Stretched on history's wheel -- Music is the message -- Past is prologue, and protest -- Cool like that -- The POV lane -- Having two parties -- Future to the back -- Disco tech -- An idea runs wild -- Teach the children -- Inside outside leave me alone -- History by the numbers -- Why does everybody have a bomb? -- File under -- Long for yesterday -- And you don't stop -- Greatness expectations -- Taste! How low can you go? -- Seeds of change -- Return of the impressed -- Furious styles -- Echo park -- X marks the spot -- In the sun I feel as one -- Present, tense -- You've got me feeling emotions -- Moving like you're standing still -- Fair and unfair use -- Things fall apart -- Things come together -- The bad minus -- Our twenty-first century.
. - Questlove collects the 500 songs that have changed not just popular music, but also the world Questlove's Music Is History is an in-depth look into the 500 most influential songs in the history of music. Most famously known as a the drummer and joint frontman for the Grammy Award-winning band The Roots, Questlove is also an astute musicologist and voracious historian. In this book, Questlove dives into musical history from every decade of twentieth century, choosing one essential track from each year. The author thoughtfully and insightfully unpacks each song's cultural significance by placing it in its historical context, discussing real world events that shaped both the song's creation and its lasting impact. Analyses of iconic classics like "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder include tangents into the histories of science, politics, and pop culture. Questlove moves fluidly from the personal to the political, from Curtis Mayfield to the history of Black representation in cinema to musings on the Nixon presidency. Complete with comprehensive playlists organized around personal, playful themes like "Songs That Got Shafted" or "Songs With a Part I Really Like Even Though I Don't Like the Whole Song," this book is so full of Questlove's essential recommendations that it feels like a conversation with the industry's coolest music obsessive. Music Is History is a masterclass in music by a contemporary icon—a new American musical canon from one of music's most influential and unique voices.
