Classic American Popular Song: The Second Half-Century, 1950-2000

The book which is a kind of a sequel to an epochmaking book by Alec Wilder is simply indispensable to anyone who is interested in the field. It is both intelligent and entertaining, as a book on popular music should be. Highly recommended.

Classic American Popular Song: The Second Half-century, 1950-2000 is a college-level survey of what happened to American popular music post 1950: it continues the story of classic songwriters from Porter and Rodgers to Johnny Mercer and Fred Kander, exploring the ongoing (and sometimes surprising) popularity of their works over the decades and considering both the quality of pop song after 1950 and the efforts of writers who worked in an established yet fading musical style. From traditions maintained in popular song to the evolution of American song styles, colleges will find this a fine addition.