Anatomy of 55 More Songs by Marc Myers

ANATOMY OF 55 MORE SONGS by Marc Myers, a well-known Wall Street Journal reporter, provides “The Oral History of 55 Hits That Changed Rock, Pop, and Soul.” Readers will be familiar with many of the titles – in fact, the Library Journal review suggests using the songs - released between 1964 and 1996 - as a basis for a playlist! For each piece of music, Myers provides a black and white photo of the principle artist and then several pages of commentary based on his interviews with singers, musicians, producers, and writers. It was interesting to note the connections and influences between songs or artists (e.g., Dionne Warwick’s “Walk on By” and Roberta Flack’s version of “Killing Me Softly with His Song”). The 55 iconic songs span a range of styles and performers from The Beach Boys (“Good Vibrations”); Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Bad Moon Rising”); Elton John (“Rocket Man”); Carly Simon (“Nobody Does it Better”); and Talking Heads (“Burning Down the House”) to many more.  Fans will undoubtedly enjoy the insights Myers shares.