The first decades of the rock and roll era changed popular music forever and introduced songs that remain beloved standards over a half-century later. But what did it feel like in the rooms where those songs were being written, recorded, and mixed? What creative alchemy and happy accidents transpired to turn these records into classics?

This book examines ten of the rock era’s most iconic songs, including Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Along the way, it reveals how singers like Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin reimagined “Hound Dog” and “Respect” through their sheer force of personality. It also takes you inside the studio to see how producers George Martin, Phil Spector, and Brian Wilson created a symphony of sounds. Other chapters explore how the lyrics of “Satisfaction,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” and “What’s Going On” gave voice to the feelings of a new generation. Writing with a historian’s careful attention to detail and a fan’s love for music, Louis Masur invites us to hear these enduring songs anew.  

LOUIS P. MASUR is the Board of Governors Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. He is the author of many books, including Runaway Dream: Born to Run and Bruce Springsteen’s American Vision (2009). His essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and Slate.

List of Illustrations

Prologue

Set List

1. Elvis Presley, “Hound Dog” (Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller), 1956
2. Chuck Berry, “Johnny B. Goode” (Chuck Berry), 1958
3. The Beatles, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (John Lennon and Paul McCartney), 1963
4. The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (Elle Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil Spector), 1963
5. The Rolling Stones, “Satisfaction” (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), 1965
6. Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone” (Bob Dylan), 1965
7. The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” (Brian Wilson and Mike Love),1966
8. Aretha Franklin, “Respect” (Otis Redding), 1967
9. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On” (Obie Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye), 1971
10.  Bruce Springsteen, “Born to Run” (Bruce Springsteen), 1975

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Notes

Further Reading