I Read this For America

Songs of America by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw

There were things I thought this book would be that it isn’t. I thought they would pick a dozen songs and tell how they tell the bigger picture. They actually mention many more songs and dozens of artists. Every chapter is a dozen songs.

I also thought musician Tim McGraw would dissect lyrics or why songs are played the way they are. Is this better on guitar vs. piano? Fast vs. slow. From the format of the book, McGraw has these asides where he really adds fluff. There are whole books on Sam Cooke's Change is Gonna Come, so I expected a similar dissection from the musician. It doesn't really do that.

There was a lot of good here. I looked up and discovered some new songs. I loved the song, Our Day Will Come by Ruby and the Romantics. The bossa nova melody, the harmony and the simple beauty of the lyrics. After this book, the song has a new dimension I never heard. I loved that insight.

There is a mention on the missing verse in This Land is Your Land.

I want to find more of these songs on the web and these artists. I was able to hear the Revolutionary War songs sung by modern artists. That's a big revelation about this genre.These songs don't go away. They get repurposed or get new melodies. They inspire. They create anger. Art!

This was a good intro.