Bob Dylan’s next release won’t be an album, but a book: The Philosophy of Modern Song. The book will be a ‘master class on the art and craft of songwriting’ – featuring more than 60 essays by Dylan analyzing songwriters like Hank Williams, Nina Simone, and Elvis Costello.
According to the publishing company Simon&Schuster Dylan, “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”. (Source)
Dylan will also read at least part of the audiobook version, along with “a mix of other voices”. It will be Dylan’s first book since his 2004 memoir Chronicles: Volume One. The Philosophy of Modern Song will be out Nov. 8th from Simon&Schuster. You can preorder different versions (physical vs. digital) copies of the book here.
What’s the best music-related book you’ve read in the last couple of years?
