Customer Reviews

I Hate Myself and Want to Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs You've Ever Heard

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Why do I say "paradoxically"? Well, while the songs profiled in the book live up to the subtitle, the book itself is laugh out loud funny. Reynolds has a gift for stating the obvious in a very amusing way. Nobody needs to be told that "Macarthur Park" is depressing, with that iconic image of the cake melting in the rain, but he goes into enough detail about why it's such a depressing song to make reading about it entertaining. Deadpan humor abounds ("He started working construction for the Johnstown company, but then got laid off because he was living in a Springsteen song"), as do little revelations you probably never stopped to think of because, really, who cares? Take "In the Year 2525" for example...as Reynolds points out, most of those horrific predictions of thousands of years in the future have come true after just 35 years.

Of course, any reader is bound to think of many more songs that could have gone into the book, and there are a few unforgiveable omissions. No chapter on teenage car crash songs should ever leave out the Everly Brothers' "Ebony Eyes," even if it is about a plane crash rather than a car crash. Unlike most purveyors of tragedy songs, after all, the Everlys were a serious act and didn't need to stoop to that bizarre novelty to have a hit. On the other hand, Reynolds' prediction of the aftermath of "Tell Laura I Love Her" if Tommy hadn't died is quite possibly the funniest paragraph in the book.

He also doesn't spare the occasional good song - notably "Strange Fruit" - from the book. After all, a song can be good and still be depressing. Then there's the problem of choosing the most depressing song by an act that specializes in them, such as The Cure. Fans and detractors alike of those acts will surely want to argue about the choices Reynolds did make, but being able to pick out one song was impressive nonetheless.

There is, of course, one question neither Reynolds nor anyone else can answer: just how did all these wretched songs become hits in the first place? Don't try to figure it out, just enjoy the book!

This isn't just a simple countdown of the 52 most depressings songs but every song is neatly grouped into categories like "Teenage Car Crash" or "I'm Telling A Story Nobody Wants To Hear".

Each selection is then dissected and broken down (including chart position and the various incarnations) with plenty of interesting information and background on the lyrics, artist(s), and the song itself. The author has a sense of humor, the sarcastic kind I'm fond of, and injects plenty of wit throughout.. I couldn't get through the introduction without cracking up.

The accompanying illustrations, enchanting ink drawings by Stacey Earley, are perfectly melancholy and adorable.

I think you'll find this an enjoyable read, especially if you're a fan of pop music - and whether or not you agree with all of the song choices.

Someone sent me this book from England and I read it on the plane back to the States -- hilarious! Could not stop laughing out loud at his sarcasm and wit. I agreed with Mr. Reynolds on his take of Carey and Dion's brain concussion modulations. He describes each song and puts it in a category, with details. You can open the book and read any song that interests you. Then, yesterday I heard him on a talk radio show and he's very well versed in all genres of music, not just rock but from the 50's until today. He even mentions Ben Folds' (one of my favorites). This is not a depressing book and I highly recommend it. Makes you think that by listening to lyrics you can dig deeper into the mind of the songwriter/vocalist.

I was a little skeptical when I first saw it, but decided to buy it anyway. I'm glad I did; this book is very, very funny. It's filled with wonderful turns of phrase and is generally all around witty. I don't agree with all of the choices; Love Will Tear Us Apart is depressing, but it's still a great song.

Agree or not though, this book was still excellent. I would highly recommend it.

I initially purchased this book to read on the bus to work, however since starting it I haven't been able to put it down! It's a light-hearted, witty romp through some of the most tragic songs to assault our airwaves. Of course it is not a comprehensive list, but it is a good selection of genre's & era's

This book isn't going to change you life, but it will put a smile on your face & lets face it, that can't be a bad thing.

So instead of being tight-fisted & trying to gauge a book from flicking through it in a bookstore, just buy the thing & chuckle your way through the 308 pages.

P.S. as a treat, download the 52 songs & listen to them as a companion piece to the book .... doubles the pleasure!

Wow!! Few authors can make me fall on the floor in hysterics, but Tom Reynolds has been extremely successful at it!! I was feeling a little down today, but fortunately my Amazon order arrived with this book in it. Because I grew up listening to many, way too many, of the songs Reynolds "analyzes," I too have been traumatized by them. I could even empathize with his introductory notes having been victimized by my parents' proclivity toward opera, Mantovani, and whoever chorused the notorious (please, put this in the sequel) "I hear the music from across the way!" Praise God, we both survived: Reynolds to write the book and me to thank him profusely for addressing this syndrome. I just hope he doesn't receive any death threats from the hordes of Neil Diamond/Barry Manilow fans. I'd even stand between him and them. I implore you, Mr. Reynolds, start the sequel now.

The only thing that lets this book down is the fact that if you weren't alive back in the 70s or years beforehand, due to the fact that a lot of the songs analysed inside haven't stood the test of time, and have not been replayed on mainstream radio, then like me if you grew up in a more recent decade then you have probably never heard of them. The author actually took this on board when writing his more relevant to all ages encore Touch Me, I'm Sick: The 52 Creepiest Love Songs You've Ever Heard which is a better read due to the fact you've actually heard of the majority of songs.

That fact aside though, this is still a brilliant book and Reynolds description of the songs you don't know is just as funny as the ones you do. Reynolds humorously dissects 52 songs which were successful in the charts at least when they first were released, and by analysing the lyrics opens the eyes of the reader as to why these lyrics or the way an artist sings them are so depressing.

Examples of the humour inside are (page 62 - Round Here by the Counting Crows) "Maria's a little odd. Not to bright either, since Duritz sings how she left Nashville and came all the way to the West Coast to find a guy who looks like Elvis (correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Memphis right down the road from Nashville).... No one notices the contrasts of white on white, he sings mournfully, not realising he doesn't know the definition of the word contrast."

On Celine Dion's version of all By Myself (p140) "She laments for long gone friends who are never home when she calls them (trust me Celine, they're home. It's just with caller ID, they know it's you calling)."

On Whitney Huoston's version of I Will Always Love You (p147) "I Will Always Love You was a phenomenon and nothing anyone can say will ever change that. That said, I'm still compelled to throw myself in front of a moving semi whenever I hear it)."

On the Smashing Pumpkins version of Landslide (p151) "Buckingham's guitar accompaniment is superb and Nicks left her Zen pen at home when she wrote it. That's why it was a shock to me when I turned on my car radio and heard some braying nut singing Landslide like he was passing a croquet ball through his colon."

Although I don't think this book is as good as its sequel Creepiest Love Songs or as relevant either as those songs are mostly played at inappropriate times like weddings by those who don't understand the lyrics, I do think this is also a must and enjoyable read.

I'm not sure if Blood, Sweat & Tea: Real-Life Adventures in an Inner-City Ambulance is by the same author or another author who just shares the same name but I've read that as well and it is equally as funny as the music dissection books.

I read this entire book in two hours. I could not put it down. It is hilarious! The author covers a wide variety of musical genres, and provides great trivia. Fans of the old VH1 show "Pop-up Video" will love the back story of the songs featured. Who knew that "MacArthur Park" was so depressing?

It's ballsy to rip icons like Springsteen for recycling themes, but even a fan of the boss knows Reynolds is right. I too, wonder why every female in Bruce's songs is named Mary. Only thing keeping this from five stars is the fact you have to think a little too much to follow all the complex humor. Almost every sentance is a sarcastic one-liner. Usually funny, yes, but I found myself sometimes needing a break between his pokes--a moment to relish it and ease into the next one.

The cover and the title don't do the narrative justice. I would never had picked this book cold. The cover makes it look like a teen suicide-wish book.

I would've given it one more star, except I'm not smart nuf to git all the jokes. Is there a dummy's version?

A humorous collection and analysis of some of the most depressing songs released over the last 50 years. Reynolds not only has a knack for breaking down songs to their core, but he also does it in a way that you'll be laughing along with him, even though the songs author's were probably dead serious when they wrote them. Reynolds' breaks the songs down into various categories of depression. The only problem I had with his choice of songs were that they were based around Reynolds' childhood. So unless your a music fanatic, or born around his age range, you may not be that familiar with most of his selections. A great book either way.