Author Guide · Music Memoir
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In 1995 “Missing” by Everything but the Girl reached number three in the UK and number one in Canada, Denmark, Germany and Italy; it was the biggest hit of the duo Tracey Thorn formed with Ben Watt. Eighteen years later Thorn published Bedsit Disco Queen, a memoir of how she got there, and it became a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. Since then she has written about singing, about her teenage years in suburbia and about a friend from the Go-Betweens, and from 2014 she wrote the “Off the Record” column for the New Statesman. This guide covers her 4 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 4 key books · 2013–2021 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Tracey Thorn has published four books: Bedsit Disco Queen (2013), Naked at the Albert Hall (2015), Another Planet (2019) and My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend (2021). Start with Bedsit Disco Queen, her account of how she grew up and became a pop star.
Where to Start with Tracey Thorn
If you want her life in music
→ Bedsit Disco Queen (2013) — her first and best-known book.
If you want to know what singing feels like
→ Naked at the Albert Hall (2015).
If you want suburban adolescence
→ Another Planet (2019) — her teenage years.
If you want a book about women in music
→ My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend (2021) — her friendship with Lindy Morrison.
4 Tracey Thorn Books, in Order
Bedsit Disco Queen
Thorn’s first book, published by Virago in February 2013: the story of how she grew up and tried to be a pop star. Reviewers singled out her youth, her discovery of feminism, going to an Anti-Nazi League rally at fifteen, and her view of the British music scene of the 1980s and 1990s. It was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.
Naked at the Albert Hall
A book about singers and singing, published by Virago, in which Thorn writes from her own experience as a singer.
Another Planet
Her third memoir, about her teenage years in suburbia.
My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend
About her long friendship with Lindy Morrison, the drummer of the Go-Betweens, and about the experience of women musicians in a male-dominated music scene.
In What Order to Read Tracey Thorn
Each book stands alone, so you can start with the subject that interests you. Publication order works well, though: Bedsit Disco Queen gives the outline of her life that the later books return to from different angles.
Another Planet returns to her teenage years, and My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend retells part of the 1980s through someone else’s story.
A reading path
1. Bedsit Disco Queen (2013)
2. Another Planet (2019)
3. Naked at the Albert Hall (2015)
4. My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend (2021)
The years · 1962–2023
Quick facts about Tracey Thorn
- Known for
- Singing in Everything but the Girl with Ben Watt, whose 1995 hit “Missing” was their biggest, and writing four books about music, singing and growing up.
- 1962
- Born in Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire
- 1980
- Forms the Marine Girls
- 1995
- “Missing” reaches UK number three
- 2023
- Everything but the Girl release Fuse
- Born
- 26 September 1962, Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire
- Bands
- Marine Girls (1980–1983); Everything but the Girl (1982–2000, and again from 2022)
- Biggest hit
- “Missing” (1995), number three in the UK
- Married
- Ben Watt, her partner in Everything but the Girl, in 2009
- Column
- “Off the Record”, New Statesman, from 2014
- Books
- Four, from Bedsit Disco Queen (2013) to My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend (2021)
The red mark is 2013: Bedsit Disco Queen, her first book and a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.
How Tracey Thorn Writes
Thorn writes in the first person, as a musician looking back, and without a co-writer. Her subjects stay close to her own life: her career, her voice, her teenage years, a friendship.
From 2014 she also wrote a regular column, “Off the Record”, for the New Statesman, which ran until 2022, returned for a time and ended in 2025.
Two of the books turn outward. Naked at the Albert Hall is about singing in general rather than only her own, and My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend is built around another musician, Lindy Morrison, and what it was like to be a woman in a band in the 1980s.
Watch
Tracey Thorn on Another Planet
Tracey Thorn talks about her book Another Planet at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2019.
Frequently asked questions about Tracey Thorn’s books
How many books has Tracey Thorn written?
Four: Bedsit Disco Queen (2013), Naked at the Albert Hall (2015), Another Planet (2019) and My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend (2021).
What are Tracey Thorn’s books in order?
Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up and Tried to Be a Pop Star (2013), Naked at the Albert Hall: The Inside Story of Singing (2015), Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia (2019) and My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend (2021).
Where should I start with Tracey Thorn?
With Bedsit Disco Queen (2013), the story of how she grew up and tried to be a pop star. The later books return to parts of it.
What is Tracey Thorn’s most famous book?
Bedsit Disco Queen (2013), her first book, which was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.
Did Tracey Thorn write her books herself?
Yes. All four are published under her name alone, with no co-writer credited.
Is Bedsit Disco Queen worth reading if you’re not a fan?
It covers more than the band: growing up, discovering feminism and the British music scene of the 1980s and 1990s. Some knowledge of Everything but the Girl helps but is not needed.
Who is My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend about?
Lindy Morrison, the drummer of the Australian band the Go-Betweens, and Thorn’s friendship with her. The book is also about women musicians in a male-dominated scene.
Who is Tracey Thorn married to?
Ben Watt, her partner in Everything but the Girl. They married in 2009, after 28 years as a couple.
Are Everything but the Girl still together?
The duo was active from 1982 to 2000 and reunited in 2022; their album Fuse came out in April 2023.
Footnotes
- Tracey Thorn — Wikipedia
- Bedsit Disco Queen — Wikipedia
- Canongate grabs Thorn’s tale of women in music — The Bookseller
- My Rock ’n’ Roll Friend — Canongate
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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