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 hi=
ts become something more -- iconic recordings that not only inspire a gener=
ation but also change the direction of music. "Anatomy of 55 More Songs: Th=
e Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul" is based on mus=
ic 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-gos=
pel hits through intimate interviews with the artists who wrote and recorde=
d 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 "Paran=
oid." 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 unf=
airly labeled and treated as a female rocker into "Bad Reputation;" and Ozz=
y Osbourne, Elvis Costello, Bob Weir, Sheryl Crow, Alice Cooper, Roberta Fl=
ack, John Mellencamp, Keith Richards, Carly Simon, and many others reveal t=
he emotions and technique behind their major works.

Through an absorbing chronological, song-by-song analysis of the most memor=
able post-war hits, "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" also provides a sweeping loo=
k at the evolution of pop music between 1964 and today. Simply stated, "Ana=
tomy 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-provoki=
ng commentaries, "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" is especially and unreservedly =
recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university l=
ibrary American Music History collections and supplemental curriculum studi=
es lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialists wi=
th an interest in the subject that "Anatomy of 55 More Songs" is also avail=
able in a paperback edition (9780802161260, $17.99) and in a digital book f=
ormat (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 i=
s 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 wi=
nner of the Jazz Journalists Association's award for Jazz Blog of the Year.

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