{"product_id":"tonight-the-music-seems-so-loud-the-meaning-of-george-michael-9781035063895","title":"Tonight the Music Seems So Loud: The Meaning of George Michael","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn his brilliantly original \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTonight the Music Seems so Loud\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, bestselling author Sathnam Sanghera portrays the extraordinary life, and times, of one of Britain's most beloved musical icons: George Michael.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe wrote one of the biggest hits of our age in 'about an hour' in his childhood bedroom.  He would go on to collaborate with some of the greatest musicians of all time, from Aretha Franklin to Stevie Wonder.  He was a pop star who bleached his hair blonde, wore tiny shorts and, at the same time, critiqued his own image mercilessly.  He lived through the AIDS crisis and one of the most homophobic periods of British history and yet when he finally came out, he did so boldly and unapologetically.  Wham! were the first Western pop group to play in Communist China and he repeatedly broke boundaries in music too.  Ten years after his death, George Michael is still everywhere: the annual success of 'Last Christmas', new covers of his songs, and endless memes on social media.  Tonight the Music Seems So Loud is at once a kaleidoscopic portrait of one of Britain's most beloved musicians and an account of a strange and turbulent period of British history. In his unconventional and enthralling book, bestselling author Sathnam Sanghera explores the connection between music and politics, exposes what secrecy does to the soul, and reveals how fame rots the sense of self. Throughout, Sanghera captures, joyfully and poignantly, one of Britain's greatest artists in all his musical glory.\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781035063895\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 23.5(H)x15.3(L)x2.3(W)356\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 356\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eSathnam Sanghera was born in Wolverhampton in 1976. He is the author of several bestselling and award-winning works of fiction and non-fiction including Empireland, which won the British Book Award for Narrative Non-Fiction and was made into a documentary for Channel 4, and Marriage Material, which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and was adapted for the stage in 2025. His memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award, won the Mind Book of the Year, and was a BBC TV film. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Historical Society and is also the author of two books for children. He lives in London.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is a beautiful, frequently extraordinary book.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e Part biography, part social commentary and part love letter, it somehow does full justice to the magnificent man it examines\u003c\/b\u003e. For me, and for millions of others, that really is the highest praise possible -- James O'Brien\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is far more than a biography of a pop icon – it’s a sharp, insightful look at George Michael’s life and how he challenged society, from politics to identity, in ways that still resonate today\u003c\/b\u003e -- Sadiq Khan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA revelatory portrait \u003c\/b\u003eof a great artist, pop culture icon and complicated man . . . Sanghera’s analysis is \u003cb\u003esharp and smart\u003c\/b\u003e, but the writer also brings his own light touch, comfortably veering between analysis and first-person narrative . . . \u003cb\u003eThere are more discoveries in Tonight the Music Seems So Loud than 1,000 shameless tabloid journalists could ever dream of showing\u003c\/b\u003e -- Dean Van Nguyen * The Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003eHis lucid and accessible writing reaches out to those with closed minds * The i *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis affecting exploration of the troubled genius’s impact is packed with anecdote, sharp analysis and social context\u003c\/b\u003e * The Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eA compulsive new fan’s-eye life of the singer . . . \u003cb\u003eA fabulous account\u003c\/b\u003e of the various expressions of George’s precocious and polymathic talent, from writing \"Careless Whisper\" aged 17 on the top deck of the No 32 bus to the great soul-revival of Faith * The Observer *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNo ordinary pop biography, this is a very personal exploration of a very unusual artist. Sathnam Sanghera digs deep into sexuality, ethnicity, politics, celebrity and, of course, the songs to change the way we think about this misunderstood megastar\u003c\/b\u003e -- Dorian Lynskey\u003cbr\u003eIt’s this occasionally eccentric revelling in detail, this willingness to give proper time and thought to an artist still too often stuck in teen-idol aspic, that makes this book such\u003cb\u003e a revelatory blast\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eWhat makes Tonight the Music Seems So Loud \u003cb\u003esuch a hugely enjoyable read \u003c\/b\u003eis that it offers thought-provoking insights and analysis that \u003cb\u003egoes far beyond the usual biography\u003c\/b\u003e. It helps that Sanghera writes so compellingly about his own life and fandom . . . it works beautifully and \u003cb\u003ecaptures the complexities and contrasts at the heart of Michael \u003c\/b\u003e. . . the book is rarely less than a joy and is likely to bring admirers closer to the singer than the many biographies out there * Irish Independent *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe first serious reckoning with Michael’s life and music\u003c\/b\u003e * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eWith the years the spent ‘in the trenches of the culture wars’ while writing and promoting his brilliant books on the British Empire having taken their toll, Sanghera resolved to embark on a project that would spark joy. The result is this \u003cb\u003eelegiac, yet also poptastically enjoyable, exploration of the life, times and creativity of George Michael\u003c\/b\u003e * The Bookseller *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn affectionate but thoughtful portrait of the artist’s music, contradictions and background\u003c\/b\u003e * i news *\u003cbr\u003eTo understand the \u003cb\u003emagic \u003c\/b\u003eof his book you have to understand its author, and he gives us just enough of his own life to add a depth that others may have lacked . . . This book isn’t a eulogy, it’s\u003cb\u003e a frank examination of the open wound of celebrity\u003c\/b\u003e; an assessment of the man George Michael was and what he meant as a public, political and artistic figure. And, most importantly, what he meant to a fellow misfit who forged a life-long connection with him -- Alex Kadis, \u003ci\u003e The Financial Times \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA nerdy, passionate, extraordinary book -- Lynn Barber, \u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSathnam Sanghera has previously written about his British Sikh upbringing, as well as the impact of the British Empire on Britain and the rest of the world. Immigration is in his new book, a biography of George Michael, too; people sometimes forget Michael was the son of a Greek Cypriot, and born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou. Fame, sexuality, and the music of the 1980s obviously also feature in the life – a life filled with both glory and tragedy – of one of Britain’s greatest popstars * GQ *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eEngrossing . . . on finishing the book I felt compelled to dig out those albums once again to spend time with one of the UK’s greatest singer\/songwriters\u003c\/b\u003e * The Crack *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn utterly compelling journey to go on . . . Sanghera delivers something far more insightful than a standard celebrity biography\u003c\/b\u003e * Eastern Eye *\u003cbr\u003eSanghera’s forte is wry comedy tinged with pathos * The Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHugely enjoyable\u003c\/b\u003e . . . a plaintive love letter, the book frames George as a brilliant songwriter, producer . . . performer and general human being . . .\u003cb\u003e A very good book\u003c\/b\u003e -- Dylan Jones, \u003ci\u003eThe i Newspaper\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhether he’s writing autobiography or fiction, Sathnam Sanghera is busy carving out his own literary niche -- Jonathan Coe\u003cbr\u003eA groundbreaking look at Michael’s personal life and extraordinary music career * Melodic Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSathnam’s lifelong love for George’s work, his appreciation of the man’s genius songwriting and soulful voice shines through in this book, as does Michael’s own eloquence and humour\u003c\/b\u003e * Service95 *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoyful\u003c\/b\u003e and tragic in roughly equal measure. This is the story of a man who couldn’t be defined and a nation which mirrored his shifting identity. \u003cb\u003eAs catchy and life-changing as a perfect pop song\u003c\/b\u003e -- Ian Dunt\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFascinating and moving \u003c\/b\u003e -- Ed Simons, The Chemical Brothers\u003cbr\u003eHe writes beautifully -- Maggie O'Farrell, author of \u003ci\u003e Land \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSanghera is such an engaging and versatile writer * The Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eOne of my favourite writers -- Greg James * BBC *\u003cbr\u003ePacked with wit and insight, this is both a glorious paean to fandom and a heartfelt celebration of one of the most complex, misunderstood stars in pop’s firmament -- John O’Connell, author of \u003ci\u003eBowie’s Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a book for fans of George Michael's music, but it is also a tour through the key cultural changes of the Eighties and Nineties. An easy - but \u003cb\u003emeticulously researched\u003c\/b\u003e - read * The Western Mail *\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Sathnam Sanghera","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49041656316121,"sku":"9781035063895","price":36.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781035063895.jpg?v=1785937154","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/tonight-the-music-seems-so-loud-the-meaning-of-george-michael-9781035063895","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}