Abstract
Musicological research on popular music has received criticism for not adequately capturing how 'everyday listeners' approach music. This article responds to such critiques by analysing the music tastes of an 'everyday listener', de-identified here as 'HP'. As an 'everyday listener', HP diverges from established approaches in musicology: he listens primarily to music which has not been legitimated by the Anglo-American rock press or the academy (for example, his music collection privileges Samantha Fox over the Beatles); he is drawn to ephemeral 'moments' rather than engaging with each track holistically; and he openly ridicules some of his favourite songs rather than treating them as 'quality' music. The article argues that this kind of perspective is important for the study of popular music. HP's careful attention to specific musical details - details that he himself hears as fleeting, banal, or smutty - demonstrates that it is possible to engage with popular music without necessarily canonising it.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 333-349 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2018 |
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Keywords
- Aesthetics
- Canon
- Listening
- Musicology
- Popular music
- Sociology
Cite this
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Musicology meets Samantha Fox : exploring an everyday aesthetics of popular music. / Renzo, Adrian.
In: International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music, Vol. 49, No. 2, 12.2018, p. 333-349.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Musicology meets Samantha Fox
T2 - International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music
AU - Renzo, Adrian
PY - 2018/12
Y1 - 2018/12
N2 - Musicological research on popular music has received criticism for not adequately capturing how 'everyday listeners' approach music. This article responds to such critiques by analysing the music tastes of an 'everyday listener', de-identified here as 'HP'. As an 'everyday listener', HP diverges from established approaches in musicology: he listens primarily to music which has not been legitimated by the Anglo-American rock press or the academy (for example, his music collection privileges Samantha Fox over the Beatles); he is drawn to ephemeral 'moments' rather than engaging with each track holistically; and he openly ridicules some of his favourite songs rather than treating them as 'quality' music. The article argues that this kind of perspective is important for the study of popular music. HP's careful attention to specific musical details - details that he himself hears as fleeting, banal, or smutty - demonstrates that it is possible to engage with popular music without necessarily canonising it.
AB - Musicological research on popular music has received criticism for not adequately capturing how 'everyday listeners' approach music. This article responds to such critiques by analysing the music tastes of an 'everyday listener', de-identified here as 'HP'. As an 'everyday listener', HP diverges from established approaches in musicology: he listens primarily to music which has not been legitimated by the Anglo-American rock press or the academy (for example, his music collection privileges Samantha Fox over the Beatles); he is drawn to ephemeral 'moments' rather than engaging with each track holistically; and he openly ridicules some of his favourite songs rather than treating them as 'quality' music. The article argues that this kind of perspective is important for the study of popular music. HP's careful attention to specific musical details - details that he himself hears as fleeting, banal, or smutty - demonstrates that it is possible to engage with popular music without necessarily canonising it.
KW - Aesthetics
KW - Canon
KW - Listening
KW - Musicology
KW - Popular music
KW - Sociology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061629125&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
VL - 49
SP - 333
EP - 349
JO - International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music
JF - International Review of the Aesthetics and Sociology of Music
SN - 0351-5796
IS - 2
ER -