The Song Machine

Enter the world of the music industry in John Seabrook’s The Song Machine.  Seabrook, a writer for the New Yorker magazine investigates the past few decades of what makes a song popular in today’s society.  He spends time hunting down the history of the “hook,” the beat that keeps on beating in one’s head.  He tracks down the best writers/producers who have the knack in developing these top-rated industry favorites, which he contends mainly stem from Sweden!  (Yes, who would have thought that the beat started by Abba in songs like the Dancing Queen could be the beginnings of the industry that impacts our US music scene most?)  For the ‘pop’ music lover, especially of the past two decades, this book tells you how it unfolded.  From the boys band creation, yes Menudo/New Kids on the Block of the 80s to Boyz II Men, Back Street Boys, NSYNC, to the top Korean boys and girls bands, Seabrook provides insight to their creation and demise and it all starts with the ‘hook’ within the song, what catches the listeners to like or LOVE a song. How the beat sticks in the brain. He meets the label owners, music producers, and those who are writing the lyrics and musical sounds.  His exposés on the rise of Britney Spears, Flo Rida, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Beyonce and an in-depth look at Rihanna’s rise to stardom are some of his best works within the book.  Yes, for fans of those stars, you will learn how they rose, and some who fell along the way based on their own inability to beat the demons of a rise to stardom.  It appears that few music writers seem to be the ones who are really dictating who the stars will be, sharing their work with a small cast of performers who bring the songs to life.  But besides the individual star reviews, Seabrook presents an investigative approach to how music has changed through the decades as technology has changed (albums, CD, internet streaming) and illustrates how the money stream is affecting today’s talent.  How long can the power of the radio remain the vehicle for new artists to get their move to stardom?  Is Spotify the new way to launch a successful career?  What new communication tools through technology will provide success for a performer based on a delivery system to ensure that money flows to the source who made it?  The book is great.  Understanding how the song, the performer, and the lyrics for some of Pop music’s top songs of the past two decades came together was fun to listen to, yes I did listen to this one.  Make sure you take the time to then pull-up the songs on YouTube as you are reading.  It is true the songs he has chosen to discuss are those that have stuck in your head many times before.  It’s almost as if the repeat button has never stopped and as they say, the beat goes on!