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"And mostly all I have to say about these songs is that I love them, and want to sing along to them, and force other people to listen to them, and get cross when these other people don't like them as much as I do," writes Hornby. More than his humble disclaimer, he captures "the narcotic need" for repeat plays of Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird," and testifies that "you can hear God" in Rufus Wainwright's coy reinterpretation of his father Loudon's "One Man Guy" ("given a neat little twist by Wainwright Junior's sexual orientation..."). Especially poignant is his reaction to "A Minor Incident," a Badly Drawn Boy song written for the soundtrack of the film version of Hornby's book About a Boy. While Hornby was writing the book, his young son was diagnosed with autism--a fact that adds greater resonance to the seemingly unrelated song he hears much later: "I write a book that isn't about my kid, and then someone writes a beautiful song based on an episode in my book that turns out to mean something much more personal to me than my book ever did." Meandering asides and observations like this linger in your mind (just like a fantastic song) long after you've flipped past the final page.
The 11-song CD that accompanies the book is a great touch, but it's too bad it doesn't contain all of the featured songs--most likely the unfortunate result of licensing difficulties. Overall, Hornby's pitch-perfect prose, the quirky illustrations from Canadian artist Marcel Dzama, and a good cause--proceeds benefit TreeHouse, a U.K. charity for children with autism, and 826 Valencia, the nonprofit Bay Area learning center--add up to make Songbook a hit. Solid gold. --Brad Thomas Parsons --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Delivered in a hugely enjoyable, invisible prose that does in words what Hornby’s tunesmiths do with sound. He writes good."—Time Out London
"Quintessentially Hornby: an idiosyncratic and charming exploration of the meaning of music and how it changes as we grow up and grow old."—SeattleWeekly.com
"A book about the joy of listening to great pop songs, about the elusive genius of a catchy chorus...what shines most is Hornby himself—his wry self-awareness, his disarming honesty. Effortlessly readable, every chapter reminds us how special an observer of human behavior Hornby is"—Heat
“A small, singular, delightful collection [about] the power of songs to bind people culturally and to reach deeply into the human spirit, bending the heart into new shapes with new potential.”—The New York Times Book Review
"When Hornby writes about his enthusiasms and how they intertwine with his life, he's amusing and inspiring."—Rolling Stone
So we were doing this thing, this launch party, for Speaking with the Angel, a book of short stories I put together to raise money for my son's school, and we-the school, the publishers of the book, me, and my partner-were nervous about it. Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
31 Songs,
By
This review is from: Songbook (Paperback)
This is a dandy little book of short essays by the author of High Fidelity, Fever Pitch and About a Boy. Hornby takes 31 songs he likes and explains why he likes them, with music and autobiography pretty much running neck and neck throughout. There are a lot of observational gems that will work pretty well with anyone who loves music, especially pop music in all its forms.For example, Hornby observes at one point that his tendency to listen to a new song he likes over and over again amounts to an attempt to "decode" the song -- once the mystery has been solved, he can move on. My most recent foray int obsessive relistening was Arcade Fire's "Ready to Start", so I can relate, though unlike some people I've known, I generally don't subject others to my repetitive song-solving. That would be cruel. Hornby also notes that if someone's favourite song is the song that was playing when some life-altering event occurred, that someone probably doesn't like music that much. You like the songs for the songs; all the other stuff is secondary or perhaps even irrelevant in most cases. If you've ever spent uncounted hours trying to make perfect mixed tapes/CDs/playlists, you'll understand a lot of what Hornby describes here. Highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better Than I Expected!,
By William Heston (La Jolla, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Songbook (Paperback)
Hornby covers a wide range of topics here. He discusses how our favorite songs eventually blend in as part of our personalities, and we'll never be able to really remember the first time we heard them. There are discussions about how it's okay to claim that certain songs from revered artists just plan suck, and how there is no such as the perfect song for making love. He talks about how the next Lennon/McCartney team is probably already out there, but fragmented nature of the music industry will keep them from ever reaching the heights they deserve. There is some exploration of how songs with "edge" and "grit" will often leap to the forefront, but will never last for the ages. There's even some analysis of genuine musicianship, such as his investigation about how too many guitar solos are mean simply to take up space rather than capturing the soul of the song. So before going much further, let's see what songs Hornby discusses in the book: 1. Your Love Is the Place I Come From by Teenage Fanclub Now, I like to consider myself pretty well versed in music, but even if you're like me, you probably look at that list and say, "geez, I know about a third of these songs well, I've heard of a few of the rest, but I'm clueless about the rest." The list might seem daunting for all but the strongest music mavens, but there's nothing to fear. Even though Hornby find his inspiration in some rather little known songs, he simply uses those songs as springboards from which to launch his discussions on music in general. He never writes in a manner that assumes the reader already knows the music by heart. In fact most of the essays devote no more than seven or eight paragraphs directly to the song being discussed, reserving the rest of the text for philosophical discussions of music and for tangents that leap about among more well-known songs. Hornby's writing glimmers with an endearingly obsessive fandom of someone who's surrendered himself completely to the love of music, and therein lies the only real flaw in the book. Hornby often lapses into the vernacular of the devoted stereophile, and readers who aren't so particular about their own musical taste may feel a bit excluded, as if Hornby is talking down to them. Songbook probably won't turn anyone into a deep music lover, since those who really "get" the book will already be at such a level. Those readers who already love music (especially those who see a piece of themselves in the record store clerks fro High Fidelity) will get a warm, fuzzy feeling from the book. Another thing I need to mention is that the writing is very fluid and clear - a real pleasure to read. So pick up a copy of Songbook! And while I'm at it I need to also recommend another recent Amazon quick pick: The Losers' Club (Complete Restored Edition) by Richard Perez, a gritty, funny, urban novel that made me think of High Fidelity more than once.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love Music,
By
This review is from: Songbook (Paperback)
Hornby loves music. He expresses his love in this short book of essays. When he talks about music, he means pop, but not in the narrow sense of the term. Pop by his definition includes rock, reggae, country, R&B, rap, and so on. Through examining 31 songs, Hornby explores the many facets of pop. Some people would claim that pop is just junk or throw-away music, but Hornby claims this is actually one of the good points of pop music. Pop doesn't reach for immortality because it has the maturity to admit that immortality is impossible. Hornby is particularly critical of classical music. He claims it makes no sense to listen to music that has already been over-analyzed and has had the life drained out of it. There's nothing new to learn or experience. Whereas pop fans will always find something new or refreshing. Fans of pop enjoy the mystery of "figuring out" a song and when they're done, they move on to the next one. The puzzle is never complete. The challenge is eternal.If you're a fan of music, you have to read this book. Even if you don't agree with Hornby's opinions, you'll think about pop music in a different way. You'll find new life in your CD collection. Rediscover your love of music.
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