Rob Sheffield

pop culture

Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author.

Sheffield is a long-time contributing editor at Rolling Stone, writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at Blender, Spin and Details magazines.

Early life

A native of Milton, Massachusetts, Sheffield has a bachelor's degree from Yale University and master's degree (1991) from the University of Virginia.

Published works

Sheffield has written eight books. His first, a memoir published by Random House in January 2007, is titled Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time. An excerpt of the book was featured in the January 2007 issue of GQ. A national bestseller, the book was met with much acclaim.

Sheffield's sixth book, released in April 2017, is called Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World. An excerpt was published online by Rolling Stone. USA Today gave Dreaming the Beatles three and one-half (out of four) stars and called it a "charming new collection of essays." Spin added that "Dreaming the Beatles is equal parts history and cultural criticism, as Sheffield draws from dozens of sources to lay down the story of how the Beatles came to be, before writing about why any of it matters." MTV opined that "Dreaming the Beatles is one of the best books about the band ever written." Sheffield won the ASCAP Foundation's Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism for Dreaming the Beatles in 2017.

Sheffield's latest book, published in November 2024, about singer Taylor Swift, is entitled Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music. Writing in The New York Times, Amanda Hess praises his encyclopedic knowledge of Swift's music, fans, and business acumen, but especially her talent as a songwriter, saying "everything always leads back to her virtuosic writing". Publishers Weekly says "the unrestrained delight with which Sheffield captures his subject, [mixes] a fan’s exuberance with a music critic’s nuanced analysis." Kirkus Reviews similarly calls it "an affectionate homage from an ardent fan".

Personal life

Sheffield lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife.

Bibliography

• 2007 – Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time.
• 2009 – Bande Originale (French Edition).
• 2010 – Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut.
• 2013 – Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love and Karaoke.
• 2016 – On Bowie.
• 2017 – Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World.
• 2019 – The Wild Heart of Stevie Nicks (Audible book).
• 2024 – Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music.

References

References

1. (January 25, 2007). "COVER- ''Love Is a Mix Tape'': ''Rolling Stone'' writer on love and loss in Charlottesville".
2. Lowery, Samantha. (April 14, 2009). "She Lives in Song". University of Virginia Alumni Association.
3. Terzian, Peter. (December 31, 2006). "The day the music died".
4. "Love Is a Mix Tape". Publishers Weekly.
5. (April 24, 2017). "Rob Sheffield on the Beatles' Solo Wilderness Years".
6. (Apr 25, 2017). "'Dreaming the Beatles': We love them yeah, yeah, yeah!". USA Today.
7. (May 10, 2017). "Rob Sheffield's ''Dreaming the Beatles'' Is a Fresh Look at the Most Popular Band Ever". Spin.
8. (May 17, 2017). "Dreaming the Beatles Author Rob Sheffield On The Fab Four's Unstoppable Pop". MTV News.
9. (October 12, 2017). "Journalists on Beatles & More Receive Deems Taylor/ Virgil Thomson Awards". Broadway World.
10. (9 November 2024). "Is Taylor Swift’s Superpower a Gift for Writing?". The New York Times.
11. (10 September 2024). "Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield". www.publishersweekly.com.
12. (27 September 2024). "HEARTBREAK IS THE NATIONAL ANTHEM". Kirkus Reviews.
13. Dempsey, Luke. (2010). "Duran Duran and the bogus era".