Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2023-007691
Reviews
Jim Cullen is a wide-ranging historian with unusual insight into American pop culture. In Bridge and Tunnel Boys , he turns his focus to two giants of rock and roll, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, a winning combination resulting in an entertaining and provocative book that will appeal to anyone interested in pop music and its relationship to the historical currents that influence its creation., Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel are epic figures who have been listened to, loved, and finally understood by Jim Cullen's Bridge and Tunnel Boys . Long an astute observer of American popular culture, Cullen provides a radiant analysis of both artists' music that is right on the money: perceptive and smart., A thoughtful and probing look at the work and careers of two artists born just months apart, Bridge and Tunnel Boys lends highly readable context as to where Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen overlap--in terms of geography, musical approach, and audience--and where they diverge. Not solely for fans, this is a work that evokes a broader sense of the time and place in which the music was made, and how that music continues to influence the wider culture., It's always a pleasure to read a new Jim Cullen book. This one is no exception as Cullen finds striking parallels in the music and lives of two very different--yet similar--musicians: Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. A fascinating cultural history of late twentieth century American popular music.
Dewey Edition
23
Grade From
Eleventh Grade
CLASSIFICATION_METADATA
{"IsNonfiction":["Yes"],"IsOther":["No"],"IsAdult":["No"],"MuzeFormatDesc":["Hardcover"],"IsChildren":["No"],"Genre":["BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY","MUSIC","SOCIAL SCIENCE"],"Topic":["Genres & Styles / Rock","Composers & Musicians","History & Criticism","Popular Culture"],"IsTextBook":["No"],"IsFiction":["No"]}
Dewey Decimal
782.42166092273
Table Of Content
Preface: You See? I Was Right! Author's Note I: Gauging Success Author's Note II: Historical Records INTRODUCTION Margin and Center 1 NEW YORK STATE OF MIND The Emergence of the Metropolitan Sound in Popular Music 2 HARD TIMES, BOOM YEARS Social Mobility and Its Discontents, 1949-1971 3 POINTS OF DEPARTURE Finding Their Way, 1972-1974 4 ARRIVALS Movin' Out--and Back, 1975-1977 5 THROUGH GLASS, DARKLY Years of Growth and Uncertainty, 1978-1982 6 RIGHT TIME The Stars Align, 1983-1986 7 FAMILY FEUDS Domestic Politics, 1986-1995 8 HOMING Legends Take Root, 1996-Present CONCLUSION Swift Currents Acknowledgments Notes Index
Synopsis
Born four months apart, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel both released their debut albums in the early 1970s, quickly becoming two of the most successful rock stars of their generation. While their critical receptions have been very different, surprising parallels emerge when we look at the arcs of their careers and the musical influences that have inspired them. Bridge and Tunnel Boys compares the life and work of Long Islander Joel and Asbury Park, New Jersey, native Springsteen, considering how each man forged a distinctive sound that derived from his unique position on the periphery of the Big Apple. Locating their music within a longer tradition of the New York metropolitan sound, dating back to the early 1900s, cultural historian Jim Cullen explores how each man drew from the city's diverse racial and ethnic influences. His study explains how, despite frequently releasing songs that questioned the American dream, Springsteen and Joel were able to appeal to wide audiences during both the national uncertainty of the 1970s and the triumphalism of the Reagan era. By placing these two New York-area icons in a new context, Bridge and Tunnel Boys allows us to hear their most beloved songs with new appreciation., Exploring the surprising parallels between Long Islander Billy Joel and Asbury Park, NJ native Bruce Springsteen, cultural historian Jim Cullen places their music within a longer tradition of the New York metropolitan sound. By recombining classic influences in unique ways, each man created music that appealed to wide audiences in a rapidly changing America., Born four months apart, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel both released their debut albums in the early 1970s, quickly becoming two of the most successful rock stars of their generation. While their critical receptions have been very different, surprising parallels emerge when we look at the arcs of their careers and the musical influences that have inspired them. Bridge & Tunnel Boys compares the life and work of Long Islander Joel and Asbury Park, NJ native Springsteen, considering how each man forged a distinctive sound that derived from his unique position on the periphery of the Big Apple. Locating their music within a longer tradition of the New York metropolitan sound, dating back to the early 1900s, cultural historian Jim Cullen explores how each man drew from the city's diverse racial and ethnic influences. His study explains how, despite frequently releasing songs that questioned the American dream, Springsteen and Joel were able to appeal to wide audiences during both the national uncertainty of the 1970s and the triumphalism of the Reagan era. By placing these two New York-area icons in a new context, Bridge & Tunnel Boys allows us to hear their most beloved songs with new appreciation.
LC Classification Number
ML3477
ebay_catalog_id
4
Copyright Date
2024
