John Seabrook - The Song Machine

John Seabrook tells a fascinating story of creativity and commerce that explains how songs have become so addictive. Over the last two decades a new type of song has emerged. Today's hits bristle with "hooks," musical burrs designed to snag your ear every seven seconds. Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain's delight in melody, rhythm, and repetition, these songs are industrial strength products made for malls, casinos, the gym, and the Super Bowl halftime show. Traveling from New York to Los Angeles, Stockholm to Korea, John Seabrook visits specialized teams composing songs in digital labs with novel techniques, and he traces the growth of these contagious hits from their origins in early '90s Sweden to their ubiquity on today's charts. Featuring the stories of artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Rihanna, as well as expert songsmiths like Max Martin, Ester Dean, and Dr. Luke, The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory will change the way you listen to music.

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.

Location: 

51 Tamal Vista Blvd
Corte Madera, CA 94925
The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory By John Seabrook Cover Image
ISBN: 9780393241921
Availability: Out of Print
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - October 5th, 2015