC and London: Duke University Press, 2011. 336 pp. ISBN 978-0-8223-4996-9
Liz Giuffre
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08 April 2014, pp. 344-346
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Born Under a Bad Sign: Criminal Self-Representation in African American Popular Culture. By Jonathan Munby. Chicago, IL and London: University of Chicago Press, 2011. 216 pp. ISBN 978-0-226-155036-7
Lily Hirsch
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28 August 2014, pp. 540-542
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Send in the Clones: A Cultural Study of the Tribute Band. By Georgina Gregory. Bristol, UK: Equinox Publishing, 2012. 172 pp. ISBN 978-1-84553-245-1
Emma Webster
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08 April 2014, pp. 347-348
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Heavy Metal: Controversies and Countercultures. Edited by Titus Hjelm, Keith Kahn-Harris and Mark LeVine. Sheffield and Bristol: Equinox Publishing, 2013. 250 pp. ISBN 978-1-84553-941-2
Catherine Strong
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28 August 2014, pp. 542-544
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Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop. By Michael P. Jeffries. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2011. ix + 263 pp. ISBN 978-0-226-39585-2
Chris Ealham
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09 January 2014, pp. 158-161
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The Music of Fantasy Cinema (Genre, Music and Sound Series). Edited by Janet K. Halfyard. Sheffield: Equinox Publishing, 2012. 252 pp. ISBN 978-1908049-93-3
Shara Rambarran
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08 April 2014, pp. 348-350
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The International Recording Industries. Edited by Lee Marshall. Abingdon: Routledge, 2013. 215 pp. ISBN 978-0-415-60345-4
Michael L. Jones
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28 August 2014, pp. 544-546
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Enciclopédia da Música em Portugal no Século XX. Edited by Salwa Castelo-Branco. Lisbon: Temas e Debates/Circulo de Leitores, 2010. 1456 pp. Two CDs, four volumes. ISBN 978-9-8964-4091-6, 978-9-8964-4098-5, 978-9-8964-4108-1, 978-9-7242-4598-0 (hb)
Richard Elliott
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09 January 2014, pp. 161-164
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The Rock History Reader. Edited by Theo Cateforis. New York and London: Routledge, 2013. 2nd edn. 396 pp. ISBN 978-0-415-89213-1
Sven Kube
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08 April 2014, pp. 351-352
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Popular Music

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Volume 33 - October 2014

Articles

The singer and the song: core components in Jimmy Webb's ‘Didn't We’

Middle Eight

PopMAC, International Conference on Analyzing Popular Music, University of Liverpool, 2–4 July 2013

Why we still need conferences: a report of the IASPM 2013 Conference in Gijón

Three is the magic number

Reviews

The Poetics of American Song Lyrics. Edited by Charlotte Pence. Jackson, MS, University of Mississippi Press, 2012. 288pp. ISBN 978-1-61703-191-5

Middle Eight

Conference report: 17th Biennial International Conference of IASPM

Conference review: popMAC 2013

Reviews

The Sounds of the Silents in Britain. Edited by Julie Brown and Annette Davison. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. 334 pp. ISBN 978-0-199-79761-5

Media and Popular Music (Media Topics). By Peter Mills. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2012. 168 pp. IBSN 978-0-486-2751-6

The Lost Women of Rock Music: Female Musicians of the Punk Era. By Helen Reddington. Sheffield: Equinox Press, 2012, 2nd edn. vii + 263 pp. ISBN 978-1-84553-957-3

Rock And Roll Always Forgets: A Quarter Century of Music Criticism. By Chuck Eddy. Durham, NC and London: Duke University Press, 2011. 336 pp. ISBN 978-0-8223-4996-9

Born Under a Bad Sign: Criminal Self-Representation in African American Popular Culture. By Jonathan Munby. Chicago, IL and London: University of Chicago Press, 2011. 216 pp. ISBN 978-0-226-155036-7

Send in the Clones: A Cultural Study of the Tribute Band. By Georgina Gregory. Bristol, UK: Equinox Publishing, 2012. 172 pp. ISBN 978-1-84553-245-1

Heavy Metal: Controversies and Countercultures. Edited by Titus Hjelm, Keith Kahn-Harris and Mark LeVine. Sheffield and Bristol: Equinox Publishing, 2013. 250 pp. ISBN 978-1-84553-941-2

Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop. By Michael P. Jeffries. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2011. ix + 263 pp. ISBN 978-0-226-39585-2

The Music of Fantasy Cinema (Genre, Music and Sound Series). Edited by Janet K. Halfyard. Sheffield: Equinox Publishing, 2012. 252 pp. ISBN 978-1908049-93-3

The International Recording Industries. Edited by Lee Marshall. Abingdon: Routledge, 2013. 215 pp. ISBN 978-0-415-60345-4

Enciclopédia da Música em Portugal no Século XX. Edited by Salwa Castelo-Branco. Lisbon: Temas e Debates/Circulo de Leitores, 2010. 1456 pp. Two CDs, four volumes. ISBN 978-9-8964-4091-6, 978-9-8964-4098-5, 978-9-8964-4108-1, 978-9-7242-4598-0 (hb)

The Rock History Reader. Edited by Theo Cateforis. New York and London: Routledge, 2013. 2nd edn. 396 pp. ISBN 978-0-415-89213-1

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Volume 33 - October 2014

Articles

Middle Eight

Reviews

Middle Eight

Reviews