B. Lee Cooper

What can we learn from the lyrics of teenager hit tunes? B. Lee Cooper argues that they provide insight into the preoccupations, values, and priorities of young people. His extensive study discussed in this essay highlights a central theme in music from the rock era: School is a primary source of frustration for students. While occasional admiration for exceptional teachers is not absent, a critical attitude pervades most songs about school life between 1955 and 1980. Lyrics depict ignorant and insensitive instructors, prison—like schools, and irrelevant curricula. Cooper entreats us to heed the persistent message and acknowledge a need for reevaluation and revision of formal education.

Educated as a historian, Cooper currently serves as vice president for academic affairs/dean of the college at Reinhardt College, Waleska, Georgia. He has written numerous books...