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American Heartbeat: Travels from Woodstock to San Jose by Song Title
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- GenresMusic
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1993
About the author
Mick Brown
19 books9 followersMick Brown (born 1950 in London) is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph. He is also a broadcaster and the author of several books
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 3, 2019
2019 book 140. I have mixed emotions about this book. Things you need to know 1) The author is British and has spent his life engaged in the rock and roll music / blues business. 2) The frontispiece says this is an exploration of the music that refers to different cities giving one to believe it will mostly be about the reasons a song was written and, I thought, other songs about that city.
What the book turns out to be is an economic/history reflection on life in each city - showing the division between poverty and wealth that was developing during the Ronald Reagan years and immediately thereafter. It was interesting to look back those 30 - 40 years ago and see the U.S. reflected through his eyes.
I do have a qualm with the book. He attends a historically black church (Disciples of Christ-and my sister's denomination) and has an extensive interview on its role in the south and that city. Then he encounters a United Church of Christ (my denomination) Pension Board meeting and without speaking to any of the attendees describes them as born again, middle American all white not interested in the poverty around them. (I'd like to think he thought it was the Church of Christ when he looked it up because of part of the description). Even in that time period that committee was composed of multiple ethnic groups - almost all retired ministers who served their communities (wealthy, middle class, and poverty) during their careers, who in their retirement would take on the duties of visiting the retired of the church, visiting them 4 times a year - checking out nursing home care, hospital care, and in home care and needs. They would drive hundreds of miles every quarter to serve people who had given their life to caring for others. I know this because my parents attended this meeting as interested observers and Mother ultimately benefited from the visits. The nursing home administrators were anxious when the visits came because word had spread of reports on poor quality made to state and federal agencies after such a visit. If that is not caring about "the least of these", I don't know what is.
Sorry rant over - but when I run across a statement like this - it makes me wonder about the rest of his characterizations of the people and group he encountered. Oh - and in each city there is only a little bit about the song that supposedly drew him to the city. Which is why I picked the book up in the first place.
What the book turns out to be is an economic/history reflection on life in each city - showing the division between poverty and wealth that was developing during the Ronald Reagan years and immediately thereafter. It was interesting to look back those 30 - 40 years ago and see the U.S. reflected through his eyes.
I do have a qualm with the book. He attends a historically black church (Disciples of Christ-and my sister's denomination) and has an extensive interview on its role in the south and that city. Then he encounters a United Church of Christ (my denomination) Pension Board meeting and without speaking to any of the attendees describes them as born again, middle American all white not interested in the poverty around them. (I'd like to think he thought it was the Church of Christ when he looked it up because of part of the description). Even in that time period that committee was composed of multiple ethnic groups - almost all retired ministers who served their communities (wealthy, middle class, and poverty) during their careers, who in their retirement would take on the duties of visiting the retired of the church, visiting them 4 times a year - checking out nursing home care, hospital care, and in home care and needs. They would drive hundreds of miles every quarter to serve people who had given their life to caring for others. I know this because my parents attended this meeting as interested observers and Mother ultimately benefited from the visits. The nursing home administrators were anxious when the visits came because word had spread of reports on poor quality made to state and federal agencies after such a visit. If that is not caring about "the least of these", I don't know what is.
Sorry rant over - but when I run across a statement like this - it makes me wonder about the rest of his characterizations of the people and group he encountered. Oh - and in each city there is only a little bit about the song that supposedly drew him to the city. Which is why I picked the book up in the first place.
July 12, 2025
The conceit of the book is good. The author visits American cities familiar to us from their use as song titles. It's a good premise that unfortunately falls to deliver, partly because of the route Mick takes.
The blurb says "haunted since childhood by the titles, lyrics and places of classic hit songs..."
As a Londoner, I doubt Mick was haunted by 'What's made Milwaukee Famous' or 'Nashville Cats'. It seems the song titles were chosen for reasons of expediency, in the case of those songs he got to speak to the song writers.
If punters were to pick 11 songs with US cities in their titles I don't think these would be the top 11. Naturally he avoids the big cities New York, Chicago and LA but surely San Fran would provide an interesting vignette or Las Vegas!
The book was written in 1993 but some of the issues he touches on are still live today, issues of race and immigration. The chapter on El Paso seems like it could have been written today: Illegals crossing the border every day to earn a few bucks and spiriting back over the border at night.
An enjoyable read. I supect a modern update would be chock full of makey up LGBTQ+ stuff, fortunately this book was written before that cult took over mainstream media discourse.
The blurb says "haunted since childhood by the titles, lyrics and places of classic hit songs..."
As a Londoner, I doubt Mick was haunted by 'What's made Milwaukee Famous' or 'Nashville Cats'. It seems the song titles were chosen for reasons of expediency, in the case of those songs he got to speak to the song writers.
If punters were to pick 11 songs with US cities in their titles I don't think these would be the top 11. Naturally he avoids the big cities New York, Chicago and LA but surely San Fran would provide an interesting vignette or Las Vegas!
The book was written in 1993 but some of the issues he touches on are still live today, issues of race and immigration. The chapter on El Paso seems like it could have been written today: Illegals crossing the border every day to earn a few bucks and spiriting back over the border at night.
An enjoyable read. I supect a modern update would be chock full of makey up LGBTQ+ stuff, fortunately this book was written before that cult took over mainstream media discourse.
September 8, 2014
Some interesting stories but didn't really grab me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews