17 January 2021
Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year
A Rolling Stone-Kirkus Best Music Book of 2020
The definitive account of pop music in the mid-eighties, from Prince and Madonna to the underground hip-hop, indie rock, and club scenes
Everybody knows the hits of 1984 - pop music's greatest year. From "Thriller" to "Purple Rain," "Hello" to "Against All Odds," "What's Love Got to Do with It" to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," these iconic songs continue to dominate advertising, karaoke nights, and the soundtracks for film classics (Boogie Nights) and TV hits (Stranger Things). But the story of that thrilling, turbulent time, an era when Top 40 radio was both the leading edge of popular culture and a moral battleground, has never been told with the full detail it deserves - until now. Can't Slow Down is the definitive portrait of the exploding world of mid-eighties pop and the time it defined, from Cold War anxiety to the home-computer revolution. Big acts like Michael Jackson (Thriller), Prince (Purple Rain), Madonna (Like a Virgin), Bruce Springsteen (Born in the U.S.A.), and George Michael (Wham!'s Make It Big) rubbed shoulders with the stars of the fermenting scenes of hip-hop, indie rock, and club music. Rigorously researched, mapping the entire terrain of American pop, with crucial side trips to the UK and Jamaica, from the biz to the stars to the upstarts and beyond, Can't Slow Down is a vivid journey to the very moment when pop was remaking itself, and the culture at large - one hit at a time.
| Title | : | Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year |
| ISBN | : | 9780306903373 |
| Format Type | : |
Readers Also Enjoyed Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year
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Read if you: Want a laser focused look at one explosive year in music history. 1984 represents a pivotal moment in music history: it saw the rise of Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and...
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I turned ten in 1984, so this book couldn't help but hit a lot of my pleasure points, and I rarely found it less than interesting in the moment. That pleasure is undermined, however, by Matos' inabili...
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The subtitle of Can't Slow Down reflects a reality that's become increasingly clear as the decades pass: there was something special about that year. As Matos points out, when people think about how g...
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If you're an 80's kid like me you will absolutely love this look into the music of 1984. According to the author, 1984 changed pop music forever. This book introduces us to all the favorite artists of...
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Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year by Michaelangelo Matos reflects a reality that's become increasingly clear as the decades pass. A book that does not feel like a rapid-fire sh...
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For more reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com.Music really is the soundtrack to our lives. I have six older brothers and sisters who were all into music. So were my parents. I love all kinds of music...
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In a way, I was one of those privileged kids back in 1984 ... in 1984, I had a cassette deck that could record straight off the radio!! My parents bought me a top of the line Panasonic boombox for my ...
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I would first like to point out that I had not yet been born in 1984, instead coming into this world a whole three years later in '87, so that would make me more of a '90s kid... But, that didn't impa...
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Incredibly well-researched, organized, and balanced. I wanted to set myself against this book at its outset for several reasons: Matos has written about the things I have always wanted to write about ...
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What a ridiculously comprehensive look at the most definitive year in pop music. Each chapter provided a vivid snapshot of the industry trends, technological innovations, and larger-than-life personal...