January 2024 MBR The Music Shelf

The Music Shelf

Anatomy of 55 More Songs
Marc Myers
Grove Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802160201, $27.00, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-55-More-Songs-History/dp/0802160204

Synopsis: 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. "Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul" is based on music journalist and historian Marc Myers column for the Wall Street Journal, and tells the story behind fifty-five rock, pop, R&B, country, and soul-gospel hits through intimate interviews with the artists who wrote and recorded them.

Part oral history, part musical analysis, "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" ranges from Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" to Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By," The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations," and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid." Bernie Taupin recalls how he wrote the lyrics to Elton John's "Rocket Man;" Joan Jett remembers channeling her rage against how she had been unfairly labeled and treated as a female rocker into "Bad Reputation;" and Ozzy Osbourne, Elvis Costello, Bob Weir, Sheryl Crow, Alice Cooper, Roberta Flack, John Mellencamp, Keith Richards, Carly Simon, and many others reveal the emotions and technique behind their major works.

Through an absorbing chronological, song-by-song analysis of the most memorable post-war hits, "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" also provides a sweeping look at the evolution of pop music between 1964 and today. Simply stated, "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" will change how you listen to music and evaluate the artists who create it.

Critique: Informative, insightful, and inherently fascinating, "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" by Marc Myers is a fun read and of very special interest to American Pop Culture & Music fans. Eloquent, thoughtful and thought-provoking commentaries, "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university library American Music History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialists with an interest in the subject that "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" is also available in a paperback edition (9780802161260, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.09).

Editorial Note: Marc Myers (https://marcmyers.com) is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, where he writes about music and the arts. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books Anatomy of a Song, Why Jazz Happened, and Rock Concert, and posts daily at JazzWax.com, a three-time winner of the Jazz Journalists Association's award for Jazz Blog of the Year.

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