ICONIC SONGS COME TO LIFE IN UNIQUE TYPOGRAPHY DESIGNS BY BRITAIN’S TOP ILLUSTRATORS IN COLLABORATION WITH SONGWRITERS.
LIMITED EDITION, SILKSCREEN PRINTS OF LYRICS MADE FAMOUS BY THE BEATLES, MARVIN GAYE, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, RICK JAMES, THE CLASH AND MORE.
For collectors of art and lovers of music comes a special collection that brings both movements together. It’s Pop It’s Art unveils its series of limited edition, silkscreen typography prints featuring iconic lyrics made famous by music greats.
Each artwork is inspired by songs in the Sony/ATV Music Publishing collection – the world’s #1 music publisher globally and home to some of the most influential songs of the 20th century – and is officially licensed.
It’s Pop It’s Art celebrates our connection to songs that have shaped a generation. In a world where everything is becoming increasingly digital, these visual cover-versions of our favourite songs bring a new life to the memories attached to the music.
Each design is as iconic as the songs themselves, created by a handful of illustrators who have worked for top fashion designers such as Stussy; celebrated musicians like Florence + The Machine, Disclosure and Beck; and global brands such as Ray-Ban, MTV and Vice.
Each artwork comes in a limited run of 150 copies, and is officially IPIA stamped with a Certificate of Authenticity. These artworks are priced at £225.00 (framed) and £150.00 (unframed) each.
The first capsule collection features nine artworks:
‘Son of A ‘Preacher Man’ (written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins)
Made famous by Dusty Springfield and Aretha Franklin
Designed by Alex May Hughes
The ultimate tale of forbidden love set to sweet, soul music
The song was originally offered to Aretha Franklin who rejected it. She ultimately reconsidered after hearing Dusty Springfield’s version, releasing her cover of ‘Son of A Preacher Man’ two years after Dusty’s version.
Dusty’s version became an international hit, making Top 10 in the US and #9 in the UK in 1968.
‘Son of A Preacher Man’ made Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ (written by Robert Hazard)
Made famous by Cyndi Lauper
Designed by Studio Moross
Feisty, feminist anthem that captured the spirit of the Equal Rights movement.
“The track was originally a man’s account of bedding women – until Cyndi Lauper transformed it into a rallying cry for sexual equality.” – Emma Green, The Atlantic (2014).
The song was Cyndi Lauper’s breakthrough hit in 1983, reaching #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and eventually becoming a worldwide hit – widely recognised as one of the most popular songs of the 1980s.
Just like the artwork, the song reminds us that beneath the sparkly veneer lies a strong feminist message.
‘All You Need is Love’ (written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
Made famous by The Beatles
Designed by Studio Moross
This July marks the 50th anniversary of this timeless Beatles song.
A true “flower power” anthem that captured the spirit of the time, ‘All You Need is Love’ was written and performed for the first time on the world’s very first live global television link – in front of 400 million people. What better way to spread a message of love?
‘All You Need is Love’ reached #1 in 9 countries including the United States and United Kingdom.
‘What’s Going On’ (written by Al Cleveland, Renaldo Benson and Marvin Gaye)
Made famous by Marvin Gaye
Designed by Jody Barton
This song altered the face of Motown and showed the world a new possibility of what black popular music could be.
‘What’s Going On’ was birth at a time of social unrest and the war on Vietnam was spiralling out of control – it captured the sentiment of disillusionment of the day.
Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records, originally did not want to release this ‘protest song’ however Marvin Gaye famously went on ‘strike’ refusing to record more material until he agreed to put out the record.
‘What’s Going On’ went on to sell millions around the world and peaked at #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. It is unquestionably one of Marvin Gaye’s most significant contributions to music.
Rolling Stone ranked the record as the fourth Greatest Song of All Time. ‘What’s Going On’ has been included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll list.
‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’ (written by Michael Cleveland).
Made famous by Indeep
Designed by Studio Moross
A dancefloor classic capturing a unique melting pot moment where house, hip-hop and disco collided.
Rolling Stone declared it as “one of the greatest songs ever written about being a girl, listening to the radio, or any combination of the two”.
The single reached #2 on the US club charts and #10 on the R&B/Hip Hop singles chart in 1982. The following year, the single peaked at #13 in the UK.
The song has been covered and sampled by countless DJs and artists – from 5ive to Mariah Carey and Madonna.
‘Our House’ (written by Chris Foreman and Cathal Smyth)
Made famous by Madness
Designed by Alex May Hughes
This record is as quintessentially English as a warm cup of tea!
‘Our House’ – a signature hit for Camden band Madness has sold millions of copies around the world, even reaching #7 on the US Billboard chart, and won an Ivor Novello Award for ‘Best Pop Song’ in 1983.
The design of this artwork was inspired by the typography of faded Victorian advertising you occasionally see on the gable-end of houses across England.
‘Ace of Spades’ by Motörhead (written by Eddie Clarke, Ian Kilmister and Phil Taylor)
Made famous by Motörhead
Designed by Jody Barton
A British rock and roll classic – loud, heart-pounding and aggressive, there is no record that soundtracked the sound of anarchy for a generation quite like ‘Ace of Spades’.
The bass riff is one of the most recognisable tunes in modern British rock history.
Q Magazine placed this record on their 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks list.
NME ranked it in their Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
‘I Fought The Law’ (written by Sonny Curtis)
Made famous by The Clash
Designed by Alex May Hughes
A punk rock classic by The Clash released in 1979 – as the band’s first single in the United States.
Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were inspired to learn the song after hearing the Bobby Fuller orginal on a jukebox in a San Francisco studio where they had been recording their second album.
The Clash’s version – widely regarded as the definitive cover – earned the band their first US airplay.
Observer: “40 years later, The Clash is still the only band that matters”.
‘Super Freak’ (written by Rick James and Alonzo Miller)
Made famous by Rick James
Designed by Jody Barton
Hedonistic, risqué and irresistible – ‘Super Freak’ is a potent mix of all that with the heartbeat of Studio 54.
Rolling Stone ranks the record in their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
‘Super Freak’ has been sampled numerous times – most famously on MC Hammer’s massive global hit ‘U Can’t Touch This’ in 1990.
Pop Matters: “As a complete composition or simply a looped sample, ‘Super Freak’ became one of the rare tracks to transcend musical boundaries; it grew far larger than a chart topping hit, evolving further into a piece of music’s collective consciousness.”
Jody Barton is a renowned graphic artist and illustrator from the UK. His distinctive and bold drawings and typography have graced a vast array of projects in music, fashion and design. He has collaborated with Florence + The Machine, Beck, Phoenix, Stussy, New York Times, MTV, Playstation, and Greenpeace to name a few. Often choosing to deal with controversial and powerful issues, Jody’s work is never afraid to take on difficult challenges.
Studio Moross is an award-winning multi-tasking studio that creates, art directs, designs, films and rebrands some of the biggest musicians on the planet. As yet they’ve created iconic artwork for the likes of One Direction, Disclosure, Wild Beasts, Young Turks, Sam Smith, Vice, TEED, MTV, Ray-Ban and more.
Alex May Hughes is a sign painter and glass gilder based in West London. She graduated from The London College of Communication in 2012 where she studied typography, developing her interst in traditional Victorian signage and mirrors. Her work was also featured as part of London Fashion Week 2016 in Clio Peppiat’s Autumn/Winter presentation – Hughes also appeared on Fred Perry’s Tipped List in 2014, a list dedicated to highlighting the work of young creative.
