ABSTRACT
At the pinnacle of the success continuum discussed in Chapter 3 are stars and auteurs. Following an introduction to these two concepts, I provide a number of case
studies of such figures in popular music, with reference to examples of their work: 1930s’ bluesman Robert Johnson; producer Phil Spector and his ‘wall of sound’ in the early 1960s; the Spice Girls and manufactured pop; country crossover star Shania Twain; and Lady Gaga, a pop star born in and of the internet age. In each profile, with brief reference to their career, I want to situate these performers in terms of their influence and status and in relation to issues of creativity and commerce, genre and authorship An important starting question here is how do you ‘justify’ a particular figure
and their music as worthy of attention? The majority of the artists included in this chapter were selected for their innovative break with, or reworking of, established traditions and conventions. They generally exemplify two central aspects of a popular music aesthetic: first, extending the traditional form; and, second, working within the form itself, breaking it up and subverting its conventions. While this is arguably not the case with either the Spice Girls or Lady Gaga, I have included them as they established new approaches to the production and marketing of pop and are examples of debates around authorship, authenticity and celebrity. While attention is given to the musical qualities of each performer, they are
also situated in terms of genre, the music industry, the personal stance of the musicians and their place in popular music history and the audience reception of the work. The musical examples included show that we must go beyond simple musical aesthetics to explain why particular songs ‘work’ in terms of creating an audience and establishing an artist’s profile.
