The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory
New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook tells a fascinating story of creativity and commerce that explains how songs have become so addictive.



Over the last two decades a new type of song has emerged. Today's hits bristle with "hooks," musical burrs designed to snag your ear every seven seconds. Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain's delight in melody, rhythm, and repetition, these songs are industrial-strength products made for malls, casinos, the gym, and the Super Bowl halftime show. The tracks are so catchy, and so potent, that you can't not listen to them.



Traveling from New York to Los Angeles, Stockholm to Korea, John Seabrook visits specialized teams composing songs in digital labs with novel techniques, and he traces the growth of these contagious hits from their origins in early '90s Sweden to their ubiquity on today's charts.



Featuring the stories of artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Rihanna, as well as expert songsmiths like Max Martin, Ester Dean, and Dr. Luke, The Song Machine will change the way you listen to music.
1121137379
The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory
New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook tells a fascinating story of creativity and commerce that explains how songs have become so addictive.



Over the last two decades a new type of song has emerged. Today's hits bristle with "hooks," musical burrs designed to snag your ear every seven seconds. Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain's delight in melody, rhythm, and repetition, these songs are industrial-strength products made for malls, casinos, the gym, and the Super Bowl halftime show. The tracks are so catchy, and so potent, that you can't not listen to them.



Traveling from New York to Los Angeles, Stockholm to Korea, John Seabrook visits specialized teams composing songs in digital labs with novel techniques, and he traces the growth of these contagious hits from their origins in early '90s Sweden to their ubiquity on today's charts.



Featuring the stories of artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Rihanna, as well as expert songsmiths like Max Martin, Ester Dean, and Dr. Luke, The Song Machine will change the way you listen to music.
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The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

by John Seabrook

Narrated by Dion Graham

Unabridged — 9 hours, 23 minutes

The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory

by John Seabrook

Narrated by Dion Graham

Unabridged — 9 hours, 23 minutes

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Overview

New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook tells a fascinating story of creativity and commerce that explains how songs have become so addictive.



Over the last two decades a new type of song has emerged. Today's hits bristle with "hooks," musical burrs designed to snag your ear every seven seconds. Painstakingly crafted to tweak the brain's delight in melody, rhythm, and repetition, these songs are industrial-strength products made for malls, casinos, the gym, and the Super Bowl halftime show. The tracks are so catchy, and so potent, that you can't not listen to them.



Traveling from New York to Los Angeles, Stockholm to Korea, John Seabrook visits specialized teams composing songs in digital labs with novel techniques, and he traces the growth of these contagious hits from their origins in early '90s Sweden to their ubiquity on today's charts.



Featuring the stories of artists like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, and Rihanna, as well as expert songsmiths like Max Martin, Ester Dean, and Dr. Luke, The Song Machine will change the way you listen to music.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Through immersive anecdotes and witty observations…we learn it’s not just the ‘song machine’ that’s brilliant but also the people churning the gears."— Isabella Biedenharn Entertainment Weekly

"Well researched…[Seabrook] takes us inside the troubled modern music business."— Touré New York Times Book Review

"Fascinating…lively, entertaining and often insightful, of interest both to pop mavens and to those who couldn’t imagine caring about the latest hits."— Christopher Carroll Wall Street Journal

"Copy editors will rejoice at Seabrook’s well-written and deeply researched book. He is a staff writer for The New Yorker and his book fits into that magazine’s penchant for telling very detailed stories about things you might not notice about pop culture"— Charles R. Cross Seattle Times

"A fascinating history, one that encompasses everything from the Brill Building and Phil Spector to Afrika Bambaataa to American Idol. Running underneath the human stories like a bassline is the inexorable flow of technology."— Kate Tuttle Boston Globe

"Invaluable."— Louis Bayard Washington Post

"Brilliant."— Michael Hann The Guardian

"A fascinating look at how the catchiest pop hits are manufactured…You’ll never hear Katy Perry the same way again."— People

"Revelatory. This thorough dissection of the anatomy of a hit belongs on any listener’s bookshelf."— FADER

Product Details

BN ID: 2940171737986
Publisher: HighBridge Company
Publication date: 10/05/2015
Edition description: Unabridged
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