I have occasionally read Marc Myers' articles in the Wall Street Journal regarding the history and background of some of the early pop songs in the rock & roll era. They are fascinatingly detailed and researched with one regular feature, Anatomy of a Song, covering how these songs came together from the composers, producers and recording artists involved. This has lead to a compilation of these articles in a book entitled,"Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B, and Pop". These memorable songs range from 1952 to 1991 and explores the evolution of popular music.
Some of the songs covered range from classic rock ("Light My Fire" by the Doors, "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks), punk rock ("(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes by Elvis Costello, "London Calling" by the Clash), Motown ("Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes, "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops), iconic artists ("Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley, "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones), Soul ("(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, "Shout" by The Isley Brothers), pop ("Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper) and country ("Fist City" by Loretta Lynn, "Big City" by Merle Haggard). This would make the perfect gift for that music lover in your life. I have included a few of my favorite songs in the book for your listening pleasure:
"Oh Happy Day" - Edwin Hawkins Singers (1967) mp3
"Groovin'" - The Young Rascals (1967) mp3
"Magic Carpet Ride" - Steppenwolf (1968) mp3
"Deacon Blues" - Steely Dan (1978) mp3
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