Anatomy Of A Song

Marc Myers GROVE/ATLANTIC MONTHLY. £19.60

A behind-the-curtain peek at the wizards of pop.

An expansion of his Wall Street Journal column of the same name, Marc Myers’ Anatomy Of A Song collects oral histories from songwriters, musicians and producers of 45 pop classics from the 1950s to the 1990s. Many of the songs that served as soundtracks of our lives are based on real-life scenarios. From The Young Rascals’ Groovin’ to Joni Mitchell’s Carey, the anecdotes give flesh to the meaning of the lyrics. Musical influences that get passed from artist to artist are equally fascinating – and often surprising. Motown staff scribe Lamont Dozier explains how Reach Out I’ll Be There by The Four Tops was inspired by Dylan’s “shoutsing” style in Like A Rolling Stone. And The Doors’ Ray Manzarek reveals that Light My Fire’s bass line “grew out of Fats Domino’s Blueberry Hill.” Myers’ book is big-fun forensic musicology.