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World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music
An exciting and heartening mix of memories, music, and inspiration from Wilco front man and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Tweedy, sharing fifty songs that changed his life, the real-life experiences behind each one, as well as what he’s learned about how music and life intertwine and enhance each other,
What makes us fall in love with a song? What makes us want to write our own songs? Do songs help? Do songs help us live better lives? And do the lives we live help us write better songs?
After two New York Times bestsellers that cemented and expanded his legacy as one of America’s best-loved performers and songwriters, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back) and How to Write One Song , Jeff Tweedy is back with another disarming, beautiful, and inspirational book about why we listen to music, why we love songs, and how music can connect us to each other and to ourselves. Featuring fifty songs that have both changed Jeff’s life and influenced his music—including songs by the Replacements, Mavis Staples, the Velvet Underground, Joni Mitchell, Otis Redding, Dolly Parton, and Billie Eilish—as well as Jeff’s “Rememories,” dream-like short pieces that related key moments from Jeff’s life, this book is a mix of the musical, the emotional, and the inspirational in the best possible way.
What makes us fall in love with a song? What makes us want to write our own songs? Do songs help? Do songs help us live better lives? And do the lives we live help us write better songs?
After two New York Times bestsellers that cemented and expanded his legacy as one of America’s best-loved performers and songwriters, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back) and How to Write One Song , Jeff Tweedy is back with another disarming, beautiful, and inspirational book about why we listen to music, why we love songs, and how music can connect us to each other and to ourselves. Featuring fifty songs that have both changed Jeff’s life and influenced his music—including songs by the Replacements, Mavis Staples, the Velvet Underground, Joni Mitchell, Otis Redding, Dolly Parton, and Billie Eilish—as well as Jeff’s “Rememories,” dream-like short pieces that related key moments from Jeff’s life, this book is a mix of the musical, the emotional, and the inspirational in the best possible way.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 358 reviews
November 30, 2023
What a fun companion this was for a few days, and such an interesting way to look at music. This is a memoir told through music. Rather than picking favorite songs, Tweedy chooses songs that had great impact on him and/or are meaningful because of the moment he heard them. The stories and explanations are quite brief. I listened to this, read by Jeff, at 1.5x which was a totally comfortable speed, not fast at all. The whole took 3 hours, and it was time very well spent. A must for Wilco fans (and I am definitely one.)
July 15, 2024
I'm a huge Wilco fan and found solace in Jeff Tweedy during the pandemic. And yet I wasn't expecting to get much of anything from this book except a few deep cut discoveries that only a musical genius could pass along. I was thinking something akin to a Nick Hornsby book. Anyway, no, it wasn't a music nerd's musings on music, and I didn't discover any new artists - not even a song - but it was enough to be allowed in Tweedy's surprisingly ordinary brain, and get to "hear" his inner workings. He is, as he admits, just a normal flawed human, a low-key rock star, and a little odd, but also honest and genuine and very conversational. He comes across as someone I'd hang out with on a regular basis and genuinely like. So though his little vignettes were hard to get at first (when would this music phenom talk about the songs more? Was he conveying deep meanings that I was too obtuse to get? Is this book as boring as I think it is?), after a couple "songs," I began to relax and finally go with it. Once I stopped looking for a perfect list of songs, I was able to hear the stories he was stringing together. Stories that are both endearing and pretty damn wise. By the end, I felt just like the mom I am, proud of Jeff, proud he landed on his feet, fame be dammed, and reminded once again that it's always worth it to dig a little deeper.
(FYI, he sneaks in just the tiniest amount of music gossip so as not to disappoint - who's nice, who's not, and who he might have been a jerk too.)
(FYI, he sneaks in just the tiniest amount of music gossip so as not to disappoint - who's nice, who's not, and who he might have been a jerk too.)
November 9, 2023
New York Times bestselling author and Wilco front man, Jeff Tweedy is back with another fun music inspired journey. Tweedy shares the fifty songs that have impacted his life the most, for better or for worse. He’s very clear that these aren’t what he considers the best fifty songs of all time, that is too daunting of a list to try. Rather this compilation of songs represents moments in his life where the song is crucial to the memory. From childhood to his wedding, music has been involved in every aspect of his life and these fifty songs highlight some important and unforgettable moments. Fantastically narrated by the legend himself, Tweedy’ s charisma shines throughout the recording. He shares the experiences behind each song and how it impacted his own relationship with music and song-writing. Featuring an eclectic list of songs by Otis Redding, Billie Eilish, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, and many others; this list is fresh and surprising. Part memoir, part music appreciation, and all-around joy; World Within a Song is a fantastic listen, that will have listeners pausing the audiobook to listen to the many songs referenced. – Erin Cataldi
November 16, 2023
If you don’t love Jeff Tweedy’s writing, you’re wrong.
January 17, 2024
I only discovered Wilco, Jeff Tweedy and the wonderful album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” (2002) on a road trip through Texas at the beginning of this year. (Thank you, Mark.) How timely, though, was the nearly simultaneous discovery of this, Tweedy’s recently published musical memoir.
I was immediately charmed by Tweedy’s voice and writing style, and in his Introduction, he made a claim for music that I, too, have long believed: “songs absorb and enhance our own experiences and store our own memories.” I didn’t love, or even know, all of Tweedy’s own choices - it was nice to utilise Spotify as I read this book - but I did identify with all of the underlying ideas and enthusiasm. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions, and I felt exceptionally moved as well.
Here’s an example, for a bit of flavour. In this excerpt, Tweedy nominates ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” as a song that he sneered at for many years before realising that it is a song of joy and genius.
“I truly recommend spending some time looking for a song you might have unfairly maligned. It feels good to stop hating something. Music is a good place to start if you’re interested in forgiveness. For yourself, mostly, I assume. Because records can’t really change much over time, but we sure can, and do. Better late than never.”
Probably my favourite entry in the book, though, is the one where Tweedy links a long-lost friendship with Michelle Shocked’s song “Anchorage.” Perhaps it helps that I also love this song, but even if it was unknown to me entirely, I think that I would have still responded to Tweedy’s insight about its lyrics and messages.
“I think it’s the profound air of forgiveness that gets me - the relief of having ‘walked across that burning bridge’ and instead of being met with judgment and resentment, as feared, finding a warm embrace on the other side.”
Such a lovely book - what a nice start to the reading year.
I was immediately charmed by Tweedy’s voice and writing style, and in his Introduction, he made a claim for music that I, too, have long believed: “songs absorb and enhance our own experiences and store our own memories.” I didn’t love, or even know, all of Tweedy’s own choices - it was nice to utilise Spotify as I read this book - but I did identify with all of the underlying ideas and enthusiasm. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions, and I felt exceptionally moved as well.
Here’s an example, for a bit of flavour. In this excerpt, Tweedy nominates ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” as a song that he sneered at for many years before realising that it is a song of joy and genius.
“I truly recommend spending some time looking for a song you might have unfairly maligned. It feels good to stop hating something. Music is a good place to start if you’re interested in forgiveness. For yourself, mostly, I assume. Because records can’t really change much over time, but we sure can, and do. Better late than never.”
Probably my favourite entry in the book, though, is the one where Tweedy links a long-lost friendship with Michelle Shocked’s song “Anchorage.” Perhaps it helps that I also love this song, but even if it was unknown to me entirely, I think that I would have still responded to Tweedy’s insight about its lyrics and messages.
“I think it’s the profound air of forgiveness that gets me - the relief of having ‘walked across that burning bridge’ and instead of being met with judgment and resentment, as feared, finding a warm embrace on the other side.”
Such a lovely book - what a nice start to the reading year.
March 5, 2024
this book spoke to me and i’m gonna listen!! perfect for music lovers musicians singers and anyone who cares
February 11, 2024
The parasocial relationship I have with this guy is kind of intense.
January 3, 2024
A love letter to kindness, humanity and good tunes
January 17, 2024
Loved this! It's below-freezing here and we don't have school because of the weather, so I've been keeping warm working on some yarny crafts and listening to audiobooks. I love a good narrator, and listening to memoirists read their own work. This fits both. Tweedy is a generous, gifted storyteller, both in song and in his books. Listening to this, interspersed with searching for and listening to the songs he writes about, was a wonderful audio experience. It has me thinking about which songs I have a deep relationship with- some blissful, some heartbreaking, some silly.
Now I must return my freezing hands to the warm yarn. Cheers!
Now I must return my freezing hands to the warm yarn. Cheers!
December 20, 2023
A great stocking stuffer for any Tweedy fan.
I was able to procure an autographed copy at my local Barnes and Noble which was awesome.
Tweedy chose 50 songs which impacted him and wrote vignettes as to why they did. I've read his autobiography and he had the good fortune of living near a hip record store, growing up at a time when big business didn't dictate what was played on the radio, and some fantastic bands played in small venues when he was a teen. Unfortunately, I am more than 15 years younger than Tweedy, so I did not have the same experience.
However, this book was so well written, that it led to me reflecting on what songs impacted me at different times in my life. He mentioned a Replacements song, and I remember being hooked the first time I heard "Alex Chilton." "The Weight" was also of importance in both of our lives.
I was not a kid who could afford $15 CDs growing up - but I was blessed to attend a prep school initially because I was a good basketball player, but the best thing that ever happened to me was that I never developed into anything and got involved in English and Writing pursuits. My teachers introduced me to Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, and after I heard Warren Zevon play "Porcelain Monkey" on Letterman (I just always knew him as the Werewolves of London guy) - one teacher let me borrow his Zevon CDs. His music has affected my life in so many ways, and has allowed me to meet some really cool people throughout my next 20 years.
I have always thought the best non-fiction and fiction books are those which stay with me afterwards and allow me to reflect on my own life. Tweedy accomplished that for me. I hope it does for other fellow Tweedy/Wilco/music fans in general.
I was able to procure an autographed copy at my local Barnes and Noble which was awesome.
Tweedy chose 50 songs which impacted him and wrote vignettes as to why they did. I've read his autobiography and he had the good fortune of living near a hip record store, growing up at a time when big business didn't dictate what was played on the radio, and some fantastic bands played in small venues when he was a teen. Unfortunately, I am more than 15 years younger than Tweedy, so I did not have the same experience.
However, this book was so well written, that it led to me reflecting on what songs impacted me at different times in my life. He mentioned a Replacements song, and I remember being hooked the first time I heard "Alex Chilton." "The Weight" was also of importance in both of our lives.
I was not a kid who could afford $15 CDs growing up - but I was blessed to attend a prep school initially because I was a good basketball player, but the best thing that ever happened to me was that I never developed into anything and got involved in English and Writing pursuits. My teachers introduced me to Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, and after I heard Warren Zevon play "Porcelain Monkey" on Letterman (I just always knew him as the Werewolves of London guy) - one teacher let me borrow his Zevon CDs. His music has affected my life in so many ways, and has allowed me to meet some really cool people throughout my next 20 years.
I have always thought the best non-fiction and fiction books are those which stay with me afterwards and allow me to reflect on my own life. Tweedy accomplished that for me. I hope it does for other fellow Tweedy/Wilco/music fans in general.
May 18, 2024
“What we individually bring to a song matters a lot…a song is worth whatever WE make of it.” And as a reader, we get to hear what so many songs mean to Jeff Tweedy in this thoroughly enjoyable book. Boy do I enjoy his writing voice - this guy does it all really, really well.
January 10, 2024
This was a really nice read. Wouldn’t it be great if you could read about all your favorite musician’s favorite songs? Short but sweet ❤️
December 31, 2023
Boy, I want this to be good, but it isn’t. I enjoyed Tweedy’s first two books very much, but it just doesn’t feel like he tried very hard on this one. It reads more like a set of short blog posts rather than a fully formed book. A lot of chapters feel half assed. They’re over before really getting started. But then you read chapters like “Anchorage” and “Portland story,” and you can see what this book COULD have been. These are two exquisite chapters in an overall mediocre effort.
January 12, 2024
I love Tweedy and Wilco’s music but the book didn’t really hold my attention. It would be better with fewer songs and chapters and more depth per song.
January 29, 2024
As a music lover, I have always been fascinated by what musicians say about other people's songs. That means this book by Jeff Tweedy, formally of Uncle Tupelo (one of my favorite bands) and currently in Wilco, is the perfect book. Tweedy writes short chapters on his favorite songs, not by way of scrutinizing analysis, but by connecting the songs to his own life experience and demonstrating how his favorite songs remind him that he is not alone in this world.
Tweedy seems like a genuinely good dude – a guy who loves his family, who makes a point to encourage all of the his warm-up acts, who even regrets lost opportunities to show "grace and acknowledgment" to others (p.116). And his song choices throughout the book demonstrate an eclectic range of tastes -- everything from the Undertones to BTO's "Takin Care of Business" to the Minutemen's "History Lesson Part II" to "Free Bird" and "You Are My Sunshine."
The chapter on Abba's "Dancing Queen" hit close to home. Being roughly Tweedy's age, I remember the pressure in the late 70s to hate disco, especially if you were into hard rock, and "Dancing Queen" definitely qualified as disco. So did I really hate this song, or did I just convince myself that I hated it? I can't imagine how, because it is so clearly an irresistible pop tune. Abba taught Tweedy (and me too, I guess) a lesson: "It taught me that I can't ever completely trust my negative reactions . . . I truly recommend spending some time looking for a song you might have unfairly maligned. It feels good to stop hating something." (p.71)
Sometimes, however, the idealism of the artistic mentality can be a little frustrating. Tweedy dismisses the existence of Satan, calls religion a "delusion," and yet acknowledges the regrettable existence of everything "in the world that sucks, all of the evil, all of the greed, all of the phoniness..." (p.99). So is there any hope that evil might be overcome in this world? Tweedy says it's the teenager in his bedroom listening to music. (p.100). Really? What do we do about drug cartels, pornography, genocide and corporate greed? Don't worry, everyone – the teenager down the street is listening to his favorite song on Spotify! Just seems really naive to me.
But I'm probably overthinking things here. In most cases, Tweedy with great sincerity and heartfelt prose reminds us how powerful music is -- that it can function for many as a "consciousness filling the void of isolation." (p.106). He is absolutely right, and I am grateful for the ways this book has reinvigorated my love for my own favorite music. But I'm not expecting my favorite songs to save me. They might change my life, but they won't save it.
Tweedy seems like a genuinely good dude – a guy who loves his family, who makes a point to encourage all of the his warm-up acts, who even regrets lost opportunities to show "grace and acknowledgment" to others (p.116). And his song choices throughout the book demonstrate an eclectic range of tastes -- everything from the Undertones to BTO's "Takin Care of Business" to the Minutemen's "History Lesson Part II" to "Free Bird" and "You Are My Sunshine."
The chapter on Abba's "Dancing Queen" hit close to home. Being roughly Tweedy's age, I remember the pressure in the late 70s to hate disco, especially if you were into hard rock, and "Dancing Queen" definitely qualified as disco. So did I really hate this song, or did I just convince myself that I hated it? I can't imagine how, because it is so clearly an irresistible pop tune. Abba taught Tweedy (and me too, I guess) a lesson: "It taught me that I can't ever completely trust my negative reactions . . . I truly recommend spending some time looking for a song you might have unfairly maligned. It feels good to stop hating something." (p.71)
Sometimes, however, the idealism of the artistic mentality can be a little frustrating. Tweedy dismisses the existence of Satan, calls religion a "delusion," and yet acknowledges the regrettable existence of everything "in the world that sucks, all of the evil, all of the greed, all of the phoniness..." (p.99). So is there any hope that evil might be overcome in this world? Tweedy says it's the teenager in his bedroom listening to music. (p.100). Really? What do we do about drug cartels, pornography, genocide and corporate greed? Don't worry, everyone – the teenager down the street is listening to his favorite song on Spotify! Just seems really naive to me.
But I'm probably overthinking things here. In most cases, Tweedy with great sincerity and heartfelt prose reminds us how powerful music is -- that it can function for many as a "consciousness filling the void of isolation." (p.106). He is absolutely right, and I am grateful for the ways this book has reinvigorated my love for my own favorite music. But I'm not expecting my favorite songs to save me. They might change my life, but they won't save it.
February 1, 2024
"One of the amazing things songs can do in the mind of a single listener is to transform, over time, from something, reviled and loathed to the point of avoidance--an instant radio-dial-lunge type of track--to something breathtakingly beautiful and essential."
I love Jeff Tweedy. I have for what feels like forever. My best friend, who also loves Jeff, bought me this book (a SIGNED copy, no less!) for Christmas this year and it was just a perfect little read.
To have Jeff, with all his signature humor, insight, deprecation AND bravado, outline for us the fifty or so songs that affected his life the most, either as a kid, a young punk, an aspiring musician, a husband, a father, or a mature musician inspiring younger musicians, is a pure delight. We have some beloved songs in common. There are also some artists on this list I have never heard of. There are also some songs by artists I have heard of, but this particular song is new to me. All that makes for a fun journey through Jeff's mind.
Be sure you listen to the songs as you read to make for a true sensory experience. There are quite a few playlists already curated on Apple Music if you search the book title.
One more thing: Jeff talks about how he turned the song I'm Beginning to See the Light, a jazz standard meant to be sung from lover to lover, into a lullaby for his children and this struck me deep in my soul because I have been singing the song The Very Thought of You, a jazz standard meant to be sung from lover to lover, as a lullaby to my daughter since she was born. We both understand that as Jeff says, "A great song works even when repurposed for familial love."
His song about familial love:
"I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light."
Mine:
"I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love."
If you have kids, do you have a special lullaby you sing to them?
I love Jeff Tweedy. I have for what feels like forever. My best friend, who also loves Jeff, bought me this book (a SIGNED copy, no less!) for Christmas this year and it was just a perfect little read.
To have Jeff, with all his signature humor, insight, deprecation AND bravado, outline for us the fifty or so songs that affected his life the most, either as a kid, a young punk, an aspiring musician, a husband, a father, or a mature musician inspiring younger musicians, is a pure delight. We have some beloved songs in common. There are also some artists on this list I have never heard of. There are also some songs by artists I have heard of, but this particular song is new to me. All that makes for a fun journey through Jeff's mind.
Be sure you listen to the songs as you read to make for a true sensory experience. There are quite a few playlists already curated on Apple Music if you search the book title.
One more thing: Jeff talks about how he turned the song I'm Beginning to See the Light, a jazz standard meant to be sung from lover to lover, into a lullaby for his children and this struck me deep in my soul because I have been singing the song The Very Thought of You, a jazz standard meant to be sung from lover to lover, as a lullaby to my daughter since she was born. We both understand that as Jeff says, "A great song works even when repurposed for familial love."
His song about familial love:
"I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light."
Mine:
"I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love."
If you have kids, do you have a special lullaby you sing to them?
November 30, 2023
Jeff Tweedy writes about how different songs have affected his life and he tells some more stories about traveling with his band. He is a kind, generous, and thoughtful soul and he tells touching stories. I love the one about seeing The Replacements do “God Damn Job.” Being in the room with them must have been cathartic. “The self-liberating promise of punk rock. It said to me this above all else: job or not, I am free- school or not, I am free- as long as this exists - this feeling - this moment where nothing else in the world matters - I will survive - this is where I will choose to live. This is where you will find me.”
Tweedy also goes way back to the Anthology of American Folk Music for “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” a song his old band, Uncle Tupelo, did. We don’t believe in the old idea of Satan but we can agree there is a lot of bad stuff in the world. The dream here and the dream of punk music is still for good to conquer evil. Art is powerful.
Tweedy also goes way back to the Anthology of American Folk Music for “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” a song his old band, Uncle Tupelo, did. We don’t believe in the old idea of Satan but we can agree there is a lot of bad stuff in the world. The dream here and the dream of punk music is still for good to conquer evil. Art is powerful.
December 29, 2023
“As ridiculous as that all sounds, it's a true revelation of an internal dialogue that is always happening just below the surface of any song I'm singing. Singing ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ back in the day was my effort to come clean. I'm in love with you people out there listening. Please don't hurt me.”
March 6, 2024
II wish this was longer, and either included more songs or more pages so we could get past the surface level the author scratches when he discusses the songs that made the most impact on him. I did enjoy this and found some great songs that I loved. I’m glad he included one from his own former band (Uncle Tupelo). I’d never heard them and quite enjoyed the song.
August 8, 2024
Jeff confronts us as music listeners to inform us that there's more to it than just the sound waves. The listeners perspective holds a lot of importance, which he uses his own catalog of moments to demonstrate. As always he's funny and insightful and magnificent. I could live by his words. Thank you father.
April 10, 2024
I loved this book so much, even if I had to listen to it twice to hear the chapter, then the song, then the chapter again. I’d read a book like this by any musician
June 15, 2024
Another fun Jeff Tweedy book
Read
January 3, 2024Thanks Mom!
April 7, 2024
Fun read. Especially the Dolly Parton pages.
November 11, 2023
This book was just an incredible experience!! I listened on audio with Jeff reading, I felt like he was telling me these wonderful, sometimes sad memories. These songs he chose also brought back my own memories of these songs. Mull of Kintyre brought me back to the days of listening to nothing else but Wings greatest! Thank you for sharing your life with us, I will cherish this book always.
February 10, 2024
I love jeff tweedy so much. Full circle moment to have someone who has written so many songs that have made me feel so deeply to be writing about songs that make him feel that same way.
January 19, 2024
Going out of 2023 with a high note. Listened to the audiobook because I LOVE YOU JEFF!
November 22, 2023
Last couple of Wilco records have been a little hit or miss for me but I continue to enjoy these Tweedy books. The man certainly stays busy. This one was an especially quick read; thought the chapter about the makeshift memorial he describes in Portland, Maine was touching.
January 4, 2024
I love Wilco and Jeff Tweedy so much so this was quite a good read for me. Sometimes Tweedy was a bit repetitive. Some of his vignettes are quite specific and these are the good ones. Some sections are too abstract in my opinion. Lovely book if you are a Wilco fan.
March 28, 2024
I only just recently “got into” Wilco. Sure, I’d heard Yankee Hotel Foxtrot before. It’s a seminal indie record. It’s ImPoRtAnT. But I didn’t really claim myself as a fan of the band and the music they created until finding out just how rad A Ghost Is Born is and then falling in love with Jeff Tweedy’s 2018 solo record WARM. It was last year’s Cousin that confirmed it. Now I’m hooked. Now I’m in.
I saw that Tweedy was also writing a book last year and added it to my Want to Read list and was very happy to see that I received it for Christmas. It was smaller than I expected, a bit stout, not as thick, but I was joyful to see what he thought about some music. I wanted to see what songs he felt were worthy of his time. Not only his time to write about them, but also my time to listen to them.
I will tell you that while reading this book, his chosen songs are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are 50 in all, and they range from soul to rock to punk to R&B to things like ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. And while the titles and arrangements of the songs set the tone for what he’s about to dive into, it’s the kernels of memory that he shares that are the most moving pieces of information we receive. I can feel the way he sat in his bedroom obsessing over shitty records he would later love. I can see the sights of vast open gas station parking lots on a 2AM freeway between venues. I can feel the goosebumps he feels when he hears these songs for the first time and the fiftieth time. I can feel the way he wants to offer gratitude for all of the people around him who listened to the songs before him, with him, because of him.
This book is precisely the book I was looking for this year. I’d been grappling with my own feelings of How to write about music, How to share music, How to appreciate music. This book affirms that I’m doing the right thing, not only with my words but with my endless voyage to find good music that feels great.
Within these passages about music, I found so many little anecdotes to laugh at and to feel a deep sense of camaraderie with Jeff about. But even more so, quick little notes on how it feels to be in a band with people. How it feels to know about the Beatles and even moreso how it feels to introduce someone to the Beatles. How it feels to trust. How it feels to love. How it feels to feel good. This book has added a context not only to Tweedy’s personal works, but also to so many more artists and musicians and albums and songs. I’ve already been deeply entrenched in a commune with the spirit and the soul of Music, but this book provided a whole new codex with which to translate the very special, very intimate language of Music and how it speaks directly to our hearts.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an endless hunger for new music. For anyone who is always seeking the perfect song that might rest behind their favorite song. For anyone who feels like they’re missing out on finding a new band if they don’t take a chance on just one more new record from a band they’ve never heard of. This is a book brimming with the human experience, and its passageways are paved with the endless love of Song.
I saw that Tweedy was also writing a book last year and added it to my Want to Read list and was very happy to see that I received it for Christmas. It was smaller than I expected, a bit stout, not as thick, but I was joyful to see what he thought about some music. I wanted to see what songs he felt were worthy of his time. Not only his time to write about them, but also my time to listen to them.
I will tell you that while reading this book, his chosen songs are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are 50 in all, and they range from soul to rock to punk to R&B to things like ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. And while the titles and arrangements of the songs set the tone for what he’s about to dive into, it’s the kernels of memory that he shares that are the most moving pieces of information we receive. I can feel the way he sat in his bedroom obsessing over shitty records he would later love. I can see the sights of vast open gas station parking lots on a 2AM freeway between venues. I can feel the goosebumps he feels when he hears these songs for the first time and the fiftieth time. I can feel the way he wants to offer gratitude for all of the people around him who listened to the songs before him, with him, because of him.
This book is precisely the book I was looking for this year. I’d been grappling with my own feelings of How to write about music, How to share music, How to appreciate music. This book affirms that I’m doing the right thing, not only with my words but with my endless voyage to find good music that feels great.
Within these passages about music, I found so many little anecdotes to laugh at and to feel a deep sense of camaraderie with Jeff about. But even more so, quick little notes on how it feels to be in a band with people. How it feels to know about the Beatles and even moreso how it feels to introduce someone to the Beatles. How it feels to trust. How it feels to love. How it feels to feel good. This book has added a context not only to Tweedy’s personal works, but also to so many more artists and musicians and albums and songs. I’ve already been deeply entrenched in a commune with the spirit and the soul of Music, but this book provided a whole new codex with which to translate the very special, very intimate language of Music and how it speaks directly to our hearts.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an endless hunger for new music. For anyone who is always seeking the perfect song that might rest behind their favorite song. For anyone who feels like they’re missing out on finding a new band if they don’t take a chance on just one more new record from a band they’ve never heard of. This is a book brimming with the human experience, and its passageways are paved with the endless love of Song.
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