Heavy Rotation: Twenty Writers on the Albums That Changed Their Lives Book

Introduction vii

1 Still Ill: The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead Benjamin Kunkel 1

2 What Annie Knew: Annie Soundtrack Sheila Heti 16

3 The Quiet One: The Beatles: Meet the Beatles! Alice Elliott Dark 27

4 What You've Done to My World: Fugazi: Fugazi Mark Greif 39

5 Tiny Big Dreams: Talking Heads: Remain in Light John Haskell 60

6 O Black and Unknown Bards: American Primitive Vol. II: Pre-War Revenants (1897-1939) John Jeremiah Sullivan 69

7 Beautiful Noise: Kate Bush: The Sensual World Stacey D'erasmo 94

8 Mental Chickens: Topless Women Talk About Their Lives Soundtrack Todd Pruzan 101

9 Elegy for a Discarded Album: Pearl Jam: Ten Joshua Ferris 114

10 I Love to Listen to: Eurythmics: Savage Daniel Handler 127

11 Am I Getting Warmer? The B-52s: The B-52s Clifford Chase 142

12 How to be a Girl: Pretenders: Pretenders Lisa Dierbeck 172

13 Blues for a Semester Abroad: Gloria Estefan: Mi Tierra Asali Solomon 188

14 Three Weeks in the Summer: Joni Mitchell: Blue Colm Toibin 200

15 Northern Exposure: ABBA: Super Trouper Pankaj Mishra 212

16 A Rodeo Girl on Broadway: Rickie Lee Jones: Flying Cowboys Kate Christensen 219

17 No Mod Cons: The Who: Quadrophenia James Wood 230

18 Just Like Me: The Jackson 5: Greatest Hits Martha Southgate 246

19 Nine Lives: Miaow: Priceless Innuendo Peter Terzian 257

20 Bewigged: Hedwig and the Angry Inch Original Cast Recording Claire Dederer 279

Contributors 291

Acknowledgments 299