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The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory Hardcover – October 5, 2015

by John Seabrook (Author)

4.4 1,149 ratings

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There's a reason hit songs offer guilty pleasure―they're designed that way.

Over the last two decades a new type of hit song has emerged, one that is almost inescapably catchy. Pop songs have always had a "hook," but today’s songs bristle with them: a hook every seven seconds is the rule. Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain's delight in melody, rhythm, and repetition, these songs are highly processed products. Like snack-food engineers, modern songwriters have discovered the musical "bliss point." And just like junk food, the bliss point leaves you wanting more.

In The Song Machine, longtime New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook tells the story of the massive cultural upheaval that produced these new, super-strength hits. Seabrook takes us into a strange and surprising world, full of unexpected and vivid characters, as he traces the growth of this new approach to hit-making from its obscure origins in early 1990s Sweden to its dominance of today's Billboard charts.

Journeying from New York to Los Angeles, Stockholm to Korea, Seabrook visits specialized teams composing songs in digital labs with new "track-and-hook" techniques. The stories of artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Rihanna, as well as expert songsmiths like Max Martin, Stargate, Ester Dean, and Dr. Luke, The Song Machine shows what life is like in an industry that has been catastrophically disrupted―spurring innovation, competition, intense greed, and seductive new products.

Going beyond music to discuss money, business, marketing, and technology, The Song Machine explores what the new hits may be doing to our brains and listening habits, especially as services like Spotify and Apple Music use streaming data to gather music into new genres invented by algorithms based on listener behavior.

Fascinating, revelatory, and original, The Song Machine will change the way you listen to music.

---

Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

October 5, 2015
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

0393241920
ISBN-13

978-0393241921
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Through immersive anecdotes and witty observations, Seabrook explores questions of ownership and taste, and about the music business as a whole, as we learn it’s not just the ‘song machine’ that’s brilliant but also the people churning the gears."
― Isabella Biedenharn, Entertainment Weekly

"Well researched…. Seabrook…takes us inside the troubled modern music business."
― Touré, New York Times Book Review

"Fascinating…. The Song Machine is lively, entertaining and often insightful, of interest both to pop mavens and to those who couldn’t imagine caring about the latest hits."
― Christopher Carroll, Wall Street Journal

"Fascinating…. Copy editors will rejoice at Seabrook’s well-written and deeply researched book. He is a staff writer for The New Yorker and his book fits into that magazine’s penchant for telling very detailed stories about things you might not notice about pop culture."
― Charles R. Cross, Seattle Times

"Seabrook spins a fascinating history, one that encompasses everything from the Brill Building and Phil Spector to Afrika Bambaataa to ‘American Idol.’ Running underneath the human stories like a bassline is the inexorable flow of technology."
― Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe

"Invaluable."
― Louis Bayard, Washington Post

"A revelatory ear-opener."
― Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"An immersive, reflective, and utterly satisfying examination of the business of popular music."
― Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic

"Eminently readable and important…. Seabrook's in-depth interviews with an army of songwriters, producers, performers and others make for series of profiles that document a revolution in the music business."
― Shelf Awareness

"Brilliant."
― Michael Hann, The Guardian

About the Author

John Seabrook has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1993. The author of several books including Nobrow, he has taught narrative nonfiction writing at Princeton University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition first Printing (October 5, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393241920
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393241921
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #871,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #188 in Performing Arts Industry
- #947 in Popular Music (Books)
- #2,832 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences

Customer Reviews:
4.4 1,149 ratings

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Micah

Interesting… but not great or accurate

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2021

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I devoured this book because I am a pop music fan and love the insider anecdotes about the creation of songs I’ve listened to over the years. So I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the read… a lot.

My problem is with the selective stories and subjective conclusions the author (Seabrook) arrives at. The through line of the story is the Swedish “hit factory,” particularly Max Martin. But Seabrook veers into the Clive Davis story, the K-pop phenomenon, and American Idol without them contributing much to the central story. So the narrative is stuck between being encyclopedic and being The Max Martin story.

As an R&B-oriented pop fan, it’s irritating to see the hit factories of LA & Babyface and Teddy Riley become virtual footnotes in the book, and it’s an absolute head-scratcher how Rodney Jerkins and Jam & Lewis go entirely without mention. Although the author says all the right things about the influence of Black music, he keeps those hitmakers in the margins of the story. I get that the folks mentioned above don’t interact with the Swedes very often, but neither did Clive or the K-poppers, and they found their way into the book.

The subjectivity comes most sharply into focus when Seabrook arbitrarily deems something a hit or not. Ke$ha’s “Die Young” is deemed not a hit even though it went 4x platinum, and Ciara’s song “Never Ever” is called a failure even though it went Top 10 R&B. The main criterion appears to be what fits the narrative arc.

Finally, it’s troubling that, in the areas of the book where my knowledge is at or above the level of the author’s, his facts are dubious. As a pedestrian example, I’m sure Ralph Tresvant and Ricky Bell would be surprised to learn that Bobby Brown was the lead singer of New Edition. It makes me wonder how much misrepresentation occurs elsewhere in the narrative in the interest of confident-sounding storytelling.

The best parts, whether accurate or not, are the gripping mini-biographies of Rihanna, Katy Perry, Ester Dean, and Kesha, among others. The writing is winning when it’s not obviously calculated to prove the author’s point. Pop music geeks will love the stories, even the ones they already know.

21 people found this helpful

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AaronHNahum

Interesting overview, wished for deeper reflection

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book is a truly excellent overview of the current "hit factory" behind today's pop music. In all of this: history, movements, immediate affects, and some juicy stories, it's fantastic.

What it isn't, really, is deeply insightful into what all this means for music as an art-form, nor for artists themselves. Each time an insight comes ('it's noticeable that Taylor Swifts 1989 is her first album that could have been sung by anyone') it passes without any real reflection on this. What does this mean? How does an artist speak in this factory and is it even possible?

Were genuine artists ever speaking in popular music? Presumably so. What made those times so different? Was it just album sales? Etc...

Also, there is really only a passing mention of what it all means for actual musicians. Of course there's the standard "this is dying" stuff - but how are people adapting? What possibilities are there? And look, are any of these guys even good musicians? Dr Luke's utterly laughable analysis of a melody: Is that really the height of what the creatives know about music? It doesn't seem so, but then there's this final thing that isn't analyses:

None of these people - not the singers, not the labels, not the producers - are actually trying to make good music. They are trying to make "hot products" that will by nature flare up temporarily and then make way for the next thing. This is the opposite of an artist, isn't it?

So, while really enjoying this book, I wish there had been a lot more along these lines...

13 people found this helpful

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Annedyne

wow, that was fascinating and entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2022

Verified Purchase

I cant remember what turned me on to this book. I've been mostly oblivious of and often baffled by the 'top 40' genres allure to the masses. This book has given me a fascinating mini crash course in pop, answering not only vague questions like ( who is this Rihanna character really and why do people care) but also a surprisingly thorough sense of the anatomy of a 'hit'. And an appreciation for the skills behind the most masterful confections of the "art'.

The prose is vivid and engaging. Seabrook's attitude towards his subject often affectionate, often admiring; but a clear-eyed and zingy wit acknowledges the darker aspect - like the sugar crash on the other side of the frosted doughnut - and surprised several out-loud laughs from me. Good stuff, I'm going to see what else he's got.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

FordTimelord

It's good.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

I don't read many books. Those that I do purchase, I rarely even open, and those that I open, I rarely make to even a quarter of the way through.
This particular book I bought because, as someone who, like many others, had always loved pop music from "his" time and prior, but had fallen out of touch with "modern" pop music, but who was nevertheless still fascinated by the art and science of making "really good" music, I felt I owed it to myself to learn more about the way that music is made - the process - in what I suppose we might be call the modern era. And so, with a mixture of trepidation and resignation, it transpired that I shelled out the trivial sum that it cost to purchase, more in the hope that I would actually read it than the expectation that I would do so.
I am glad to report that I have just finished, and am equally glad to report that I found it a really worthwhile read.
The book is, to me, incredibly well researched, and chock full of really interesting backstories behind some of the leading artists, writers, and producers of the last two decades, with a firm emphasis on the latter.
As somebody who is woefully (and I think, regrettably) out of touch with so much pop music from somewhere in the 2000s onwards, I had to read it with YouTube permanently on hand, stopping my reading every few pages just so that I could reference for myself so many of the tunes mentioned in the book that had escaped my listening in recent years.
If you are at all interested in how this business works; how it has moved on from the "old ways" of yore; and especially if you aspire to work in the business, you probably owe it to yourself to read this book.

6 people found this helpful

TheGannet

A well-researched account of what makes a good pop song

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

There's lots to like about this book if you're a music lover. It starts off a bit slowly but then gathers momentum to become a compelling read. I enjoyed the detailed sections on the likes of Rihanna and Katy Perry. My only gripes would be that it focuses a little too much on the US market and certain genres such as hip-hop. It's a fun read, though, and definitely a bit different from most music books - a lot of thought and effort has gone into researching and writing it.

One person found this helpful

Dr. Tim Parker

An enjoyable, interesting and thoughtful investigation into the mechanisms behind today's hit music

Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2016

Verified Purchase

A fascinating story of the people behind some of the biggest hits of the last few decades. Very well written and an interesting read, Seabrook looks at the way music has become homogeneous over the last few decades as "hit factories" crank out similar-sounding formulaic music. He traces the rise of the Scandinavian teams (some of whom as still going strong) and how the music tastes of the last two decades have changed.

Along the journey, Seabrook looks at the management teams and record companies, the technology changes brought about by iTunes and streaming, as well as some interesting stories of A&R discoveries. I learned quite a bit about some of today's megastars and their road to fame, as well as how they interact with their agents and music machines.

Very well researched, this should be a must-read for anyone interested in the current music scene and why it ended up the way it is. It also pulls back the curtains to show who is manipulating whom, and explores the lack of diversity in today's hits. Very well done!

Alexander James Wood

An essential look into the pop process

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

Pop music tends to conflict people - whilst there is good pop music with great musicianship and lyrics that just so happen to have a wide commercial appeal, much of pop music is cynically looked down upon as manufactured product created purely for monetary reward. I approached this book with both views, but mainly the latter. However after becoming intrigued about song production (knowing it was a different process and approach than the 'tortured artist' way of doing things) I bought this book to see whether my views of pop music as cynical money fodder were justified. After reading this however I must say that if you're a fan of music - BUY THIS NOW! It doesn't matter whether you're a fan of pop music or not, this is easily one of the best books on music I've ever read. Everything featured here from the producers, what makes a 'hit', the auditions, the 'don't let her leave until we've sorted a contract' discoveries is fascinating and easily comprehensible. Its a veritable gold mine of interesting stories, musical characters and the business conflict between commerce and art, and whether the products of this can be both.

Thomas Galvin

this was a pretty good delve into the pop world and the workings ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

Though Rock is more my field, this was a pretty good delve into the pop world and the workings thereof; read one comment on Amazon that all the info was 'out in the public domain' which is ridiculous considering the author took so much time to conduct so many interviews. Besides, the skills of research are being able to whittle down what is out 'in the public domain' and make it more accessible, condensing it into an exciting narrative. Which is what Seabrook has done here.

One person found this helpful

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