She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Popular Music
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15
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Average rating4
"Drawing on more than 270 original interviews with female artists and women working behind the scenes in A&R, marketing, music publishing, and production, She Bop presents a feminist history of women in popular music, from 1920s blues to the present day. Talking to iconic artists from Eartha Kitt and Nina Simone to Debbie Harry and Beyoncé, acclaimed author Lucy O'Brien charts how women have negotiated 'old boy' power networks to be seen and to get their music heard. This revised edition updates that story through many fresh interviews and new perspectives. Since She Bop was first published in 1995, digital downloading has transformed the music landscape. But has the issue of gender inequality changed too? In a new introduction and closing chapter, O'Brien celebrates the rise of unique women such as Lizzo and Billie Eilish, who are bursting through and creating new possibilities for female artists, while also looking at the struggles of artists like Kesha, and wondering whether the pop industry has had its #MeToo moment yet. Published to celebrate the original book's 25th anniversary - and in a year that also marks 50 years of Women's Liberation - this new She Bop will appeal to a huge cross-section of readers, from music fans to the LGBT audience and women of all generations." -- Front cover flap.
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Lucy O'Brien's most recent release, [b:Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter 80505740 Lead Sister The Story of Karen Carpenter Lucy O'Brien https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674135278l/80505740.SX50.jpg 105439642], was an incisive and heartbreaking biography of the 1970s soft-rock superstar who died too young in part because of a sexist music industry. So I thought She Bop would be another hit. And it was, but in a very different way.Instead of the intimate portrait of one woman, O'Brien takes us through 100 years, five continents, and scores of female musicians. And not just the singers/band members, but also the producers, songwriters and DJs. There are definite through lines about the creative ways women found to combat sexism, racism, homophobia, etc., and many of the interviews are fascinating. But I could only read a couple of chapters at a time to avoid overwhelming myself. I'd recommend this book as a helpful reference tool, but it may not appeal to casual readers.
