The nature of music writing over the years is one of constant change and evolution, one which the anthology Shake It Up: Great American Writing on Rock and Pop from Elvis to Jay-Z seems uniquely able to document. Editors Jonathan Lethem and Kevin Dettmar begin their introduction with a statement of purpose: “Fifty selections from fifty writers covering approximately fifty years of American rock and pop writing: it’s an elegant conceit, you’ve got to admit.” But a closer look at the work included in the anthology also tells a second story–one about how music has been and continues to be written about, and how music writing has evolved over the years.