They're Playing My Song

Fifty-Two Great Songwriters Discuss Their Craft

Bruce Pollock

• Publisher: Excelsior Editions
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9798855803402
• eBook ISBN: 9798855803419
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

The greatest songwriters of the rock era tell how they created their biggest hits.

They're Playing My Song collects for the first time over fifty in-depth, personal interviews with the greatest songwriters of the rock era. Author Bruce Pollock has been writing about rock and pop music for over six decades and has enjoyed unique access to leading songwriters, some well-known, others only known through their work. His interviews span all genres, from doo-wop to hip-hop, and all of pop music's greatest eras from the fifties to today. Unlike other books that focus on personalities, Pollock focuses on the songwriter's craft, encouraging his subjects to reflect on how they've created the hit songs that defined their eras. A sensitive interviewer with a deep knowledge of the songwriter's work, Pollock is able to draw unique insights from a range of songsmiths, from John Lee Hooker reflecting on how he created some of his iconic blues songs, to Paul Simon's deeply analytical approach to crafting his hits, to contemporary songwriters like Julie Gold who speak to the ever-changing world of the pop music industry. Many of the interviews have been expanded and updated from their original publication. Anyone interested in how songwriters approach their craft will be enthralled by this book told in the unique voices of the creators themselves.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Fred Parris / the Five Satins (1980): “(I’ll Remember) In the Still of the Night”
• John Lee Hooker (1984): “Boom Boom”
• Felice and Boudleaux Bryant (1974)
• Doc Pomus (1974)
• Neil Sedaka (1980)
• Hank Ballard (1980): “The Twist”
• Gerry Goffin (1974)
• Jackie DeShannon (2012): “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”
• Phil Ochs (1974)
• Buffy Sainte-Marie (1974)
• Paul McCartney (1990)
• Keith Richards (1985)
• Pete Townshend (1974)
• John Sebastian (1974)
• Jimmy Webb (1989)
• Frank Zappa (1974)
• Laura Nyro (1984)
• Paul Simon (1976, 1985)
• Jerry Garcia (1984) and Robert Hunter / Grateful Dead (1974)
• Valerie Simpson (2009)
• Lou Reed (1974)
• Tim Rice (1974): “Jesus Christ, Superstar”
• Melvin Van Peebles (1974)
• Don McLean (2020): “American Pie”
• Neil Smith / Alice Cooper (2012): “I’m Eighteen”
• Steven Tyler / Aerosmith (1985, 1987): “Dream On” and “Walk This Way”
• Linda Creed (1974)
• Donald Fagen / Steely Dan (1985)
• Randy Newman (1974)
• John Prine (1974)
• Bruce Springsteen (1973, 1984)
• Allen Toussaint (2014): “Southern Nights”
• Chris Frantz / Tom Tom Club (2014): “Genius of Love”
• Marc Campbell / the Nails (2012): “88 Lines About 44 Women”
• Neil Peart / Rush (1986)
• Mike Watt / Minutemen (2012): “History Lesson, Pt. 2”
• Billy Steinberg (2012): “Like a Virgin”
• Narada Michael Walden (2012): “Freeway of Love”
• Julie Gold (2013): “From a Distance”
• Andy Partridge / XTC (1988)
• Kool Moe Dee (2001)
• Dave Alvin / the Blasters (2013): “4th of July”
• Susanna Hoffs / the Bangles (2012): “Eternal Flame”
• Sophie B. Hawkins (2019): “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover”
• Todd Thomas / Arrested Development (2001): “Tennessee”
• Travon Potts (2001): “Angel of Mine”
• Shelly Peiken (2018): “What a Girl Wants”
• Tom Higgenson / Plain White T’s (2020): “Hey There Delilah”
• Stephan Moccio (2015): “Wrecking Ball”
• Kevin Kadish (2018): “All About That Bass”
• Index of Song Titles
• Back Cover