The philosophy of modern song is Bob Dylan’s first book of new writing since 2004’s Chronicles: Volume One—and since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. “Philosophy” tells the story of, well, pretty much everything, from Dylan’s unique perspective. It forces you to think about things – songs, words, images, melodies – in new lights. Listening to music – and seeing the world – through Bob Dylan’s eyes and ears opens new levels of understanding and appreciation. So what if it turns out that there is no real “Philosophy” of modern song? Just taking a journey with this singular tour guide is more than enough.
The Philosophy of Modern Song is available everywhere, as is the audio book featuring Jeff Bridges, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Oscar Isaac, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Sissy Spacek, Alfre Woodard, Jeffrey Wright, and Renée Zellweger.
Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers his extraordinary insight into the nature of popular music. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He 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.
In 2020, with the release of his outstanding album Rough and Rowdy Ways, Dylan became the first artist to have an album hit the Billboard Top 40 in each decade since the 1960s. The Philosophy of Modern Song contains much of what he has learned about his craft in all those years, and like everything that Dylan does, it is a momentous artistic achievement.
Promising review from customers
" I love this book and happy to have it and read every day a little bit. I read Chronicles many times. It feels so good to read anything from Bob Dylan. I waited by his bus and attended his concert this year in Portland Oregon and it felt so good. He was right in front of my eyes, his hair looked so good! I thought I snapped a short video of him getting in the concert building but when I got home I realized I filmed the ground only. One guard came towards me and I don't know what happened but I have no movie. It's actually my second encounter with Bob Dylan up close but first time was accidental. It was a few years back when he was again in concert in Portland. At encore when all people were standing, clapping asking for more songs, I thought it was a good opportunity for me to get out of the building first, so I walked out at the first door. In the street right in front of my eyes was Bob Dylan rushing in his bus. He was not inside responding to encore he was outside rushing in his bus. That's where I learned about the bus. Anyway I don't know how this person can feel so good but I'm so lucky to be contemporary with Bob Dylan. I love this man with all my heart." _ Cri Shack