Ted Gioia Biography

According to the biography (Gioia, N.D.), Ted Gioia - a man of many hats - grew up in Hawthorne, California and graduated from Hawthorne High School. Gioia focused his studies at Stanford and Oxford University, with degrees in English, philosophy, politics, and economics. Dabbling in the business world as a consultant, Gioia proved himself the jack-of-all-trades as he also made himself prominent in the music realm as an author and musician. Gioia has written many books, including History of Jazz, Love Songs: The Hidden History, and his first book The Imperfect Art. Furthermore, Gioia has produced music including The end of the Open Road and The City is a Chinese Vase. Currently continuing his work as both an author and musician, the world awaits Gioia’s next product.
As the interviewer takes Gioia and the audience on a journey throughout time, Gioia describes themes in love songs revolving around “prohibition and repression” – starkly unlike the gushy, loving perception we have today. The interviewer mentions various songs including “Greensleeves”, whereby Gioia points out the real history behind the song involves a prostitute. Ultimately, through various examples and explanations, Gioia drives the point home that our perception regarding the history of love songs is starkly misconstrued. Those who are accredited for the history of love songs are often incorrectly credited. In reality, marginalized people, such as slaves and prostitutes, created love songs. Furthermore, Gioia discusses the constant shift in love songs from romantic to dance music, claiming we are currently in a period of dance