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She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music
(Book). She Bop is the definitive in-depth study of women in popular music. Drawing on more than 250 firsthand interviews, it covers nine decades of musical history, from ragtime and vaudeville to punk and hip-hop, and features a remarkable cast of trailblazing female Ella Fitzgerald and Madonna, Billie Holiday and Whitney Houston, Dusty Springfield and Beyonce, and many, many more. First published in 1995, She Bop was widely praised as "a contemporary classic" and "a must for any serious muso's bookshelf." It became a key text on numerous university and college courses, and has had a major impact on writing about women in music. To coincide with the second edition, published in 2002, the National Portrait Gallery in London ran a She Bop exhibition of photographs inspired by the book, while BBC Radio 2 broadcast a two-part documentary series of the same name, which was scripted by O'Brien. In recent years there has been an explosion of female artists on the pop scene. Artists like Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Florence Welch have spearheaded a third British Invasion of the US charts, while American acts such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Katy Perry continue to dominate the global market. This revised and expanded third edition brings the story of She Bop into the 21st century, with extensive revisions throughout and a new final chapter covering the current generation of female performers and the ways in which the internet and digital culture have reconfigured the music industry for women.
416 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 20, 2018
To write a definitive history of women in music is incredibly ambitious and Lucy O'Brien does an incredible job.
She Bop is an amazing brief history of women in music and could easily be a 2000 page book but O'Brien does so well to cover so much in 400 pages.
She Bop is an amazing brief history of women in music and could easily be a 2000 page book but O'Brien does so well to cover so much in 400 pages.
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July 20, 2023You would be hard-pressed to find one name of a female music performer, omitted in this one-of-a-kind volume. It is more than a who’s who of music; it is a literary masterpiece that certainly encapsulates the music industry from decades ago, right up to the present. This is the 25th anniversary revised and updated, making the best even better, if that is possible.
Lucy O’Brien has delved deeply into the world of music, and how women factored into the evolution of that music. The author says that besides music she has explored other areas where women are powerful—in the singer-songwriter genre, for instance, or within gospel music, or soul, where women immortalized the role of the disco diva. She has spoken to many of the performers noted in the book, but has also talked to the managers, publicists, producers, and executives, who work in the power broking areas.
The book of course begins with turn of the twentieth century performers like Ma Rainey, who was the first person to make blues popular in America. She traveled with her own group The Georgia Jazz Band. Others followed in her footsteps, and it was noted to some record executives, that there was a “Black market” for performers. She follows the path others took to tap into this genre. O’Brien truly gives us the history, every minor and major detail that went into the evolution of music, vaudeville, and the progression of jazz and blues that gave ways to other genres and musical tastes. And it is in that progression that we find how stars many grew up with began careers and how they advanced careers through music chosen and the audiences they catered to.
We find how 50’s pop came about and stars like Connie Francis who became American’s biggest star, created such hits as Lipstick On Your Collar,” seemingly appealing more to a male audience, but giving way to many other women who used coy songs to secure their audiences.
Every decade and every musical style has been effectively noted here with so many noted names you are almost star struck on every page, with some famous performer and stories of how they gained fame and audiences. Chapters in the book include: Stupid Cupid, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Ladies Of The Canyon, She Wears The Trouser, Final Girls, and so much more.
There are just too many famous performers to even try to name here, but let’s just say, if you are looking for the ultimate musical reference book, then SHE BOP truly bops to the top of best in music books!
Lucy O’Brien has delved deeply into the world of music, and how women factored into the evolution of that music. The author says that besides music she has explored other areas where women are powerful—in the singer-songwriter genre, for instance, or within gospel music, or soul, where women immortalized the role of the disco diva. She has spoken to many of the performers noted in the book, but has also talked to the managers, publicists, producers, and executives, who work in the power broking areas.
The book of course begins with turn of the twentieth century performers like Ma Rainey, who was the first person to make blues popular in America. She traveled with her own group The Georgia Jazz Band. Others followed in her footsteps, and it was noted to some record executives, that there was a “Black market” for performers. She follows the path others took to tap into this genre. O’Brien truly gives us the history, every minor and major detail that went into the evolution of music, vaudeville, and the progression of jazz and blues that gave ways to other genres and musical tastes. And it is in that progression that we find how stars many grew up with began careers and how they advanced careers through music chosen and the audiences they catered to.
We find how 50’s pop came about and stars like Connie Francis who became American’s biggest star, created such hits as Lipstick On Your Collar,” seemingly appealing more to a male audience, but giving way to many other women who used coy songs to secure their audiences.
Every decade and every musical style has been effectively noted here with so many noted names you are almost star struck on every page, with some famous performer and stories of how they gained fame and audiences. Chapters in the book include: Stupid Cupid, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Ladies Of The Canyon, She Wears The Trouser, Final Girls, and so much more.
There are just too many famous performers to even try to name here, but let’s just say, if you are looking for the ultimate musical reference book, then SHE BOP truly bops to the top of best in music books!
February 13, 2013
I don't think anyone could cover such a broad subject as women in popular music to every reader's satisfaction, but this is a fine overview. Now in its third edition, the existing text has been revised and updated where necessary, and there's a new chapter covering music in the digital age. (And this book is clearly still important, because when I looked at the publisher's other music titles listed at the back, none were about women...)
May 22, 2016
This book was really densely written, but I think my main problem was I didn't learn anything new. It's a good amalgamation of information for new learners, but not for an old broad like me. ;)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews