Download or read book Life of a Song written by Jan Dalley and published by Nicholas Brealey. This book was released on 2017-11-07 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who knew that Paul McCartney originally referred to Yesterday as 'Scrambled Eggs' because he couldn't think of any lyrics for his heart-breaking tune? Or that Patti LaBelle didn't know what 'Voulez-vous couches avec moi ce soir?' actually meant? These and countless other fascinating back stories of some of our best-known and best-loved songs fill this book, a collection of the highly successful weekly The Life of a Song columns that appear in the FT Weekend every Saturday. Each 600-word piece gives a mini-biography of a single song, from its earliest form (often a spiritual, or a jazz number), through the various covers and changes, often morphing from one genre to another, always focusing on the 'biography' of the song itself while including the many famous artists who have performed or recorded it. The selection covers a wide spectrum of the songs we all know and love - rock, pop, folk, jazz and more. Each piece is pithy, sparkily written, knowledgeable, entertaining, full of anecdotes and surprises. They combine deep musical knowledge with the vivid background of the performers and musicians, and of course the often intriguing social and political background against which the songs were created.
Download or read book The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster written by JoAnne O'Connell and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-09-29 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster offers an engaging reassessment of the life, politics, and legacy of the misunderstood father of American music. Once revered the world over, Foster’s plantation songs, like “Old Folks at Home” and “My Old Kentucky Home,” fell from grace in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement due to their controversial lyrics. Foster embraced the minstrel tradition for a brief time, refining it and infusing his songs with sympathy for slaves, before abandoning the genre for respectable parlor music. The youngest child in a large family, he grew up in the shadows of a successful older brother and his president brother-in-law, James Buchanan, and walked a fine line between the family’s conservative politics and his own pro-Lincoln sentiments. Foster lived most of his life just outside of industrial, smoke-filled Pittsburgh and wrote songs set in a pastoral South—unsullied by the grime of industry but tarnished by the injustice of slavery. Rather than defining Foster by his now-controversial minstrel songs, JoAnne O’Connell reveals a prolific composer who concealed his true feelings in his lyrics and wrote in diverse styles to satisfy the changing tastes of his generation. In a trenchant reevaluation of his NewYork Bowery years, O’Connell illustrates how Foster purposely abandoned the style for which he was famous to write lighthearted songs for newly popular variety stages and music halls. In the last years of his life, Foster’s new direction in songwriting stood in the vanguard of vaudeville and musical comedy to pave the way for the future of American popular music. His stylistic flexibility in the face of evolving audience preferences not only proves his versatility as a composer but also reveals important changes in the American music and publishing industries. An intimate biography of a complex, controversial, and now neglected composer, The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster is an important story about the father of American music. This invaluable portrait of the political, economic, social, racial, and gender issues of antebellum and Civil War America will appeal to history and music lovers of all generations.
Download or read book Songs in the Key of My Life written by Ferentz Lafargue and published by Crown Archetype. This book was released on 2010-02-10 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand.” —Stevie Wonder, “Sir Duke” In 2003, young professor Ferentz LaFargue traveled to Paris, where his fiancée, Tricia, declared she wasn’t happy with their relationship, ending what he thought was a wonderful engagement. After days of “craying”—“that sorrow-laden blend of crying and praying delivered in perfect pitch by those in mourning”—Ferentz happened upon Stevie Wonder’s 1976 classic double album Songs in the Key of Life. Listening to it anew was a healing, spiritual trip down memory lane, helping him to come to terms with his breakup and reflect on how songs in general have been linked to his life. In this book, Ferentz invites us to get cozy and listen as he hits PLAY on meaningful tracks from Wonder and others, including Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, LL Cool J, Beenie Man, Sheryl Crow, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, and Black Sabbath. He recalls: How the fusion of rock and rap in the breakthrough Run-D.M.C./Aerosmith video “Walk This Way” helped to change an adolescent Ferentz from outcast to authority figure How Michael Jackson’s Thriller brought back a traumatic childhood experience How Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks” speaks to the tension between his Christian beliefs and his need to rip it up in clubs as a hip-hop head In the tradition of Nick Hornby’s Songbook¸ these words paint a portrait of a life framed by sounds, allowing all of us to think about what songs have been key in our own lives.
Download or read book OneTrackMinds written by Kristian Brodie and published by Unbound Publishing. This book was released on 2022-06-23 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Put your headphones on, close your eyes. Embrace the possibility of the life-changing power of music. And perhaps one of these songs will change your life too. Music can inspire our greatest creations, salve our deepest wounds, make us fall in – or out of – love. It can also be a window into another’s soul. Based on the popular live storytelling series, OneTrackMinds is a collection of twenty-five compelling answers to the question, ‘What was the song that changed your life?’ Featuring pieces from a stellar cast of contributors including Peter Tatchell, Inua Ellams, Cash Carraway, Rhik Samadder, Ingrid Oliver and Joe Dunthorne, alongside some of the UK’s most exciting new voices, the book compiles many of the standout stories from the live show so far. Just as rich and varied are the songs themselves, by artists ranging from Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell to Aphex Twin and the Replacements via Tupac, Prince and the Spice Girls. The result is an entertaining, enlightening musical guide to the best of what makes us human.
Download or read book Stevie Wonder s Songs in the Key of Life written by Zeth Lundy and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2007-01-01 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stevie Wonder's album, Songs in the Key of Life, came out in 1976.
Download or read book Songs in the Key of Black Life written by Mark Anthony Neal and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-04 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Songs in the Key of Black Life, acclaimed cultural critic Mark Anthony Neal turns his attention to Rhythm and Blues. He argues that R&B-often dismissed as just a bunch of love songs, yet the second most popular genre in terms of sales-can tell us much about the dynamic joys, apprehensions, tensions, and contradictions of contemporary black life, if we listen closely. With a voice as heartfelt and compelling as the best music, Neal guides us through the work of classic and contemporary artists ranging from Marvin Gaye to Macy Gray. In the first section of the book, Rhythm, he uses the music of Meshell N'degeocello, Patti Labelle, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, and others as guideposts to the major concerns of contemporary black life-issues such as gender, feminist politics, political activism, black masculinity, celebrity, and the fluidity of racial and sexual identity. The second part of the book, Blues, uses the improvisational rhythms of black music as a metaphor to examine currents in black life including the public dispute between Cornel West and Harvard President Lawrence Summers and the firing of BET's talk-show host Tavis Smiley. Songs in the Key of Black Life is a remarkable contribution to the study of black popular music, and valuable reading for anyone interested in how race is lived in America.
Download or read book Dolly Parton Songteller written by Dolly Parton and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2020-11-17 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics is a landmark celebration of the remarkable life and career of a country music and pop culture legend. As told by Dolly Parton in her own inimitable words, explore the songs that have defined her journey. Illustrated throughout with previously unpublished images from Dolly Parton's personal and business archives. Mining over 60 years of songwriting, Dolly Parton highlights 175 of her songs and brings readers behind the lyrics. • Packed with never-before-seen photographs and classic memorabilia • Explores personal stories, candid insights, and myriad memories behind the songs Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics reveals the stories and memories that have made Dolly a beloved icon across generations, genders, and social and international boundaries. Containing rare photos and memorabilia from Parton's archives, this book is a show-stopping must-have for every Dolly Parton fan. • Learn the history behind classic Parton songs like "Jolene," "9 to 5," "I Will Always Love You," and more. • The perfect gift for Dolly Parton fans (everyone loves Dolly!) as well as lovers of music history and country Add it to the shelf with books like Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton, The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles, and Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen.
Download or read book Music in American Life written by Jacqueline Edmondson and published by Greenwood. This book was released on 2013-10-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating exploration of the relationship between American culture and music as defined by musicians, scholars, and critics from around the world.
Download or read book The Life of a Song written by Jan Dalley and published by Chambers. This book was released on 2018-10-04 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Life Songs written by Dominic Damian and published by Partridge Publishing Singapore. This book was released on 2022-06-30 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘LIFE SONGS’ speaks of various aspects of the diverse aspects and exposure to life. It sings its own tune of faith, the environment, loss, humanity and love. There are authentic original hand selected photos. Each photo or image conveys a story as powerful and as passionate as the poems. The photos especially have their own narrative, or they are intended for tranquility amidst the turbulent thoughts, or to provoke and awaken the conscience of the soul to respond to life. The language is from the gut of the soul not just of the authors life experiences. It highlights specific spontaneous expression and distinguishes the arrow of language from the bow of the specific poem in the book. The unique quality of each poem is in the exquisite nature of poems that were composed intuitively on deciphering and describing life issues through the authors perspective or that of persons. It is driven by unnoticed social events that are witnessed in everyday life of the most ordinary of folks. Nothing is held back. What one sees is what one gets. Sometimes one has to take of his own attire and wear another’s to understand life’s messages.
Download or read book Songs about Life Love and Death written by Anne Reeve Aldrich and published by . This book was released on 1892 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Song to Sing a Life to Live written by Don Saliers and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2019-02-01 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Celebrating the spirit of song In A Song to Sing, a Life to Live, Don and Emily Saliers help readers see the connections between Saturday night music and Sunday morning music by exploring the spiritual dimensions of music itself. They tell the stories of their own lives in music, and they share what they have learned and observed about the power of music in human life. They help us appreciate the joy of music and also how music carries us into places of sorrow, where we must go if we are to live with honesty about ourselves and compassion for others. This book is for churchgoers and spiritual seekers alike. Music is described in terms of spiritual practice; it has the power to embrace those who are deeply immersed in the life of Christian faith and speak to those who are spiritual but may question formal religion. The book explores a wide variety of musical traditions and offers an invitation to embrace a broader and deeper vision of the power of music and the spiritual dimensions of attentive listening. "This is a beautiful expression of music as many things--healer, gift, symbol of freedom and community, and agent of change" (Mary Chapin Carpenter).
Download or read book Life Songs written by Life Songs and published by . This book was released on 1884 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Peter Paul and Mary written by Peter Yarrow and published by Charlesbridge. This book was released on 2014-11-04 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This carefully crafted and collectible volume tells the intimate story of Peter, Paul, and Mary and their music, in their words and with iconic images that follow their passionate, fifty-year journey to the center of America’s heart. Photographs, many rare and never before published, taken over five decades by some of the world’s top photographers, follow them from their earliest performances in the 1960s, when Mary was the most desired, beautiful, and charismatic performer and a new role model for women. Follow the trio as they lead America to discover the passionate soul of folk music. Join the struggle for racial equality, social justice, and freedom in this memorable journey, from the historic 1963 March on Washington with Martin Luther King, Jr., to the trio’s appearance before a half million people in 1969 to end the Vietnam War, to their singing at the Hollywood Bowl for Survival Sunday in 1978, helping to launch the anti-nuke movement, the world’s first international environmental movement. Through these images, readers will feel and almost hear the trio’s songs calling for a more caring, better world as they performed with a courage and conviction that became for so many the embodiment and soundtrack of their generation’s awakening to conscience, to activism, and to a new dream for all of humankind. Peter, Paul, and Mary’s songs of defiant hope and a certain unmasked innocence are still a powerful part of our American consciousness, and this book reenacts the history of how the trio marked many lives with their indelible stamp of honesty of the sort we all yearn to recapture and recreate today—for ourselves, our children, and the generations to come.
Download or read book Life Songs written by Catharine Shakespeare and published by Vantage Press, Inc. This book was released on 2007-10 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With its unique, theme-like intent, Life Songs presents the story of Catherine Shakespeare's life, revealing its sorrow and its happiness, its imprisonment and its freedom.
Download or read book Life s Songs of a Born Superstar written by Wylanda (Indika) Blanding and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012-03-09 with total page 77 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The life of aspiring entertainer growing up in South Carolina. Struggles and trials do not have to define us, but it can make us stronger. It doesn't matter how many times we fall, but how many times we get up and keep on trying. This book allows you to take a walk in my shoes and see how I over come some of my obstacles. My love for music and dance and how it saved me when I had nothing else to turn to. The love of a strong minded mother, to broken hearts, empty promises, and loneliness. From romance, true friends, the wrong friends, roads of distruction, to roads of success. Also, my personal thoughts on real men and learning from the past so you can have a brighter future.
Download or read book The Songs We Sing Life is a Story story one written by Catrice Frolik and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2023-09-01 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Five young adults try to figure out life as they go. The burdens of their past still lay heavily on their young shoulders. When one of them is in desperate need of new roommates, it doesn't take long for three completely different strangers to appear on their doorstep.
