From "White Christmas" to Sgt. Pepper: The Conceptual Revolution in Popular Music

David Galenson

No 13308, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and other songwriters of the Golden Era wrote popular songs that treated common topics clearly and simply. During the mid-1960s Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney created a new kind of popular music that was personal and often obscure. This shift, which transformed popular music from an experimental into a conceptual art, produced a distinct change in the creative life cycles of songwriters. Golden Era songwriters were generally at their best during their 30s and 40s, whereas since the mid-'60s popular songwriters have consistently done their best work during their 20s. The revolution in popular music occurred at a time when young innovators were making similar transformations in other arts: Jean-Luc Godard and his fellow New Wave directors created a conceptual revolution in film in the early '60s, just as Andy Warhol and other Pop artists made painting a conceptual activity.

JEL-codes: J01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cul and nep-his
Note: LS
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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