Synopses & Reviews
To honor the fortieth anniversary of her seminal album
Horses, a revised and updated version of the iconic artists collected lyrics.
This extraordinary collection from “rock and rolls poet laureate” is a testimony to the fierce passion and uncompromising originality of Patti Smith's music and writing. Building on the collection originally published in 1998, this new edition features more than thirty-five new songs, new artwork, and an introduction from Patti Smith herself.
As relevant, fresh, and searing as when they were originally written, Smith's lyrics capture her unique voice, raw in beauty, grace, and authenticity. Sharing a message of dedication, love, and compassion that speaks across the ages, Smith's words empower fans and reveal the strong yet vulnerable heart of woman defined by her art.
Review
“To see Smith’s galvanizing lyrics on the page, without musical
embellishment, is to encounter the essence of her art-the radiant
spectrum of her concerns, the razor-edge of her wit, and the depth of
her emotions.” Booklist
Review
“The shamanic impulse-invocation of spirits, channeling of the voices of
dead poets, prayer to unknown forces-pulses through the three hundred
pages or so of Smith’s Collected Lyrics, 1970-2015…” New York Review
of Books
Review
“Collected Lyrics shows [Smith’s] living energy as words…” Los Angeles Times
About the Author
Patti Smith is a writer, visual artist, and performer. Her New York Times bestselling book Just Kids was awarded the 2010 National Book Award for Nonfiction. She is the recipient of France's highest honor for a living artist, the Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, as well as the Polar Award, one of the most distinguished music prizes. Her album Horses was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry and is number 44 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2008, Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2010 she received ASCAP's Founders Award for lifetime achievement. Her books include Witt, Babel, Woolgathering, The Coral Sea, Auguries of Innocence, and M Train.