Some Thoughts on the Work in Popular Music

Jazz and Musical Works: Hypnotized by the Wrong Model

“…One could call this the Romantic concept of a musical work since the veneration of classical musical works seems to have blossomed in the Romantic age with the rise of Beethoven worship. David Horn usefully delineates some of the connotations of this normative sense of “work.” Among the associations of “work,” he says, are achievement of an identifiable author who has shown creativity and that creativity lends authority; the work has originality; and this gives it potential for status, rank, and canonization (, 18–19). Although Horn suggests that there is discomfort in applying such an exalted concept to much pop music, there is nothing here that would not apply to many musical works in jazz.…”

Musical Works, Cover Versions and Strange Little Girls

“…29 Horn also points out that for some, "'covering' is an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with music other than their 'own' and with other performers who have been involved in 'covering' that or similar music." 30 This would seem to be the case when many different, established bands all appear on tribute albums or concerts dedicated to one band, or when a band covers songs in such a way that they critique or radically reinterpret the original.…”

“…As well as these different types of cover, there are different reasons for covering a song which have different values attached within rock/pop culture. As Horn points out, "[i]n some quarters, the phrase 'cover version' is often used to convey derogation" 28 as it can be related to a lack of creativity or sometimes to cynically making money by covering another band's previous hit. Conversely, covering is seen by some as an essential part of learning the craft of being a pop/rock musician.…”

“…25 This basic meaning encompasses a wide range of practices, all of which are related by the fact that the piece being covered "is associated with another performer or performers, perhaps because they made the first recording, or because they have forged a relationship with it. "…”

“…It is also quite possible that, as Horn later points out, " [j]ust because the term itself is so rare in popular music practice does not mean … that the ideas and implications within it are also rare." 9 It is possible that 'work' thinking is rife throughout the musical world, but that it is rarely couched in these terms, and if that is the case, why should its use be dangerous? After all, the term 'work' is not exclusive to music, it is found throughout the arts, describing cultural objects as diverse as films, paintings, novels, treatises and plays.…”