Songwriters On Songwriting: Revised And Expanded
£17.90£19.00 (-6%)
In these fifty-two interviews, the greatest songwriters of our time go straight to the source of the magic of songwriting by offering their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on their art. Representing almost every genre of popular music, from folk to Tin Pan Alley to jazz, from blues to pop rock, these are the figures who have shaped American music as we know it. Here they share their secrets and personal methods for converting inspiration into song: Robbie Robertson of the Band an Tom Petty talk about working with Bob Dylan; Dylan himself, in his only in-depth interview in more than ten years, says that the world doesn’t need any new songs; R.E.M. name their favorite R.E.M. songs; Madonna describes collaborating with Prince; Sammy Cahn talks about writing standards for Sinatra; Pete Seeger recounts hitting the road with Woody Guthrie; Frank Zappa admits to loving “Louie Louie”; Todd Rundgren explains how he dreams his songs; and, in the book’s most extensive interview, Paul Simon delves into his opus from “The Sound of Silence” to “Graceland.”
And almost all of them express delight at being able to talk about the mechanics of music itself, something that they have rarely been asked to discuss. Here expanded with new interviews with Burt Bacharach, Laura Nyro, Yoko Ono, Leonard Cohen, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Richard Thompson, and many others, Songwriters on Songwriting is a rare volume: one of the best books on the craft of musicmaking, an informative source for musicians and songwriters, and an invaluable historical record of the popular music of this century.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Da Capo Press, 4th Expanded ed. edition (19 Jun. 2003) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 752 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 9780306812651 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0306812651 |
| Dimensions | 22.78 x 15.39 x 4.9 cm |
by themighty
Great book, very inspiring for any songwriter, no matter what age
by Twenty1stCenturyreviewer
On the surface this may seem not the most interesting book to read, 700 pages with a variety of songwriters covering different genres and time periods. But this is a book to savour, to dip in where and when you choose, and every interview will leave you feeling you have learned something new. Whether you wish to read about older writers such as Sammy Cahn and his experiences writing for Frank SInatra, singer songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Paul SImon and Neil Young or more contemporary artists like Madonna and Suzanne Vega you will come away with a greater understanding of the craft of songwriting. A good holiday read for the beach.
Paul Zollo has an impressive CV; a Music and English graduate, editor of Songtalk (the journal of the National Academy of Songwriters), author of The Beginning Songwriters Answer Book, he has written for many music magazines and is an accomplished singer songwriter and recording artist. His understanding of songwriting and encyclopedic knowledge of the musicians he interviews allows his interviews to reveal a great deal about how they write, where they get inspiration from as well as some great anecdotes and stories.
There are a couple of notable omissions such as Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits, and such a collection seems strange without them. Also not all the interviews are the same length and some are a bit short, such as Mark Knopfler’s is only 6 pages whereas Paul SImon’s is 36 pages and generally the longer the interview, the more rewarding the read. Don’t let this small fault deter you as even the smaller interviews are illuminating in some way.
You can dip in and out.
by Gerbil
This book is awesome, it has been such an inspiration. I bought this for a friend and then she bought it for me too! You must read this if you are into songwriting…….there is something Magic about it! just could not put this down and after reading all of it I still pick this up for inspiration quite a lot 🙂
by Allan Keen.
Great book but mainly American songwriters featured. This is a big heavy book even in paperback.
by Geoff Watson
Gets a bit boring and repetitive after a while.
Would have been nice if he’d asked a set of basic questions such as ‘lyrics first or music. etc.
by Jay
I love this book even though I’d never heard of half of these people before (young and naive that I am).. Basically the author has compiled a collection of interviews with songwriters. Well written and very interesting. Even more so if you’re interested in songwriting yourself.. Some really great interviews. To name but one, Bob Dylan. Need I say more.. Don’t think twice it’s alright. 😉
Highly recommend this book x
by Peter Madeley
Great to dip into. The articles make me consider my own songwriting process. Doesn’t get bogged down in theory. If you want technical look elsewhere. If you want to know about the great songwriters inspirations on a daily basis, you will find it here. I really wish I had bought this book sooner. Most of the great songwriters are represented. I can see this being a well loved book which I will store in my songwriting bag.
by Alan Alario
This book covers the subjects you always want to read covered in interviews with your favorite songwriters, but unfortunately usually are pushed aside for more sensationalist fare. Similar questions are posed to a great number of great writers, mainly concerning the nuts and bolts of inspiration and artistic process. I got this book on the recommendation of Noel Gallagher and can’t say I was disappointed at all. Enthralling read.
Someone needs to do a second volume with the next generation of writers, as most of these writers are of the baby boomer era, being interviewed in the nineties.