Love Songs
The Hidden History
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:28th Jun '18
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Hardback£24.49(9780199357574)
Ted Gioia's Love Songs uncovers the rich history and cultural significance of love songs, revealing their impact on society and individual expression.
For centuries, love songs have woven themselves into the fabric of our musical experience, yet their comprehensive history remains largely untold. In Love Songs, Ted Gioia embarks on a journey through the conflicts and controversies that have shaped this beloved genre. He explores how love songs have not only survived but thrived against various societal challenges, ultimately becoming a significant cultural and commercial force. This narrative reveals the timeless nature of love songs, tracing their evolution from the rituals of ancient civilizations to the modern-day expressions found in digital platforms.
Gioia dives deep into the origins of these intimate musical expressions, examining how they have been influenced by a diverse array of voices, including bohemians, oppressed minorities, and other marginalized groups. The changing perceptions around themes such as sexuality and gender roles have also played a crucial role in how society engages with these songs. By presenting a wide spectrum of love songs, from ancient fertility rites to contemporary YouTube hits, Love Songs highlights the ongoing dialogue between music and culture.
Throughout Love Songs, Gioia showcases the battles over censorship and the cultural conflicts that have arisen from the music of love. He shines a light on the innovators behind these songs, revealing how their contributions have led to both celebration and strife. Ultimately, this book illustrates the profound impact that love songs have had in fostering individualism and personal autonomy across various societies, making it a vital read for anyone interested in the intersection of music and culture.
[a] wide-ranging and fascinating study * PD Smith, The Guardian *
In this wide-ranging and fascinating study, music historian Ted Gioia examines the surprisingly ancient and diverse origins of the love song and its enduring power over us. * Peter Smith, The Guardian *
A fascinating new book... clearly a work of love itself. * Daily Express, Jenny Selway *
[A] richly researched and heartfelt song book of the ages... Gioia boldly and brilliantly enters the space between the noises of ancient fertility rites and the sexualised music videos of YouTube to discover how melody and love songs, like hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate, are never out of date. * The Times *
An illuminating and entertaining book... As with his previous book on work songs, and his well-known history of jazz, Gioia shows a gift for condensing a vast mass of detail into a graceful narrative... Vast and fascinating. * Telegraph, Ivan Hewett *
[Gioia] is one of those rare writers who [is] as comfortable with the comprehensive picture as with the telling example: clear-headed and persuasive as the overall argument of this intriguing book is, it is also packed with fascinating detail about everything from the love story of Dido and Aeneas to the twerking of Miley Cyrus... [Overall] this is an absorbing, provocative but consistently thoughtful study of a somewhat neglected area of musical history, a pioneering and useful complement to Gioias existing studies of Work Songs and Healing Songs. * London Jazz News, Sebastian Scotney *
Extremely comprehensive, covering a huge swath of global music history in a conversational yet knowledgeable style. * The Australian, John McBeath *
Gioia's book covers a tremendous amount of ground and gives you something to remember on almost every page. * The New Yorker *
Gioia has constructed a mind-expanding, deep-focus piece of scholarship here... * The Atlantic *
Gioia's is always an intellectual odyssey worth attending to. * The Buffalo News *
Taking a somewhat chronological approach to the subject, Gioia has used his extensive knowledge of love songs throughout time and human history to write an unorthodox examination of this topic. The reader is transported from bird song to ancient Rome, from the troubadours to folk songs, from crooners to contemporary rappers. This is a fascinating approach. Essential. * Choice *
ISBN: 9780190865993
Dimensions: 145mm x 226mm x 28mm
Weight: 386g
336 pages