Popular Music After 1945

MUAR 392
Winter 2019

Description:
This course is a survey of Euro-American popular music in the 20th and 21st centuries. It
engages with critical concepts in the field of popular music studies as they apply to major
artists, genres, and styles. Because of the nature of popular music, the course will take an
intersectional approach, considering issues of race, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, and
generation as relevant factors in the creation, reception, and circulation of popular music.
Musicians and listeners –including all of us—are not neutral or passive participants but are
shaped by, and shape, the surrounding culture. One of the most important facets of the class
is the development of critical listening techniques and the correlation of specific musical
features to broader social, theoretical, and historical concepts. Therefore, lectures are
structured around historical details, musical features, and how exemplary artists and
reception of their works engage with critical concepts. You will be invited to reflect upon the
contexts for your own musical preferences, and to consider the relationship between musical
style, social identity, and historical context in the popular music that you, and other people,
have loved and hated.

Learning Objectives:
v Gain familiarity with the history of popular music artists, genres, and styles
v Develop listening skills necessary to recognize and describe pertinent features in
pieces of popular music
v Exercise critical thinking skills about how popular music engages with issues of
identity, such as gender, sexual identity, race, class, and nationality
v Enter into debates on some of the major issues in the field of popular music studies

Prerequisites: N/A

Class Meetings
4:05 to 5:25 p.m., Monday and Wednesday, EVO 420 (101)

Instructor
Claire McLeish
Office Hours: Mondays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and by appointment
E-210 (Strathcona Music Building)
E-mail: claire.mcleish@mcgill.ca

Teaching Assistant
Name: Shanti Nachtergaele
E-mail: shanti.nachtergaele@mail.mcgill.ca
Office Hours: (TBA)

Evaluations:
Attendance & Participation 15% (includes five discussion posts)
In-Class Midterm (February 12) 20%
Primary Source Analysis (February 24) 20%
Concert Report (April 10) 20%
Final Exam (Date TBA) 25%

*For complete information on assignments, please see the separate document posted
on MyCourses

Required Materials

1) MyCourses: Much of the material will be posted on MyCourses. Check regularly for updates.

2) Brackett, David, ed. The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader, 4rd edition (PRS). New York: Oxford
University Press, 2020. Accompanying material can be accessed at
www.oup.com/us/brackett. Assigned readings are indicated with chapter numbers. Please
use the correct edition, as chapter numbers differ.

3) Optional: Starr, Larry and Christopher Waterman. American Popular Music, 5th edition
(APM). New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. This should be your go-to resource if you
miss class or have difficulty understanding the significance of a particular genre/era/artist.
Assigned readings are indicated with page numbers. Please use the correct edition.

The two books are available on course reserve at the Marvin Duchow Music Library
(Elizabeth Wirth Music Building, 4th floor).

Listenings
A selection of listening examples has been included along with the reading assignments. You
are expected to listen to these selections prior to class. Some of these pieces are explicitly
referenced in the readings and the others will help you to contextualize what you read about.
A Spotify playlist of these pieces can be found on MyCourses, and these songs are broadly
available on other streaming services. You may be tested on these examples on the midterm,
and they will be used to inform selections for the final exam.

Class Policies, Etiquette, and Expectations

E-mail Policy
Please double check the syllabus before you e-mail with a question about the readings,
listenings, syllabus, or assignments. Don’t hesitate to contact me with regards to missed
evaluations, accommodations involving the OSD, or any other serious matters that could
affect your overall standing in the course. I reserve the right to decline to answer e-mails
outside of business hours, and cannot guarantee a response to any e-mail received less than
24 hours before an assignment or evaluation.

Use of Electronic Devices

Out of respect for your peers, please turn your cellphone off while in class. Laptops and
tablets may be used for note-taking purposes only.

Examinations
The questions on the exams will be drawn from the material that we cover in class. While I
will not post recordings of our lectures, I will post presentation slides after each class. Please
note that the slides are not a sufficient substitute for the lecture and are intended only to
supplement and structure your notes taken in class. Make-up evaluations will not be given
without a signed note from a doctor that addresses the specific date of the missed
evaluation, or other written documentation pertaining to the reason the evaluation was
missed. If you have missed an evaluation for an excusable reason you must contact the
instructor within 24 hours to schedule a make-up session at the earliest possible time.

Additional Policies

Accessibility and Accommodations

If you have a disability and your access needs are not already being met please contact both
the instructors and the Office for Students with Disabilities by the end of the first week that
you are enrolled in the course. OSD can be reached at 514-398-6009 and
http://www.mcgill.ca/osd/.

Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every
day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their
performance in the course, is urged to contact the Office of the Dean of Students for
support (Suite 2100, Brown Student Services Building, or call 514-398-4990). For less
immediate concerns, financial support can be accessed through McGill Financial Aid.
Furthermore, please notify the instructor if you are comfortable doing so. This will enable
her to provide any resources that she may possess.

I aim to create a class environment that is accessible and welcoming to all students, and
encourage you to help your peers feel welcomed and supported. This does not mean that
your views will not be challenged by the course content, instructors, or your peers. Keep in
mind that others may have very different perspectives and experiences than you do, and
engage in respectful discussion.

Academic Integrity
McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the
meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the
Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see
www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information).

Language
In accordance with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course
have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded.

Evaluations

Attendance and Participation: 15%

Although this is a large class, participation is crucial. While we encourage everyone to
participate in class, participation can take many forms. Your participation grade will be
assessed holistically on a combination of your attendance, in-class participation, online
discussion forums, and drop-ins during my office hours.

At least once each month, with a total of five posts, you will be required to participate in
discussion on MyCourses. Feel free to start your own threads, to respond to other students, or
to prompts that we include. Your posts do not need to be long— I’m much more interested
in quality than quantity. Discussion does not have to end after you've made your original
post. By responding to your classmates' posts and by responding to their responses to your
own you can explore course material collaboratively. Although you may disagree with
classmates, keep the discussion respectful and productive.

The goal of the online forums is to provide an opportunity for you to continue discussions
of the course content with your peers, to ask questions as you’re working through the
readings, and to make connections between the course content and the music that you’re
most familiar with. I intend that the forums also provide a safe space for you to think
carefully about your ideas and to work through them with my support and the support of
your classmates. If you’re not the type of student who is comfortable regularly speaking in
class, this is the place for you!

Note: As a rule of thumb, an A grade in attendance and participation might include one

missed class, occasional participation during in-class discussion, at least five thoughtful
responses in the online discussion forum, and one drop-in during our office hours.

Midterm:
February 12
There will be an in-class midterm covering assigned readings and listening. Questions will be
multiple choice, matching, or short answer. In addition, you will be asked questions about
unknown musical excerpts to test your comprehension of the musical features covered in
our discussions. More details on the format of the midterm will follow in class.

Final Exam: 25%

Date: TBA

The final exam will feature a combination of multiple choice, matching, short-answer, and an
essay question. You will be tested on only unknown listening excerpts: songs that were not
assigned in class, but which resemble the genres and/or artists that we have discussed. You
will be asked to discuss the genres to which they belong, as well as their salient musical
features. Because of the nature of the listening skills you will acquire in this class, the listening
portion of the final exam is cumulative, but the other course content is not. You will also be tested
on arguments and general themes from the readings.

It is your responsibility to bring your McGill ID card. In case of conflicts with the final
exam, it is your responsibility to notify the Music Student Affairs Office as soon as possible:
https://www.mcgill.ca/students/exams/dates. Because this exam falls during McGill’s exam
period, do not book travel plans until the exam schedule is announced.

For complete information on assignments, please see the separate documents posted
on MyCourses

Class Schedule

Date Topic Readings Listenings

January 6 Introduction *** ***
PRS 1, 3, 4
Adorno “On Judy Garland “Somewhere Over the
Prequel: The Pop
Popular Music” Rainbow”
Mainstream (Tin Pan
January 8 (Excerpt) Guy Lombardo “Boo Hoo”
Alley, Big Band,
*APM 58-60, 93- Duke Ellington “Take the A-Train”
Crooners)
101, 106-108, 208- Nat King Cole, “Nature Boy”
212
Jimmie Rodgers “Blue Yodel No.1”
Mainstream and
Bessie Smith “St. Louis Blues”
Periphery: Hillbilly PRS 5, 6, 13
Memphis Minnie “If You See My
January 13 and Race Music to *APM 126-132,
Rooster”
the Blues and 143-149, 237-245
Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues”
Country
Hank Williams “Hey Good Lookin”
Ruth Brown “Mama He Treats Your
Daughter Mean”
Gospel, R&B, and the
Ray Charles “I Got a Woman”
Birth of Rock n’ Roll
PRS 15, 16, 19, 21 Sister Rosetta Tharpe, "Didn't It Rain"
*APM 222-234, Big Joe Turner, “Shake, Rattle, and
January 15 OPTIONAL
249-254, 260-275, Roll”
BONUS
276, 332-336 Chuck Berry “Maybellene”
ASSIGNMENT
Little Richard “Long Tall Sally”
DUE
Big Mama Thornton / Elvis Presley
“Hound Dog”
Chubby Checker, “The Twist”
Wilson Pickett “In the Midnight
Hour”
PRS 25, 30, 31 The Shirelles “Will You Love Me
Girl Groups, Brill Tomorrow”
January 20
Building, Motown, *APM 292-303, Sam Cooke “A Change is Gonna
Stax 336-338 Come”
The Ronettes “Be My Baby”
The Temptations “Ain’t Too Proud to
Beg”
The Jackson 5 “I Want You Back”

Muddy Waters, “I Got My Mojo

Workin’”
PRS 26, 35, 38
Lonnie Mack, “Wham!”
The Beach Boys, The
Cream, “Crossroads”
Beatles, Blues Rock, *APM 305-312,
January 22 The Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA”
and the British Box from 318-319
The Beatles “Please Please Me”
Invasion
The Rolling Stones “(I Can’t Get No)
Satisfaction”
The Kinks “You Really Got Me”

Peter Paul and Mary “Where Have All

the Flowers Gone”
Bob Dylan “Don’t Think Twice, It’s
The Urban Folk PRS 27, 28, 29
Alright”
January 27 Revival and Folk *APM 215-217,
Joan Baez “Silver Dagger”
Rock 347-353
Buffy Sainte-Marie “My Country ‘Tis
of Thy People You’re Dying”
The Byrds “Mr. Tambourine Man”
Otis Redding “Try a Little
Tenderness”
Soul and Funk in the Aretha Franklin “Respect”
PRS 32, 33, 34, 50
‘60s and ‘70s James Brown “Papa’s Got a Brand
January 29 *APM 339-344,
New Bag”
396, 445-448
Parliament “Give Up the Funk (Tear
the Roof Off the Sucker)”
Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On”
The Beatles “Tomorrow Never
Knows”
The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”
Psychedelic and PRS 37, 40, 54
February 3 Jefferson Airplane “White Rabbit”
Progressive Rock *APM 356-363
Pink Floyd “Money”
Genesis “Watcher of the Skies”
Yes, “Roundabout”
PRS 46, 47
*APM 374, 381- Carole King “So Far Away”
386, 388-389, 405- Joni Mitchell, “Carey”
407 Fleetwood Mac “Dreams”
Singer-Songwriters,
Dolly Parton, “Jolene”
February 5 Country and Roots
Nadine Hubbs, The Band, “The Weight”
Rock
Rednecks, Queers and Creedence
Country Music Clearwater Revival, “Lookin’ Out My
(excerpt) Back Door”
The Eagles “Take it Easy”

Hard Rock, Early PRS 51, 52 Led Zeppelin “Dazed and Confused”
February 10
Metal, + REVIEW *APM 399-401 Black Sabbath “Black Sabbath”

February 12 MIDTERM *** ***

David Bowie “Ziggy Stardust”
Suzi Quatro “48 Crash”
PRS 53, 56
Donna Summer “Love to Love You
February 17 Glam Rock & Disco *APM 394-
Baby”
395,410-414
Chic “Good Times”
The Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive”

Jimmy Cliff “The Harder They Come”

Bob Marley “I Shot the Sheriff”
PRS 55, 57, 58, 59
Patti Smith, “Land: Horses…”
February 19 Reggae and Punk *APM 427-428,
The Ramones “Blizkrieg Bop”
434-441
The Clash “White Man in
Hammersmith Palais”
The Sex Pistols “Anarchy in the UK”

New Wave & Post Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us

Punk Apart”
PRS 60
The B-52s “Rock Lobster”
February 24 *APM 434-441 (as
PRIMARY Devo “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
above)
SOURCE Rough Trade, “High School
ANALYSIS DUE Confidential”
The Smiths, “This Charming Man”

Sugar Hill Gang “Rapper’s Delight”

Grandmaster Flash “The Adventures
of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels
PRS 71
February 26 Hip-hop Origins of Steel”
*APM 448-453
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious
Five, “The Message”
Roxanne Shanté, “Roxanne’s Revenge”
Run-D.M.C. “Walk This Way”

March 2-6 Reading Week *** ***

Michael Jackson, “Off the Wall”

PRS 61, 62, 63, 64
Michael Jackson “Thriller”
March 9 1980s Pop Madonna “Open Your Heart”
*APM 477-482,
Bruce Springsteen “Born in the USA”
488-492, 494-498
Prince “When Doves Cry”

Public Enemy “Fight the Power”

PRS 72, 73
The Real Roxanne “Respect”
Hip-hop in the Queen Latifah, “Ladies First”
March 11 *APM 463-466,
Golden Age N.W.A. “Fuck Tha Police”
506-511, 519-520
A Tribe Called Quest, “Buggin’ Out”
Biz Markie, “Alone Again”**
Van Halen, “Running With the Devil”
Indie, Hardcore, and Iron Maiden, “Run to the Hills”
PRS 66, 67, 69
March 16 Metal Metallica “Eye of the Beholder”
*APM 524-528
Black Flag “TV Party”
The Pixies “Where is My Mind”
Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl”
PRS 78, 79, 80, 83
Grunge and Riot Frankie Knuckles, “Your Love”
March 18 *APM 522-523,
Grrrl vs EDM Cybotron “Clear”
528-531
Chemical Brothers “Block Rockin’
Beats”
Dr. Dre “Nuthin But A G-Thang”**
PRS 75, 76, 77 Notorious BIG “Hypnotize”
Lauryn Hill “Everything is Everything”
March 23 1990s Hip-hop
*APM 513-519, 2Pac “Brenda’s Got a Baby”
536, 584-585 Lil’ Kim, “No Time”
OutKast, “Rosa Parks”

Garth Brooks “Shameless”**

PRS 82, 85, 86
Pop, Country, and Backstreet Boys “Everybody”
March 25 *APM 539-541
Singer-Songwriters Spice Girls, “Wannabe”
Sarah McLachlan, “Building a
Mystery”
PRS 88, 90
Sasha Frere-Jones,
Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
“Ladies Wild: How
Arcade Fire “Rebellion (Lies)”
March 30 Music Since 2000: Not Dumb is
Avicii “Waiting for Love”
Pop, Indie, EDM Gaga?” (On
A Tribe Called Red “Burn Your
MyCourses)
Village To the Ground”**
Taylor Swift, “Love Story”
*APM 594-595

Jay-Z “Izzo (H.O.V.A)

Madvillain “Figaro”
PRS 89
Music Since 2000: Three 6 Mafia, “Sleep”
April 1 *APM 579-584,
Hip-Hop Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar
587-592
“Freedom”**
Princess Nokia, “Tomboy”
Kendrick Lamar “Alright”
Lizzo, “Juice”
Lil Nas X, feat. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old
Town Road”
Current Trends (TBD) Charli XCX feat Big Freedia,
April 6
CupcakKe, Brooke Candy, and Pabllo
Vittar, “Shake It”
Billie Eilish, “bury a friend”
(TBD)
April 8 REVIEW *** ***
CONCERT
April 10 REPORT DUE BY *** ***
11:59 p.m.

Notes:
• *APM readings are OPTIONAL. They are intended for additional context, or for students
who have had to miss class.
• ** Denotes listenings that are not available on Spotify. These listenings are posted to
MyCourses
• Be sure to read the editorial comments in all assigned chapters of the PRS.
• Assigned readings and listenings should be completed before class on the date for which it is
assigned.