Hotrod's review
Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting
by Jimmy Webb
Hotrod's review
Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb
Hotrod's review
rating:
recommended for: songwriters. Period.
Absolutely, completely, ridiculously, inarguably the greatest book about songwriting ever written. Webb's one of those "behind the scenes" master songwriters of the twentieth century whose name most people have never heard but whose songs everyone has heard - "Wichita Lineman," "Didn't we," "By the time I get to phoenix," "The moon's a harsh mistress," and classic groaner "MacArthur Park" only scratch the surface. This isn't some sort of "how to write better songs" workbook for aspiring songwriters, but rather a scholarly and informed exploration of the true craft of songwriting. At the same time, it's readable and humorous enough that non-musicians will get a kick out of the anecdotes and dissections of songwriters from Gershwin and Porter to Cobain and Corgan.
