The first truly comprehensive history of women in popular music, She Bop tells it like it is--on stage, on camera, and working behind the scenes in a male-dominated industry. Divided into four parts, the book traces the different stages of women's progress in the music industry, from the early years of ragtime and the Jazz Age to the present. Photos.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
What do Madonna's navel and Billie Holiday's eyebrows have in common? They symbolize the "self-definition" and "self-awareness" that British music journalist O'Brien (Annie Lennox) saw in female performers trying to make it in the male-dominated popular music industry. Drawing on 200 interviews in the U.S. and Britain between 1984 and 1994, O'Brien has written a top-notch, impressively thorough history of women in the industry, including not only performers but producers and sound engineers?even female consumers. O'Brien's definition of pop is very wide, which allows her to riff widely on rock, soul, jazz, world, reggae, rap, country and folk music. Though tied together through O'Brien's strong, feminist voice, She Bop is loosely organized. It opens chronologically, moving through prewar jazz and blues; the "Dream Babes" of '50s pop; the proliferation of female artists in every genre in the '60s; the '70s "rock chick"; and finally, to the ascendance of the girl guitar bands and singer/songwriters in the late '80s and early '90s. Subsequent chapters consider issues, trends and themes, from what Suzanne Vega termed the "cleavage question" to "protest" pop to androgyny and sexual orientation. O'Brien doesn't gloss over problems: she wrestles with the complexities of using sex for success, the impulse toward self-destructive behavior and the lack of solidarity among female musicians. Overall, though, the message of She Bop is straightforward and positive: You've come a long way, baby. Photos, bibliography, discography.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pre-Lilith and Beyond Mere Pop Tarts,
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This review is from: She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop & Soul (Paperback)
This book has been lauded as one of the most thorough, impressive histories of women in the music industry, and with good cause. British music journalist Lucy O'Brien (author of "Annie Lennox") goes above and beyond the usual "women in pop" formula to include not only extraordinary performing artists like Suzanne Vega and Billie Holliday, but also the groundbreaking female writers, producers, and engineers that aren't as often recognized by the media.O'Brien culls her information from more than 200 interviews conducted in Britain and the US over a 10-year period, beginning in 1984. Sifting through the genres of jazz, reggae, rap, folk, country, world, rock, and soul, she looks to those at the forefront of feminism in pop music, examining the extraordinary sense of self that propelled each of these women to not just ride the trends, but to create them. But don't dismiss this as a "just the facts" view of women in the music industry; it's much more. O'Brien is realistic and savvy enough to readily admit that there are issues that challenge women continually, including the ethics of blatantly leveraging one's sexuality as a marketing tool, the permeating lack of unity among women in the industry, and the self-destructive behavior that plagues many. Including a great collection of support material, such as photos, a bibliography, and a discography, She Bop is great addition to every rock fan's library.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
lucy o'brienshe bops!,
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This review is from: She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop & Soul (Paperback)
though written almost five years ago, lucy o'brien's _she bop_ is still one of the definitive books to cover the role of women in the music industry. like _rolling stone: women in rock_ and _women on top_, o'brien extensively documents the often-overlooked contribution that women have made to all forms of music, since the birth of the recording industry. o'brien peppers her account with excerpts from actual interviews accumulated during her years as a music journalist. in contrast with other books on the same subject, o'brien provides a uniquely english view, including artists that are often passed over, even in femenist music anthologies. by documenting the contributions made by women such as lisa lisa, shara nelson and martha wash, o'brien's book seems more thorough than those that focus only on industry divas. this book is an absolute must for anybody interested in the way that recorded music is dealing with issues of sex.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Encyclopaedic work,
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This review is from: She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop & Soul (Paperback)
She Bop is an in-depth look at the history of women in blues, country, folk, pop, rock, soul and world music. In the Prologue the author tells of her own introduction to the music world in a girl group, The Catholic Girls, in Southampton, England in 1979.
Based on more than 250 interviews conducted between 1984 and 1995 plus many secondary sources, She Bop is not a simple chronological history but rather an exploration of themes, trends and genres. It looks at how women have negotiated their place in the music industry, the importance of role models and even rivalry. The author examines the issues that have challenged women from the blues through 1940s swing to MTV at various stages in the development of pop, for example how they deal with stardom, how they negotiate everything from contracts to image, the genres in which women predominate and women on the business side: managers, executives, publicists, journalists, producers and A&R people. In addition, women as consumers of music are discussed. Some chapter headings include: From Blues To The Jazz Age, Dream Babes In 1950s Pop, Motown, Spector And 1960s Svengalis, Whatever Happened To The Rock Chick? Punk, Performance Art And PMT Pop, Female Singer/Songwriters Of The Grand Hotel, Madonna, Manipulation And MTV, Artistry, Androgyny, Deconstructing The Disco Diva, The True Story Of Women In Rap And Reggae, Women In World Music, Women And Protest Pop. Because of its length, this is quite a daunting tome but it soon enough becomes an engaging read. There are some factual errors, probably because of sloppy editing (the 6-day War took place in 1967 not 1957) and a few other contradictions often on the same page. Also, O'Brien's feminist theorizing can become tiresome but her knowledge and enthusiasm for the music ultimately make She Bop a gripping read. She Bop is also a handy reference work; it concludes with Notes, a Selected Discography, Selected Bibliography, Index Of Names and Index Of Albums and Singles. Photographs enhance the text.
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