The New York Times has published two excerpts from Bob Dylan's forthcoming book, The Philosophy of Modern Song -- essays on 65 songs and one poem.
Among the songs he wrote about are:
- "Truckin'" - Grateful Dead
- "Pump it Up" - Elvis Costello
- "London Calling" - The Clash
- "Black Magic Woman" - Fleetwood Mac/Santana
- "Midnight Rider" - Allman Brothers Band
- "Witchy Woman" - Eagles
There are also tunes written or recorded by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Warren Zevon, Jimmy Reed, Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Nina Simone, Cher and Rosemary Clooney.
The two excerpts in the Times, which also included the audio version, are on The Who's "My Generation" and Frank Sinatra's version of "Strangers in the Night," which was composed by Bert Kaempfert with lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder.
"My Generation": "Pete [Townshend] would probably be the first to tell you. He has a front-row seat for the history of his generation. He could read the picket signs against hatred and war. Well, that certainly ended that, thank you for your service. Each generation seems to have the arrogance of ignorance, opting to throw out what has gone before instead of building on the past. And they have no use for someone like Pete offering the wisdom of his experience, telling them what he has learned on the similar paths he has trod. And if he’d had the audacity to do so, there’s every chance that person would have looked up at Pete and told him that he couldn’t see him, he couldn’t hear him. And that gave Pete another idea."
"Strangers in the Night": "The song of the lone wolf, the outsider, the alien, the foreigner, and night owl who’s wheeling and dealing, putting everything up for sale and surrendering his self-interest. On the move aimlessly through the dingy darkness -- slicing up the pie of sentimental feelings, dividing it into pieces all the time, exchanging piercing penetrating looks with someone he hardly knows."
Dylan narrates some of the essays in the audiobook version, including "Strangers in the Night." Others are read by numerous celebrities, such as Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright and Renée Zellweger.
The Philosophy of Modern Song will be published on November 8th.
Source: NYT and Premiere
Photo: Getty Images