Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs

by Willie Nelson, David Ritz

For the first time ever, and to help celebrate his 90th birthday in 2023, American icon Willie Nelson provides the stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with a dynamic assortment of never-before-seen photos and ephemera.

From his earliest work in the 1950s to today, Willie looks back at the songs that have defined his career, from his days of earning $50 each to his biggest hits, from his less well-known songs (but incredibly meaningful to him) to his concept albums. Along the way, he also shares the stories of his guitar Trigger, his family and "family," as well as the artists he collaborated with, including Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Dolly Parton, and many others.

Willie is disarmingly honest--what do you have to lose when you're about to turn 90? --meditating on the nature of songwriting and finding his voice, and the themes he's explored his whole life--relationships, infidelity, love, loss, friendship, life on the road, and particularly poignant at this juncture of his life: mortality.

Revealing, funny, whimsical, and wise, this book is an enduring tribute to Willie Nelson's legacy.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook, Poetry, Art

400 pages, Hardcover

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Willie Hugh Nelson is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the most beloved and notorious country music singers. He reached his greatest fame during the so-called "outlaw country" movement of the 1970s, but remains iconic, especially in American popular culture. In recent years he has continued to tour, record, and perform, and this, combined with activities in advocacy of cannabis, as well as a well-publicized 2006 arrest for cannabis possession, have made him the subject of renewed media attention.

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars for Energy Follows Thought (audiobook) by Willie Nelson, David Ritz and Mickey Raphael read by Ethan Hawke and Willie Nelson.

It was really a treat getting to hear what inspired Willie to write so many great songs. He covered his whole career from beginning to end. Unfortunately Willie only read the Forward to the book and Ethan Hawke read the rest of the book. And Willie’s stories sounded kind of off in Ethan’s voice.

[Yodamom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook. Narrator 5 stars, Ethan Hawk. I love Willie, his songs, easy going life, empathy for all, and his songs. His lyrics are spot on with what we’re all living from time to time. This book was so fun to hear his thoughts and meanings on writing some of them made me admire him more. I will listen to this many more times.

[Kelly (miss_kellysbookishcorner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs
Author: Willie Nelson with David Ritz & Mickey Raphael
Genre: Non Fiction
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: October 31, 2023

T H R E E • W O R D S

Informative • Unique • Intimate

📖 S Y N O P S I S

From his earliest work in the 1950s to today, Willie looks back at the songs that have defined his career, from his days of earning $50 each to his biggest hits, from his less well-known songs (but incredibly meaningful to him) to his concept albums. Along the way, he also shares the stories of his guitar Trigger, his family and “family,” as well as the artists he collaborated with, including Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Dolly Parton, and many others.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I stumbled upon Energy Follows Thought while searching for something to listen to while puttering around the house. I didn't really know what to expect, and it was entirely different than anything I've listened to before. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed getting to know the stories behind some of his biggest hits.

Told in a wise and candid manner, Willie explores his song writing process, his inspiration, on finding his voice, and the relationships he developed. What really works with this book is the creative structure. Lyrics are showcased on one page and on the following page there is a story about the song. There are also some pictures interspersed throughout. I'd highly recommend the audio, narrated by Ethan Hawke, but being able to also flip through a physical copy is an added bonus.

Energy Follows Thought is a tribute to Willie's legacy. It offers a behind the scenes glimpse into Willie's career and song writing. At 90 years young, it's his meditation on love and loss, life and mortality. A true gift as people will be able to read about his inspiration long after he has gone.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Willie Nelson devotees
• fans of country music

⚠️ CW: alcohol, drug use, death, grief

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book gives the reader a chance to get to know Willie through his music. I'm not sure there is a person in America that has no idea who Willie Nelson is as his music is ingrained in our society. However, there is much more to the man that I imagined. He is now 90 years old and is truly a national treasure. I was surprised by how insightful this book is and it is beautiful.

How did this book find me? I'm certainly not one to pass up a chance to find out more about the music and the man.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book and thought it was interesting. The book is about songs that Willie has written over the years. He has written over 1,000 songs and many have been sung by numerous people. You also learn about Willie's struggles to make it in the music business. You just assume he has been doing well for many years but in fact that was not the case. He made more money writing and selling songs for quite awhile before he was successful as a singer. I felt this was a good book to listen to.

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Willie Nelson keeps writing books and I keep reading them.

This book was interesting enough. There's a lot of overlap with other books Willie has written in the last 5-10 years but there are a few new stories in this collection as well. It's not essential but if you are interested in Willie's songwriting and his process in doing it, then you will enjoy this book.

[Sydney Scarlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I wanted to listen to the audiobook, voiced by Ethan Hawke. But, I found myself wanting to listen to the songs, which were simply being quoted, and pausing every few minutes to listen to the actual song before hearing the story behind it or commentary from Willie Nelson. I ended up switching to the print book, and listening along when appropriate, which was a really fun way to read this. I also loved all of the pictures throughout once I switched from the audiobook.

My grandpa loved Willie Nelson, and listening to such a berth of his discography helped me feel close to him, and reminded me of my childhood. It also is probably why I kept putting it down and returning to it, and read it amidst other things over the past 6 months. Nelson is very humble and down to earth as he discusses his success, his spirituality, his love and failings. He is the first to admit his shortcomings, his struggles with drinking and gambling, and ways that he has failed his lovers. I loved hearing him talk about his friends the most; he seems so reverent and appreciative of the industry greats with whom he has worked. Hearing about how he would kick an idea around with friends, or sometimes sit down and write a song in a short amount of time was inspiring and shows a lot about his talent and who he is as a friend and performer.

I didn’t realize before reading this how religious he is, or that he’d grown up singing gospel. I found it endearing that he calls his sister “Sister Bobbie” when he talks about playing and recording with her. I was hoping that this would be more of a memoir or autobiography than it was, so I’m interested to read his other books.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leave it to Willie Nelson to get me to read a book of poetry. They may be his songs, but without music they are poems and most of them were unfamiliar to me. I enjoyed it very much. I was surprised how melancholy most of the songs were.

[Trish L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big fan of Willie, less so of this book. The subtitle Stories Behind My Songs was compelling, but I would have loved more story, fewer song lyrics. I did enjoy learning about Willie’s friendships with other musicians.

[Susan Eubank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better when listening while reading

[CSarrae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was like a book of poetry with hilarious, brutally honest commentary in between.

[Todd Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can be moving or I can be still
But still is still moving to me

[Hellerzilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who's never heard of Willie Nelson prior to this, consider me a new fan.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willie Nelson is a global fucking treasure. That is all.

[Cathrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willie Nelson writing about his songs

Writing about how he came to write many of his songs and what they meant to him. Willie is not just a long haired hippie/redneck. He is a gifted songwriter and musician - he has a way with words, not only in his sings but in writing his memories and stories about his sings.

Excellent reading!

[Andrew]

No rating, as I mostly skimmed this book. I'm a HUGE Willie fan, but this book did little for me. Once again, reading lyrics is much different than listening to songs, and so many of his song lyrics are about love gone bad and missing your woman. Even the stories about the songs didn't grab me. Disappointing.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio reviewed for Booklist here.

[Django Laić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willie Nelson ‘Energy Follows Thought’ – filozofija country pjesme

Točno godinu dana nakon što je Bob Dylan lani objavio svoju briljantnu knjigu “Philosophy of Modern Song” u kojoj je opisivao svoje dojmove o nekima od svojih omiljenih pjesama (njih 66) raznih izvođača, sa sličnim konceptom javlja se i Willie Nelson, neumorni devedesetogodišnji country trubadur koji svake godine ispali po dva-tri albuma, a u zadnje vrijeme, čini se, i pokoju knjigu.

Za razliku od Dylana, Willie se, uz pomoć koautora Davida Ritza i Mickeyja Raphaela, drži vlastitog repertoara koji od kraja pedesetih naovamo broji mnogo više od tisuću pjesama, od kojih za potrebe svoje nove knjige “Energy Follows Thought” podnaslovljene “The Stories Behind My Songs” stari napušeni kauboj bira njih čak 160 te kroz prizmu svake od njih priča o pozadini njihova nastanka, dijeli sjećanja na prijatelje, obitelj i događaje iz života, svoju filozofiju, političke stavove i pogled na svijet, nasmijava nas i katkad dira u srce.

Baš poput Dylanove knjige, i “Energy Follows Thought” obiluje ilustracijama, fotografijama iz Nelsonova života i rukopisa pokoje pjesme u obliku u kojemu je nastala. Budući da zbirka pokriva tako velik broj pjesama, tekstovi su sažeti na duljinu od otprilike kartice teksta, a svakom prethodi i tekst pjesme o kojoj se priča. Pjesme su, pak, okupljene u poglavlja različitih duljina koja načelno pokrivaju njihovu tematiku, pa ćemo tako naići glave koje govore o samoći, kretanju i politici, a neke su pak posvećene cijelim albumima, pogotovo onim konceptualnim kao što su primjerice “Yesterday’s Wine” ili “Phases and Stages”.

Ne čudi da se Nelson u knjizi često bavi temama koje prožimaju i njegov kantautorski rad, pogotovo onaj aktualni, a koje se tiču prolaznosti života. Kad čovjek navrši devedesetu, ne preostaje mu mnogo dvojbe oko toga je li kraj blizu ili nije, a u sjećanja naviru stari, mahom pokojni prijatelji sa glazbene scene kao što su Paul English (kojemu je posvetio svoju prethodne memoare “Me and Paul”), zatim Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard i Johnny Cash, a još češće i njegova nedavno preminula starija sestra Bobbie Nelson koja je svirala u njegovom bendu Family.

Osim sjećanjima, u opisivanju svojih pjesama Nelson promišlja i teme kao što su priroda vremena, romantični odnosi, rat i vjera, a ono što ove eseje čini posebno privlačnima jest njihova konciznost i dubina u koju često prodiru s ograničenim brojem riječi. Naravno, isti je slučaj i sa samim Williejevim pjesmama koje su ovdje prikazane, a što se otkriva kad ih vidimo u obliku slova na papiru, radije nego uglazbljeni tekst – Nelson je štedljiv autor i ne treba mu mnogo riječi da prodre do one istine koja prati tri akorda u country glazbi, da parafraziramo njegovog druga Harlana Howarda kojemu je ove godine posvetio album “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love”.

Recept za optimalni užitak u “Energy Follows Thought” jest isti onaj koji sam pripisao i za lanjsku Dylanovu knjigu, a to je da uz fizički primjerak (prvenstveno zbog ilustracija) slušate i audio zapis knjige koji u ovom slučaju čita slavni glumac Ethan Hawke, veliki ljubitelj Nelsonove glazbe koji je nedavno s kćeri Mayom (znate je iz “Stranger Things”) početkom prošlog mjeseca objavio i obradu Williejeve pjesme “We Don’t Run”. Hawke fenomenalno interpretira Williejeve stihove i pronalazi u njima poetičnost koju biste površnim čitanjem (pogotovo ako tekst otprije poznajete iz snimljenih pjesama) lako mogli previdjeti.

Također valja predložiti i to da prije čitanja svakog od odlomaka poslušate i pjesmu o kojoj tekst govori. To će vam bitno produljiti proces čitanja knjige, budući da je vrijeme potrebno za preslušavanje pjesme bitno dulje od onog potrebnog da se pročita (ili presluša) pojedini prateći tekst. Ali slušanje pjesme će vam dati i bitan uvid u sadržaj proze, pa se može ustvrditi da će produživanjem procesa samo biti produženo i uživanje u “Energy Follows Thought”.

(William Morris, tvrdi uvez, 400 stranica, listopad 2023.)

[Ryan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Energy Follows Thought

44/2024.

Willie’s music is a constant source of joy for me. And so many of his lyrics are profound and beautiful little slices of life - universal truths about love and the blues, pious faith and decadence.

Here in about 375 beautiful pages with photos from a life time of music (it’s a gorgeous book!), Willie describes his process (words first, then the music reveals itself; keep it short and disciplined) and his assessment of his muse (a mystery he finds enjoyment in, not to be fully understood by him). And what better encapsulates Willie’s philosophy and success than hard work mixed with a bit of metaphysical mystery?

“Energy Follows Thought” is one of his more philosophically instructive songs. And an apt title, as Willie puts a lot of his philosophy on paper here. To quote him: “Yes, night is followed by day. But that new day, for all its golden glory, will, like butter, soon melt into the darkness of night.” In fact, the title song is his self described summation of eight decades of songwriting and thinking.

While most of the book is organized by themes (loneliness, the blues, political activism, friendship), he gives a chapter each to the concept albums album “Yesterday’s Wine”, “Phases and Stages”, “Read Headed Stranger,” “Tougher than Leather,” “Spirit,” and “Teatro”, giving us deep insights to his faith, philosophy, and artistic vision. It amounts to a free will with a caveat that love is a force that can impose its often-flighty-will on us in a deterministic way. (“Love has a mind of its own,” after all.)

There’s also a lot of Willie’s aesthetic approach here - allusions to Whitman, Shakespeare, and Khalil Gibran, as well as Christian mysticism. One of my favorite of Willie’s songwriting tricks is when he leads us down a path with incomplete information and then inserts a line that brings the story into focus (“Stay Away From Lonely Places” does so with the simple line “for a while”), while in others he does a slow reveal (“Little Things” is a master class in this, with total disorientation in the first stanza becoming a clear picture by the fourth, of a ruined marriage, a woman who leaves her family for another man, and the erasure of memories by time).

The back story behind the hits is always a good read. Taking on 160 of his 1000+ songs, this book is shorter and sweeter than Paul McCartney’s two-volume “The Lyrics”. It makes a good companion to the (truly) excellent podcast “One By Willie,” from Texas Monthly. A lot has been written about Willie’s musical influences (about as highbrow and diverse as his writing ones!), but that’s not really covered here.

This project is meant to be savored. So I played each song as I read the words and tried to unpack their meaning for me a bit before reading Willie’s version; a few songs a day for a couple weeks. It was a meditative experience.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way before Willie Nelson was a singer, he wrote songs for everyone else. Willie Nelson provides the stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with a dynamic assortment of never-before-seen photos. He meditates on the nature of songwriting and finding his voice, and the themes he’s explored his whole life—relationships, infidelity, love, loss, friendship, life on the road, and particularly poignant at this juncture of his life: mortality. His musical style, the storytelling style, is the story. As he details country music legends who influenced him, the reader can see that Nelson is a great synthesizer, combining all the styles he loves by adding his own personal twist.

Being a fan of Willie Nelson, I enjoy the creativity with which he sings and the manner in which he can take a standard and change it into something else. The book had me looking up these songs to hear them again. I love his integrity, a true American hero. My only warning before you read this book is that it is heavy to hold onto but its heavy with good musical lyrics to mediate on.

[Julie Trapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

From his earliest work in the 1950s to today, Willie looks back at the songs that have defined his career, from his days of earning $50 each to his biggest hits, from his less well-known songs (but incredibly meaningful to him) to his concept albums. Along the way, he also shares the stories of his guitar Trigger, his family and “family,” as well as the artists he collaborated with, including Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Dolly Parton, and many others.
Willie is disarmingly honest—what do you have to lose when you’re about to turn 90? —meditating on the nature of songwriting and finding his voice, and the themes he’s explored his whole life—relationships, infidelity, love, loss, friendship, and, of course, life on the road. [amazon synopsis]

It's Willie - that's all that needs to be said. More of his earlier, not well-known songs are covered. He is also a well read old guy. Great coffee table book.

[LicReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a Willie Nelson fan. I love his music. I LOVE his performances. I really dig the guy.
This was definitely a different kind of book in that it focuses on a collection of songs he wrote and songs he recorded that were written by other artists.
Now, I listened to the Audible version of this book narrated by Ethan Hawke. This was the first book I've read that was narrated by Ethan Hawke. Ethan did a fantastic job and, at times, I forgot I was listening to Ethan and I believed I was listening to Country Willie himself.
This is not an autobiography but I did really enjoy Willie's messages--his heart, his thoughts, his energy and his personal stories shared in this book. I am a fan of old country--TRUE country music and I thoroughly enjoyed the occasional country music legend popping up in Willie's stories. I knew enough to love the guy before reading this book and it was a pleasant experience to learn more about one of the greatest country music artists, Willie Nelson.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Willie - as a human being, as a singer and performer, and as a songwriter. He's amazing and an easy desert island musical favorite when y'all get sick of me and exile me. There are some good stories and insights in this book. That said, if you've read any of Willie's several books, there's not a lot new in this one, and many of the insights into his song are simply philosophical ramblings that - while meaningful and valuable - he's shared before in several different formats.

In short, I preferred his other books to this one, and I prefer his songs above all his books, but there are still some gems to be found in ENERGY FOLLOWS THOUGHT. His insight into "Annie," from the masterpiece TEATRO, is worth tracking down.

[Joe Besserfan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Willie Nelson. I have read several of his books. None of those books tells Willie's story better than "Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs". It tells the story of Willie and his music in an excellent way. I would play the song featured and then read what Willie writes about that song and that time of his life. "Energy Follows Thought" is a big giant coffee table style book (It's not the easiest to read in bed) that's filled with great pictures. I'm sure that it would be welcome in the house of any fan of Willie Nelson. Attention to any doctors or dentists reading this: this book belongs in your waiting rooms.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been amazing had the actual audio of the songs been included between the explanations, but I imagine that would have been a very expensive venture (for the audiobook). Hearing the lyrics recited, however, did help me appreciate the poetry and recognise further meanings in the songs than previously.
I had expected this to be more detailed and profound, but still enjoyed learning about the songs and the values and outlooks behind them. Nelson comes across as a really nice, humble man, which is an additional pleasure to this reading experience.

[Tom Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to spend some time inside Willie’s Head.

I thought that I was fairly familiar with Willie’s Songbook but this book gave us so many insights into what he remembered thinking about while creating not just his hits but also the lesser known songs. Listening to his Mind and Heart work through these moments was a real treat.

Ethan Hawke’s narration captured the Mood and Tone of this Genius through all Life’s Ups and Downs beautifully. A well-narrated Audiobook is the best way to capture the experience. Four Stars. ****

[Koren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willie Nelson is a country music icon and will be remembered long after he is gone. He has written hundreds of songs. This is a large coffee table sized book, which has the lyrics to the song and a story about the song on one page and photography on the next page. I know a lot of Willie's music, but had never heard of most of these songs. Even so, it was interesting just to page through it, even if all you do is look at the pictures.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up about 25 miles from Willie Nelson grew up and have been going to his concerts since I was in high school. I moved to Austin in 1975 when the outlaw country was in full swing. So his music was the sound track to my life for a long time. This book just brought back a lot of good memories from a great songwriter. Every song from On the Road Again to Bloody Mary Morning are evocative of my moments in my life.

[kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

This book needs to be read by all Willy Nelson fans to understand and appreciate the talent and brilliant mind he possesses. He has a way with words for any occasion. He can piss you off or make you smile, two or three times in one song, lol. His love songs are the greatest. They are all written from his heart. All his music is written from his heart. Thanks for this great book.

[Frederick Gault · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let's stipulate that Willie Nelson is the coolest human being to ever stalk the face of this planet, full stop. He has brought us decades of joy and tears with his songs and I honor him for that. Add to that he has learned the bitter lessons of life and come away somewhere near enlightenment. It is precisely because he is not perfect that we can be sure he is the real thing.