Anatomy of a Song

August 8, 2016
Four years ago, Myers launched his “Anatomy of a Song” column in the Wall Street Journal, and he offers this mostly interesting but hardly hit-making collection of previously published columns. Like many pop songs, the structure is pretty simple. Myers (Why Jazz Happened) provides a new introduction to the songs, which were written between 1952 and 1991, setting each in its cultural context, as well as indicating its historical significance. For example, according to Myers, in the late 1980s R.E.M. thrived in a growing alternative music scene in which listeners developed deep personal attachments to bands that were singing about issues that concerned them. Following these introductions, Myers then turns the mike over to the artists, writers, musicians, and producers behind each song, who tell us about the stories behind it. Many artists are reflective: Bonnie Raitt says that writing her hit “Nick of Time” gave her a “sense of confidence and self-awareness that helped break through some stifling self-doubt.” Some point out that we can invest too much meaning in simple lyrics, as when Mick Jagger reminds us that his song “Moonlight Mile” is “definitely not about cocaine.” Some, like the Marvelettes’ lead singer, Katherine “Kat” Anderson Schaffner, reveal a song’s origins: “Please Mr. Postman” was an unfinished blues song written by William Garrett about a “nice postman in our projects” that the group finished and then recorded. Music fans will enjoy the behind-the-songs stories, but the book would have been even more compelling if Myers had provided a clearer sense of why he selected these songs and not others, and why songwriters such as Bob Dylan are glaringly absent from the collection.

A cultural history of the elusive hit single, focused on artists' recollections and studio alchemy.In 2011, Myers (Why Jazz Happened, 2012) began the Wall Street Journal's "Anatomy of a Song," which focused on "dramatic stories" of creativity. "I realized the column would be better served as an oral history," he writes, "with the stories told through songwriters' and artists' own words." The resulting book is "a five-decade oral history of rhythm & blues, rock and pop." Choosing 45 representational songs that topped the charts or were otherwise prominent, the author chronicles American pop from about 1952 to 1991, the era when radio could effectively "break" a song. Developing this overall narrative, Myers provides several paragraphs of context for the moment in which a song arrived, then switches to recollections of artists and producers. It's a clever concept that becomes repetitive. Still, his interview subjects are well-chosen, and the excerpts provide insight on the constantly changing technology and industry behind the hits. Initially, pop music was segregated and viewed as marginally profitable, allowing regional scenes to become suddenly prominent, as with the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman." As vocalist Kat Schaffner recalls, "Motown wanted a No. 1 pop hit, but [nobody] expected that five girls from Inkster [Michigan] were going to give it to them." While musicians like Keith Richards took advantage of new recording technologies ("Street Fighting Man"), the record industry was gradually losing control, as a reliance on "tightly controlled singles, with albums functioning merely as collections of these short records," gave way to the creative demands of groups like Led Zeppelin. Myers ably discusses such fluctuations within the cultural landscape during the 1960s and '70s, though he still tends toward generalizations--e.g., "Punk rock in New York had run its course by the 1970s." The book's strength lies in thoughtful, wry reflections from artists including Elvis Costello, Jimmy Cliff, Stevie Wonder, Booker T. Jones, Dr. John, and Debbie Harry. An entertaining record of the soundtrack of the baby boomer era. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2016

This books compiles Wall Street Journal columns by Myers (Why Jazz Happened) that use the popular oral history format to examine the creation of some of rock, R&B, and pop's most important songs. The book covers 45 songs, starting in 1952 (Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy") to 1991 (R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion"). Mainstream hits (like The Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love") are given equal time with album cuts (such as Stevie Wonder's "Love's in Need of Love Today" from Songs in the Key of Life) and countercultural classics ("White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane, "London Calling" by The Clash). The most compelling entries include Joni Mitchell's "Carey," which carries (forgive the pun) an interview with the song's inspiration, Cary Raditz, and the cross-cultural tale of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" (which later became an even bigger hit when the band collaborated with the important early rap group Run-D.M.C. in 1986). One may quibble with some of Myers's song selections: Why "Mercedes Benz" by Janis Joplin instead of "Me and Bobby McGee," or "Big City" by Merle Haggard and not "Mama Tried"? Still, most of the author's oral histories are informative and entertaining. VERDICT Recommended for libraries with a popular music section.--Brian Flota, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016
Based on his ongoing Wall Street Journal column of the same name, Myers' latest (after Why Jazz Happened, 2012) presents a detailed look at 45 iconic popular songs. Five decades of music are represented, beginning with Lloyd Price's Lawdy Miss Clawdy in 1952 and ending with R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion from 1991. The selected tunes span all genres: the British Invasion is represented by the Kinks' You Really Got Me; Motown is covered with Reach Out I'll be There, by the Four Tops; and the New Wave Eighties boasts songs by Elvis Costello, Blondie, and the Clash. Each entry begins with a narrative explaining the song's history and importance and then moves on to excerpts from interviews with key peoplefor example, Myers talked to Loretta Lynn for Fist City and to Roger Waters for Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall. Other interviews feature songwriters, producers, and audio editors. This will entice general readers and music lovers alike. In his introduction, Myers calls the book an oral history jukebox, and popular-music fans everywhere will want to be ready with a pocketful of dimes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2016
A cultural history of the elusive hit single, focused on artists' recollections and studio alchemy.In 2011, Myers (Why Jazz Happened, 2012) began the Wall Street Journal's "Anatomy of a Song," which focused on "dramatic stories" of creativity. "I realized the column would be better served as an oral history," he writes, "with the stories told through songwriters' and artists' own words." The resulting book is "a five-decade oral history of rhythm & blues, rock and pop." Choosing 45 representational songs that topped the charts or were otherwise prominent, the author chronicles American pop from about 1952 to 1991, the era when radio could effectively "break" a song. Developing this overall narrative, Myers provides several paragraphs of context for the moment in which a song arrived, then switches to recollections of artists and producers. It's a clever concept that becomes repetitive. Still, his interview subjects are well-chosen, and the excerpts provide insight on the constantly changing technology and industry behind the hits. Initially, pop music was segregated and viewed as marginally profitable, allowing regional scenes to become suddenly prominent, as with the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman." As vocalist Kat Schaffner recalls, "Motown wanted a No. 1 pop hit, but [nobody] expected that five girls from Inkster [Michigan] were going to give it to them." While musicians like Keith Richards took advantage of new recording technologies ("Street Fighting Man"), the record industry was gradually losing control, as a reliance on "tightly controlled singles, with albums functioning merely as collections of these short records," gave way to the creative demands of groups like Led Zeppelin. Myers ably discusses such fluctuations within the cultural landscape during the 1960s and '70s, though he still tends toward generalizations--e.g., "Punk rock in New York had run its course by the 1970s." The book's strength lies in thoughtful, wry reflections from artists including Elvis Costello, Jimmy Cliff, Stevie Wonder, Booker T. Jones, Dr. John, and Debbie Harry. An entertaining record of the soundtrack of the baby boomer era.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.