Your Song Changed My Life

April 4, 2016
Boilen, longtime host of NPR’s All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts, pits musical artists against one another, asking the readers—and himself—which is better: Oasis or Blur? White Stripes or Black Keys? Taylor Swift or Kanye West? Along the way, Boilen interweaves themes from his own life with intriguing stories of musicians such Jimmy Page, Smokey Robinson, Jeff Tweedy, and the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, among others. For Page, one inspiration was Lonnie Donegan’s cover of “Rock Island Line”; for Philip Glass, it was Spike Jones and Yiddish comedy records; and for Jenny Lewis, Run-DMC “completely changed my life forever.” Boilen brings in a wide range of musicians from several countries, but hip-hop and heavy metal artists are noticeably absent. Boilen at times stumbles into platitude and cliché. Nevertheless, the book provides kaleidoscopic insights into the unlikely ways that music can seize and transform the young, including the remarkable story of Xavier Dphrepaulezz (aka Fantastic Negrito), who dropped out of the music business for 15 years after a car accident put him a coma and mangled his right arm. The strongest sections include the opening memoir and those places where Boilen has a personal connection to the music.

April 1, 2016

National Public Radio "Tiny Desk Concert" and "All Songs Considered" correspondent Boilen ditches the microphone for the printed word here. His book consists of 35 interviews with musicians about the song that changed their life. Interviewees range from the legendary (Smokey Robinson, Jimmy Page, Michael Stipe) to the hip (St. Vincent, Leon Bridges, Justin Vernon, Courtney Barnett). While many of the transformative pieces are far from surprising, such as former Minor Threat and Fugazi front man Ian MacKaye's selection of the still-shocking Sex Pistols cut "Bodies," or ex-R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe's affection for Patti Smith's nine-minute epic "Birdland," many bear little resemblance to the artist's own music. Notable examples include Leon Bridges's affection for a late-Seventies Crosby, Stills & Nash song, St. Vincent's fondness for the deep-cut Pearl Jam single "Oceans," or Phish front man Trey Anastasio's love for the West Side Story number "Somewhere." Throughout, the author colors many of the chapters with his own sensibilities and experiences as a semiprofessional musician. VERDICT In this light, fun read, Boilen interviews a wide-enough range of musicians that there should be something in here for any music lover.--Brian Flota, James Madison Univ., Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
Interviews with nearly three dozen musicians about the life-altering songs that inspired their musical careers. Since 2000, Boilen, creator and host of NPR's All Songs Considered, has featured new and established singers of all genres on his popular online music show and podcasts. In these winning profiles, he teases out the single moment when each artist heard a song he or she will never forget. (His own life "changed forever," he writes, when he first heard the Beatles' "A Day in the Life.") The song for these artists varies greatly: Motown star Smokey Robinson cites Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops," Irish-born Hozier recalls falling in love with Tom Waits' "Cold Cold Ground," and composer Philip Glass remembers his discovery at age 11 of Spike Jones' amusing version of Rossini's "William Tell Overture," played on pots and pans. In his fascinating explorations of these artists' lives and work, Boilen finds pivotal moments happen most often at early ages, especially the teens and 20s. But then Justin Vernon of indie folk band Bon Iver encountered The Staves' "No Me, No You, No More," and "felt like I was lifting off the ground," only recently, at age 33. Colin Meloy of the Decemberists remembers buying Husker Du's "beautiful, aching, gorgeous acoustic song" "Hardly Gotten Over It" and playing it on a boom box. Trey Anastasio of Phish first heard "Something's Coming," from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, among his mother's Broadway original cast albums. Jazz violinist Regina Carter, on the other hand, rejected her own mother's advice to join a symphony orchestra and went on to become a solo performer after hearing "Lovin' is Really My Game" by Brainstorm, a funk band. Other contributors include Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne, Chris Thile, Jeff Tweedy, Carrie Brownstein, David Byrne, Jenny Lewis, and Jimmy Page. Boilen's warm, engaging voice pervades this treat for music aficionados.

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