Reading Song Lyrics

An Interdisciplinary and Multimodal Approach

Glenn Fosbraey

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English

Anthem Press
05 August 2025

Theory of music & musicology; Music reviews & criticism; Interdisciplinary studies

Popular song is an art form which reaches far beyond the music itself, and to fully appreciate its impact, the modern critic needs to analyse the elements that we find outside the song as well as those they find within it.

This book will provide an exploration of how popular songs have been analysed in the past, before detailing how an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to appreciate the multimodal format of the medium. Beginning by examining what we can gain from staying 'inside' the song, it will explore the role the listener has in determining meaning within a song, before moving on to how, through their lyrics, songwriters can persuade their audience to react in the desired ways. Lyrical storytelling will also be analysed, in terms of the narratives we find within individual songs, but also through 'song sequences' where the story spans multiple songs across different projects, and also the 'concept album' format. As we move 'outside' the song, we see what can be offered in terms of cultural significance, the difference between real events and their lyrical representations, how the format we listen to music in influences our readings, and to what extent visual materials affect our relationships with songs.

By: Glenn Fosbraey
Imprint: Anthem Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 5mm
Weight: 123g
ISBN: 9781839995002
ISBN 10: 1839995009
Pages: 82
Publication Date: 05 August 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction; 2. Inside the song: Constructing ‘meaning’; 3. Going Outside; 4. Conclusion; References

Dr. Glenn Fosbraey is Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Winchester and has published widely on the academic study of song lyrics.

Reviews for Reading Song Lyrics: An Interdisciplinary and Multimodal Approach

“Glenn Fosbraey offers a concise and lucid guide to querying the social context of pop lyrics. Reading Song Lyrics marshalls a wide variety of theories and resources to outline a comprehensive methodology in a brief and pithy text that uses case studies from hip-hop and glam to classic rock. The text is an excellent introduction to the social study of musical text for both undergraduate classrooms and graduate study of popular music methodology.” —Justin Patch, Vassar College, USA. “Fosbraey puts forth an impassioned – and valid – call for popular music as a multimodal form worthy of deeper academic study. This book draws on a broad range of interdisciplinary theories and viewpoints to analyse the craft, function, and reception of contemporary song lyrics in a clear and dynamic way that will be of interest to scholars and students in this field.” —Dr James Cole, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader – BA (Hons) Creative Writing, Arts University Bournemouth, UK.