Includes index.

Why all women -- Devil you know : the secrets of pop -- Malicious pop : the cutting sounds of Neneh Cherry -- Janet Jackson's School of rock -- Kate Bush : the rupture -- My pretty poison : Shakespears Sister's Sacred heart and Hormonally yours -- New shoes and black moods : Michelle Gurevich aka Chinawoman -- Interlude : love is a drug -- Starts with TLC : obscenity and nuance in hip-hop -- Too sincere for school : Taylor Swift -- Sade is the perfect peach -- It's for your body -- Chaka Khan's internal rhythms -- All those anomalies : Azealia Banks feat. Nicki Minaj and Rihanna -- (Love is) The power of ooh -- Appendix : the Devil in love : the greatest oohs in modern music.

Raucous, sensual and sublime: how twelve pioneering female artists rewrote the rules of pop. From Kate Bush to Nicki Minaj, from Janet Jackson to TLC and Taylor Swift, pop's greatest female pioneers are simply strange: smashing notions of taste and decorum, and replacing them with new ideals of pleasure. Instead of rehashing biographies, Lesley Chow dives deep into the music of these groundbreaking performers, identifying the ecstatic moments in their songs and finding out what makes them unique. You're History is a love letter to pop's most singular achievements, celebrating the innovations of women who are still critically underrated. It's a ride that includes tributes to Chaka Khan, Rihanna, Neneh Cherry, Sade, Shakespears Sister, Azealia Banks, and many more.