Description
Book SynopsisMost studies of the religious significance of popular music focus on music lyrics, offering little insight into the religious aspects of the music itself. This book examines the religious dimensions of popular music subcultures, charting the influence and religious aspects of popular music in mainstream culture today.
Trade Review"Taking us on a journey from West Africa to San Francisco, Robin Sylvan reminds us that being moved by the music means much more than simply understanding the lyrics. From rock to rap, disco to heavy metal, Sylvan takes the whole music experience seriously, exploring how its very performance—and its subsequent affect on the audience—touches the entirety of what makes us human, in what can only be considered a religious experience of sound, beat, dance, ritual, and world view. . . . Will challenge your presumptions about the significance of music in general, these genres in particular, and the way we understand religion to work in the lives of ordinary people." -- Eric Michael Mazur,coeditor of God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture
Table of ContentsI Theoretical, Structural, and Historical Background 1 The Connection between Music and Religion 2 West African Possession Religion and American Popular Music II Popular Music Subcultures as Religion: A Comparative Analysis Based on Ethnographic Research 3 Eyes of the World: The Grateful Dead and the Deadheads 4 The Dance Music Continuum: House, Rave, and Electronic Dance Music 5 Stairway to Heaven, Highway to Hell: Heavy Metal and Metalheads 6 The Message: Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture
