Ready for a Brand New Beat: How "Dancing in the Street" Became the Anthem for a Changing America
by Kurlansky, Mark
- Used
- Very Good
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Near fine
- ISBN 10
- 1594487227
- ISBN 13
- 9781594487224
- Seller
-
La Grande, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
Can a song change a nation? In 1964, Marvin Gaye, record producer William “Mickey” Stevenson, and Motown songwriter Ivy Jo Hunter wrote “Dancing in the Street.” The song was recorded at Motown’s Hitsville USA Studio by Martha and the Vandellas, with lead singer Martha Reeves arranging her own vocals. Released on July 31, the song was supposed to be an upbeat dance recording—a precursor to disco, and a song about the joyousness of dance. But events overtook it, and the song became one of the icons of American pop culture. The Beatles had landed in the U.S. in early 1964. By the summer, the sixties were in full swing. The summer of 1964 was the Mississippi Freedom Summer, the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, the beginning of the Vietnam War, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the lead-up to a dramatic election. As the country grew more radicalized in those few months, “Dancing in the Street” gained currency as an activist anthem. The song took on new meanings, multiple meanings, for many different groups that were all changing as the country changed. Told by the writer who is legendary for finding the big story in unlikely places, Ready for a Brand New Beat chronicles that extraordinary summer of 1964 and showcases the momentous role that a simple song about dancing played in history.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Rural Hours (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 912
- Title
- Ready for a Brand New Beat: How "Dancing in the Street" Became the Anthem for a Changing America
- Author
- Kurlansky, Mark
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Near fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardback
- ISBN 10
- 1594487227
- ISBN 13
- 9781594487224
- Publisher
- Riverhead
- Place of Publication
- NY
- Date Published
- 2013
Terms of Sale
Rural Hours
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Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...