by Bob Dylan
First published 2022
Bob Dylan returns to prose writing after nearly two decades with his analysis of popular music. The Nobel Prize winner examines over sixty songs by other artists, from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, including works by Hank Williams and Nina Simone. Dylan dissects the mechanics of songwriting, explaining how easy rhymes can trap composers and how a single added syllable can weaken a song. He connects seemingly disparate genres, showing links between bluegrass and heavy metal. The book combines music criticism with broader reflections on human nature. Dylan intersperses his essays with nearly 150 photographs and poetic interludes that read like dream sequences. He draws on decades of experience as a recording artist who has placed albums on the Billboard Top 40 in every decade since the 1960s. The result offers readers both technical insights into songcraft and Dylan's distinctive perspective on American popular music.
Genres: art, essays, literary-criticism, biography-memoir, music, criticism, 21st-century, americana
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: expert-perspective, personal-reflection
Period: 1960s, 20th-century, 21st-century
339 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster