Mixing Pop and Politics: A Marxist History of Popular Music
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A Radical History of Popular Music
Mixing Pop and Politics is not a history of political music, but a political history of popular music. This comprehensive work spans the early 1950s to the present day, examining how popular music has both reflected and resisted the political events of its era. From doo-wop to hip-hop, punk to crunk, and grunge to grime, Toby Manning traces the connections between sound and social upheaval across seven decades.
Music and Political Ideology
The book explores the complex relationships between popular music and political ideology throughout modern history. Manning examines the liberation of rock'n'roll against the containment of girl groups, the refusal of glam versus the resignation of soft rock, and the solidarity of disco contrasted with the individualism of 1980s pop. Each musical movement is analyzed through a Marxist lens, revealing how cultural production intersects with political and economic forces.
Why This Book Matters Now
At a time when reactionary forces are waging political war in the realm of culture, and voices demand we keep politics out of music, Mixing Pop and Politics offers a timely, original and joyful exploration of popular music's role in society. This work demonstrates that music has never been apolitical—it has always been a site of contestation, resistance, and social commentary.
Toby Manning is the author of The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd (2006) and John le Carré and the Cold War (2018). His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, New Statesman, Sight and Sound, Arena, The Face, NME, Select, Q and The Word. He has taught at the University of Birmingham, Brunel and Queen Mary universities, and City Lit College, London. Having grown up in North Wales and lived all over the UK, he now lives in London.
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