Customer Reviews

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story behind the Song - The Exclusive Personal Stories behind 101 of Your Favorite Songs

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was given this book as a present last week - To my surprise I loved every minute of reading it. The book is comprised of so many songs that I have loved - hummed and song and now I am able to read the stories behind these songs. I found it quite interesting to read the songwriters thoughts which now gives us a more personal insight into how many of these songs originated. I have just purchased 10 books to give as Xmas gifts.
If you like to listen to music than this is a must read.

The Story behind the Song is a compilation of one hundred and one classic and popular well known songs. Spanning across decades of music, each chapter gives the artist or writers story along with the full lyrics. The book is packed full of interesting information and emotions attached to some of our favorite songs. If you have ever wondered how a song came to be, or if the lyrics mean anything personal to the artist, this installment of Chicken Soup for the Soul is for you.

The book is divided into chapters by each individual song. Each chapter has the artist picture, name and song title, followed by the written by and recorded by details. From here the narrative starts on how the song came to be or the story behind the development of the song. Immediately following the artists' comments are the full lyrics to the song. There is no doubt that you will want to go find your old forgotten CDs or your new and favorite CDs to hear these songs. If you don't have the songs on CD you will probably end up finding yourself on the internet like I did, searching for the song so that you can listen to it and be reminded of its' tune and passion while you read this book. I also used the internet to search for the songs I was not as familiar with or had not heard before, though they were few and far between. It was amazing to hear the song after learning more about how it came to be.

Due to the setup of the chapters, the book leaves the reader with options on how they would prefer to read it. I started off reading cover to cover but quickly switched my tactic. I was finding each entry very intriguing and found myself wanting to read about some of my favorites first. It is very easy to read this book out of order. After grabbing a pencil and making a small mark next to the chapters I had read, I went through and chose the order I wanted to read in, making sure to mark each chapter on the table of contents page after reading it. One of my favorite stories was from Gavin Rossdale who talks about his song "Love Remains the Same". I found that this story was one that every reader would be able to connect with. It is a beautiful song with beautiful lyrics and an honest story behind it. There were many great stories in this book that it is hard to choose just one favorite. I also really enjoyed Liz Phair's "Divorce Song". I was unfamiliar with this song, but it was great to read and then listen too. It is always great to find new music and new artist.

The Story behind the Song is a delightful look at generations of music and lyrics. It is heart warming and at times comical. The reader is given a glimpse at the blood, sweat and tears along with heartache, pain, enjoyment and pay off that goes into the writing process and success! I would love to see Chicken Soup for the Soul come out with a second installment of this book, or maybe even one about authors and their creative process or story behind their books. It was a fresh and new perspective to the Chicken Soup series.

Reviewed for bookpleasures

I had never read a "Chicken Soup" book before this one. I thought they would be sappy. But not at all. The remembrances in "The Story Behind the Song" are a collection of wonderful history, heartfelt personal tales, and altogether I found myself wanting to read one more and one more...okay...just one more...and before long realized I had read the entire book in one sitting. This would make a really great holiday gift. We all have memories and connectives to many of these songs and the book fills in the backstory beautifully and warmly and respectfully. it is written in a light yet often substantive style that would make it a great read for that long flight to the family at Christmastime...and give you something to talk about, too.

What a great book!! It was so great to read the stories behind the songs. Some were touching like that of Art Alexakis. Makes you realize what a great man he is and just how sweet he seems with his own kids! Then there are stories by Lamont Dozier and others that are HILARIOUS!!! No Tell Motel? Seriously!! hahaha

What's so great about this book is that it is a simple, yet fun read. The stories are concise, well-written and addictive. I think another reviewer wrote this as well, but on two occasions I thought, "Okay, I'm going to read one story before I go to bed." I started at 3 am and 45 minutes later I was still reading, knowing i REALLY needed to get some sleep!

This is one of those things that makes for a great gift, particularly for those people that already have everything. I'm not big on reading, but this is such an easy read that you can read a story or two, or just read it front to back.

Nice work, Chicken Soup. This was the first book I've read from that series and if the rest are like this, you've got a new fan!

The "Story Behind the Song", related by the writers and/ or performers, adds another dimension to the tunes that created so many memories for us all. It is an education in creation by the masters.

Yet another excellent "Chicken Soup" book. I found myself reading the stories and singing along with the songs in my head as the lyrics to each are inclued. A lot of the stories are very heartwarming and inspirational. A great gift!

I enjoy reading the Chicken Soup books so I figured others would too, including my boss who plays the guitar. This one was obviouslt the perfect one for him. I also buy ALL of my books through Amazon because the prices can not be beat.

I purchased this book as a gift for a very dear friend. We are both musicians. I sing and he is a composer and pianist. He described this book as AMAZING and I must agree. There were songs I have been singing for quite some time. The story behind the lyrics was very useful. Whenever I sing one of the songs, I now have more background information about the inspiration behind the song. It is so wonderful to give a gift to someone and to know that it was well received. Yes, some of the songs were somewhat obscure, but that does not take away from the overall value of this book. Without a doubt, I highly recommend Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song!

I got this for the Kenny Loggins entry "Moose 'n' Me". Yes Kenny should have used the story behind one of his more well known songs, but it is interesting as it is a song from his not-yet-officially-released children's album for Disney. The song's theme of loosing a loved pet and wondering if we'd meet them in the next life leads apporiately into the next song Shelby Lynne's "When Johnny Met June" which has a similar theme (only it's about Johnny and June Carter Cash) Not all the writers wrote the songs they sang, their are two entries by the offspring of deceased singers Jim Croce and Ricky Nelson. No Beatles however... Or Dylan or Donovan or songs written for the stage and screen...

Brian from Mark & Brian radio show recommended this. I bought 10 books and they arrived immediately. Most everyone who got the book was disappointed. Far to many 'unknowns' in the book and the writing for several of the stories was rather juvenile. I would not recommend this book.