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    Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop
    Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop
    Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop
    Audiobook9 hours

    Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop

    Written by Marc Myers

    Narrated by Jonathan Yen

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Part artist confessional, part musical analysis, Anatomy of a Song ranges from the Isley Brothers' “Shout” to Janis Joplin's “Mercedes Benz” to R.E.M.'s “Losing My Religion.” After being discharged from the army in 1968, John Fogerty does a handstand and revises Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to come up with “Proud Mary.” Joni Mitchell remembers living in a cave on Crete with the “mean old daddy” who inspired her 1971 hit “Carey.” Elvis Costello talks about writing “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” in ten minutes on the train to Liverpool. Mick Jagger, Jimmy Cliff, Roger Waters, Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and many other leading artists reveal for the first time the emotions, inspirations, and techniques behind their influential works. Covering the history of rock, R&B, country, disco, soul, reggae, and pop, Anatomy of a Song is a love letter to the songs that have defined generations of listeners.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighbridge Company
    Release dateNov 1, 2016
    ISBN9781681683157
    Author

    Marc Myers

    Marc Myers is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, where he writes about jazz, rock, soul, and rhythm & blues as well as art and architecture. He blogs daily at www.JazzWax.com, winner of the Jazz Journalists Association's Blog of the Year Award.

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    Reviews for Anatomy of a Song

    3.5/5

    68 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed Anatomy of a Song. I'm a big fan of learning about the history of music and learning the meanings and processes of how songs are created by musicians. There were a lot of great interviews, a lot of great stories and backgrounds told throughout. My only complaint would be that there were so many songs from the 60's and the 70's-90's songs seemed to have barely been touched. I think there were a lot more songs during those periods I myself would have chosen to be iconic and would've liked to have seen included, but I'm also from a younger generation, so it may just be my personal bias. I would recommend this to any fan of rock music history.
    • 3/5
      "Anatomy of a Song" contains 45 of author Marc Myers' articles from the Wall Street Journal's column of the same name. Each starts with a brief introduction and then continues with a question and answer between artists, songwriters, and/or producers involved in the creation of the song in question. These snippets contain interesting information and make for an enjoyable read in a newspaper/online format. Collecting them in book format and arranging the songs in chronological order allows the reader to see some of the evolution in styles of music, but this is far from a comprehensive music history. The author chose not to include any songs that haven't stood the test of a generation, so REM's "Losing My Religion" is the last entry. The concept "Anatomy of a Song" is also interpreted more loosely by some of the interviewees, who spend more time talking about how they got a record deal and ended up recording the song than about how it was written or performed. As such, this might make for a nice coffee table book to dip into and out of from time to time, but it's not going to be an enduring reference work that you go back to over and over.I received a copy of the audiobook for this title through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers. Jonathan Yen did an excellent job reading. However, other aspects of the audiobook package made me wish I had the print version instead. Since no table of contents is included, I would never be able to go back and find a specific interview that I wanted to hear again without skipping through selections or taking the time to make my own track listing. The copy that I got also had some skipping problems; on disc 6, it was minor, but the entire disc 1 skipped on each second of play, though I could see no visible damage to the discs.
    • 4/5
      Nice stories about the 45 iconic hit, in the authors opinion that changed music. He talked to the songwriters, singers, band members, studio musicians, and producers to get stories about these songs and how they came to be. Starting with Lady Miss Clawdy, by Lloyd Price in April of 1952 up to Losing My Religion by R.E.M. in February of 1991.
    • 4/5
      I loved the looks into the creative process: the songwriting and the recording, Some of the recording details went over my head. I'm not surprised that I liked that part. The aspect of the book that surprised me was the historical essay that placed each song in context. This book really did tell a history of pop music. I look forward to reading the sequel. I'd love to read books like this about other genres of music, especially country.
    • 3/5
      I did enjoy the stories of these famous songs though I often found myself wishing for more in depth info on some of them. Interesting to hear songwriter and producer recollections. Recommended for music lovers.
    • 3/5
      I ended up getting this book as an Audiobook which is a really great way to “read” a book about music. The reason it took so long to review this book was that we decided to listen to it at night before bed.

      Each night we would listen to the story behind one of the 45 rock, pop, R&B, blues, country etc. songs. Then we would go and find a copy of the song and listen to it. Occasionally, we would then go back and listen to the story behind the song again.

      I don’t think I am very good at Audiobooks. I got distracted sometimes which meant I was replaying it. I started listening to the song discussed then started listening to a bunch of other songs.

      This is not the first Audiobook I have listened to – the others have been stories though, not biographical information that I have been trying to absorb. I might have focused better on this book had I been in the car and focused only on driving, not trying to multi-task on a whole bunch of other things.

      All of that being said, I enjoyed the book. I love music and I love the detailed stories behind the writing and recording of music. This did not disappoint in those repsects. It is a detailed discussion of all the factors that went into creating these 45 iconic songs.

      One might be surprised that it is not always the most popular tune by an individual or group that is chosen. That came as a surprise and again, prompted us to turn off the book and start talking about certain songs which again pulled us away from listening to the book.

      I guess I can focus on a book for hours but don’t let me start multi-tasking and listening to a book because I get pulled wildly off course. I know I will end up listening to this again. In fact, I have a road trip coming up and I will be sure to let you know if the experience is different when I am anchored to the car, the road and driving.

      The book is great even with all that. I recommend this one for music buffs everywhere. Just not sure I would recommend getting an audiobook unless you are a seasoned audiobook listener who someone who is not easily distracted!
    • 3/5
      Marc Myers is a regular music columnist for the Wall Street Journal. The 45 oral history interviews in Anatomy of a Song started as WSJ columns. Myers added new material and new introductions in this anthology, so it's more than a collection of previously published material. The songs are arranged chronologically so cover-to-cover readers will see the development of rock and pop music through its first four decades. However, this collection is better suited for occasional rather than sustained reading. It's the type of book that many readers will prefer to browse, lingering over the stories of familiar songs and skipping those they don't know or don't like.

      I listened to the audio version of this book. It's not well-suited for this medium, for reasons just stated. It's easy to skip over a song or two in a print book; it's not so easy to do it in an audiobook if you're doing other things while you're listening. It would have been nice if short audio clips of the songs had been added at the beginning of each piece to remind listeners of songs they might not have heard in a while. Maybe the licensing would have been too complicated to do this. Jonathan Yen's narration will appeal to regular listeners of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 since his voice sounds very similar to Kasem's.

      This collection might be a good gift for a hard-to-buy-for friend or relative of a certain age. Other readers may wish to borrow this from a library for guilt-free selective reading.

      This review is based on a complimentary audio edition provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
    • 4/5
      The author has chosen 45 songs that, in his mind, tracked the routes rock & roll has taken over the years. There is a discussion of the song and what makes it iconic, then interviews with several people involved with the song (artists, writers, musicians, etc.). Although I know very little about music, the talks about how the songs were arranged and dubbed and overdubbed was really interesting--I always thought they just went into a studio and played!
      The only downside was listening to all the information, and not hearing the songs as I went along. I should put together a mix tape.... :)
    • 4/5
      This is a collection of Wall Street Journal articles by Marc Myers. If you are a regular reader of this column then you may be familiar with the content, although some updates have been included.

      The book covers 45 iconic songs from the origins of rhythm and blues to modern pop, stopping about 25 years ago, with an REM song - the idea is that each tune must have stood the test of time and be memorable at least a generation later, thus the stopping point in the 90's. The author interviews the songwriters and/or performers for each song and discusses such things as the origin of the song, the artist's experience while recording it, and the impact of the song on the trajectory of popular music. Sometimes the origin is mundane, for example, the Brill Building songwriters often simply wrote songs they thought would sell. Perhaps this realization is upsetting to some people but that was the reality of pop music at the time (and of today). At other times, the origin of song is inspired by life events by the artist themselves. As a musician, I found these stories interesting from every angle, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the process of creating music.

      I received the audiobook version from LIbrary Thing's Early Reviewers, and the first CD skipped about every second, so there seems to be a quality issue in the CD printing. Also, there is no table of contents included with the CD bundle, so you're on your own there. The reader does a great job, but be aware that this is just oration of the text of the book, so you won't hear the actual artists or songwriters talking. The audio version would be a good series for a morning commute, road trip, or making dinner. The text version is a good read for anyone interested in popular music.
    • 3/5
      Saw this in the book store and thought it might be interesting. I like songs. I like when songwriteres tell stories about their songs. Unfortunately this read like what it is, a collection of newspaper columes about songs. It's not terrible but it's not particularily deep either. If you are not that familiar with the stories behind most songs, you might enjoy this. I just expected more.
    • 2/5
      When I won this as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer, I mistakenly expected to receive the printed book, but when the audiobook arrived just in time for a road trip, I was just as delighted. Until listening to the first two+ CDs, that is. My travel partner—one of the best-informed popular-song mavens I've ever met—was even more disappointed. I was looking forward to the occasional "I didn't know that" and/or "That's complete crap…It happened this way" from him, but he was never so moved. The descriptive pieces about 45 "iconic hits" originated with Myers's column for the WSJ, which may explain the strong business orientation most interviews display. We hear plenty of info about what was selling when and often lame speculation as to why backed up with little reliable evidence mixed in with the expected recording stats for performers and labels, etc. What is in short supply, however, is insight into the ideas and back stories that underpin the writing and/or performance of the songs. For example, "Chapel of Love" comes off sounding like a well-calculated, gimmicky marketing-department "placement" rather than a hit song that obviously appealed to a diverse throng of listeners. But those reservations can all be chalked up to my differing interests from those of the the writer. What can't be explained away, however, is Yen's reading, which is likely to be a serious drawback to most listeners. His monotone is made worse by the occasional attempt to vary inflection and tone to indicate a shift in speakers—these are *interviews,* remember—and the complete absence of emphasis or stress on words/phrases that could help listeners get a clearer picture. Finally, we had to abandon CD-1 due to technical problems that made the narrative skip and jump around.
    • 4/5
      Anatomy of a Song by Marc Myers is a nice nostalgic trip through essentially the rock and roll era as reflected in 45rpm records. This is not a history and certainly not the most important songs but a compilation based on interviews Myers has done for his Wall Street Journal column and the songs he was most moved by in his version of the history of rock and roll. Since there is no definitive history nor a definitive list of most important or most iconic, the reader needs to understand that this is one person's view through his own personal lens.

      Each song is presented in chronological order with a brief contextual explanation then the words of the artists, writers or producers associated with creating the record. The selection covers a fair range of the music available on 45s but is far from either balanced or of the songs that most changed the music landscape. His selections, by the criteria he set for himself, is hit and miss with the selections, but the reader needs to understand he was choosing from the collection of interviews and columns he had done, so he wasn't actually free to choose from all 45s. Thus the disconnect between what the title claims for the book and what it is.

      Putting aside the hyperbole of the title, this is a fun read because most of us who have lived through this period and remember these songs will be taken back. The information the interviewees share vary from interesting trivia to wonderful ideas on using, and sometimes misusing, the available technology to achieve the desired effect.

      I would highly recommend this to fans of music in general, rock and rhythm and blues in particular and anyone who enjoys a nostalgic trip through music. I would just warn against thinking of this as a history or as a list of songs that changed the music, though some surely did.

      Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
    • 5/5
      Being a child of the 1950’s I was born along with the real birth of the genre of music we fondly know as “Rock ‘n Roll”, and then for the genre known as “Pop”. By the time I was eight [1959] and could really begin to enjoy listening to the old style radios we had I enjoyed listening to this kind of music. While I might not have understood the meanings of the songs being sung, I still enjoyed the sound of these songs.

      When I was ten I got my first transistor radio with those rectangle 9 volt batteries I could listen to my music any time I wanted to. The problem was back then I fell asleep with the radio on, and as you might have guessed by the time I woke up the battery had died. I had no music so I wound up, much to my chagrin, having to ask my parents for money to buy a new battery. Of course, wanting to teach me a lesson about responsibility [turning off the radio before going to sleep], they would deduct it from my allowance.

      All my friends had record players which we listened to the 45 rpm records we used to buy with our allowances. Some of my friends had been lucky as their parents gave them money to buy their records any time a song became very popular. There was never a party where records weren’t played, sometimes over and over again. We used to stack as many records as we could so we wouldn’t have to change the records on our own. Diners had a small one at all of the booths they had, and if you were lucky your parents would pay for your song selections.

      We all loved listening to the songs of the “Rock ‘n Roll” and “Pop”, etc. eras, we never became interested if there was a reason as to why the singer[s] decided to write their songs. Even though the eras of this music have died, we’ve never gotten the music out of our blood. Which is why we’re nostalgic about them still today, and why, even as adults, we’re always looking for an opportunity to see our favorite artists live. And along with this nostalgia comes an interest in knowing if there had been a reason for any of the songs a specific artist is noted for singing.

      The only way to find out what had brought about the creation of the songs we had loved is to speak to those involved which is precisely what Marc Myers has done here. By interviewing these individuals [those still alive] the author takes us into their minds and the events surrounding the decades of songs the author has included in this marvelous compendium of the songs we all loved listening to as we grew up, songs we still love hearing today.

      If there’s song which would epitomize all of the songs and artists in this book it would be Barry Manilow’s song I Write the Songs:

      I've been alive forever
      And I wrote the very first song
      I put the words and the melodies together
      I am music and I write the songs


      [Chorus]
      I write the songs that make the whole world sing
      I write the songs of love and special things
      I write the songs that make the young girls cry
      I write the songs, I write the songs

      My home lies deep within you
      And I've got my own place in your soul
      Now, when I look out through your eyes
      I'm young again, even though I'm very old

      [Chorus]

      Oh my music makes you dance
      And gives you spirit to take a chance
      And I wrote some rock 'n' roll so you can move
      Music fills your heart
      Well, that's a real fine place to start
      It's from me it's for you
      It's from you, it's for me
      It's a worldwide symphony

      [Chorus]
      [Chorus]

      This is why I loved Marc Myers efforts in compiling this compendium of the origins of each of the songs he’s included here. Some of us might be familiar with the songs included in this book as they come from a column, of the same name, which the author wrote for the Wall Street Journal [2011 – 2016]. It must have been a monumental task for the author to select the 45 songs he’s included from all those he’s written about; perhaps if we’re lucky we might see a second book covering additional songs, songs we’ve listen to which we’d love to know the origins of.

      For bringing back memories of our younger days and for enlightening us as to the origins of these songs, how can I not give Mr. Myers 5 STARS for his endeavor here