Your Song Changed My Life: From Jimmy Page to St. Vincent, Smokey Robinson to Hozier, Thirty-Five Beloved Artists on Their Journey and the Music That Inspired It – NPR's Essential Oral History

by Bob Boilen

From the beloved host and creator of NPR’s All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts comes an essential oral history of modern music, told in the voices of iconic and up-and-coming musicians, including Dave Grohl, Jimmy Page, Michael Stipe, Carrie Brownstein, Smokey Robinson, and Jeff Tweedy, among others—published in association with NPR Music.

Is there a unforgettable song that changed your life?

NPR’s renowned music authority Bob Boilen posed this question to some of today’s best-loved musical legends and rising stars. In Your Song Changed My Life, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), St. Vincent, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Cat Power, David Byrne (Talking Heads), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Jenny Lewis, Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney), Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Colin Meloy (The Decemberists), Trey Anastasio (Phish), Jackson Browne, Valerie June, Philip Glass, James Blake, and other artists reflect on pivotal moments that inspired their work.

For Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, it was discovering his sister’s 45 of The Byrds’ “Turn, Turn, Turn.” A young St. Vincent’s life changed the day a box of CDs literally fell off a delivery truck in front of her house. Cat Stevens was transformed when he heard John Lennon cover “Twist and Shout.” These are the momentous yet unmarked events that have shaped these and many other musical talents, and ultimately the sound of modern music.

A diverse collection of personal experiences, both ordinary and extraordinary, Your Song Changed My Life illustrates the ways in which music is revived, restored, and revolutionized. It is also a testament to the power of music in our lives, and an inspiration for future artists and music lovers.

Amazing contributors include: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Portlandia, Wild Flag), Smokey Robinson, David Byrne (Talking Heads), St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), James Blake, Colin Meloy (The Decemberists), Trey Anastasio (Phish), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Sturgill Simpson, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Cat Power, Jackson Browne, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Philip Glass, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Hozier, Regina Carter, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes, and others), Courtney Barnett, Chris Thile (Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers), Leon Bridges, Sharon Van Etten, and many more.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Essays, Pop Culture, Biography

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2016

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book about the songs that changes the life of various musicians. It is a book about the author.

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author Bob Boilen is the host and creator of NPR's online music show All Songs Considered. This book is a compilation of interviews and collected biographical information that I presume was collected during the preparation for his show. The radio program began in the year 2000 and this book was published in 2016, thus most of these musicians are still alive and active in their field.

The interview questions concentrated on what songs and other artists inspired the interviewee in the early years of their musical development to devote their lives to a music career. The answers were varied and wide ranging, and their replies often reinforced the concept contained in the book's title that there was a song that, "Changed my life."

I never listened to "All Songs Considered," and I have been almost completely out of touch with popular music since the 60s and early 70s—I sort of lost interest after the "Beatles" and "Peter, Paul and Mary" faded from the scene. It should logically follow that there is much I could learn from this book. Unfortunately, this book consists of thirty-five short biographies, and reading them has much the same effect as a book of short stories. The various stories tend to become intermixed in the mind of the reader, and it's difficult to pull out a central theme or message from the book.

The only artist featured in this book that I recognized was Cat Stevens. However, some of them are or have been associated with bands whose names I do recognize. For example, I did not recognize the name Jimmy Page, but I had heard of the band Led Zeppelin which he founded.

The following is a list of the musical artists featured in this book with links to their respective Wikipedia articles:

Jimmy Page
Carrie Brownstein
Smokey Robinson
David Byrne
St. Vinent
Jeff Tweedy
James Blake
Colin Meloy
Trey Anastasio
Jenny Lewis
Dave Grohl
Cat Stevens
Sturgill Simpson
Justin Vernon
Cat Power
Jackson Browne
Michael Stipe
Philip Glass
Jónsi
Ásgeir Trausti
Hozier
Regina Carter
Asaf Avidan
Valerie June
Conor Oberst
Courtney Barnett
Pokey LaFarge
Kate Tempest
Ian MacKaye
Lucinda Williams
Josh Ritter
Chris Thile
Leon Bridges
Sharon Van Etten
Fantastic Negrito

[Debi · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's my fault. I didn't examine the book closely enough when I bought it, so I was anticipating essays from musicians about the songs that sparked their journeys as songwriters. I was even hopeful that I could use a few of these non-existent essays as models or mentor texts for my students. Alas, I can not review the book I was hoping for, I must review the book I actually read.

Boilen is bona fide. He lives and breathes music, and he has done so for decades. He embodies fandom with access. I thoroughly enjoy Tiny Desk Concerts, and I found the arcane trivia and nostalgia of this book interesting. I reveled in the introduction, and liked learning more about Boilen's professional pathways and personality. But I didn't intend to buy a book about Bob Boilen.

Each chapter presents a recording artist as filtered through Boiler's fan goggles. The author's voice drowns out those of the artists he titles chapters for; consequently, the project seems self-indulgent. My preference-- though it has fallen out of vogue, particularly where music and journalism intersect-- is for writers of interview-based pieces to keep their shadows from eclipsing the subject of the spotlight's aim.

[Burt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I'd just finished John Doe's excellent Under The Big Black Sun before reading this so I can't help comparing the two. Where Doe basically hands over each chapter to L.A. punk artists and lets them write their own stories from their own perspectives, Boilen feels the need to force his own life experiences and thoughts into each artist's chapter over and over again. I get it. He created NPR's All Songs Considered, and I respect that. But how many times does he have to interject his own personal history and life story and creative spin into the book? It's not like anyone is buying the book to hear about the record store he worked at (again & again). Just let the artists talk, they're capable of communicating on their own. The whole exercise comes off as egotistical.

Also, some of the artists are just too obscure to be interesting. I'm a huge fan of indie/underground music but even I was bored by several featured artists. Definitely not something I'd recommend.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob Boilen has written a timeless book. I can't wait to revisit these stories again and again and again.

I was so excited for this book as soon as I found out about it sometime last year. I'm a longtime All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concert fan--I go to Bob Boilen for all my new music. After reading it, I can safely say that this is my new favorite book. I loved every single page, every single story. I’m working on a longer review that I’ll post closer to the release date, and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to organize my thoughts and fangirling into something coherent. Just know this: it’s about how music has changed Boilen’s life as he is talking to musicians about the songs that changed their lives. It’s a labor of love and it’s flawless. If you like music, you need to read this book.

Longer review is up on my blog! https://burntfiction.com/2016/04/11/y...

[Andrew Langert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rushed to purchase this book as soon as it came out. I am a pretty avid music historian and I am a regular listener to Bob Boilen's podcast, All Songs Considered.
As indicated by the 2-star rating, I was disappointed by this book. The book features 35 musical artists from different eras and musical genres. Some are very well known, others pretty obscure.
The ideas behind the book sounds promising, but the stories that were told were not very interesting.
Boilen clearly covered favorite artists of his and injected himself and his opinions very heavily throughout the book. I would rather have heard more from the artists.
The chapters are short and follow a pattern. I read a few chapters at a time throughout the past month in between reading lengthier novels. I forced my way to the end of this, as reading this became more of an endurance test than a source of entertainment.
Bob Boilen is such an interesting guy. He knows his stuff and attends over 500 concert shows per year. This book does not represent his best work.

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is as much about Bob Boilen as about the artists he interviews. He is a character in every chapter, either in his interaction with the singer or by presenting a bit of his own history. I found this a bit over the top. I enjoy the kind of writing I often see in Rolling Stone reviews, and I was expecting that here, but this has a little too much Boilen in it. I would have liked to see some additional popular artists here, instead of the large number of newer, alternative artists. Boilen showcases these kinds of artists in his music series, so they are accessible to him. Overall, I did appreciate that the artists he interviewed came up with quite a few unexpected songs that they feel changed their lives. Most interesting – composer John Cage's homage to the Spike Jones and the City Slickers version of the William Tell Overture. That’s the Spike Jones with the sound effects and the rapid playing orchestra, who in this song tells the story of a horse race won by Beetlebaum, imaginatively narrated by the aptly named Doodles Weaver. Yes, Mr. Cage, that’s a song I appreciate too.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob Boilen hosts All Songs Considered and the Tiny Desk Concert series on NPR. As such, he comes into contact with a lot of musicians. This book centers around inspiration. Nearly everyone who performs and/or composes for a living has a story about that one song, the one that made them realize, "I can do this," or, "That's it! That's what I want to do." Some artists--David Byrne, for instance--have trouble narrowing it down to one, and that's fine. Boilen isn't insistent on a definitive answer, but rather trying to spark a conversation. Through this book, we learn all sorts of fascinating bits of musical history. Some of the artists interviewed in this book are more well - known than others. I certainly didn't recognize all of them. As with many music books, you wish it came with a soundtrack. It would be so nice if, when a song is mentioned, you could actually hear that song. Most of these are probably findable online, but it's not quite the same as having them instantly to hand while reading. At the very least, you'll be taking notes of music to search for later.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I absolutely love music. I love listening to people's stories about music, about the music that changed their lives, about the music that they love with every frayed fiber of their being. And I assumed that this book would be right up my alley.

I had heard of (and enjoyed) nearly every one of these artists. What I hadn't heard of is Tiny Desk Unit - the author's band. By the end of the book, I had learned far far more about that band than I had any of the other performers "featured" in this book.

Why?

The author brought every single piece in the book back to him, back to his personal history, back to his days in a record store, back to his band. To say that it became annoying is a huge, huge understatement. The worst part being that the reader doesn't in the end learn all that much about these artists and the songs that changed their lives.

I just feel really disappointed in this one.

[Vincent Scarpa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly the book it sells itself to be—more profiles of thirty-five artists ("beloved" is a stretch; hadn't heard of a handful of them) that often touch on influences. Rarely is it what the title and subtitle seem to imply: artists talking, in their own words, directly about formative experiences with music. That being said, it wasn't a terrible disappointment. I feel like I got a playlist of some songs/albums/artists to look up after reading; I learned that Bon Iver has an Indigo Girls lyric tattooed, which is kind of amazing; I learned that Josh Ritter was married to Dawn Landes; and I learned that Michael Stipe's favorite song is "Birdland" by Patti Smith, which may prove to be useful in my plan to get him to marry me.

[Jeff Koeppen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I'm a fan and long time listener of Bob Boilen and his NPR All Songs Considered show/ podcast. I love his knowledge and passion for music and when I heard that he a book I bought it right away. I've pretty much heard of all the artists interviewed in the book and I'm a fan of many of them. The book is chock full of interesting music history, and Bob fills in some of the chapters with his knowledge of the influential songs and artists chosen by the subject artists in each chapter. I especially liked the Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Courtney Barnett, Dave Grohl, and Colin Meloy chapters. Colin Meloy's choice hit close to home as he chose Hüsker Dü's Candy Apple Grey as the album that opened his eyes. Read the book to find out why.

This leads me to the fun part: the song that changed my life. Where I grew up there weren't many choices for music on the radio. You had pop music on WIXX out of Green Bay, hard rock/metal on WAPL out of Appleton, and country western playing on stations everywhere else on the dial it seemed. I was pretty much listening to pop until I started hearing more hard rock at parties I went to and started tuning in to the loud music on WAPL, which at the time played the likes of AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Krokus, Ozzy, Dokken, Tesla, Quiet Riot, Foreigner, Metallica, and others. When I got to college I was all about metal, and went to a number of concerts of the aforementioned bands. When I was a sophomore at the U of M, I started hanging out with a group of kids who were more into alternative rock. One of my friends who knew I was a metal head put in a cassette of one of the bands he liked and wanted me to hear it because he thought I would like it. The cassette was "Candy Apple Grey" by Hüsker Dü, and as soon as the first song, 'Crystal', started screaming through the speakers I knew I was going to like this band. Wow. The song was was an avalanche of noise, with my now favorite artist, Bob Mould, yelling the lyrics and lighting up his guitar as Grant drummed and Greg bounced along on the bass. As the cassette continued, the songs changed drastically from loud to soft to loud, and the vocals changed from Bob and Grant depending on who wrote which song. While 'Crystal' melted faces, the sad, acoustic 'Hardly Getting Over It' put a lump in your throat. It was such and interesting album, with all of its sonic twists and turns; such different styles of music on one cassette. Not long after hearing 'Crystal' and "Candy Apple Grey" I headed down to the record store in the basement of Coffman Union on the U of M campus and bought the other Hüsker Dü cassettes they had in stock. And to this day, I consider Bob Mould my favorite musician as the music on the albums he's made solo (13), with Hüsker Dü (6) and with band Sugar (3) have been the soundtrack to my life since that fateful day when my friend put "Candy Apple Grey" in his car's cassette deck.

[Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very conflicted about this book. On one hand, there is some amazing, borderline life-changing stuff in here. For example, Boilen's interview with Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney is still getting to me a week after I read it. Not all of the interviews are quite that tremendous, but they're all at least good. So in that sense, I heartily recommend this book if you want to hear some incredibly inspiring and moving stories about what got some excellent musicians into the business. There's also definitely a side-benefit here of some good music recommendations.

The problem with this book, however, is how Boilen formatted it. The essays aren't linked in any particular way, but Boilen constantly feels the need to draw connections to his own story that he discussed into the introduction to the book--and he feels the need to reexplain that he, for example, was in a band called Tiny Desk Unit back in the 70s. Every time. It's like he intended there to be a consistent narrative linking the interviews, but just never bothered to edit them together.

I think that's probably what this book is missing most: an editor. However, it was still a great read and I got a lot out of it. Just don't read it all together in one week, some of the repetition will kill it.

[Ric Sierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. I'm a fan of Boilen and All Songs Considered. I've discovered a lot of music through the podcast, and I thought the premise of this book had promise.

While some of the chapters are interesting (Jeff Teedy, Jimmy Page, Sturgill Simpson, Lucinda Williams), many are just boring. Boilen injects himself too much into the musician's stories. Even the casual listener of the podcast knows he is infatuated with Jonsi, Lou Reed, Brian Eno - he doesn't need to remind us on page after page. This shouldn't be his story (and oh how he repeats himself in chapter after chapter), this should be the story of fascinating artists.

Bolien doesn't deliver on the title's promise. Still, a "C." It's an easy read and you can just skip some of the chapters and not miss a thing. The sum of the parts are less than the sum of the parts.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool to see some of the original creative inspiration behind some of the most revered artists in music.

However, the book would often follow a pattern - "I sat down with this artist on their tour" + "they told me the song that changed their life and it was very surprising" + "after hearing the reasoning, it makes sense to me now". I also thought it was awkward when Boilen would integrate his personal music endeavors and experiences into the narratives, although he has done some cool things in his career with NPR and Tiny Desk Unit.

But with legends like Philip Glass, Jimmy Page and David Byrne mixed with modern stars St. Vincent, Dave Grohl, Leon Bridges, Cat Power and many more, the stories are inherently interesting to any fan of music.

[Zoë DePreta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this on and off for a while. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it, particularly the ones about James Blake, St. Vincent, and Sharon Van Etten. I’ll probably return to it. I wonder what song I would choose if being interviewed by Bob.

[dirt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Studs Terkel was a great interviewer, but you hardy ever read Stud's words. He took the approach of editing himself out of the transcripts, except for the occasional clarifying question. What is left is the person's words and their story.

Bob Boilen did not remove himself from the equation. His words, point of view, and fingerprints comprise the majority of this book. Maybe I would find this book more enjoyable if I were a bigger Bob Boilen fan.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the vignettes in this book just like I thought I would. Some were more interesting than I others. I especially loved that Michael Stipe was so influenced by bubblegum. Who'da thunk? ;-). But for the artists includes whose music I am very familiar with drawing the parallels was fascinating.

[Sue Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating essays about creative inspirations and touchstones leavened and intertwined with Bob Boilen's own story. His All Songs Considered program is one of my must listen. This book shows the backstory on 35 of the artists that would be played there and will inform my listening in the future.

[Julia (Scout) Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful look at the music and people of music that inspired what hear today. I loved the entire premise and was inspired to listen to a load of music new to me.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was complete self-promotion for the author and nothing like the book description. Learned more about the author and his unfulfilled musical career than about the musicians I cared about.

[Robert Gluck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts and clearly Bob Boylen has a passion for music and an eye for up and coming talent. However, he's not a particularly good or insightful writer.

[The · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not what the title would lead you to believe. There is minimal firsthand contribution from the musicians. I think dude just wanted to say that he met these people.

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being such a music fan myself, I found it absolutely delightful to read about the songs that "changed the lives" of some of my favorite artists. I was ecstatic to see who was interviewed here - Carrie Brownstein (my rock n roll girlfriend), Asif Avidan!!!!, Sharon Van Etten, Cat Power, Leon Bridges, St. Vincent, Cat Stevens...and I had to google Pokey Lafarge and was happy for the experience.

I couldn't stop thinking about that pivotal moment for myself - it doesn't have to be your favorite song or your favorite band, but what was that monumental moment that a song "changed your life?" I was in eighth grade still loving my skating rink music - Stevie B, Susie Q, TKA (lots of letters!) when my friend Heather Knecht said one night during a sleepover "I want to play you this cool song I heard, I think you'll really like it." She had the cassette single of "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos (B-side was "Upside Down"). Needless to say, I never listened to music the same way again. I promptly bought the cassette on my eighth grade school trip and listened with intent and rapture to that tape over and over again. Thus began the journey to taping "120 minutes" on MTV every Sunday night to see what else I could discover. And those are still some of my favorite bands today (The Sundays, The Cure, Kristen Hersh, Belly etc.)

Thanks Bob for letting me relive this life altering moment and that same beautiful moment for so many other artists I admire!

[James Traxler · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really interesting idea: to ask musicians what song was a turning point to inspire them on their musical road.

The idea reminds me of 'In the Psychiatrist's Chair' by Anthony Clare - I read the book (from the BBC Radio 4 series) many years ago in the 80s and found it fascinating. That is a more general approach and the interviewees are more general (some musical). One subject in particular is Jimmy Savile, which makes for an interesting read, considering what came out about him later.

Back to 'Your Song...': With many people, I would have thought there are several of those musical epiphanies, rather than just one. And there are hints as to the truth of that through the book. But still Boilen sticks to the idea of one turning point. Maybe it's true, maybe there is one that eclipses all others for a person. Dunno.

The writing style is ok, it does feel like a journalist writing but you are left feeling somewhat that it's about the author as much as the interviewees. I wanted to like the book more, but I don't know many of the artists (they're not exactly household names in a lot of the cases). Plus, the stories of how they came to be aren't always compelling, or at least aren't conveyed in a compelling way.

Still, it did make me want to go and listen to some new music - of the artists interviewed and of their inspirations. And that can't be a bad thing. 2.5 stars.

My wonderful friend James C. lent me this book, as he knows I'm a big music fan.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiny Desk Concerts are some of my favorite live performances of my favorite artists. Hosted by the author, Bob Boilen of NPR’s All Things Considered, and named for his defunct band Tiny Desk Unit, it has been a showcase for often unknown artists and has spawned some interesting videos from its entry contest. Never longer than 30 minutes, it is an intimate glimpse at these artists in an informal presentation.

I first started reading this book because it included so many of my favorite musicians. Later I went back through it methodically listening to samples of the 35 musicians presented and the artists who inspired them, on the premise that if they won the Tiny Desk contest they must be good. I not only broadened my musical knowledge but gained some overlooked artists to add to my list offavorites.

It really pays to leisurely read this book and absorb it over time.

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books like these are always such a treat. I spend a lot of time reading either gloomy fiction or depressing nonfiction about the state of the world, so I'm thankful for people like Bob Boilen and the host of musicians he interviews in this book. He's a great interviewer and writer, injecting just enough of his own personality into each profile while still letting the subject lead the way. Even with artists I didn't know or have an explicit personal connection with, it was so inspiring and enjoyable to see the myriad ways songs have touched people. Music's a beautiful thing and reading this book was like staring into that diamond 35 different ways.

[Dan Callahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d never understood the phrase she thinks her p**p doesn’t stink until there was this person at work who just like blatantly disregards the very available spray. I don’t really know a whole lot about Bob Boilen, other than he’s a host of npr, which he mentions, but I kinda get that vibe from him. This book was a let down for me. It is called “Your song changed my life” and a third of the artists don’t even pick a song! Silly goobers. A lot of the stories were uninteresting and it almost feels like the editor should have made him go back and make it better. Bob, you might be a great guy. if so I apologize for the bathroom insinuation. But this is a tough read. I gave it two stars because there were a few very good stories. Justin Vernon and Trey Anastasio were particularly good. Anywho, better luck next time.

[Avery Legendre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very informative and entertaining to an extent. However, I found it challenging to stick it out to the end. Although interesting and contextually relevant at times, Bob Boilen’s opinions and weak concluding statements sometimes turned me off from fully enjoying the content of this book. I did learn a lot about various artists, their backgrounds, and some sprinkles of music history. I even felt inspired on occasion. For these reasons, I have no regrets.

[Snem · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is lots of diversity of music represented in here. I really enjoy hearing about people’s passions. It made me reflect on the songs that changed my own life. Music brings people together and some of the essays had surprising bits in them. There are some legends in here.

The premise is great, but the execution left a lot to be desired. The author interjects his own stories and musical background in awkward and often arrogant ways. I wanted much more of the artists themselves in their own words and much less of the author.

I recommend this only if you’re a big music buff and are a fan of the artists represented in here.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading books about music and musicians. I'm also a big fan of "All Songs Considered," so this one really interested me. It was very interesting to read about the songs that influenced many of the artists that I like. Yes, the book included quite a few musicians who I have never heard of, but I did enjoy the reading about their opinions too.