“He sold 60 million books and 100 million records. Why was he forgotten?”
pop music
Carly Rae Jepsen’s Exhilarating, Emotionally Intelligent Pop Music
Although music often involves emotional expression, pop star Carly Rae Jepsen has built a career and a persona out of big, unguarded emotions, a range that could be called “too muchness,” which is just right for some of us.
What If This Is It: Will Huey Lewis Sing Again?
‘The music went away slowly and then all at once. So what if it never comes back? “I haven’t allowed myself to go there yet,” Huey says, worry in his voice.’
Why Karen Carpenter Matters
For one brown, queer Filipino-American, Karen Carpenters’ music anchored her to her musical family’s past while helping chart her path in their adopted Southern California.
I’ll Be Loving You Forever
My best friend and the New Kids on the Block, 30 years later.
Manic Street Preachers’ Album The Holy Bible
How a band seemingly out of step with its times outlasted so many of its indulgent, in-step contemporaries.
Remembering Scott Walker
When the pop singer went avant garde, he traded narrative meaning for emotional truth to explore those things that lay beyond language.
‘Play Another Slow Jam, This Time Make It Sweet’
The term “slow jam” became widely popular when a song performed by Midnight Star debuted in 1983.
Remembering Mark Hollis of Talk Talk
The singer of “It’s My Life” left us a brilliant solo album, then chose to be a family man.
Shelved: Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine
How the songwriter’s abandoned third album became two albums.