Reading Song Lyrics

Dr. Glenn Fosbraey is Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Winchester and has published widely on the academic study of song lyrics.

• 1. Introduction; 2. Inside the song: Constructing ‘meaning’; 3. Going Outside; 4. Conclusion; References

“Glenn Fosbraey offers a concise and lucid guide to querying the social context of pop lyrics. Reading Song Lyrics marshalls a wide variety of theories and resources to outline a comprehensive methodology in a brief and pithy text that uses case studies from hip-hop and glam to classic rock. The text is an excellent introduction to the social study of musical text for both undergraduate classrooms and graduate study of popular music methodology.” —Justin Patch, Vassar College, USA.“Fosbraey puts forth an impassioned – and valid – call for popular music as a multimodal form worthy of deeper academic study. This book draws on a broad range of interdisciplinary theories and viewpoints to analyse the craft, function, and reception of contemporary song lyrics in a clear and dynamic way that will be of interest to scholars and students in this field.” —Dr James Cole, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader – BA (Hons) Creative Writing, Arts University Bournemouth, UK.