Anatomy of a Song

Author: Marc Myers
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 161185959X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
Songs that sell the most copies become hits, but some of those hits transcend commercial value, touching a generation of listeners and altering the direction of music. In Anatomy of a Song, writer and music historian Marc Myers tells the stories behind fifty rock, pop, R&B, country and reggae hits through intimate interviews with the artists who wrote and recorded them. Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, the Clash, Smokey Robinson, Grace Slick, Roger Waters, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello and many other leading artists reveal the inspirations, struggles and techniques behind their influential works .

The Anatomy of Melody

Author: Alice Parker
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
ISBN: 9781579995607
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Book Description
This book explores the history of melody, its elements, regional differences in performance, and more with references to 70+ musical examples drawn from the most beloved melodies. Throughout the book's 20 chapters, you will abandon harmony, counterpart, and theory to discover the delight of a single line of music.

Anatomy of a Song

Author: Marc Myers
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
ISBN: 0802189652
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 300

Book Description
“A winning look at the stories behind 45 pop, punk, folk, soul and country classics” in the words of Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper and more (The Washington Post). Every great song has a fascinating backstory. And here, writer and music historian Marc Myers brings to life five decades of music through oral histories of forty-five era-defining hits woven from interviews with the artists who created them, including such legendary tunes as the Isley Brothers’ Shout, Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love, Janis Joplin’s Mercedes Benz, and R.E.M’s Losing My Religion. After receiving his discharge from the army in 1968, John Fogerty did a handstand—and reworked 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. And Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart, the Clash, Jimmy Cliff, Roger Waters, Stevie Wonder, Keith Richards, Cyndi Lauper, and many other leading artists reveal the emotions, inspirations, and techniques behind their influential works. Anatomy of a Song is a love letter to the songs that have defined generations of listeners and “a rich history of both the music industry and the baby boomer era” (Los Angeles Times Book Review).

Why Jazz Happened

Author: Marc Myers
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520305515
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 278

Book Description
Why Jazz Happened is the first comprehensive social history of jazz. It provides an intimate and compelling look at the many forces that shaped this most American of art forms and the many influences that gave rise to jazz’s post-war styles. Rich with the voices of musicians, producers, promoters, and others on the scene during the decades following World War II, this book views jazz’s evolution through the prism of technological advances, social transformations, changes in the law, economic trends, and much more. In an absorbing narrative enlivened by the commentary of key personalities, Marc Myers describes the myriad of events and trends that affected the music's evolution, among them, the American Federation of Musicians strike in the early 1940s, changes in radio and concert-promotion, the introduction of the long-playing record, the suburbanization of Los Angeles, the Civil Rights movement, the “British invasion” and the rise of electronic instruments. This groundbreaking book deepens our appreciation of this music by identifying many of the developments outside of jazz itself that contributed most to its texture, complexity, and growth.

Origins of a Song

Author: Jake Grogan
Publisher: Cider Mill Press
ISBN: 1604337753
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Book Description
David Bowie, tired of the rock 'n roll Los Angeles lifestyle, picks up and moves to West Berlin. Sixteen-year-old Rod Stewart sneaks into a music festival and has a coming-of-age experience. Paul McCartney dreams of his deceased mother. The rest is music history. For lyricists and listeners alike, Origins of a Song is the inspiring collection of 202 true stories behind the world’s greatest lyrics. Delve into the compelling real-life stories behind the world’s greatest lyrics with Origins of a Song. Featuring profiles of 202 musical masterpieces that span genres and generations, this book explores the inspiration and creative process behind each song. Get glimpses into the inception of these timeless tunes, and learn about the individual creative process for these songwriters and musicians. Origins of a Song will not only leave you with a different perspective on your favorite songs, but it will also have you inspired to start crafting some yourself! Author Jake Grogan is originally from Ellenville, New York, and currently resides in Queens. He has a BA from Fordham University, where he studied journalism. The story behind his favorite song, "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, inspired him to pursue Origins of a Song.

Cover Me

Author: Ray Padgett
Publisher: Union Square + ORM
ISBN: 1454930659
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 480

Book Description
“A music-snob’s dream come true . . . One of the best multi-subject music books to come down the pike in years . . . a fresh and deeply informed approach.” —Variety A great cover only makes a song stronger. Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower.” The Beatles rocking out with “Twist and Shout.” Aretha Franklin demanding “Respect.” Without covers, the world would have lost many unforgettable performances. This is the first book to explore the most iconic covers ever, from Elvis’s “Hound Dog” and Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends” to the Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River” and Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Written by the founder of the website covermesongs.com, each of the nineteen chapters investigates the origins of a classic cover—and uses it as a framework to tell the larger story of how cover songs have evolved over the decades. Cover Me is packed with insight, photography, and music history. “Delves into the complicated legacy of artists performing other people’s music . . . his research adds fresh context and intriguing background to many of these songs . . . Astute ruminations on evolving cultural perceptions of the cover’s place in the music canon.” —AV Club “This engaging nostalgia trip is sure to appeal to discophiles and cultural historians.” —Library Journal

Life of a Song

Author: Jan Dalley
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey
ISBN: 1473670470
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 166

Book Description
Who knew that Paul McCartney originally referred to Yesterday as 'Scrambled Eggs' because he couldn't think of any lyrics for his heart-breaking tune? Or that Patti LaBelle didn't know what 'Voulez-vous couches avec moi ce soir?' actually meant? These and countless other fascinating back stories of some of our best-known and best-loved songs fill this book, a collection of the highly successful weekly The Life of a Song columns that appear in the FT Weekend every Saturday. Each 600-word piece gives a mini-biography of a single song, from its earliest form (often a spiritual, or a jazz number), through the various covers and changes, often morphing from one genre to another, always focusing on the 'biography' of the song itself while including the many famous artists who have performed or recorded it. The selection covers a wide spectrum of the songs we all know and love - rock, pop, folk, jazz and more. Each piece is pithy, sparkily written, knowledgeable, entertaining, full of anecdotes and surprises. They combine deep musical knowledge with the vivid background of the performers and musicians, and of course the often intriguing social and political background against which the songs were created.

Rock Concert

Author: Marc Myers
Publisher: Grove Press
ISBN: 0802157939
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 339

Book Description
A “fascinating, intimate” oral history of the golden age of the rock concert based on nearly 100 interviews with musicians, fans, and others (Publishers Weekly). Decades after the rise of rock music in the 1950s, the rock concert retains its power as a unifying experience—and as a multi-billion-dollar industry. In Rock Concert, acclaimed music writer Marc Myers delves into the history of this cultural phenomenon, weaving together ground-breaking accounts from the people who were there. Myers combines the tales of icons like Joan Baez, Ian Anderson, Alice Cooper, Steve Miller, Roger Waters, and Angus Young with the disc jockeys, audio engineers, and music journalists, and promoters who organized it all, like Michael Lang, co-founder of Woodstock, to create a rounded and vivid account of live rock’s stratospheric rise. Rock Concert offers a backstage view of rock ‘n’ roll as it evolved through live performance—from the rise of R&B in the 1950s, to the hippie gatherings of the ‘60s, and the growing arena tours of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Elvis Presley’s gyrating hips, the “British Invasion” of the Beatles, the Grateful Dead’s free flowing jams, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall are just a few of the defining musical acts that drive this rich narrative.

Song: Anatomy, Imagery, and Styles

Author: Donald Ivey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description

Pacific Overtures

Author: Stephen Sondheim
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781559360258
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"Priceless and peerless...a thrilling work of theatricality." --Wayman Wong, San Francisco Examiner For over three decades, Stephen Sondheim has been the foremost composer and lyricist writing regularly for Broadway. His substantial body of work now stands as one of the most sustained achievements of the American stage. Pacific Overtures, originally produced in 1976, combines an unsurpassed mastery of the American musical with such arts as Kabuki theatre, haiku, dance, and masks to recount Commander Matthew Perry's 1835 opening of Japan and its consequences right up to the present. This new edition of Pacific Overtures incorporates substantial revisions made by the authors for the successful 1984 revival.