Scholars have become increasingly interested in rock music, but few of the many works published on rock music attempt to subject the music itself to close and sophisticated scrutiny. Understanding Rock brings together essays by several of musicology and music theory's best young scholars that take a music-analytical perspective. Each essay explores the often complex musical structure of rock music, by such artists as the Beach Boys, the Grateful Dead, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Yes, Paul Simon, and k.d. lang. Richly illustrated with musical examples and transcriptions, these essays attempt to expand our understanding of the musical experience generally, and to suppress dividing lines between pop and art music and the way they are studied. An anthology of critical essays focusing on either one or just a handful of songs, the collection offers all the attention to detail that guides the musical analysis of classical music.