![]() So, if you're a huge fan of the author's songs and have a high tolerance for self-importance, this might be the perfect work for you. I should have known when the author ranted about the evils of "false" rhymes and how nobody who uses them will ever amount to anything that he and I would find little common ground. Did I need another graph a page or two later illustrating how this exact same thing applies to a 5-verse song? This is the point where I just couldn't find the will to continue. It came down to the forceful presentation of personal opinion as if it were objective fact, a tendency to rely heavily on his own material to draw examples from that I didn't find especially inspiring, and some serious pacing issues.ĭid we really need a visual aid with descriptions of what the axes represent to get across the idea that emotional intensity grows throughout a 2-verse song? I certainly didn't. It isn't that the author doesn't know what he's talking about, because he's clearly an accomplished professional with an impressive resume. It's not that it's badly written, as the author's written style is moderately engaging. At less than a third of the way through it's time to admit that it just isn't for me. How could I go wrong? In practice, this is was a book I kept finding reasons to avoid coming back to. It's a topic of significant personal interest and this was a title that has really high average reviews. I've read a number of music theory, production, and songwriting books that I just couldn't put down. Thanks for a great read Jimmy, and the inspiration to go write more songs! At times you get the feeling the Jimmy is dismissive of certain types of music, but this final list pays respect to songwriters of all genres and different generations. The Internet is discussed every so often, but as this was really the dawn of the World Wide Web, there's no foreboding of the negative impact it was to have on future music sales.įinally, one of the most touching finishes to the book was a page dedicated to all the songwriters that had passed away during the time he'd written the book: Kurt Cobain, Tupac, Jeff Buckley, Jerry Garcia, John Denver, Henry Mancini, Frank Sinatra and many more. This book was published in 1998, and it's interesting to read Jimmy describing both the sense of optimism with regards to sales, and the pessimism with regards to the quality of the music then being written/produced. Also be prepared to be peppered with a million songs, artists, and songwriters that you've never heard of before. So, there's certainly inspiration to be found within the pages of this book. , and I'm picking up my guitar and applying some of what I just read. A/B/A/A/B/B ) alone almost got me to put this book down for good yet again! Yet, a few chapters later and Jimmy's explained triads, inversions, sus chords. I wouldn't recommend this book for everyone. Who'd ever think a book on songwriting could be 400+ pages long? Jimmy Webb has written a brilliant book, that encompasses history, theory, instruction/guidelines, current affairs, and more, all in relation to this craft of writing songs. I don’t know what Harold would make of it, but I think you’ll like it just fine.I finally managed to finish this book on my second, or maybe even third attempt. Some highlights: Wonderfully lush versions of Paper Moon and I Wonder Whatever Became Of Me by balladeer Rufus Wainwright a downtown jazzbo revamp of the title cut by Debbie Harry a raucous Cab Calloway-style take on Kickin’ The Gong Around by David Johansen a sultry version of I’ve Got The World On A String by the suitably flamboyant Hawksley Workman and a torchy Come Rain Or Come Shine by (who else?) Sandra Bernhard. The 17-track Stormy Weather takes a similar tack, getting contemporary artists to reinterpret these classic tunes. Naturally, they’re all part of this outstanding tribute album brought to you by the same folks behind the memorable 1997 Kurt Weil tribute September Songs. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):Īside from Stormy Weather, ’30s tunesmith Harold Arlen wrote nearly as many standards as Lennon and McCartney - Come Rain Or Come Shine, It’s Only A Paper Moon, Blues In The Night, Get Happy and a little ditty called Over The Rainbow were in his resume. This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it.
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