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Filosofía de la canción moderna

Filosofía de la canción moderna

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  • Create Date：2022-11-12 08:16:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Bob Dylan
  • ISBN：8433910191
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Summary

El primer libro de Bob Dylan desde 2004: un logro artístico crucial， y una destilación de lo que ha aprendido sobre su oficio desde su debut en los años sesenta。

Este libro incluye más de sesenta ensayos centrados en canciones de otros artistas， que van desde Stephen Foster hasta Elvis Costello， pasando por Hank Williams o Nina Simone。 Dylan analiza lo que llama la trampa de las rimas fáciles， desglosa la forma en que una sola sílaba puede malograr una canción e incluso explica la relación entre el bluegrass y el heavy metal。

Estos ensayos， escritos en la prosa única de Dylan， son misteriosos y volubles， agudos y profundos， y muchas veces nos hacen reír a carcajadas; y， aunque claramente van sobre música， en realidad son meditaciones y reflexiones sobre la condición humana。

Repartidas por todo el libro hay cerca de ciento cincuenta fotos cuidadosamente seleccionadas， además de una serie de textos como salidos de un sueño que， juntos， parecen un poema épico y contribuyen a la trascendencia del conjunto。

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Reviews

Bill ，

I think a more appropriate title for this book would be Bob Dylan Blathers Out Some Really Stupid Crap About a Bunch of Songs。 “There Stands the Glass” by Webb Pierce has long been a favorite of mine。 It's pretty much the granddaddy of all the country songs that tied together drinkin’ and heartbreak。 Its progeny ranges from classics like “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels” by Kitty Welles to to this century’s “Mama Needs a Margarita” by Zoe Muth。 Wouldn’t it be interesting to talk about t I think a more appropriate title for this book would be Bob Dylan Blathers Out Some Really Stupid Crap About a Bunch of Songs。 “There Stands the Glass” by Webb Pierce has long been a favorite of mine。 It's pretty much the granddaddy of all the country songs that tied together drinkin’ and heartbreak。 Its progeny ranges from classics like “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels” by Kitty Welles to to this century’s “Mama Needs a Margarita” by Zoe Muth。 Wouldn’t it be interesting to talk about the prevalence of country drinkin’ songs？ Maybe the… I don’t know… the philosophy behind the phenomena？ Here’s what Dylan does instead。 He decides to make up a little story behind the song’s protagonist; he’s a Vietnam vet who slit open a little girl during the war。 Jesus Christ， man！ Who the hell wants to hear that？ What’s wrong with you？ Every now and then Dylan will actually say something interesting about the song in question or the artist who recorded it， but too much of it is an absolute waste of time。 In honor of that brave literary stance， the rest of this review will have absolutely nothing to do with this book。 Instead， I’m going to ramble on and on about the first Dylan tape I bought。In May of ‘85， my high-school crush asked me if I wanted to go on a shopping trip with her to Kansas City。 To say that I was eager to participate would be a vast understatement！ I casually said “Yeah， that would be great，” as I casually tried not to break into a sweat。 Part of our shopping journey involved trips to the record stores。 In my area of the country， Kansas City was Record Store Mecca。 I’d even go so far as to say that KC had a better selection of record stores than 1980s Dallas。 I already racked up some pretty good purchases that included Bowie’s Golden Years album and a Velvet Underground T-shirt I still wear almost 40 years later。 I was sifting through the cast-offs in the cutout bin at one of the stores when I ran across a two-cassette Dylan collection。 It said Musica Especial or something like that above his name。 Turns out it was a Spanish import， which wasn’t surprising。 Spain seemed to be the place to go if you wanted to release recordings that could skirt copyright laws。 This collection was so much better than Dylan’s Greatest Hits collection that was released in America。 Each of these cassettes contained a double-album’s worth of material， so it was four albums of Dylan songs。 Its depth and breadth was amazing。 The tracks ranged from some of his very first folk recordings all the way to “Hurricane” from the 1970s Desire album。 The hits sat right next to deeper cuts that would usually be skipped by a white-bread “approved” collection。 I had never really paid much attention to Dylan， but my best friend was a fan and I trusted his judgment。 That collection made me a Dylan fan， as well。 It served me for about five years until my car stereo managed to eat both tapes。 Oh， and my high-school crush？ Sadly， that weekend was the last time we spent that much time together。 I would move to Dallas four months later to manage my own record store。 Unfortunately， it was a Musicland which was tedious and corporate and in fucking Texas so I came back home two years later。 Not long after I moved back to our hometown， it was her turn to leave… but she didn’t come back。 She ended up getting married instead。 Oddly enough， when I moved away from our hometown a second time， I ended up in the same state she lives in， only about three hours away。 But we haven’t spoken in almost 25 years。Sigh。 Your book sucks， Dylan。 。。。more

Joshua Friedman ，

I listened to the audiobook of this title。It didn't do much for me。 I am only familiar with maybe two-thirds of the songs and Bob's style makes it so that if you don't know the song， there isn't much to get out of each chapter。 Plus he is on this misinformation kick that was also present in 2019's ROlling Thunder Review。 Like repeating the fake claim that Gypsies are from Egypt。 It's just not very insightful。 And I hate Bob's speaking voice。 Most everything he says comes off sounding insincere。 I listened to the audiobook of this title。It didn't do much for me。 I am only familiar with maybe two-thirds of the songs and Bob's style makes it so that if you don't know the song， there isn't much to get out of each chapter。 Plus he is on this misinformation kick that was also present in 2019's ROlling Thunder Review。 Like repeating the fake claim that Gypsies are from Egypt。 It's just not very insightful。 And I hate Bob's speaking voice。 Most everything he says comes off sounding insincere。 Fortunately he only narrates about a third of the content。 。。。more

Kathleen Wierzbicki ，

You can hear Bob Dylan speak each and every word he write。 He will always be my idol。

Rick Burin ，

“Like everything Dylan does， it is a momentous artistic achievement，” says the publicity bumf from publisher Simon & Schuster。 Is it， though？Bob’s new book works best if you regard it as his version of Harry Smith’s Folk Anthology， the entirely unlicensed anthology that he stole from a friend as a teenager， and which informed his career more than any other single document。 That bootleg box-set compiled 84 folk， country and blues songs from 1926-33; this book creates a canon of its own， with essa “Like everything Dylan does， it is a momentous artistic achievement，” says the publicity bumf from publisher Simon & Schuster。 Is it， though？Bob’s new book works best if you regard it as his version of Harry Smith’s Folk Anthology， the entirely unlicensed anthology that he stole from a friend as a teenager， and which informed his career more than any other single document。 That bootleg box-set compiled 84 folk， country and blues songs from 1926-33; this book creates a canon of its own， with essays on 66 recordings dating from 1924 to 2004， its accent falling particularly on early rock and roll。 It arguably works better as a playlist than a book – alongside vaguely leftfield classics like Bobby Darin’s ‘Mack the Knife’ and Marty Robbins’ ‘El Paso'， he includes obscurities such as ‘CIA Man’ by the Fugs， 'Detroit City' by Bobby Bare， and Johnny Paycheck’s desolate， gorgeous ‘Old Violin’ – but there’s enough in The Philosophy of Modern Song to make it worthwhile， at least for that stoic and balding band of Dylan obsessives。Most of the book's essays consist of a freeform， stream-of-consciousness riff on the meaning of the song – inhabiting its world; frequently written in the second person – followed by a more matter-of-fact contextual section。 The former， aside from the occasionally arresting， terse turn of phrase， is usually pretentious and tedious （editors don’t like to tinker with "momentous artistic achievements"， especially when written by Nobel Prize winners）; the latter tends to be more interesting， allowing for insights into Dylan’s own processes and prejudices – some of those revelations intentional， others unwitting – as well as inspiring some agreeably peculiar tangents。 A Santana track turns into a recap of the career of screenwriter and sci-fi novelist Leigh Brackett， as well as incorporating a note about the invention of Velcro。 Other songs lead to digressions on lemmings， Esperanto and the history of the Nudie suit。 Good non-fiction has always been about connections。Dylan is a curmudgeonly host， tediously "both sides”-ing every political question， complaining about people saying “OK， boomer” （OK， boomer） and， perhaps more reasonably， railing against the rise of niche marketing， which by definition narrows our artistic horizons。 This broadly grouchy work， though， is saved by two things in particular: the author's transparent love of music， and the way the book shades in， subverts or enhances our understanding of his own life and legacy。Whether he’s extolling the emotional directness of bluegrass， becoming transparently excited that Stevie Wonder plays the harmonica on the Temptations’ ‘Ball of Confusion’， or exhibiting a very nerdy， very male obsession with chart placings and discographical chronology， the sincerity of his enthusiasm about the music itself is rarely less than endearing。 He'll tell you about a song he loves， and then he'll tell you why a certain live version is even more special。And for Dylanologists， there is an almost endless amount to get your teeth into – not least his absolute hatred for you in particular; understanding music doesn’t enhance it， he says for the millionth time in his life， which broadly translates as， “Stop analysing my songs and fuck off。” Another endlessly-repeated Dylan mantra， that songs are merely captured in the studio， they don’t end there， is， like Highway 61 before it， revisited。For those still nonplussed by Dylan's shrugging off of “finger-pointing songs” in 1964， he’ll spell it out for you， with that pronounced predilection for provocation that here bleeds into trolling。 ‘Ball of Confusion’ is “one of the few non-embarrassing songs of social awareness，” he says。 “Writing a song like this can be deceptively easy。 First you assemble a laundry list of things people hate。 For the most part， people are not going to like war， starvation， death， prejudice and the destruction of the environment。" He follows this with an unexpected， barely-veiled ad-hominem attack on Tom Lehrer。In 1966， Dylan pretended to placate his audience in Manchester in 1966 with one of the funniest pieces of trolling in history， announcing to his audience of disgruntled folkies， “I'm going to do a protest song。。。 this is called ‘I Hear You’ve Got Your Brand New Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat’。” His essay on ‘War’ by Edwin Starr is a fascinating counterpoint to perhaps his first great protest song， ‘Masters of War’。 War is “often the only solution”， he says baldly now， while still raging at the attendant profiteering， pomposity and pride。 Whereas Robert Caro’s recent book， Working， included a chapter on Pete Seeger’s song， ‘Waist Deep in the Big Muddy’， notable for its piercing clarity on the subject of Vietnam， Dylan’s waffly， pointless discursion on the track turns into a peculiar rumination of the ethics of old Disney documentaries。 It had been Woody Guthrie – allied perhaps to boundless ambition – that first opened Dylan’s eyes to music as a vehicle for social change; Guthrie who was once his lode star。 There are no Woody Guthrie songs in the book。Surely the oddest and most disquieting element of The Philosophy of Modern Song， though， is Dylan’s women problem。 If we’re playing count-the-faces identity politics， then 62 of the 66 songs are by men， and the cover photo seems a hollow joke， but that’s not even the point。 While most of the strange things he writes about women in the book are said essentially in character， he chose the songs， which include I Got a Woman， Black Magic Woman， and the execrable Eagles track， Witchy Woman）。 Taken at face value – which in this instance seems reasonable – Dylan is trapped as a product of his time， his inspirations and his own oeuvre in a disastrous madonna/whore dichotomy， forever desperate to escape from an awful world of terrifying， sexualised harpies to a simpler， more old-fashioned place and time where a submissive and pliant woman will bring him snacks。 A lengthy digression on the subject of divorce lawyers also seems less an objective and reasoned treatise about a societal ill， and more a highly public admission that he has just got divorced。In his only volume of memoir， Chronicles， Dylan defensively – and unconvincingly – suggested that Blood on the Tracks had been based on a series of Chekhov plays， but had been misidentified by rock writers as exactly what it was， a break-up album on which he sounds alternately livid， sentimental and bereft。 When he says in the first chapter here that first-person narration is often mistaken for truth， the implied threat is that he’s warming up for another crack at that unconvincing lie。There are smaller insights too， for those who care about such things。 A chapter about Willie Nelson’s ‘On the Road Again’ is is unexpectedly revealing as to the mundane details – and psychological facts – of Dylan’s own life on tour。 ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’ may be a strange vehicle for Dylan’s crotchety musings about mystery and nuance in art， but they’re valuable all the same。 Elsewhere， he’s still low-key obsessed with Robert Ford， he loves old movies （though doesn’t write very well about them， and passes up the chance to engage in some much-needed Mickey Rooney revisionism）， and touchingly refers to Pete Seeger throughout as “Pete”， their connection long-severed but not dead。There’s some value， too， in his outside observations， though the level of insight – and interest – dpes really vary。 He’s appealing if repetitious in his stanning of Tin Pan Alley， penetrating if not necessarily correct when he delves into the world of ‘El Paso’ （“a ballad of the tortured soul… that resonates on every level with people on every level… a dark tale of indescribable beauty and death”）， and extremely funny when describing Carl Perkins’ obsession with his Blue Suede Shoes。 But he also reads way too much into Jackson Browne’s semi-laughable ‘The Pretender’， a song where events and what passes for motivation are determined entirely by what happens to rhyme with ‘pretender’， including “begin and end there”， “legal tender” and， most regrettably， “ice cream vendor”。 His fascinating essay on ‘Volare’ – which takes in psychedelia and foreign-language records – is followed by a confused chapter on ‘London Calling’ that contradicts itself and constantly misses the point， suggesting that Dylan understands neither punk nor England。Perhaps only this author could reimagine the most innocuous songs as being so ineffably creepy – he depicts Rosemary Clooney’s ‘Come On-A My House’ as a grim fairytale， and cheerily informs us of Eddy Arnold’s elusive ‘You Don’t Know Me’ that “a serial killer would sing this song” – and yet his phrasemaking is at times appallingly cringy。 “Some may argue that there are better reasons to go to war than an unpaid patisserie bill’， he writes， replacing Roget’s Thesaurus on the shelf， before claiming that a Rodgers & Hart tune is “as complex as anything by Stephen Hawking，” a sentence that could only be worse if he’d referred to him as “Hawkings”。 Similarly， the potted biographies of artists at times come with an interesting slant， and at times are largely meaningless， whether that’s because the claims made about their talent are so vague （Bobby Darin） or so preposterous （Perry Como）。 The final chapter – on space， time and Dion and the Belmonts – is， fittingly， the book at its most extreme: the most weird， the most nerdy， the most pretentious and ambitious。Some have described The Philosophy of Modern Song as the print equivalent of Dylan’s now-defunct Theme Time Radio Hour， but while the world of the songs remains the same， his view of the wider world has intruded， and palled。 This is a grumpier Bob， less playful， more resigned。 There are still tall tales， but there are fewer of them， and his listing of song titles that share a word seems less like a fun experiment in genre and more like a boring old bloke who won’t leave you alone in the pub。But like everything Dylan does， it is， if not a momentous artistic achievement， at least deceptively unusual， repeatedly illuminating – at times apparently by accident – and in the end just about worthwhile。 。。。more

John ，

The book seems more like mini biographies of the writers of the songs featured here。 But very enlightening about the songs， and Dylan shows that research went into the writing of the book， along with his own witty observations and erudite opinions。 A good present for music fans。

Haderondah ，

This book is clearly defying the expectations of people who believe Bob Dylan is for some reason beholden to their standards。 He is not， of course， as no artist is。 Therefore， if you pick up this book expecting to find some fan based commentary on your favorite songs， don't bother。 That's not what it is。 If you are looking for some well balanced ode to contemporary politics and progressive ideals， again， don't bother。 And finally， if you want some academic discussion of philosophy spelled out in This book is clearly defying the expectations of people who believe Bob Dylan is for some reason beholden to their standards。 He is not， of course， as no artist is。 Therefore， if you pick up this book expecting to find some fan based commentary on your favorite songs， don't bother。 That's not what it is。 If you are looking for some well balanced ode to contemporary politics and progressive ideals， again， don't bother。 And finally， if you want some academic discussion of philosophy spelled out in terms you approve of， give me a break， don't bother。This book is， exactly what it says it is， The Philosophy of Modern Song。 It is conveyed via a mixture of prose poems， anecdotes， trivia， photographs and vintage prints which taken together， absolutely recreates the old， weird America from which modern and contemporary western songcraft has in part， sprung。Pop music and early rock and roll from the fifties was a wilderness where everything was on the table and the corporations had not yet commodified this new mode of expression。 It was chock full of novelty songs， drinking songs， break up songs and yes， mysogyny and yes， it was a male dominated landscape。 This is the well Dylan is drinking from。 As for those concerned about the expression of philosophy， it is there， if you care to look。From the very first chapter， "What is it about lapsing into narration in a song that makes you think the singer is suddenly revealing the truth？ 。。。Like thousands of others， he left the farm， came to the big city to get ahead， and got lost。 That's why this song works。"Chapter 45: "This song takes the sting out of life， everything you see you're snapping it up and they're forking it over。 You're freed up and going flat out。"Etc。 。。。more

Blaine Duncan ，

The complaints you'll see are about the song choices and/or who sang them， not the writing。 The writing flies off the page and doesn't slow down at all。 Dylan is absolutely winking and nodding， and the quicker you realize the book had to have a title at all， the better。 It's a book of essays at breakneck speed。 Did you like Chronicles， but wish it had five times more hyperbole and a few more lies？ This is your book。 Do you like looking at songs through completely -- and sometimes false -- narrat The complaints you'll see are about the song choices and/or who sang them， not the writing。 The writing flies off the page and doesn't slow down at all。 Dylan is absolutely winking and nodding， and the quicker you realize the book had to have a title at all， the better。 It's a book of essays at breakneck speed。 Did you like Chronicles， but wish it had five times more hyperbole and a few more lies？ This is your book。 Do you like looking at songs through completely -- and sometimes false -- narrative lenses？ Then this is your book。 Dylan is aware of what's doing， and besides the hilarity of what's going on here， there are also some insightful moments， too: his diatribe on divorce and divorce lawyers gives hints of his own experience; he hints at disdain for hippies of his youth。 And， as hopefully one would expect if they're going to read this， there are thoughtful phrases straight from the heart， as he says of music， it is "a time but also timeless; a thing with which to make memories and the memory itself。" The Philosophy of Modern Song almost achieves the same。 Never mind the hand wringing。 。。。more

Lien ，

I already cannot stop thinking about this book。 I’d read and listen to Bob’s grocery lists if I could but this book is genius， simply put—by compiling these songs， he creates one master song / song book that keeps unfolding in a kaleidoscopic way with seemingly endless directions to explore。 Even when it seems simple， it’s most likely not—exactly Dylan’s genius。 Best enjoyed with a side of Spotify playlist curated for this book。

Nikko ，

Im a big Dylan fan but found this utterly tedious。 With some exceptions。 Each of these 60 chapters would be really cool short pieces in a magazine spread over a year。 As an audiobook at least （despite fantastic narrators） it got old real fast。

Patrick Gaertner ，

Listen， I love Bob Dylan。 I love his weird， rambling way of writing， and his half-thought out opinions that are said with such lyrical wording that you have to assume it's profound。 And， this delivers on that。 It kind of feels like what it would be like if Bob Dylan had a blog， just kind of talking about random songs， and going off on weird tangents about things he likes or hates。 Sometimes it's insightful， sometimes it's a little cringe-inducing。 But， it's Bob。 And if you're into him， you'll li Listen， I love Bob Dylan。 I love his weird， rambling way of writing， and his half-thought out opinions that are said with such lyrical wording that you have to assume it's profound。 And， this delivers on that。 It kind of feels like what it would be like if Bob Dylan had a blog， just kind of talking about random songs， and going off on weird tangents about things he likes or hates。 Sometimes it's insightful， sometimes it's a little cringe-inducing。 But， it's Bob。 And if you're into him， you'll like it。 。。。more

Eric ，

Disappointed。 Book tries too hard to be edgy。 There is a good idea in there somewhere but like Schrodinger’s box， the idea dies when you open the book and read it。

Steve Sanders ，

The individual essays are all great （though even Dylan can’t make me appreciate Perry Como）， though I’m not sure I see the coherent philosophy implied by the book’s title。

Kathy ，

AUDIO VERSION。 No stars。 Because of my disability I do 90% of my reading through audiobooks。 I requested this as a library purchase months ago when I first saw the title， knowing nothing about the book。 I was the first to get it from the library。 Now that the book is released， I don't think an audio version is an adequate representation of the book， as critics discuss the photography component of the book。 The audiobook is mega-produced but as a library book I don't know who of the extensive lis AUDIO VERSION。 No stars。 Because of my disability I do 90% of my reading through audiobooks。 I requested this as a library purchase months ago when I first saw the title， knowing nothing about the book。 I was the first to get it from the library。 Now that the book is released， I don't think an audio version is an adequate representation of the book， as critics discuss the photography component of the book。 The audiobook is mega-produced but as a library book I don't know who of the extensive list of narrators is narrating when， nor do I have the table of contents to direct my attention。 I think I would like to listen to this with concurrent paging through the text copy。 But the weakness of my hands and arms precludes this。 [And how could I ever coordinate the library text and audio versions？ I can't afford to really purchase either。] As an audio book one would listen to while driving or doing household tasks， I don't think it works。 Some of the narrations are awesome though。 So for a non-sighted individual I would rec the audio version。 Otherwise， no。 。。。more

Tosh ，

Read my review here: https://open。substack。com/pub/tosh/p/。。。 Read my review here: https://open。substack。com/pub/tosh/p/。。。 。。。more

Barbara ，

I have a better title for this book of essays and essaylets: Freewheelin’ Bob。 The book is organized into 66 chapters that are named for a recorded song and its singer， an indiosyncratic group crossing many genres and decades。 It’s a book with a misleading title; it does not deliver a philosophy of modern song。 Rather， it is Dylan’s short musings on each song title or its lyrics or artist or lyricist or some other characteristic， or just some emotion the song elicits in him。 Sure， there is some I have a better title for this book of essays and essaylets: Freewheelin’ Bob。 The book is organized into 66 chapters that are named for a recorded song and its singer， an indiosyncratic group crossing many genres and decades。 It’s a book with a misleading title; it does not deliver a philosophy of modern song。 Rather， it is Dylan’s short musings on each song title or its lyrics or artist or lyricist or some other characteristic， or just some emotion the song elicits in him。 Sure， there is some Dylan personal philosophy in the musings。 Some essays evoke the early Dylan Beat poet: alliterating; hard-edged; lyrical; like Kerouac， but smarter。 There are expansive themes， music and general cultural trivia， wild tangents， mini biographies of singers and songwriters， anecdotes， stories that fill out the stories in the songs – freewheelin’ Bob at his stream-of-consciousness best。 The selected songs and artists are eclectic， spanning nearly eight decades， heavy on Dylan’s own teenage years in the 1950s: Ricky Nelson （who， I learned here was a starting quarterback at my alma mater， Rutgers; go RU！） （“Poor Little Fool”）， Elvis Presley （“Money Honey” and “Viva Las Vegas”）， Bobby Darrin （“Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea”）， Sonny Burgess （“Feel So Good”）， Ray Charles （“I Got a Woman”）， Little Richard （“Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally”）， Johnny Cash （“Don't Take Your Guns to Town” and “Big River”）， The Platters （“My Prayer”）， Hank Williams （“Your Cheating Heart”， which I remember hearing on Saturday mornings， when my dad played his “honky tonk” records in our tiny apartment）。 In the chapter on “My Prayer” by The Platters， the melody of which， according to Dylan， is derivative of a traditional European melody， he discusses many other popular songs that have their origins in traditional or classical music。 For example， per Dylan， “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” derives from the 3rd movement of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No。 2 in E Minor， op。 27。 In some essays he merely paraphrases the lyrics， tongue-in-cheek， particularly in story songs， or invents backstories。The featured artists and songs are eclectic; there is no common thread running throughout although some songs follow on naturally from the one or ones before at times。 And they range temporally from Uncle Dave Mason’s 1924 “blast furnace of a song”， “Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy，” to Warren Zevon’s 2003 “Dirty Life and Times”; genre-wise from country （Marty Robbins’s “El Paso”） to rock and roll （The Who’s “My Generation，” Elvis Costello’s “Pump it Up，” The Clash’s “London Calling，” Eagles’ “Witchy Woman，” Santana’s “Black Magic Woman”）， rockabilly to rhythm and blues， blues singers， crooners （Vic Damone， Frank Sinatra， Dean Martin [who Dylan described as a “lovable roué， everybody’s beloved uncle， charming and soused 。 。 。 and the man both Sinatra and Elvis wanted to be”]。 Sprinkled in his discussion of the “featured” song are sometimes namechecks of other artists: the Rolling Stones （but not the Beatles）; Eric Clapton （but not Jimi Hendrix）; He muses on vice presidents， war， politics， presidents who were musicians， religion， America。 So， instead of a philosophy of modern song， we get a glimpse of Dylan’s musicality， the breadth of his knowledge of music and the contours of how he listens to music， what emotions or musings different songs inspire。 I was entertained， informed， provoked， affirmed throughout。 I read The Philosophy of Modern Song in print along with the audiobook， the latter of which deserves its own review。 Dylan himself read at least a part of each chapter， but the other narrators were an excellent， talented array， bringing the prose to life in wonderful storytelling tradition。 I recognized some: John Goodman， Steve Buscemi， Rita Moreno， Alfre Woodard， Renée Zellweger， Sissy Spacek， Helen Mirren 。 。 。 。。。more

Dennis Kenter ，

I know I’m a fanboy， but this book is unbelievably great。

Django Laić ，

Bob Dylan 'The Philosophy of Modern Song' - knjiga koju se upija svim čulimaU 21。 stoljeću postoje mnogi načini između kojih možete birati kada želite pročitati neku knjigu。 Neki koriste e-book fromat i čitaju sa zaslona svojih mobitela ili Kindlea u javnom prijevozu putujući na posao， drugi slušaju audioknjige dok primjerice vježbaju ili trče ulicama ili nasipom ili na pokretnoj traci teretane， dok tek rijetki još uvijek više vole fizičke primjerke knjiga， njihov miris i opipljivu kvalitetu。 Fi Bob Dylan 'The Philosophy of Modern Song' - knjiga koju se upija svim čulimaU 21。 stoljeću postoje mnogi načini između kojih možete birati kada želite pročitati neku knjigu。 Neki koriste e-book fromat i čitaju sa zaslona svojih mobitela ili Kindlea u javnom prijevozu putujući na posao， drugi slušaju audioknjige dok primjerice vježbaju ili trče ulicama ili nasipom ili na pokretnoj traci teretane， dok tek rijetki još uvijek više vole fizičke primjerke knjiga， njihov miris i opipljivu kvalitetu。 Fizičke knjige su često nezgrapne i teške， zauzimaju mjesto u kući i nije ih uvijek lako nositi sa sobom dok se putuje ili radi nešto drugo， jer čitanje ili slušanje književnosti ili publicistike nam sve više postaje aktivnost koju obavljamo dok nekud idemo ili se bavimo čime drugim。 U radnom danu nam ostaje sve manje slobodnog vremena koje postaje jedan od najvažnijih komoditeta， a najčešće ga koristimo za odmor， buljeći u često isprazne sadržaje na televiziji ili Netflixu kako bi odmorili napaćene mozgovne vijuge ispunjene brigama i problemima koje nam donosi život。No， još uvijek postoje knjige koje nisu stvorene za usputno čitanje， a jedna od takvih je najnovija kolekcija od 66 eseja o glazbi i životu koju je pod imenom "The Philosophy of Modern Song" objavio dobitnik Nobelove nagrade za književnost i najveći kantautor svih vremena， Bob Dylan。 Riječ je o prvoj knjizi koju je objavio nakon što mu je dodijeljena največa čast koju čovjek koji se pisanjem može primiti， a isto tako i prvoj otkako je napisao prvi dio svojih memoara "Chronicles" 2004。 godine， autobiografije koja nikad nije doživjela svoj nastavak。 Umjesto da nastavlja sa sabiranjem svojih sjećanja， Dylan se 2010。 prihvatio pisanja ove zbirke kojoj je trebalo 12 godina da dobije svoj završni oblik i dospije na police knjižara。Kažem da ovo nije knjiga namijenjena usputnom čitanju iz nekoliko razloga。 Prvi od njih je taj da je riječ o djelu koji sadrži relativno kratke tekstove o 66 pjesama， a premda ste mnoge od njih čuli i nebrojeno puta dosad， uvijek ćete imati potrebu poslušati svaku od njih prije nego započnete čitati o njoj。 Nadalje， ovo je jedna od knjiga koju se svakako isplati imati u audio izdanju jer poglavlja osim samog Dylana čitaju vrhunski glumci i glumice među kojima su dobitnice Oscara Helen Mirren， Rita Moreno， Sissy Spacek i Renée Zellweger。 Od muških glasova tu je （također oskarovac） Jeff Bridges， kao i njegovi kolege iz legendarne komedije braće Coen "The Big Lebowski" Steve Buscemi i John Goodman， a pridružuju im se još i Oscar Isaac， Alfre Woodard te Jeffrey Wright。 No， uz to nije loše imati niti primjerak e-booka ili fizičku kopiju， budući da je knjiga i bogato ilustrirana pomno odabranim fotografijama bez kojih vjerojatno gubi dio privlačnosti。 Riječ je， dakle， o knjizi koja se upija svim čulima。Oni koji su slušali sjajnu Dylanovu radijsku emisiju "Theme Time Radio Hour" prepoznat će njezin stil u "The Philosophy of Modern Song"。 To ne čudi， budući da je isti tim koji je Bobu skupljao informacije i sadržaj za emisiju radio i na knjizi。 Knjiga je u principu koncipirana tako da počinje jednim pjesničkim izrazom u kojem Dylan iznosi svoju viziju pjesme o kojoj govori， nekad je prepričava （u manje kvalitetnim poglavljima poput onoga o "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" Glena Campbella）， nekad zamišlja njezin nastavak （u boljem o "I Got a Woman" Raya Charlesa）， a nekad samo zamišlja alternativne pristupe temi koju pjesma obrađuje。 Te odlomke u audio verziji čita sam Dylan， dok glumci obično preuzimaju drugi dio eseja u kojemu Dylan kao glazbeni historičar i kritičar iznosi faktografiju， zanimljivosti vezane uz pjesmu u pitanju ili bilo što drugo što mu pada na pamet， a moglo bi se načelno svrstati u kategoriju "filozofiju moderne pjesme"。Osim što je vrstan poznavalac povijesti popularne glazbe čija je glava puna svakakve trivije o koječemu， Dylan ostaje i provokator， pa će tako u jednom poglavlju posebno podbadati odvjetnike koji se bave razvodima， ali i （potpuno nepotrebno） cijeli ženski rod。 Prikupilo mu je to ponešto novinskih naslova koji ga optužuju za mizoginiju， čime ne doprinosi ni činjenica da je golema većina obrađenih pjesama djelo muških izvođača （čast izuzecima poput Nine Simone ili Rosemary Clooney）。 No Dylan zna da je svaka reklama dobra reklama i da se za dobrim konjem prašina diže， pa mu ponekad i nije problem ispasti konjem。 Naravno， takve periferne provokacije ne smiju zasjeniti činjenicu da je riječ o duboko zanimljivoj knjizi koja će golicati maštu svakog istinskog ljubitelja glazbe。U ovakvoj recenziji nemoguće je ulaziti u bilo kakve detalje， jer kad zagrebete jedno mjesto， otvarate neviđene dubine iz kojih je nemoguće isplivati。 Pjesme koje Dylan obrađuje uglavnom su starijeg datuma， iz doba prije rock and rolla， te iz vremena njegovog nastanka。 Našoj publici mogla bi biti zanimljiv i podatak da Bob govoreći o nastanku pjesme "Strangers in the Night" koju je proslavio Frank Sinatra istražuje i njezine korijene， te kao jednog od potencijalnih autora izdvaja i našeg Ivu Robića， premda veće šanse za autorstvo pripisuje armenskom pijanistu i proizvođaču cigara Avu Uvezianu koji je s Robićem dijelio menadžera Berta Kaempferta， u konačnici potpisanog kao autora pjesme。 Istinu bismo mogi potražiti negdje na pola puta， jer je dosta izgledno da je ovaj "posudio" po jedan dio pjesme od obojice glazbenika s kojima je radio。"The Philosophy of Modern Song" možda neće oduševiti svakoga， ali svi oni koji vole Dylanov eklektični stil koji često spaja fakte s fikcijom， poeziju s filozofijom i glazbu sa svim ostalim disciplinama ljudskog duha， bit će više nego zadovoljni s njegovim novim izletom u književnost， promišljenim uvidom u građu kao i često politički peckavim komentarima koje zdušno prosipa stranicama svoje nove knjige。 Za nas koji smo ovisni o njemu koliko i o temama koje obrađuje， ova knjiga je izvor velike radosti i jedna od onih kojoj ćemo se vraćati u jednakoj mjeri po informacije kao i po nadahnuće。（Simon & Schuster， 2022。） 。。。more

Charles ，

Wow， dude is a cosmos。

Jay Gabler ，

"Knowing a singer's life story doesn't particularly help your understanding of a song，" Dylan writes。 "It's what a song makes you feel about your own life that's important。"It's easy to understand why such an approach might appeal to the only rocker ever to win a Nobel Prize in Literature， someone whose songs had been scrutinized like holy writ by the time he was the age Lil Nas X is now。Being Bob Dylan， he could certainly call Elvis Costello and hear everything the formerly young punk has to sa "Knowing a singer's life story doesn't particularly help your understanding of a song，" Dylan writes。 "It's what a song makes you feel about your own life that's important。"It's easy to understand why such an approach might appeal to the only rocker ever to win a Nobel Prize in Literature， someone whose songs had been scrutinized like holy writ by the time he was the age Lil Nas X is now。Being Bob Dylan， he could certainly call Elvis Costello and hear everything the formerly young punk has to say about that 1978 rave-up。 He didn't。 Instead， he's here to tell you what the song makes him feel。 "This song is brainwashed，" Dylan writes， "and comes to you with a lowdown dirty look， exaggerates and amplifies itself until you can flesh it out， and it suits your mood。"The list of people who I'd trust to keep me engaged with essays like that about songs like Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou" is very short。 Hanif Abdurraqib， Andrea Swensson， Bob Dylan 。。。 there are more， but not very many more。I reviewed The Philosophy of Modern Song for the Duluth News Tribune。 。。。more

JB Minton ，

Bob Dylan's "The Philosophy Of Modern Song" is not what anyone was expecting but it's what everyone needed。 It feels like a paper version of Theme Time Radio where the theme is life & death with all the madness & music in between them。If you are a human being that loves art， buy and read this book。 Listen to the songs in the order he's selected。 Listen again。 Read it every 3 years until darkness at the break of Noon。 Bob Dylan's "The Philosophy Of Modern Song" is not what anyone was expecting but it's what everyone needed。 It feels like a paper version of Theme Time Radio where the theme is life & death with all the madness & music in between them。If you are a human being that loves art， buy and read this book。 Listen to the songs in the order he's selected。 Listen again。 Read it every 3 years until darkness at the break of Noon。 。。。more

Ewan ，

Musings from the man behind Highway 61 Revisited and Rough and Rowdy Ways will most definitely be in high demand。 Bob Dylan is projected by fans and contemporaries alike as one of the great lyricists of his time。 A Nobel Prize-winning writer， yet despite that， there is little of that marked quality in The Philosophy of Modern Song， a book that details 66 select tracks。 What reason they have for appearing within this bulky book beyond that of Dylan picking them is unknowable。 Pairing Dylan’s know Musings from the man behind Highway 61 Revisited and Rough and Rowdy Ways will most definitely be in high demand。 Bob Dylan is projected by fans and contemporaries alike as one of the great lyricists of his time。 A Nobel Prize-winning writer， yet despite that， there is little of that marked quality in The Philosophy of Modern Song， a book that details 66 select tracks。 What reason they have for appearing within this bulky book beyond that of Dylan picking them is unknowable。 Pairing Dylan’s knowledge of music with that of his thoughts on popular tracks from his own life， but with little expansion on what the mega fans will already pretend they know。 At the core then， The Philosophy of Modern Song must note itself as an interesting read。 It is vaguely so。 Very light， very brief musings that would barely last a page should the font be in proper order。 Visuals abound， this is half picture book， half distant ramblings from a seasoned veteran of the music industry。 Dylan is aware of his presence with fans and actively rejects his reputation。 Muttered musings on already-known backstories with the likes of Perry Como and Elvis Costello。 Each entry boils down to core essentials that see Dylan throw out synonyms for what the song makes him think， an abrupt and brief history stretched over the page and no real comment on its place in either his life or that of the listener beyond the pages。 To expect The Philosophy of Modern Song to be a personal account is a fool's errand， but to engage with it in the hopes of having any form of new detail or experience appears just as foolhardy。  Under the guise of legend， Dylan takes aim at what constitutes a family （if you don’t have kids， you’re just “friends with benefits and insurance coverage”） and the holiness of polygamy。 These often incomplete thoughts range from anywhere from a few pages to barely half a paragraph。 Stretching the book out is the imagery， not conjured by Dylan but by the propped-up stocks and album covers littered throughout。 Do they engage in any form with the writing around it？ Not particularly。 For the nodding dogs of the fandom， whatever Dylan prattles out is going to have context and mystery， intrigue and desire placed upon it。 That comes not from his words， especially not in The Philosophy of Modern Song， but from individual interpretation。 This is a book of interpretations， fairly obvious ones at that。 His interpretation of song， sometimes followed by an unhinged ramble and then three images to stretch the pages， is a theme spread across the book。  Disjointed ramblings from the man who holds power over millions with his words， The Philosophy of Modern Song gets to no point or conclusion featured in the title。 Whether any of this is seriously what Dylan believes is unknowable。 He keeps the shroud up and his guard higher， and to that end he reveals nothing。 Dylan is aware that many reading his book will take his word as gospel。 His influence is that far and mighty for people， and to have him not tarnish his reputation， but completely disregard it， is truly the funniest part of this non-book entity。 A masterclass from Dylan， but that is what he was expecting his audience and critics to think anyway。 To release this as Nick Cave puts out his beautiful， touching and moving piece， Faith， Hope and Carnage are to realise Dylan is a man who has no want or need to be honest with those that praise him for his openness。  If you liked this review， you can read more of my work on my website， Cult Following。 。。。more

Drew ，

What a book。 It’s harsh， dark， and beautiful。 I couldn’t put it out it down for about 2 days。 Something I really enjoyed and learned from， like most things I get from Bob Dylan。

Cheryl ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I wanted so badly to love this book， but I found it difficult to get through。 There’s a lot to criticize， considering Dylan’s Nobel Laureate status。 There are some patent untruths， easily google-able， and some uncomfortable opinions about women。 Most alarming is Dylan’s opinions on marriage。 When I described the following to my husband， he stopped me and immediately googled how many times Dylan has been divorced - twice， for the record。Bizarrely， he blames divorce lawyers for the downfall of soc I wanted so badly to love this book， but I found it difficult to get through。 There’s a lot to criticize， considering Dylan’s Nobel Laureate status。 There are some patent untruths， easily google-able， and some uncomfortable opinions about women。 Most alarming is Dylan’s opinions on marriage。 When I described the following to my husband， he stopped me and immediately googled how many times Dylan has been divorced - twice， for the record。Bizarrely， he blames divorce lawyers for the downfall of society， writing at one point that they were to blame for uncounted suicides and serial killers。 As if the real cure to society’s many complex ills is to just， at all costs， stay married to your spouse。 Which， as a child of divorced parents…。no。 Had my folks stayed together， one or both of them would be dead。 That aside， he goes on to suggest one cure is to legalize polygamy。 He attempts to fend off the rabid feminist critics he knows are coming （as they always do when your ideas are ridiculous）， by suggesting at the end of the chapter that these world-saving polygamous families didn’t HAVE to consist of one man and multiple women！ It could go the other way around！ Take that， feminists！As other reviewers pointed out， there seems to be little organization of the songs Dylan analyzes。More than that， the analysis is often either a retelling of the lyrics with no further insights， or an expansion of the stories told by the original songs。 These expansions are tedious and told in second-person。The original stories， as created by the lyricists who wrote the songs Dylan is “analyzing”， are not enhanced by these expansions。 They come off as rambling and repetitive。 I found them exhausting。 The audiobook is narrated by a slew of celebrities。 They were delightful readers of content I wanted to like a lot more。 The book， overall， lacks cohesion。 It could have done with some structure and a kind hand reigning Dylan in a little。 There were a few places where a bit of Dylan’s brilliance shines through （and listen - I didn’t like the book， but he IS brilliant）。 Notably， the chapter on the Grateful Dead was fascinating。 There is a deep understanding of the song “Truckin’” that Dylan imparts to the reader from the perspective of someone who has been on the road a lot。 It feels different from the rest of the book in that， instead of trying to force a POV on you， he actually puts you in the moment。 It’s one of the very few songs in the book that got a genuine analysis based on Dylan’s experience as their contemporary。 I got the sense that he truly admired The Dead and it made me want to pull up their catalog。 And that’s what I wanted from the book。 I wanted a Dylan memoir with good insights on storytelling that spurred a few nights with the Spotify playlist that share’s the book’s name。 I wanted to hear about how these songs came about from someone who could offer a truly unique view on them。 For me， it fell short。 。。。more

Paul Viola ，

This is amazing！ It's like picking up Jack Kerouac or Tom Pynchon for the first time and having your mind totally blown！ What a unique fireworking blast！ Now everyone has to go and fetch these songs from somewhere and give them a good listen while reading Dylan before and after。 Bob has been DEEPLY into American music all his life， and it shows。 He's also deeply into the old "Weird American" culture and has lots of names to name。 Not so much "analyses" of the songs， but no-holds-barred riffs on This is amazing！ It's like picking up Jack Kerouac or Tom Pynchon for the first time and having your mind totally blown！ What a unique fireworking blast！ Now everyone has to go and fetch these songs from somewhere and give them a good listen while reading Dylan before and after。 Bob has been DEEPLY into American music all his life， and it shows。 He's also deeply into the old "Weird American" culture and has lots of names to name。 Not so much "analyses" of the songs， but no-holds-barred riffs on what each song stirs in his mind。 The illustrations are a hoot。 There's also a moral compass woven into the mix， which we need。 But Bob is not concerned about being PC， so be forewarned。I accidentally ordered two copies。 So I stopped off at an Amazon Whole Foods where they do returns and the kindly woman there stared at it and asked "Why are you returning this？" I explained my mistake and we chatted。 "Weren't there two Bob Dylans？" she asked。 "Wasn't one a poet？" "Nope，" I said， "same guy。 It's really very interesting and funny。" "I just might have to get this for myself，" she said。 Made my day。One best example in them all is his thoughtfully spaced-out take on Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho & Lefty。" If ever there was a song that took you through saloon doors into the dire heart of the West 。 。 。 and Dylan nails it down！ 。。。more

Joseph Colicchio ，

Major disappointment: stream of consciousness jibberish--not insightful， not informative。

vicki honeyman ，

Wow o wow。 Dylan has gone way out over the top with this absolutely beautifully produced book of over 60 of his essaysabout the songs of 20th century musicians， ranging from the Grateful Dead to Vic Damone， Willie Nelson to the Fugs， Rosemary Clooney to Nina Simone， Ray Charles to Johnny Paycheck， MartyRobbins to Cher 。 。 。 and many many， happily， more！ His take on the songs， the artists， the messages， and the timeframes are true Dylan， with his eclectic voice and worldview， connecting musical g Wow o wow。 Dylan has gone way out over the top with this absolutely beautifully produced book of over 60 of his essaysabout the songs of 20th century musicians， ranging from the Grateful Dead to Vic Damone， Willie Nelson to the Fugs， Rosemary Clooney to Nina Simone， Ray Charles to Johnny Paycheck， MartyRobbins to Cher 。 。 。 and many many， happily， more！ His take on the songs， the artists， the messages， and the timeframes are true Dylan， with his eclectic voice and worldview， connecting musical genres and time periods within the music industry。 Wonderful archival photos and graphics make this a coffee-table treat beyond treats。 。。。more

Stephen ，

This is not a book about modern song writing except by inference。 Touted as Dylan “offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of popular music” it feels like short essays on songs Dylan could have posted on Wikipedia。 Except on Wikipedia other people would and could tear his analysis to sheds。 Wikipedia is brutal for peer review。 Dylan’s flamboyant and unique opinions wouldn’t pass for fact or valid opinion。 Perhaps AllMusic would accept Dylan as a “name” critic。The cover inside flap says This is not a book about modern song writing except by inference。 Touted as Dylan “offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of popular music” it feels like short essays on songs Dylan could have posted on Wikipedia。 Except on Wikipedia other people would and could tear his analysis to sheds。 Wikipedia is brutal for peer review。 Dylan’s flamboyant and unique opinions wouldn’t pass for fact or valid opinion。 Perhaps AllMusic would accept Dylan as a “name” critic。The cover inside flap says “He （Dylan） analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes…” etc as though the book is about the technology of songwriting。 First I haven’t found anything like that yet。 Second， Dylan is the past master of easy and illogical rhymes。 As much as I admire and love Dylan’s music， even in the 60s lines like this were laughable。“The fiddler， he now steps to the roadHe writes ev'rything's been returned which was owedOn the back of the fish truck that loadsWhile my conscience explodes“ Visions of JohannaI’m going to keep the book and read it。 I doubt I’ll have any more insight into song writing when finished。 。。。more

Maksim Karpitski ，

Fans might enjoy this， but it's definitely no philosophy and quite obvious in its "insights"。 Fans might enjoy this， but it's definitely no philosophy and quite obvious in its "insights"。 。。。more

J Koch ，

It's a rather bloated title with nothing in the book itself suggesting how anyone might have arrived at it。 There's no real overview， introduction or summing up， not even a preface， though there is a dedication。 There's no coherence in the songs that have come under review， they just pop up one at a time。 It's just snippets of thoughts that came into the writer's mind。That said Dylan's prose is very well written and quite thought provoking。 It's a rather bloated title with nothing in the book itself suggesting how anyone might have arrived at it。 There's no real overview， introduction or summing up， not even a preface， though there is a dedication。 There's no coherence in the songs that have come under review， they just pop up one at a time。 It's just snippets of thoughts that came into the writer's mind。That said Dylan's prose is very well written and quite thought provoking。 。。。more

The Atlantic ，

"For Dylan to stress the irrelevance of biography is to remind us of his own biography and its role in his work。 His resistance to personal scrutiny and skill at obfuscation and self-invention are not distractions from the story of his life; they are the story of his life 。。。 Though the book is ostensibly about songs by other artists， there is the outline of another book， a shadow book about Dylan， within it。" — David Hajdu https://www。theatlantic。com/books/arc。。。 "For Dylan to stress the irrelevance of biography is to remind us of his own biography and its role in his work。 His resistance to personal scrutiny and skill at obfuscation and self-invention are not distractions from the story of his life; they are the story of his life 。。。 Though the book is ostensibly about songs by other artists， there is the outline of another book， a shadow book about Dylan， within it。" — David Hajdu https://www。theatlantic。com/books/arc。。。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Filosofía de la canción moderna

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Filosofía de la canción moderna&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Filosofía de la canción moderna&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0