Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Penguin Books Ltd (2003), Paperback, 256 pages
Description
Here, Nick Hornby writes about 31 songs - most of them loved, some of them once loved, all of them significant to him. He begins with Teenage Fanclub's Your Love is the Place that I Come From and ends with Patti Smith's Pissing in a River, encompassing varied singers along the way, such as Van Morrison and Nelly Furtado, and songs as different as Thunder Road and Puff the Magic Dragon (reggae style). He discusses, among other things, guitar solos, singers whose teeth whistle and the sort of music you hear in the Body Shop.
User reviews
LibraryThing member paulmorriss
I once bought a music magazine and came to the conclusion that I'd rather listen to music than read about it. However with this book I've changed my mind. You don't even have to have heard of some of these songs to appreciate the book, but it would probably help if there are some you know, or if
A fine example of writing about music.
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you've heard of other songs and artists that he mentions. A fine example of writing about music.
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LibraryThing member KLmesoftly
A series of essays on contemporary music and the role it has played in his life. I was expecting to enjoy this, as I'm a huge Nick Hornby fan (About a Boy, Juliet, Naked, and High Fidelity are among my favorite novels), but I wasn't expecting it to be as particularly thought-provoking as I found
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it. I'd recommend this to anyone who'd like to think a little bit more about what he listens to--what makes music important in our lives, as well as the peculiarities of genre and the biases of our fellow listeners. Show Less
LibraryThing member harrietbrown
I thought this book was outstanding. It was very interesting to hear about Mr. Hornby's relationship to music and certain songs in particular. It was fascinating to get inside the head of someone who wanted to be a musician, but decided to become a writer because it was the closest he could get to
If you enjoy reading about the impact music has had on the lives and thoughts of other people, I would suggest reading this book. It is well-written, and personally, I always find Mr. Hornby can make me laugh, even while he's discussing a serious topic. Definitely worth the price of admission!
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writing songs. These aren't necessarily Mr. Hornby's favorite songs; they are songs with which he has a special relationship; not necessarily because of certain memories that the songs summon up, but because the song themselves, the music and the lyrics together, give him something to think about. If you enjoy reading about the impact music has had on the lives and thoughts of other people, I would suggest reading this book. It is well-written, and personally, I always find Mr. Hornby can make me laugh, even while he's discussing a serious topic. Definitely worth the price of admission!
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LibraryThing member delphica
(#25 in the 2004 Book Challenge)
I felt very fraudulent purchasing, and then reading, this book, because I know nothing about music and I'm not even that interested in it. For a change, this wasn't even my own paranoia talking, Mr. Hornby says it right in the prologue, that people who aren't
Grade: B+, although it is entirely possible that he had some very profound insights about pop music that I simply didn't pick up on, and could thus merit a higher grade. I like his non-fiction writing very much, but I think that these essays were mostly too short to really showcase the things I like about his writing. I guess I should say what that is -- I like how he can layer on about 20 tangents and still neatly wrap everything up in the end, but in essays of only a few pages in length, there's only so many (about three) tangents you can get in there without bending the laws of physics.
Recommended: To people who like music (which has got be about 98% of people on the planet, yes?), and for the other two percent, the subset of those who do not like music but do in fact like Nick Hornby.
I felt very fraudulent purchasing, and then reading, this book, because I know nothing about music and I'm not even that interested in it. For a change, this wasn't even my own paranoia talking, Mr. Hornby says it right in the prologue, that people who aren't
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interested in music have no business reading this book. Still, I like him a lot as an author, he turns a phrase like nobody's business and he has an amazing knack for writing about current culture and referencing it in a way that doesn't seem intrusive or easily dated as time goes by. Obviously, we'll have to see more on this point as time in fact goes by, but still, it reads extremely well and doesn't have the goofy (brand) name dropping feel of say, Douglas Coupland's prose.Grade: B+, although it is entirely possible that he had some very profound insights about pop music that I simply didn't pick up on, and could thus merit a higher grade. I like his non-fiction writing very much, but I think that these essays were mostly too short to really showcase the things I like about his writing. I guess I should say what that is -- I like how he can layer on about 20 tangents and still neatly wrap everything up in the end, but in essays of only a few pages in length, there's only so many (about three) tangents you can get in there without bending the laws of physics.
Recommended: To people who like music (which has got be about 98% of people on the planet, yes?), and for the other two percent, the subset of those who do not like music but do in fact like Nick Hornby.
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LibraryThing member manatree
Really disappointed with this book. Up until now, I've enjoyed all of Hornby's writing, both fiction and non. I usually find his writing very tight. Unfortunately, I can not say the same about this one. Music often plays a key role in his books, so I figured that he would give the same quality
It's boring as hell. Each chapter is a long, rambling, drawn out affair even though they are only a few pages. Each chapter is allegedly about one or two songs. However he flies off on tangents about other songs and artists and seldom makes any connection to the song he is purportedly writing about.
I stopped after page 56.
Why?
Because the author told me to.
In the chapter that is supposed to be about Paul Westerberg's song "Born for Me" Hornby gets hung up on a tangent about the pointlessness of musical solos. He waxes poetic about the time that he walked out of a Led Zepplin show during john Paul Jones's "interminable keyboard extravaganza" and went to a local pub for a pint and a game of pool. He later returned to the concert for the finish.
"YOU'RE ALLOWED TO WALK OUT" he proclaims. It's permissible to leave if you are bored.
Well, Mr. Hornby. I am indeed bored, so I shall walk out and perhaps come back to another book of yours.
It seems as if the publisher merely took Hornby's initial notes and published them as a finished, edited manuscript.
I gave it one star since I did not finish the book. perhaps if i ever come back to it, I might find some redeeming factor in the remaining 75%.
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treatment to his favorite songs that he does to his essays on what he is reading in such collections as "The Polysyllabic Spree ."It's boring as hell. Each chapter is a long, rambling, drawn out affair even though they are only a few pages. Each chapter is allegedly about one or two songs. However he flies off on tangents about other songs and artists and seldom makes any connection to the song he is purportedly writing about.
I stopped after page 56.
Why?
Because the author told me to.
In the chapter that is supposed to be about Paul Westerberg's song "Born for Me" Hornby gets hung up on a tangent about the pointlessness of musical solos. He waxes poetic about the time that he walked out of a Led Zepplin show during john Paul Jones's "interminable keyboard extravaganza" and went to a local pub for a pint and a game of pool. He later returned to the concert for the finish.
"YOU'RE ALLOWED TO WALK OUT" he proclaims. It's permissible to leave if you are bored.
Well, Mr. Hornby. I am indeed bored, so I shall walk out and perhaps come back to another book of yours.
It seems as if the publisher merely took Hornby's initial notes and published them as a finished, edited manuscript.
I gave it one star since I did not finish the book. perhaps if i ever come back to it, I might find some redeeming factor in the remaining 75%.
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LibraryThing member datrappert
I read this in one sitting. You don't have to agree with everything Hornby says to thoroughly enjoy this book. But when he admits that Springsteen's Thunder Road is probably the song he has listened to the most, how can you not want to rush out (or fire up your Zune Pass) and download the others?
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Each essay is only tangentially about the song or songs that provide the title. It is more about the importance of music in Hornby's life, and the more important music is in your life, the more you will enjoy this. It may even serve to rouse you out of the stupor you have been in for the past 20 years and start to look for new songs to listen to and love. Hornby's tastes are pretty eclectic, although it is a shame that he mostly dismisses classical music. I can attest that it is possible to get the same epiphany from Chopin or Beethoven that comes from Thunder Road. Show Less
LibraryThing member Griff
Songbook is a must for anyone who enjoys modern music. It is Hornby’s collection of essays on songs that have meaning to him, but do not look for traditional music criticism. Rather, get ready for irreverent and rollicking commentaries. Consistently, however, Hornby manages to strike a chord - a
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very personal chord that touches one's soul now and again. His love of music - "pop music" - is palpable, as is his love of how it transports him beyond the words of the lyrics and the chords of the tune. This is a book that ends much too quickly, but then again, it is the type of book that should end too quickly. Do not hesitate to buy it. A guaranteed winner. Show Less
LibraryThing member rkstafford
A quick read. At times funny and insightful, and never dull.
LibraryThing member bemike
This is a book about 31 quite different songs the author happens to like (and some albums - to make a book a bit thicker). And, despite its seemingly random nature, the reviews work quite well together and even provide some pretty emotional moments. Not a must, but a nice one...
LibraryThing member wordygirl39
I love all things Nick Hornby. I want to be the female Nick Hornby on the other side of the pond. This book kind of stole my thunder, though--I've wanted to write a book about all the music I love for a long time and Hornby beat me to it, doing it better than I ever could have because he's a Brit
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and they have such great words. Show Less
LibraryThing member miketheriley
A collection of stories about Nick's favorite songs. I found it hard to be interested if I did not know the song in question. I dont think I ended up reading all of it.
LibraryThing member sadiebooks
pretty good. show's his obession with music well.
LibraryThing member debnance
Nick Hornby (author of About a Boy, etc.) writes essays about his favorite songs. I had never heard of a single song in this book until now. The book comes with a CD of some of the music, but that wasn't enough for me; I downloaded all the music from the Internet and listened to each song before
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reading the essay that went with it. Great fun! Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member juniperSun
I borrowed this book because of a review that said Nick Hornsby writes so well that even if you never listen to music you'll enjoy this book, which is about modern life, really, and only incidentally about the music which is the soundtrack to Hornby's life.
Well, it got me thru a 3 hour wait while
Well, it got me thru a 3 hour wait while
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my car was being repaired, and there are a few thought-provoking statements, but all in all I've decided to return it only half read. I've got more interesting things to do with my life. Show Less
LibraryThing member verenka
what an interesting book! i knew only few of the songs and albums hornby mentions, but even so i found his opinion really interesting. i also really liked the autobiographic references he made to his son and his failed marriage.
i have often wondered myself, why some pop songs just work for me and
the book also made me curious about a couple of the bands mentioned which i haven't listened to before. i will check them out if i get the chance and see if i share his enthusiasm about it.
i have often wondered myself, why some pop songs just work for me and
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others don't, when it's all "just pop". it's good to read about someone defending "just pop" for once :-)the book also made me curious about a couple of the bands mentioned which i haven't listened to before. i will check them out if i get the chance and see if i share his enthusiasm about it.
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LibraryThing member CBMcGuire
A great book of music criticism and why music matters
LibraryThing member AmberMcWilliams
Terrific book - Hornby is a great writer on any topic, but when he's enthusing about music he is top notch. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member MHanover10
Nick Hornby is a good writer and it is obvious with this book. But this was a really boring book. As I was reading about songs I didn't know or could care about I wondered how this book even got made and who would really buy it. I fill like it was something he just did to fulfill an obligation. I'm
I won this book on Goodreads and thank the publisher for my copy.
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glad I could read it in a day.I won this book on Goodreads and thank the publisher for my copy.
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LibraryThing member Fiddleback_
Thinking about his favorite music.
LibraryThing member ursula
Uneven collection of essays about songs that are meaningful to Hornby. Insight into his feelings about and relationship with his autistic son was very interesting.
LibraryThing member CraigGoodwin
A pleasant read that is well written and contains considered opinions. Some of the chapters are clearly heartfelt, whereas others appear to be an opinion about pop music in search of a song by way of example.
His n = 1 view of music is very different to my equivalent, nonetheless I found myself
His n = 1 view of music is very different to my equivalent, nonetheless I found myself
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agreeing with many of the underlying sentiments. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
National Book Critics Circle Award (Finalist — 2003)
Language
Original publication date
2002-12
Physical description
256 p.; 7.72 inches
ISBN
0141013400 / 9780141013404
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