“By the time of the recording of “In and Out of Love,” (1967) The Supremes had become the most successful American music group of all time, with ten number-one pop singles on the Billboard Hot 100 to their credit.” Wikipedia
Readings (18 pages & 50 minute documentary)
- Simon Frith. Ch. 9, Youth and Music excerpt. Sound Effects: Youth, Leisure, and the Politics of Rock’n’Roll. Pantheon: 1981, pp. 202-204.
2. Andy Bennett (2001). Excerpt from Chapter 1: Post-War Youth and Rock ‘N’ Roll.In Cultures of Popular Music. Open University Press. pp. 7-15.
3. Simon Frith. Ch. 2, Rock Roots excerpt. Sound Effects: Youth, Leisure, and the Politics of Rock’n’Roll. Pantheon: 1981, pp. 15-23.
4. TV documentary: Anatomy of Pop: The Music Explosion, 1966 [50:48] Link can be played in preview or download.
Reading questions –-WRITTEN RESPONSES REQUIRED — no more than a paragraph each
- For readings 1-3, what’s the story they tell about youth, music, and popular (consumer) culture? What’s the role of African-American culture (music)?
- What are your general responses to the “The Anatomy of Pop” TV documentary? What did you learn? What does the documentary suggest about the play of democracy through the entertainment industries? Select a sequence to share for class discussion; include a sentence summarizing the sequence, and its running time location, e.g. [23.15].
NOTE: Submit your response notes to instructor as a Google doc via email: jsaxe@comm.umass.edu
Written assignments are single-spaced & typed in Times New Roman or Arial (size 12 font), 1-inch margins all around. Generally no more than 1-page. Remember to proofread. Include a heading (single-spaced) that includes name, date, assignment title.