Illustration of musicians, cars, and patriotic American imagery.

The Lost Idealism of Heartland Rock

The genre of Bob Seger and John Mellencamp reached across the ideological spectrum in a way that seems unimaginable today.
The five members of The Band in black and white

Is “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” Really a Pro-Confederate Anthem?

The answer may lie in the ear of the beholder.

Reaganland Is the Riveting Conclusion to a Story That Still Isn’t Over

Rick Perlstein’s epic series shows political history and cultural history cannot be disentangled.

The Most Important Album of 1968 Wasn’t The White Album. It Was Beggars Banquet.

It saved the Rolling Stones, altered the trajectory of music history, and turns 50 this week.
Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin Was the Defining Voice of the 20th Century

No one else sang as well as her, and no other singer changed popular music as much as her.

Sgt. Pepper Came Out 50 Years Ago This Week. The Timing Was As Perfect As the Album.

The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper at the exact moment that the world was ready to take a rock album seriously as art.

How Rock and Roll Became White

And how the Rolling Stones, a band in love with black music, helped lead the way to rock’s segregated future.