I am contributing a chapter to the upcoming book Coming of Age: Teaching and Learning Popular Music in America, edited by Carlos Xavier Rodriguez and published by Maize Books. My chapter investigates the locations songwriters Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits choose to write about, and how they endeavor to set these places musically. I was inspired to research this idea when a map illustrating the locations used in Bob Dylan's songs was published on his 70th birthday. So, as someone who is interested in the relationship between music and text in popular music, mapping song lyrics and investigating their musical settings seemed like an exciting avenue to pursue. The book is scheduled to be published in February, 2017.
—Jacob Arthur

Jacob Arthur is a first-year PhD student in Music Theory at the University of Michigan and received his M.A. in Music Theory from the University of Minnesota in 2016. His current research includes music/text relationships in popular music and irony in popular music.
Recent Posts
SMR celebrates the end of the year – May 10, 2022
SMR members present at Music Theory Midwest – May 09, 2022
Kája Lill conducts research in the Czech Republic – April 21, 2022
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Kája Lill awarded SMT-40 Dissertation Fellowship – April 07, 2022
Lydia Bangura presents at conferences – March 31, 2022
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SMR Forum hosts abstract workshop – February 15, 2022