Aging and Popular Music in Europe

This book explores the relationship between age and popular music across Europe, using a variety of methods to illustrate how age is contingent and compelling. Case studies analyze French touring shows, André Rieus annual Vrijthof concerts, Kraftwerk and Björks appearances at art museums, queer approaches to popular music space and time, British folk music inheritances, pan-European strategies of stardom and career longevity, and inheritance and post-colonial hauntings of race and identity. The book works with the notion of traveling, across borders, genres, sexualities, and media, highlighting the visibility of the aging body across various European sites to establish popular music through the lens of age as a positive methodology.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 190 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking book delves into the captivating intersection of popular music studies and aging studies, offering a comprehensive exploration of age and popular music across Europe. Through a diverse range of methods, it sheds light on the multifaceted ways in which age is intricately woven into the fabric of popular music, eliciting curation and devotion across a wide array of sites and artists who record in various European languages and genres, including waltz music, electronica, pop, folk, rap, and the French 'chanson. By examining the diverse ways in which age is problematized, revered, and performed within Europe in relation to popular music, the book presents compelling case studies that delve into a multitude of topics. These include French touring shows featuring popular music stars from the 1960s, the annual Vrijthof concerts in the Netherlands organized by André Rieus, the curated appearances of Kraftwerk and Björk at renowned art museums, queer approaches to popular music space and time, British folk music inheritances, pan-European strategies of stardom and career longevity, and the enduring legacies of race and identity in the context of popular music.

The book adopts a thematic approach that emphasizes the concept of traveling across borders, genres, sexualities, and media, highlighting the visibility of the aging body across various European sites. By employing age as a positive methodology, the book seeks to establish popular music through the lens of age, offering a counter-narrative to the notion of age as decline. This interdisciplinary work appeals to scholars and researchers in the fields of popular music, popular culture, media studies, cultural studies, aging studies, and cultural gerontology, providing valuable insights into the complex interplay between age, music, and cultural expressions.

Weight: 367g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367784676