Customer Reviews

Songbook

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4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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
2. Thunder Road by Brice Springsteen
3. I'm Like a Bird by Nelly Furtato
4. Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin
5. One Man Guy by Rufus Wainwright
6. Samba pa Ti by Santana
7. Mama You Been on My Mind by Rod Stewart
8. Can You Please Crawl out Your Window? by Bob Dylan and Rain by The Beatles
9. You've Had Time by Ani DiFranco and I've Had It by Aimee Mann
10. Born for Me by Paul Westerberg
11. Franie Teardrop by Suicide and Ain't That Enough by Teenage Fanclub
12. First I Look at the Purse by J. Geils Band
13. Smoke by Ben Folds Five
14. A Minor Incident by Badly Drawn Boy
15. Glorybound by The Bible
16. Caravan by Van Morrison
17. So I'll Run by Butch Hancock Marce LaCouture
18. Puff the Magic Dragon by Gregory Isaacs
19. Reasons to Be Cheerful Part 3 by Ian Dury & the Blockheads and The Calvary Cross by Richard and Linda Thomson
20. Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne
21. Hey Self Defeater by Mark Mulcahy
22. Needle in a Haystack by the Velvettes
23. Let's Straighten It Out by O.V. Wright
24. Röyksopp's Nigh Out by Röyksopp
25. Frontier Psychiatrist by The Avalanches and No Fun/Push It by Soulwax
26. Pissing in a River by The Patti Smith Group

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.

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.

I like Nick Hornby a lot, but, unfortunately for him, I read "Songbook" immediately after having finished "Mainlines..." by Lester Bangs. To be blunt: Hornby ain't no Bangs. I think it's because he's just too darned nice. Or maybe he just doesn't do enough drugs. Sigh....

To be honest, I have not read the work of Nick Hornby but have seen the great films made of his work ("About A Boy", "High Fidelity"). I had read a review of the book when it was released and picked it up just recently and it was hard to put down. As a devoted music collector, this book was right up my alley and turned me on to some music that I never really listened to all that closely (Teenage Fanclub being the most significant example). The book is filled with entertaining essays on certain music that Hornby finds essential. I don't agree with him on some of it but he opens a forum for record shop conversation that one won't usually find at their local chain record store such as FYE. I highly recomend it to music buffs like myself who enjoy good dialogue about quality music. I would love to see Hornby write a follow up to this.

This collection of personal insights on pop music provides a series of essays and reflections on what makes good music, and what attracts listeners to music. Sprinkled within this first-person observational are reflections on the art of music and the appreciation of various pop artists and styles which will delight music-loving audiences.

Scanning the table of the contents of "Songbook," you may have no interest in reading the book. I sure didn't; I either didn't like or hadn't heard of most of the songs Hornby selected. So I certainly wasn't interested in reading essays about them.

"Songbook," however, does not consist of essays about songs, but rather uses songs of importance to the author to illustrate the importance, significance, beauty, and power of music in our everday lives. The essays use particular songs as a foundation for commenting on various stages, phases, and incidents in a person's life. Granted, some of the essays are rambling, and perhaps convey points of limited interest. Taken as a whole, though, the books works. I found myself repeatedly agreeing with Hornby about the role certain songs have played in my life. So while I might detest "Thunder road" (Hornby's favorite song), I was able to appreciate his insight into the enduring power of a person's, any person's, favorite song. He succeeds in making this connection more often than not, and for that reason alone, I recommend this book.

You know what I loved about High Fidelity? It thanked me for being as interested in music as I am. Even when he said Stiff Little Fingers sounded like Green Day and I yelled out at the TV screen (I've read the book too) "YOU'RE WRONG!" I still felt so cool for even knowing. It makes the piece so much more intimate, like how you would feel attached to a main character if she had the same name as your girlfriend.

So I expected Songbook to be exactly that. No story, just commentary on music which was just dandy to me. Sure, I'd only heard a couple of the songs, but where better to learn?

Well it turns out that it's much different than I thought. It should be stated that YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW THE SONGS though it's a nice bonus if you do. You see, these essays aren't about the songs but more about what they mean to him and what they mean about music, and there's so many times where us audiophiles will smile and nod. Not only that, but it's so telling about the author himself - what he cares to write about, his autistic son, and of course his tastes.

It's easy reading; In fact, it's an excellent bathroom reader. I wish mine came with this CD everybody's talking about

It was hard to get into the book after chapter 2. It turned into this rant about this song was a good choice for "About A boy" and this song wasn't, and I listened to this song when writting About a Boy. The opening chapter about Springsteen's thunder road was great, then the book just fizzled. The end of the book is filled with top ten lists thatyou'd find on any average person's website: pure filler.

OK, you people who criticize the book because you disagree with his musical taste are clearly not paying attention - THIS BOOK IS NOT ABOUT THE SONGS THEMSELVES.
The best essay in the book (Puff the Magic Dragon) barely even references the song it's titled after. Rather, the chapter is about his autistic child's response to music, and how that gives Hornby hope for his child's future.
It's in spots like these where Hornby shines - he is able to tackle matters of great gravity (his divorce, his autistic son) with with no bitterness and a healthy sense of humor. In a lesser author's hands, these subjects would be maudlin and corny - Hornby avoids that peril completely.
The book is about the connection between music and emotions - and how songs can exemplify what we want, need, and no longer desire in life, and it certainly tackles this subject well.