Customer Reviews

Blinded by the Lyrics

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife characterized this, correctly, as a "great bathroom book". The chapters are all about 2-3 pages with a theme of a particular song's most "inscrutable" lyric but with lots of neat bunny trails along the way. For example, a section on Steely Dan's "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" also includes a tidbit on Genesis' "Squonk". Besides the parts on particular songs, there are portions that deal with decades in general from the 1970s to the 1990s.

If you don't know what a "fried out Kombi" is, what part Freddie Mercury's country of origin played in the writing of "Bohemian Rhapsody" or what the "pompitous of love" are, (to say nothing of a "cool water sandwich and a Sunday-go-to-meetin' bun") this book will clue you in.

Perhaps the best part is this book doesn't focus only on the oft analyzed Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, et al., but it also finds time for tunes from Men At Work, The Fixx, Barenaked Ladies and Rickie Lee Jones.

PROS:
Mann's style is breezy and he's unafraid to inject his personal opinion even if he thinks it will be an unpopular one. (He fondly recalls the video for Huey Lewis and the News' "If This is It".)

CONS:
You'd probably not want to refer to this again and again and because of the diversions, it doesn't necessarily make a good "reference" book if you're a DJ or musicologist. It's not always easy to remember WHERE you learned, for example, how the Marshall Tucker Band got its name, since they don't have a chapter dedicated to them..just a bunny trail off the "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" entry. There's no index either.

BOTTOM LINE:
The BIGGEST lyrical mysteries (Who are the Queen and the Jester in "American Pie"? What got thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge?) aren't solved, but I'd be willing to bet 98% of this book's readers will learn at least ONE thing they didn't know about a band or song and the casual rock listener will find it a treasure trove of information.

3 1/2 stars

It's seldom that I've read a book that left me both entertained and informed -- "Blinded by the Lyrics" is such a book. Brent Mann gives you the inside story behind hundreds of mysterious, fascinating rock & roll lyrics. What did the Grateful Dead mean by "Dallas got a soft machine" in Truckin'? What exactly is the enigmatic "pomatus of love" in "The Joker" by Steve Miller? "Blinded by the Lyrics" answers these sorts of questions with wit, style and exhaustive research.

This is the fun summer book I'm sharing with all my friends.

A terrific read!! Mann unraveled the mysteries of some of my favorite tunes. If you ever said "hey, love that tune but what the heck is he/she talking about in that line?" pick up the book - It's a blast to read about some of the songs we all grew up with.

Plus you gotta love the insights into Steely Dan's lyrics--possibly the most perplexing of all time!

I was a fan of Brent Mann's from his first book, 99 Red Balloons (about one-hit wonders, only way more interesting than that insipid VH1 show). I liked this 2nd book even better, with more of Mann's trademark wit. A definite recommend!

This book is one of the funniest and best books I've read on the subject of songs. So many times I've wondered what a song's lyrics meant, or if I heard them wrong. Mr Mann explains everything, and in a very fun and engaging way. I read his other book, "99 Red Balloons" which was just as good in the way it detailed the top One Hit Wonders of all time. I can't wait for Brent Mann's next book!

What makes this book exceptional is that Brent Mann includes dozens of cool songs and artists that almost never get written about -- for example: "Saved by Zero" by The Fixx, "Valotte" by Julian Lennon, "Chuck E.'s in Love" by Rickie Lee Jones, and "Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo. Sure, the Beatles, Dylan and Stones are here, but so too are Steely Dan, Mr. Mister, Barenaked Ladies, Cheap Trick, and Midnight Oil.

I recently heard Brent Mann interviewed on the radio here in Chicago and he was really informative, insightful and funny, as is his book. Several highlights for me from this book: 1. The section on Peter Gabriel's classic "Solsbury Hill" -- terrific analysis. 2. "Any Major Dude" by Steely Dan -- cool little essay containing inside information I never knew about one of my favorite tunes.

I read Brent Mann's other book "99 Red Balloons" all about one-hit wonders, and it was really good, but I think "Blinded by the Lyrics" is even better.

As for the reviewer who complained about Mann confusing the Sex Pistols with the Clash, in the context of a book that contains literally thousands of facts, that is so minor and inconsequential as to not even be worth mentioning.

Brent Mann's new book Blinded by the Lyrics opened my eyes and answered many of my questions that I wondered about for years. Brent provides fascinating, fun insights to many songs that may have had you asking "What did they mean by that?" in the past. This is a great book filled with hours of entertainment for anyone who has ever listend to music.

How many times have I sang or hummed along with the song "Rosanna." I did not know the song was about Rosanna Arquette. Too many other great answers to questions I have long wondered about to mention. Thanks, Mr. Mann

Great information from an expert. "Blinded by the Lyrics" answered over two dozen questions I have wondered about for years. Someone recommended Brent Mann's first book "99 Red Balloons and 100 other All Time Great One-Hit Wonders." I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all my favorite songs/artists and couldn't wait to read his latest book "Blinded by the Lyrics." Again I was not dissapointed. Looking forward to his next book.

This book was a great trip down musical memory lane. I know so many of these songs by heart, but have never tried to figure out what the lyrics really mean. This book is a lot of fun, and a great eye-opener!