Don't Stop the Music: A Year of Pop History, One Day at a Time - from 1894 to the present

by Justin Lewis

'The deliciously simple conceit ― pop facts from every day of the year ― lets Lewis roam wide and free, to fascinating effect.' Daily Mail, 2023's best history books



With entries for every day of the year, ranging from mini-essays to pithy and engaging sentences, Don't Stop the Music is a novel musical companion – a way of charting your year through the major events and tiny incidents in the lives and careers of pop stars and recording artists, spanning 130 years of unmissable musical milestones from 1894 to the present day.


Whether it be when pop became newsworthy; when future stars attended notable gigs; when that K-Pop act issued their first single; or when Elvis Presley found himself on TV singing 'Hound Dog' to a basset hound, there are surprising and enlightening events from the history of popular music for every single day of the year. And esteemed music writer Justin Lewis has compiled them all for you, informatively and divertingly.


***


'A wonderful ride through our pop universe amongst thousands of bright stars, gnarled debris and twinkling nuggets of music and events made distant over time. Lewis has made all of it up-close and vivid through this indispensable companion for anyone who loves music and popular culture. Whatever the age of the reader, it's brimming with new discoveries and triggering memories and signposts make this an intoxicating music journey!' Peter Curran

'This is an astonishing book, a calendar of pop, an almanac of songs, a day by day in the life of music. A book of events that's an event in itself.' David Quantick

'An absolute must for all music fans, Lewis' addictive volume is packed to the gills with facts, trivia, notable events and pure pop nuggets.' Waterstones

'A brilliant musical almanac, compiled by an engaging writer whose musical knowledge is not just detailed but wide-ranging and generous.' Jonathan Coe

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2023

Reviews

[Angela Leivesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to dip into if you are in a situation which is not condusive to maximum concentration e.g. a waiting room or in the car (as long as you are not driving 😄)
It is full of interesting snippets of information about pop music which often had me quizzing my partner. The problem is the book has no index. As it's impossible to retain all the facts there is no quick way of locating them again. I often wished I was reading the book with a smart speaker by my side so that I could play some of the songs mentioned which I was not familiar with.

[Tom May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Lewis has produced an excellent book, a mixture of significant facts about what was popular when, key industrial and technological developments and a keen sense of music as an ever-evolving, deeply powerful form of mass communication. Music works as a socialising agent and subtly deep influence on our lives, every bit as significant as churches, theatres or schools. Lewis's deft book fashions a temporal web of absurdly random happenings and a sense of gradually accumulating tendencies.

On US TV, Elvis Presley finds himself singing 'Hound Dog' to an actual basset hound; the same day 23 years later (01/07/1979), the Sony Walkman was first released. Goodie, beardie and bird devotee Bill Oddie attended a notable Prince gig in the UK. There are countless other such fine nuggets of odd information. These are supplemented by the deeper story of musicians' diverse political interventions and involvements in protest movements, especially concerning the US Civil Rights struggle and opposition to the apartheid regime in South Africa, but also encompassing anti-war (e.g. Jona Lewie!) and class and workplace struggle, as subtly woven into the fabric of certain popular music.

This book is also excellent in implicitly providing a list of interesting singles, albums, feature films and TV programmes to check out in future. While Lewis gives every canonical figure or hand their due, he is careful not to fall into the trap many do when they age: getting overly nostalgic to the degree that they shun contemporary developments. His eye is perceptive concerning key new albums and artists - Sampha, Lorde, Little Simz, Stormzy, Self Esteem - while gently drawing deserved greater attention towards, say, The Avalanches, Neneh Cherry, New Order, Parliament, Pet Shop Boys, Prefab Sprout and Saint Etienne.

He also makes you feel sad that Kirsty MacColl, Deborah Bone and the quietly virtuous George Michael are all gone, and Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump are still exerting a baleful influence while notching up 173 years between them. Anyway, aside from such broadsides, it also makes you thankful for musicians and music lovers all over the world, who have offered and continue to offer all manner of counter-narratives.

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although very interesting and informative I found the format a bit irritating. I think a chronological approach would have been better, though the author does explain why he didn't pursue that route. As I read I could feel the rot set in around the late 90s/early 00s when everyone seemed to be 'sampling' (ie copying) other songs. It also saw the rise of manufactured boybands, girlbands and the godawful reality TV talent shows...

[I Read, Therefore I Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justin Lewis is an editor and writer specialising in music. This hugely entertaining compendium of pop music facts comprises a number of facts for each day of the year including song releases or the birth/death of people involved in pop music (writers, artists, producers etc). The entries cover events from 1894 up to 2023 and it’s filled with fascinating nuggets that make it perfect for music aficionados and dilettantes alike.

[Miles Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trivial trivia for the pop-minded, with a healthy scattergun eclecticism approach (and lots of fun in places). Big recommend to anyone with a keen interest in all corners of the charts, though loses a point for claiming Shirley Bassey only sang two Bond themes. (I know Moonraker’s dull, but she definitely sang it, ok?)

[Jon Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deceptively simple structure for essentially a book of pop facts and anniversaries. It really sings when Lewis uses the format to track pleasing juxtapositions and coincidences, and to scatter stories through the book. Knowledgeable, witty and as passionate as all music books should be, it’s terrific at context and treating songs and artists as vital rather than historical artefacts.

[Margaret Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, fascinating and full of facts

This is the book you are looking for this Christmas. Choc full of information about what happened in pop. It's well researched, even-handed in its look at all music, and just the perfect light read.

[Malcolm Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting walk throug of pop memorabilia.
The format is to take every day of the year and detail what happened in music on that day over the years.
Intersting and absorbing; everyone will leard someting new here.
Maybe for the fan.

[Ann Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great idea for a book - each day of the year a music fact - a boon for quizzes !

[Shan Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trivia fans will love it

[Jonny Brick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The research that went into this book, and the eclectic range of subjects, makes it essential.