Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop Songs

By Dani J. Caile, Adrian Ernesto Cepeda, Susanna Donato and 10 more

Ever listened to a love song and felt like it was written just for you?

Have you ever helped yourself get through a tough breakup by listening to your favorite song?

Maybe you and your current flame have one song that feels like it simply belongs to you as a couple?

If you've ever been in love, experienced an unrequited crush, or simply longed for a relationship spun from a pop song, this is the book for you.

Pondering songs from bands as diverse as The Barenaked Ladies to The Commodores, PJ Harvey to the Spice Girls, OutKast to Bonnie Raitt, there's a pop song for everyone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Buttontapper Press
• Release date: Feb 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781393758075

Book preview

Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop Songs

Volume 1

Edited by Laura Roberts

© 2016 Laura Roberts

Published by Buttontapper Press at Draft2Digital

Cover design by Buttontapper Press

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Sex, Love & The Spice Girls by Polo Lonergan

Curse of The Buzzcocks by Dani J Caile

Minors and Golden Hearts by Terry Barr

One Week Has Lasted 23 Years and Counting by Cassie Newell

A Blue Jeans Type of Marriage by Wendy Kennar

Bless This Mess by Barney Harper

She Remains Sadly Beautiful by Adrian Ernesto Cepeda

The Soundtrack of My Life (Vol. 1) by Don Kingfisher Campbell

Shadows by Susan Tepper

It Really Ain’t Me, Babe by Susanna Donato

Even OutKasts Need Love by Sally Basmajian

Searching For My Silver Springs by Rebecca Ayers

Macho Man vs. Thunder Island by Dave Thome

Author Bios

Also by Buttontapper Press

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Introduction

Ever listened to a love song and felt like the song was made just for you? Have you ever helped yourself get through heartbreak by listening to a favorite song? Maybe you and your current flame have one song that feels like it belongs to you as a couple?

If you’ve ever been in love, had a crush, or simply longed for the relationship spun from a pop song, then this is the book for you.

So what’s in a pop song?

To some people, the designation pop is a simple way of writing off an entire genre of music. Pop is, of course, short for popular, which instantly explains its appeal. Popular music is music that lots of people naturally gravitate towards, whether it’s because of an infectious hook, a catchy chorus, or an upbeat (and, usually, danceable) sound.

To me, pop music is anything that’s been played on the radio, slipped into our collective unconscious, and become the soundtrack to our lives. Pop music is popular for a reason: we love it. And even if there’s discussion about exactly what qualifies as pop music, the only real requirement is that the song moved you to play it again and again and again.

Pop music can be bubblegum sweet and airy, like a Spice Girls tune. But, as Polo Lonergan points out, even a bubblegum hit like Wannabe manages to slip in some subversion.

Pop music can also be dark, mysterious, bewitching – like a Fleetwood Mac song, sung by Stevie Nicks.

Pop music can even be a commercial hit from an artist better known for their less-than-radio-friendly tunes, as Susanna Donato discusses in her piece on Bob Dylan.

So what brings each of these pieces together?

They’re all about love. Love hard won, love lost, love unrequited, love that lasts, and love that’s just a fading dream.

Love may be a many-splendored thing, it may lift us up where we belong, and you may not be able to buy it in any stores... but it sure is hard to write about without sounding cliché. The writers in this collection have all succeeded in telling their stories without resorting to empty promises, hollow words, or even the obvious choices of love songs. I salute them all for being brave enough to share their thoughts with the world, for explaining what love really means to them, and for aligning themselves with the oft-criticized realm of pop music as a deeper expression of their own world views.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading