We All Want to Change the World: Rock and Politics from Elvis to Eminem

by Tom Waldman

Overview

We All Want to Change the World provides a cogent and fascinating evaluation of post-World War II American commercial music and its complex, multi-faceted impact on the world of politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589790193
Publisher:	Taylor Trade Publishing
Publication date:	09/24/2003
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.42(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.12(d)

About the Author

Tom Waldman is the author of The Best Guide to American Politics and co-author of Land of a Thousand Dances: Chicano Rock 'n' Roll from Southern California. He lives in West Hills, California.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	v
	Prologue: So Happy Together	xi
1	R-O-C-K in the U.S.A.	1
2	Rubber Souls	17
3	Connection: A Personal Story	35
4	Something New	47
5	Come Softly to Me	93
6	Satisfaction	113
7	Let's Live for Today	149
8	Signs of the Times	169
9	Everybody Is a Star	191
10	Fight the Power	231
11	Public Enemy?	253
12	They Dig Rock and Roll Music	275
	Epilogue: Freedom	295
	Notes	299
	Index	305

Editorial Reviews

Waldman believes that any question of appropriateness as it relates to music and politics usually comes from 'people who don't agree with it. When they agree, there's no question.'

Sltoday - Entertainment - Kevin Johnson

Waldman believes that any question of appropriateness as it relates to music and politics usually comes from 'people who don't agree with it. When they agree, there's no question.'
— Kevin Johnson

Sltoday - Entertainment

Waldman (Best Guide to American Politics) intends to provide "a look at the sometimes contentious, often opportunistic and constantly intertwined history of rock and politics from the release of `Rock Around the Clock' in 1954 through the 2000 presidential campaign." However, the project as he conceives it is too large. While his left-liberal intentions seem sincere and Waldman presents a lot of details, his summary and analysis of rock history is superficial. The writing style combines generalizations that are straight out of a generic history textbook ("John Lennon is the political iconoclast of late 1960s rock") with a few intriguing observations that he never really develops ("American Bandstand is the first and the best-known counterexample to the notion that only cool people-by their own definition-are in command of rock and roll"). Unfortunately, Waldman never really discusses much actual rock in detail, other than as it may reflect obvious historic events such as the Vietnam War or the election of Ronald Reagan. Perhaps this is because, by his own admission, it took until "the middle of 1967" for him to "admit that the Beatles were the better group on record" than the Monkees. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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