This summer marks the 40th anniversary of Synchronicity, the great record by the rock band the Police. 2023 is also the year when the British rock band the Cure is touring to sold-out venues around the world. And David Bowie’s 1979 concert film Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars is being reissued.

What do these things have in common? These are all rock and roll acts whose music is steeped in literature. The artists are from a time when pop music often led fans to books, and often not easy ones, to understand the music. Taylor Swift , arguably America’s biggest pop star, is praised for her “self-confessional” songs about boyfriends and fame. Swift is a clever lyricist, yet she lacks the literary depth of previous music stars.

[Ain’t that the truth. Bring me back 70s and 80s music and it’s no mistake that’s what you hear in the background of commercials now. ~ Beege]