
- 416 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
The Philosophy of Modern Song
About this book
The Philosophy of Modern Song is Bob Dylan’s first book of new writing since 2004’s Chronicles: Volume One—and since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.
Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose. They are mysterious and mercurial, poignant and profound, and often laugh-out-loud funny. And while they are ostensibly about music, they are really meditations and reflections on the human condition. Running throughout the book are nearly 150 carefully curated photos as well as a series of dream-like riffs that, taken together, resemble an epic poem and add to the work’s transcendence.
In 2020, with the release of his outstanding album Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan became the first artist to have an album hit the Billboard Top 40 in each decade since the 1960s. The Philosophy of Modern Song contains much of what he has learned about his craft in all those years, and like everything that Dylan does, it is a momentous artistic achievement.
Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. These essays are written in Dylan’s unique prose. They are mysterious and mercurial, poignant and profound, and often laugh-out-loud funny. And while they are ostensibly about music, they are really meditations and reflections on the human condition. Running throughout the book are nearly 150 carefully curated photos as well as a series of dream-like riffs that, taken together, resemble an epic poem and add to the work’s transcendence.
In 2020, with the release of his outstanding album Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan became the first artist to have an album hit the Billboard Top 40 in each decade since the 1960s. The Philosophy of Modern Song contains much of what he has learned about his craft in all those years, and like everything that Dylan does, it is a momentous artistic achievement.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
At the moment all of our mobile-responsive ePub books are available to download via the app. Most of our PDFs are also available to download and we're working on making the final remaining ones downloadable now. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan,To Be Confirmed Simon & Schuster in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Music Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Chapter 1: Detroit City
- Chapter 2: Pump It Up
- Chapter 3: Without a Song
- Chapter 4: Take Me from This Garden of Evil
- Chapter 5: There Stands the Glass
- Chapter 6: Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me
- Chapter 7: Tutti Frutti
- Chapter 8: Money Honey
- Chapter 9: My Generation
- Chapter 10: Jesse James
- Chapter 11: Poor Little Fool
- Chapter 12: Pancho and Lefty
- Chapter 13: The Pretender
- Chapter 14: Mack the Knife
- Chapter 15: Whiffenpoof Song
- Chapter 16: You Don’t Know Me
- Chapter 17: Ball of Confusion
- Chapter 18: Poison Love
- Chapter 19: Beyond the Sea
- Chapter 20: On the Road Again
- Chapter 21: If You Don’t Know Me by Now
- Chapter 22: The Little White Cloud That Cried
- Chapter 23: El Paso
- Chapter 24: Nelly Was a Lady
- Chapter 25: Cheaper to Keep Her
- Chapter 26: I Got a Woman
- Chapter 27: CIA Man
- Chapter 28: On the Street Where You Live
- Chapter 29: Truckin’
- Chapter 30: Ruby, Are You Mad?
- Chapter 31: Old Violin
- Chapter 32: Volare
- Chapter 33: London Calling
- Chapter 34: Your Cheatin’ Heart
- Chapter 35: Blue Bayou
- Chapter 36: Midnight Rider
- Chapter 37: Blue Suede Shoes
- Chapter 38: My Prayer
- Chapter 39: Dirty Life and Times
- Chapter 40: Doesn’t Hurt Anymore
- Chapter 41: Key to the Highway
- Chapter 42: Everybody Cryin’ Mercy
- Chapter 43: War
- Chapter 44: Big River
- Chapter 45: Feel So Good
- Chapter 46: Blue Moon
- Chapter 47: Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves
- Chapter 48: Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy
- Chapter 49: It’s All in the Game
- Chapter 50: A Certain Girl
- Chapter 51: I’ve Always Been Crazy
- Chapter 52: Witchy Woman
- Chapter 53: Big Boss Man
- Chapter 54: Long Tall Sally
- Chapter 55: Old and Only in the Way
- Chapter 56: Black Magic Woman
- Chapter 57: By the Time I Get to Phoenix
- Chapter 58: Come On-a My House
- Chapter 59: Don’t Take Your Guns to Town
- Chapter 60: Come Rain or Come Shine
- Chapter 61: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
- Chapter 62: Strangers in the Night
- Chapter 63: Viva Las Vegas
- Chapter 64: Saturday Night at the Movies
- Chapter 65: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
- Chapter 66: Where or When
- About the Author
- Credits
- Copyright