Two new books illuminate distinct yet fascinating aspects of popular culture: the evolution of emoji and the enduring legacy of the Everly Brothers. Keith Houston’s *Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji* explores the significance of these digital icons, while Barry Mazor’s *Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story* recounts the lives and music of the iconic sibling duo.
Understanding Emoji’s Cultural Impact
In his engaging work, *Face With Tears of Joy*, Keith Houston reveals how emoji transformed communication since their rise in popularity around 2011. Laura Miller, writing for *Slate*, notes that their introduction has significantly reduced misunderstandings in online interactions. Houston presents emoji not as a standalone language but as “insurgents within language,” arguing they enrich our communication without overselling their importance.
Houston traces the origins of emoji to Japanese engineer Shigetaka Kurita, who created early pictographs in 1999. Despite widespread belief that Kurita invented emoji, Houston asserts that pictorial characters have been part of Japanese culture since the 1980s, evident in pagers and typewriters.
The book delves into the rapid proliferation of emoji, particularly after the Oxford English Dictionary named the “face with tears of joy” as the word of the year in 2015. The Unicode Consortium, responsible for standardizing emoji, faced challenges, such as the representation of diverse skin tones and gender roles. As Steven Poole from *The Guardian* points out, Houston emphasizes the political dimensions of emoji, which often reflect social issues.
In addition to the historical context, Houston acknowledges the creativity that users bring to emoji, illustrating how meanings can evolve. The human skull emoji, once a symbol of death, is now embraced by Gen Z as a representation of laughter. Houston’s exploration invites readers to reconsider the role of symbols in our digital age, suggesting that the advent of the mechanical typewriter had stifled expressive creativity, paving the way for the emoji explosion.
The Everly Brothers’ Musical Journey
Meanwhile, Barry Mazor’s *Blood Harmony* offers a comprehensive biography of the Everly Brothers, focusing on their profound influence on pop music from 1957 to 1962. Marc Weingarten, writing for *Los Angeles Times*, highlights how Don and Phil Everly left an indelible mark on the genre, blending country, rock, and pop. Despite their success, Mazor investigates the reasons behind their decline in popularity during the British Invasion of the 1960s.
The book examines the brothers’ early life, detailing how they were shaped by their family’s musical background and the diverse sounds of Chicago and Nashville. Their signature harmonies and guitar work in hits like “Bye Bye Love” and “Wake Up Little Susie” captivated audiences. Elizabeth Nelson from *The Washington Post* notes their combination of talent and good looks further boosted their appeal.
Despite signing a lucrative $1 million record deal in 1960, the Everlys faced challenges as new musical trends emerged. By the mid-1960s, they struggled with substance abuse and personal conflicts, leading to a significant rift between them. As Eddie Dean from *The Wall Street Journal* describes, the brothers felt constrained by their established act, resulting in a five-year silence following their acclaimed album *Roots* in 1968.
Mazor balances the tumultuous aspects of their lives with their musical legacy, exploring their eventual reunion in the early 1980s. This reconciliation not only reignited their collaboration but also allowed them to reconnect as family. The book makes a compelling case that their reunion was motivated by nostalgia and a genuine desire to reconnect rather than financial gain.
Together, these works provide readers with a deeper understanding of emoji as cultural symbols and the Everly Brothers as musical pioneers. Houston and Mazor offer rich narratives that highlight the interplay between innovation and artistic expression in contemporary society.