Abstract
Records often include accidents. I suggest this tells us something about the flexibility of musical practices and the limits of theories. Musical 'hooks' provide useful test-cases because the hook is normally considered the least accidental part of a song. We imagine it emerging fully formed in a moment of inspiration - the catchy phrase that comes into a songwriter's head - or at least of calculation: 'I'll see your vibraphone and raise you a mellotron'. But hooks sometimes incorporate accidents or happen accidentally. If hooks are less than completely determinate, then every aspect of the popular record must be subject to contingency. I argue for theories - and views of musical practices - which begin with the recognition that accidents happen.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 381-397 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Popular Music |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2005 |
| Externally published | Yes |