The Philosophy of Modern Song is a book by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, published on November 1, 2022, by Simon & Schuster. The book contains Dylan's commentary on 66 songs by other artists.[1][2] It is the first book Dylan has published since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.[3]
The Philosophy of Modern Song consists of 66 short essays on popular songs, the earliest of which is Uncle Dave Macon's 1924 recording of "Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy" and the most recent of which is Alvin Youngblood Hart's 2004 recording of Stephen Foster's "Nelly Was a Lady". Most of the chapters are divided into two parts, a poetic introductory segment in which Dylan uses a second-person point-of-view to inhabit the narrator of the song (what Simon & Schuster referred to as "dreamlike riffs" in pre-release publicity) followed by a more conventionally written essay portion.[4]
The book's publication was announced on March 8, 2022.[5] According to Simon & Schuster, Dylan had begun working on the book in 2010.[6]
Prior to its release, on October 13, 2022, excerpts from the book (from the chapters on "My Generation" and "Strangers in the Night") appeared in the New York Times.[7] The hardcover edition of The Philosophy of Modern Song was published on November 1, 2022. To promote the book, Dylan only consented to one interview, which appeared in the Wall Street Journal on December 19, 2022. In a discussion with critic and musician Jeff Slate, Dylan talked about songwriting, streaming music technology, life during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown and why the book included a thank you to the "crew at Dunkin' Donuts" ("because they were compassionate, supportive and they went the extra mile").[8] Later that same day, an extended version of the interview appeared on Dylan's official website.[9]
Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph awarded the book a full five stars, and described it as "an excuse for the great man to write with joyful zest, piercing profundity and flamboyant imagination about whatever crosses his mind".[11]David Remnick, writing in The New Yorker, praised it as "a rich, riffy, funny, and completely engaging book of essays".[12] The book was described as "absolutely one of the best books about popular music ever written" by Chris Willman in Variety.[13]Rolling Stone included it in a list of the "best music books of 2022".[14] The Chicago Tribune named it one of the "10 best books of 2022"[15] and the Sydney Morning Herald named it one of 10 books that "made their mark in 2022".[16] The Buffalo News cited it as "one of the great books...of the past decade".[17]
Jody Rosen of the LA Times and Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of The Financial Times both noted that only four of the songs included were by women, which they interpreted as a "misogynist" oversight on the part of the author.[18][19] Anne Margaret Daniel, writing in The Spectator, however, cautioned against looking at Dylan's choice of songs as representing any sort of canon or even list of "favorites", noting that Dylan actually seems to "dislike" some of the selections (e.g., Bing Crosby's "The Whiffenpoof Song" and the Eagles' "Witchy Woman"). Daniel noted that Dylan appears to be using this particular set of songs "to illustrate points, to instruct and to entertain, not to...tell us what he likes best".[20]
Author and Xavier University English Professor Graley Herren wrote an essay arguing that Dylan's commentary on Bing Crosby's "The Whiffenpoof Song" is actually a veiled critique of Yale University's secretive Skull and Bones society. Herren sees this critique as being in subtextual dialogue with the book's chapters on Edwin Starr's"War" and John Trudell's "Doesn't Hurt Anymore".[21]
The book features hundreds of photographs and illustrations, licensed from many different sources, the overall design of which is credited to Coco Shinomiya (who also designed several of Dylan's 21st century albums). When asked to discuss the "significance" of the images by Jeff Slate, Dylan responded, "They’re running mates to the text, involved in the same way, share the same outcome. They portray ideas and associations that you might not notice otherwise, visual interaction".[24] Anne Margaret Daniel wrote that the illustrations "deserve both mention and praise. They are copious, and they comment on, enrich and complicate every song". Daniel cites a film still of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? used to illustrate the divorce song "Cheaper to Keep Her" as "the perfect gimme" while noting that her favorites are the images of a flat sea, a whale hunt gone wrong and a still of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr kissing on the beach in From Here to Eternity, which more obliquely comment on Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea".[25]
Audiophile Magazine referred to Dylan's narration as "raspy and compelling" and wrote of the all-star cast: "Almost as one voice, the narrators create a flow of energy that adds immeasurably to the impact of Dylan’s poetic writing".[28]
Autograph controversy
900 limited edition hand-signed autograph versions of the book were offered for sale online through Simon & Schuster for a price of $599 in the U.S. but it was soon discovered that they were not actually hand-signed by Dylan. The books in question appeared to be machine signed by an autopen or signing device, using at least 17 different signature variations. The publisher apologized in a tweet and provided refunds.[29]
References
^"The Philosophy of Modern Song". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^Nelson, Elizabeth (October 31, 2022). "Bob Dylan takes us on a wide-ranging tour of songs he admires". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^Mackenzie, Steven (November 1, 2022). "Polygamy to Dunkin' Donuts: 7 insights from Bob Dylan's new book The Philosophy of Modern Song". The Big Issue. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^"Live Like a Poet: A Review of Bob Dylan's The Philosophy of Modern Song | Newcity Lit". November 1, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
^"The Philosophy of Modern Song | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
^"Bob Dylan on the Songs That Captivate and Define Us". The New York Times. October 13, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^Slate, Jeff. "Bob Dylan on Music's Golden Era vs. Streaming: 'Everything's Too Easy'". WSJ. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^"Bob Dylan Q&A about "The Philosophy of Modern Song" | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^"Book Marks reviews of The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan". Book Marks. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
^McCormick, Neil (November 28, 2022). . The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022.
^"A Unified Field Theory of Bob Dylan". The New Yorker. October 24, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
^Willman, Chris (November 1, 2022). "Bob Dylan's 'Philosophy of Modern Song' Cannily Mixes Music History With the Hardboiled Language of Pulp Fiction: Book Review". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^Tozzi, Jonathan Bernstein,David Browne,Andy Greene,Jeff Ihaza,Angie Martoccio,Michaelangelo Matos,Mosi Reeves,Rob Sheffield,Lisa; Bernstein, Jonathan; Browne, David; Greene, Andy; Ihaza, Jeff; Martoccio, Angie; Matos, Michaelangelo; Reeves, Mosi; Sheffield, Rob (December 23, 2022). "The Best Music Books of 2022". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^"The 10 Best Books of 2022: A Mason-Dixon mission, 'Rabbit Hutch' and, oh yeah, Bob Dylan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
^Steger, Jason (December 30, 2022). "The books that made their mark in 2022". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^Simon, Jeff. "Jeff Simon: I was fooled by Bob Dylan in a suit. His newest book proves his genius". Buffalo News. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
^Rosen, Jody (October 27, 2022). "Review: Bob Dylan's new book is revealing, misogynistic and a special kind of bonkers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (November 2, 2022). "The Philosophy of Modern Song — Bob Dylan's world of sound". Financial Times. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^"Bob Dylan's tower of song". The Spectator World. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
^Herren, Graley. "Come You Whiffenpoofs of War". thedylantantes.substack.com. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
^"Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction". The New York Times. November 20, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
^"Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Jan. 22, 2023 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
^"Bob Dylan Q&A about "The Philosophy of Modern Song" | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^"Bob Dylan's tower of song". The Spectator World. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
^Strauss, Matthew (October 6, 2022). "Bob Dylan's New Audiobook Is Voiced by Jeff Bridges, Helen Mirren, Steve Buscemi, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^Willman, Chris (October 4, 2022). "Bob Dylan Audiobook's Celebrity Readers and Their Chapters Revealed, From Helen Mirren on 'Pump It Up' to Alfre Woodard on 'Tutti Frutti' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^"THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG by Bob Dylan, read by Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright, Renée Zellweger". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
^Willman, Chris (November 20, 2022). "Bob Dylan Fans Who Bought $600 'Hand-Signed' Books With Replica Autographs Will Receive Refunds From Publisher". Variety. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
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philosophy, modern, song, book, american, singer, songwriter, dylan, published, november, 2022, simon, schuster, book, contains, dylan, commentary, songs, other, artists, first, book, dylan, published, since, awarded, nobel, prize, literature, cover, book, sho. The Philosophy of Modern Song is a book by American singer songwriter Bob Dylan published on November 1 2022 by Simon amp Schuster The book contains Dylan s commentary on 66 songs by other artists 1 2 It is the first book Dylan has published since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 3 The Philosophy of Modern SongCover of the book showing Little Richard Alis Lesley and Eddie Cochran on September 28 1957AuthorBob DylanPublisherSimon amp SchusterPublication dateNovember 1 2022Pages352ISBN978 1398519411 Contents 1 Summary 2 Chapters 3 Release and promotion 4 Reception 5 Images 6 Audiobook 7 Autograph controversy 8 ReferencesSummary EditThe Philosophy of Modern Song consists of 66 short essays on popular songs the earliest of which is Uncle Dave Macon s 1924 recording of Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy and the most recent of which is Alvin Youngblood Hart s 2004 recording of Stephen Foster s Nelly Was a Lady Most of the chapters are divided into two parts a poetic introductory segment in which Dylan uses a second person point of view to inhabit the narrator of the song what Simon amp Schuster referred to as dreamlike riffs in pre release publicity followed by a more conventionally written essay portion 4 Chapters EditSong Artist Songwriter s Detroit City Bobby Bare Danny Dill and Mel Tillis Pump It Up Elvis Costello amp the Attractions Elvis Costello Without a Song Perry Como Vincent Youmans Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu Take Me from This Garden of Evil Jimmy Wages Jimmy Wages There Stands the Glass Webb Pierce Russ Hull Mary Jean Shurtz and Autry Greisham Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me Billy Joe Shaver Billy Joe Shaver Tutti Frutti Little Richard Little Richard and Dorothy LaBostrie Money Honey Elvis Presley Jesse Stone My Generation The Who Pete Townshend Jesse James Harry McClintock Traditional Poor Little Fool Ricky Nelson Sharon Sheeley Pancho and Lefty Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard Townes Van Zandt The Pretender Jackson Browne Jackson Browne Mack the Knife Bobby Darin Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht The Whiffenpoof Song Bing Crosby Tod B Galloway Meade Minnigerode and George S Pomeroy You Don t Know Me Ray Charles Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker Ball of Confusion The Temptations Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong Poison Love Johnnie and Jack Mrs Elmer Laird Beyond the Sea Bobby Darin Jack Lawrence and Charles Trenet On the Road Again Willie Nelson Willie Nelson If You Don t Know Me by Now Harold Melvin amp the Blue Notes Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff The Little White Cloud That Cried Johnnie Ray Johnnie Ray El Paso Marty Robbins Marty Robbins Nelly Was a Lady Alvin Youngblood Hart Stephen Foster Cheaper to Keep Her Johnnie Taylor Mack Rice I Got a Woman Ray Charles Ray Charles and Renald Richard CIA Man The Fugs Tuli Kupferberg On the Street Where You Live Vic Damone Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner Truckin Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia Bob Weir Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter Ruby Are You Mad Osborne Brothers Cousin Emmy Old Violin Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck Volare Dean Martin Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci London Calling The Clash Joe Strummer and Mick Jones Your Cheatin Heart Hank Williams Hank Williams Blue Bayou Roy Orbison Roy Orbison and Joe Melson Midnight Rider The Allman Brothers Band Gregg Allman and Robert Kim Payne Blue Suede Shoes Carl Perkins Carl Perkins My Prayer The Platters Georges Boulanger Carlos Gomez Barrera and Jimmy Kennedy Dirty Life and Times Warren Zevon Warren Zevon Doesn t Hurt Anymore John Trudell John Trudell Key to the Highway Little Walter Big Bill Broonzy and Charlie Segar Everybody Cryin Mercy Mose Allison Mose Allison War Edwin Starr Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong Big River Johnny Cash Johnny Cash Feel So Good Sonny Burgess Herman Parker Blue Moon Dean Martin Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart Gypsies Tramps amp Thieves Cher Bob Stone Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy Uncle Dave Macon Uncle Dave Macon It s All in the Game Tommy Edwards Charles G Dawes and Carl Sigman A Certain Girl Ernie K Doe Allen Toussaint I ve Always Been Crazy Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings Witchy Woman Eagles Don Henley and Bernie Leadon Big Boss Man Jimmy Reed Luther Dixon and Al Smith Long Tall Sally Little Richard Enotris Johnson Robert Blackwell and Richard Penniman Old and Only in the Way Charlie Poole Charlie Poole and Norman Woodlief Black Magic Woman Santana Peter Green By the Time I Get to Phoenix Jimmy Webb Jimmy Webb Come On a My House Rosemary Clooney Ross Bagdasarian and William Saroyan Don t Take Your Guns to Town Johnny Cash Johnny Cash Come Rain or Come Shine Judy Garland Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer Don t Let Me Be Misunderstood Nina Simone Bennie Benjamin Horace Ott and Sol Marcus Strangers in the Night Frank Sinatra Bert Kaempfert Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman Saturday Night at the Movies The Drifters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil Waist Deep in the Big Muddy Pete Seeger Pete Seeger Where or When Dion and the Belmonts Richard Rodgers and Lorenz HartRelease and promotion EditThe book s publication was announced on March 8 2022 5 According to Simon amp Schuster Dylan had begun working on the book in 2010 6 Prior to its release on October 13 2022 excerpts from the book from the chapters on My Generation and Strangers in the Night appeared in the New York Times 7 The hardcover edition of The Philosophy of Modern Song was published on November 1 2022 To promote the book Dylan only consented to one interview which appeared in the Wall Street Journal on December 19 2022 In a discussion with critic and musician Jeff Slate Dylan talked about songwriting streaming music technology life during the COVID 19 pandemic induced lockdown and why the book included a thank you to the crew at Dunkin Donuts because they were compassionate supportive and they went the extra mile 8 Later that same day an extended version of the interview appeared on Dylan s official website 9 Reception EditAccording to the book review aggregator Book Marks the book was received positively based on 36 reviews 10 Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph awarded the book a full five stars and described it as an excuse for the great man to write with joyful zest piercing profundity and flamboyant imagination about whatever crosses his mind 11 David Remnick writing in The New Yorker praised it as a rich riffy funny and completely engaging book of essays 12 The book was described as absolutely one of the best books about popular music ever written by Chris Willman in Variety 13 Rolling Stone included it in a list of the best music books of 2022 14 The Chicago Tribune named it one of the 10 best books of 2022 15 and the Sydney Morning Herald named it one of 10 books that made their mark in 2022 16 The Buffalo News cited it as one of the great books of the past decade 17 Jody Rosen of the LA Times and Ludovic Hunter Tilney of The Financial Times both noted that only four of the songs included were by women which they interpreted as a misogynist oversight on the part of the author 18 19 Anne Margaret Daniel writing in The Spectator however cautioned against looking at Dylan s choice of songs as representing any sort of canon or even list of favorites noting that Dylan actually seems to dislike some of the selections e g Bing Crosby s The Whiffenpoof Song and the Eagles Witchy Woman Daniel noted that Dylan appears to be using this particular set of songs to illustrate points to instruct and to entertain not to tell us what he likes best 20 Author and Xavier University English Professor Graley Herren wrote an essay arguing that Dylan s commentary on Bing Crosby s The Whiffenpoof Song is actually a veiled critique of Yale University s secretive Skull and Bones society Herren sees this critique as being in subtextual dialogue with the book s chapters on Edwin Starr s War and John Trudell s Doesn t Hurt Anymore 21 The book debuted at number three on The New York Times nonfiction best seller list for the week ending November 5 2022 22 It spent 10 consecutive weeks on the list 23 Images EditThe book features hundreds of photographs and illustrations licensed from many different sources the overall design of which is credited to Coco Shinomiya who also designed several of Dylan s 21st century albums When asked to discuss the significance of the images by Jeff Slate Dylan responded They re running mates to the text involved in the same way share the same outcome They portray ideas and associations that you might not notice otherwise visual interaction 24 Anne Margaret Daniel wrote that the illustrations deserve both mention and praise They are copious and they comment on enrich and complicate every song Daniel cites a film still of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor from Who s Afraid of Virginia Woolf used to illustrate the divorce song Cheaper to Keep Her as the perfect gimme while noting that her favorites are the images of a flat sea a whale hunt gone wrong and a still of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr kissing on the beach in From Here to Eternity which more obliquely comment on Bobby Darin s Beyond the Sea 25 Audiobook EditAn audiobook version of The Philosophy of Modern Song was released concurrently with the book 26 The audiobook was narrated by Dylan with actors Jeff Bridges Oscar Isaac Rita Moreno Jeffrey Wright Sissy Spacek John Goodman Alfre Woodard Steve Buscemi Helen Mirren and Renee Zellweger as guest narrators 27 Audiophile Magazine referred to Dylan s narration as raspy and compelling and wrote of the all star cast Almost as one voice the narrators create a flow of energy that adds immeasurably to the impact of Dylan s poetic writing 28 Autograph controversy Edit900 limited edition hand signed autograph versions of the book were offered for sale online through Simon amp Schuster for a price of 599 in the U S but it was soon discovered that they were not actually hand signed by Dylan The books in question appeared to be machine signed by an autopen or signing device using at least 17 different signature variations The publisher apologized in a tweet and provided refunds 29 References Edit The Philosophy of Modern Song Simon amp Schuster Retrieved November 3 2022 Nelson Elizabeth October 31 2022 Bob Dylan takes us on a wide ranging tour of songs he admires The Washington Post Retrieved November 3 2022 Mackenzie Steven November 1 2022 Polygamy to Dunkin Donuts 7 insights from Bob Dylan s new book The Philosophy of Modern Song The Big Issue Retrieved November 3 2022 Live Like a Poet A Review of Bob Dylan s The Philosophy of Modern Song Newcity Lit November 1 2022 Retrieved December 28 2022 The Philosophy of Modern Song The Official Bob Dylan Site www bobdylan com Retrieved December 28 2022 The Philosophy of Modern Song November 1 2022 ISBN 978 1 4516 4870 6 Bob Dylan on the Songs That Captivate and Define Us The New York Times October 13 2022 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved December 20 2022 Slate Jeff Bob Dylan on Music s Golden Era vs Streaming Everything s Too Easy WSJ Retrieved December 20 2022 Bob Dylan Q amp A about The Philosophy of Modern Song The Official Bob Dylan Site www bobdylan com Retrieved December 20 2022 Book Marks reviews of The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan Book Marks Retrieved November 19 2022 McCormick Neil November 28 2022 The Philosophy of Modern Song review Bob Dylan tackles pop polygamy and PC culture with wicked wit The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on October 28 2022 A Unified Field Theory of Bob Dylan The New Yorker October 24 2022 Retrieved November 23 2022 Willman Chris November 1 2022 Bob Dylan s Philosophy of Modern Song Cannily Mixes Music History With the Hardboiled Language of Pulp Fiction Book Review Variety Retrieved November 3 2022 Tozzi Jonathan Bernstein David Browne Andy Greene Jeff Ihaza Angie Martoccio Michaelangelo Matos Mosi Reeves Rob Sheffield Lisa Bernstein Jonathan Browne David Greene Andy Ihaza Jeff Martoccio Angie Matos Michaelangelo Reeves Mosi Sheffield Rob December 23 2022 The Best Music Books of 2022 Rolling Stone Retrieved December 24 2022 The 10 Best Books of 2022 A Mason Dixon mission Rabbit Hutch and oh yeah Bob Dylan Chicago Tribune Retrieved December 10 2022 Steger Jason December 30 2022 The books that made their mark in 2022 The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved December 31 2022 Simon Jeff Jeff Simon I was fooled by Bob Dylan in a suit His newest book proves his genius Buffalo News Retrieved December 10 2022 Rosen Jody October 27 2022 Review Bob Dylan s new book is revealing misogynistic and a special kind of bonkers Los Angeles Times Retrieved November 3 2022 Hunter Tilney Ludovic November 2 2022 The Philosophy of Modern Song Bob Dylan s world of sound Financial Times Retrieved November 3 2022 Bob Dylan s tower of song The Spectator World Retrieved December 24 2022 Herren Graley Come You Whiffenpoofs of War thedylantantes substack com Retrieved November 23 2022 Combined Print amp E Book Nonfiction The New York Times November 20 2022 Retrieved November 20 2022 Hardcover Nonfiction Books Best Sellers Books Jan 22 2023 The New York Times The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved January 20 2023 Bob Dylan Q amp A about The Philosophy of Modern Song The Official Bob Dylan Site www bobdylan com Retrieved December 29 2022 Bob Dylan s tower of song The Spectator World Retrieved December 29 2022 Strauss Matthew October 6 2022 Bob Dylan s New Audiobook Is Voiced by Jeff Bridges Helen Mirren Steve Buscemi and More Pitchfork Retrieved November 3 2022 Willman Chris October 4 2022 Bob Dylan Audiobook s Celebrity Readers and Their Chapters Revealed From Helen Mirren on Pump It Up to Alfre Woodard on Tutti Frutti EXCLUSIVE Variety Retrieved November 3 2022 THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG by Bob Dylan read by Bob Dylan Jeff Bridges Steve Buscemi John Goodman Oscar Isaac Helen Mirren Rita Moreno Sissy Spacek Alfre Woodard Jeffrey Wright Renee Zellweger AudioFile Magazine Retrieved November 24 2022 Willman Chris November 20 2022 Bob Dylan Fans Who Bought 600 Hand Signed Books With Replica Autographs Will Receive Refunds From Publisher Variety Retrieved November 23 2022 This article about a non fiction book is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Philosophy of Modern Song amp oldid 1136608295, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
