This book is fabulous, it takes me back so far into the days of these hits were played, to the extent of tying to find on my old records or CD's.
The book delve in the life of the various artists, that wrote and created the music from these hits. The concept of making songs seem s much easier and simpler in the early days, yet great hits that live on for generation are made. A very experimental time with very little technology and some very, very talented music and lyric makers.
A must read for anyone who is interested in music.
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There is much to like about “Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of 55 Hits That Changed Rock, R&B, and Soul” by Marc Myers. Mr. Myers hits on a lot of classic songs that helped shape popular music from 1964 until the present day. We see a wide variety of genres, covering Motown to heavy metal to California to British invasion. We learn about the inspiration for many of the songs, the situation surrounding the writing and recording of the songs, and the effect the songs had on the authors.

We also get the history directly from the key players, the artists, authors, and producers who were involved in making the song the hit it has become. I enjoyed learning about the backstory of several of the all-time greats, from Roxy Music to Joe Jackson to the Cars, and that I was wrong about Sheryl Crow and a bunch of other song inspirations!

However, there were parts that were difficult for me to get through, being a non-musician, all about the song structures and what the chord progressions were and how the guitars were tuned and other technical recording details. Probably very interesting for musicians, but not for me.

Well worth the read, a fun romp through the popular music of the past several decades.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Grove Atlantic, Grove Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

Absofreakinglutely love this book!
History of fifty five iconic songs! It's inspirational to be more creative you know.

There's songs by Elton John, Beach Boys, Black Sabbath, Keith Richards, Blondie, Al Stewart and lots more. You name it. It's here!

And the real pictures. I wasn't ready for this! Amazing content I say.

If you are someone who's really into the most classic iconic songs, just grab this book. It's so worth it.

Thank you, Grove Atlantic, for the advance review copy.

This sequel to Myers' 2106 Anatomy of a Song will be released on December 6, 2022. The publisher Grove Atlantic provided me an early galley in exchange for an honest review.

I first became familiar with Myers' work when he would come on to the Sirius XM music-talk channel Volume and its morning show Feedback. There, he would spend an hour going over his latest column with hosts Nik Carter and Lori Majewski, supplementing the pieces with music clips and more. I found I really enjoyed his in-depth analysis of these pop and rock classics.

I was born in the mid-60's and grew up on first AM radio and then FM too. As such, so many of the songs that are discussed in this collection are part of the musical tapestry that make up the soundtrack of my life. They are ingrained in my psyche and memories; I know every beat, every note, every lyric. What I enjoyed about this book is that now, through Myers' interviews, I could learn the stories behind the making of each of these fifty-five songs.

Hearing the stories from the writers and artists is important to me. Too often of late the news comes with the passing of another music industry legend. This collection of articles by Myers really captures those moments while the creators are still here to tell us about them.

If you're a music fanatic like myself, this is definitely one that you will want to check out. Each chapter is a digestible segment in and among itself. Together, they create a larger study of the musical landscape from the 60's through the 90's.

I have been a fan of Marc Myers from his column "Anatomy of a Song" in the Wall Street Journal and also had the opportunity to read his book "Rock Concert" that came out late last year and gave that five stars. This book is a compilation of his columns and focus on iconic songs from 1964-1996. Each of the 55 songs starts with a photo, an introduction setting the context of the genre followed by interviews with those who played a key role in the creation of the song (artists, composers, producers, musicians). As I read the book, I would pause and play the song so I could have a full experience. I also learned little known facts --who knew Al Stewart's song was originally going to be called "Horse of the Year," or that Carly Simon mistakenly thought Marvin Hamlisch was her tax attorney. We learn the significance of the 21st day of September (from the song "September" by Earth Wind and Fire), that the original name of a famous band was 'Pud" and that for over 35 years I had misheard the lyrics of "Rapture" to be more explicit than they are! This is such a fun book and I want to go create a playlist and go back and experience it all again. Did I mention that this is the second of two volumes? How did I miss the first one -- time to go read that one now! Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I highly recommend this well researched and very fun read!

I really enjoyed “the Anatomy of 55 more songs” Some of my favorites songs were in this book , and i loved getting to know more about them . If you like music you will loved this book..

I enjoyed and read the Anatomy of 55 more songs in one evening. If you’re of a certain age…which I am…you’ll remember the first time you heard these songs on the radio, and knowing the back stories is very interesting. I got a kick out of one of my all time favorites, Todd Rundgren, as he tells the story of Hello It’s Me, and how it came to be.