Description
Book SynopsisFor decades, the state-run music industry in Hungary has artificially isolated musical worlds. The 2010 album
I'll Be Your Plaything is a concept album comprising at times drastically re-imagined cover versions of Hungary's most popular hits from the socialist era. As such it is a testament to music as a medium's aptness to reflect on public and personal pasts. The album moreover exemplifies how rich and appealing synthesis of sounds and traditions can be concocted when folk, classically trained, rock, and jazz musical artists collaborate. Along with this freedom to blend and synthesize, the album opens up some long overdue space for women; playing with personas, voices, and singing styles, Palya reflects on issues of femininity, maternity, sexuality, and coupledom across generations.
Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgments Preface 1. Playing Music, Playing with Music: Bea Palya and Samu Gryllu's Musical Partnerships 2. Memory Work with Souvenirs, Bronzes, and Tunes of State Socialism 3. "Play it One More Time, Play it All Night Long": Recycling, Re-working, and Reflecting in Popular Music Discourse 4. Start Making a New Sense 5. "A Babe in Toyland" or Pop-cultural Feminism in Bea Palya's Music and Early Career (2005-2014) 6. In the Aftermath of "I'll Be Your Plaything": A Woman Writing her Self
References Track Listing of "I'll Be Your Plaything" Discography Index
