ANTHEMS WE LOVE by Steve Baltin is a collection of interviews with “29 Iconic Artists on the Hit Songs That Shaped Our Lives.” Baltin cites “two essential ingredients for an anthem. The first is timelessness. … The second, and more important, is universality.” He begins with “My Girl” by The Temptations (1964) and ends with “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance (2006). This book will definitely spark conversations and reminiscing – just take a look, for example, at the titles of songs and artists that appeared on the 1972 Billboard Year-end Hot 100 Singles chart. Still, I wonder if this text will appeal to today’s high school students; I played several songs by Don McLean in 2021/2022 school year and drew a big yawn - to them, the music was 50 year old songs, released even before their parents were born. That said, Baltin has gone to great effort to draw out his interviewees and to include new and often personal anecdotes. This collection will likely appeal to music enthusiasts of a certain age.
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