Synopses & Reviews
Songs that sell the most copies become hits, but some of those hits become something more—iconic recordings that not only inspire a generation but also change the direction of music. In Anatomy of a Song, based on the ongoing column for the Wall Street Journal, writer and music historian Marc Myers tells the story behind five decades of rock, pop, R&B, country, disco, soul-gospel, and reggae hits through intimate oral history interviews with the artists who wrote and recorded them.
Part artist confessional, part musical analysis, Anatomy of a Song ranges from Lloyd Price’s "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," one of rock ’n’ roll’s first hits, to Janis Joplin’s "Mercedes Benz," Loretta Lynn’s "Fist City," and R.E.M.’s "Losing My Religion." Mick Jagger demystifies the eclectic ballad "Moonlight Mile," a song not about drugs but about loneliness on a grueling European tour. Joni Mitchell remembers arriving brokenhearted in the village of Matala on the Greek island of Crete and living in a cave with the "mean old daddy" who went on to inspire her 1971 hit "Carey." And Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello, the Clash, Jimmy Cliff, Roger Waters, Jimmy Page, John Fogerty, Keith Richards, Cyndi Lauper, and many others reveal for the first time the emotions and technique behind their influential works.
Through an absorbing song-by-song analysis of the most memorable hits from 1952 to 1991, Anatomy of a Song provides a sweeping look at the evolution of pop music. This book will change how you see music history and the artists who created it.
Review
"Four years ago Myers launched his “Anatomy of a Song” column in the Wall Street Journal and he offers this mostly interesting but hardly hit making collection of previously published columns. Like many pop songs the structure is pretty simple. Myers (Why Jazz Happened) provides a new introduction to the songs which were written between 1952 and 1991 setting each in its cultural context as well as indicating its historical significance. For example according to Myers in the late 1980s R.E.M. thrived in a growing alternative music scene in which listeners developed deep personal attachments to bands that were singing about issues that concerned them. Following these introductions Myers then turns the mike over to the artists writers musicians and producers behind each song who tell us about the stories behind it. Many artists are reflective: Bonnie Raitt says that writing her hit “Nick of Time” gave her a “sense of confidence and self awareness that helped break through some stifling self doubt.” Some point out that we can invest too much meaning in simple lyrics as when Mick Jagger reminds us that his song “Moonlight Mile” is “definitely not about cocaine.” Some like the Marvelettes’ lead singer Katherine “Kat” Anderson Schaffner reveal a song’s origins: “Please Mr. Postman” was an unfinished blues song written by William Garrett about a “nice postman in our projects” that the group finished and then recorded. Music fans will enjoy the behind the songs stories but the book would have been even more compelling if Myers had provided a clearer sense of why he selected these songs and not others and why songwriters such as Bob Dylan are glaringly absent from the collection. (Nov.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
Synopsis
Songs by:
Lloyd Price,
The Isley Brothers,
The Marvelettes,
Dion,
The Dixie Cups,
The Kinks,
The Righteous Brothers,
The Four Tops,
The Lovin’ Spoonful,
The Doors,
Grace Slick,
The Young Rascals,
The Stone Poneys,
Loretta Lynn,
The Rolling Stones,
Tammy Wynette,
Steppenwolf,
Creedence Clearwater Revival,
The Edwin Hawkins Singers,
Led Zeppelin,
Rod Stewart,
Joni Mitchell,
The Staple Singers,
Jimmy Cliff,
Gladys Knight and the Pips,
The Allman Brothers,
The Hues Corporation,
Aerosmith,
Stevie Wonder,
Steely Dan,
Elvis Costello,
Blondie,
Pink Floyd,
The Clash,
The Neville Brothers,
Merle Haggard,
Cyndi Lauper,
Bonnie Raitt,
R.E.M.,
Janis Joplin,
Elvis Presley,
Otis Redding,
Little Willie Littlefield
About the Author
Marc Myers is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, where he writes about rock, soul, and jazz, as well as the arts. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book Why Jazz Happened, and posts daily at JazzWax.com, two-time winner of the Jazz Journalists Association's award for Blog of the Year.