1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die

by Robert Dimery (Editor), Tony Visconti (Preface)

This latest addition to the best-selling 1001 series offers more than ever— the world’s biggest and best playlist, referencing over 10,000 must-download songs. This book offers more than any previous book in the series. While each main entry profiles and illustrates 1,001 primary songs, it places that song into a contextual web of music history with references to other songs that are musically related. Thus, each entry points to alternate versions, covers, riffs, and influences effectively expanding the total number to 10,000. From the Beatles to Beyoncé, from Elvis to Elvis Costello, from Frank Sinatra to Rufus Wainwright, the full spectrum is covered chronologically and includes additional ancillary lists of "must-hear" songs grouped by subgenre and other special categories. Each song is analyzed by an international team of critics who explain why you must hear it. Included are key details such as lyricist, composer, producer, and label, making this a music treasure trove perfect for anyone into music, addicted to downloading, or those just getting started.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Reference, Art, Ebooks, Collections, Cultural

960 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Well, I youtubed my way through this vast and really quite beautiful volume more or less faithfully, it took many months, and here's how it shook down.

One star deducted for the first stupid section entitled "Pre-1950s" which is all of 24 pages long. Since probably about 50% of my "1001 songs you have to hear before you croak" list would be from before 1950, you may imagine this was not the best foot forward that this volume could have chosen. Proceeding into the delirious delicious 50s (60 pages), I was glad to scoop up London is the Place for Me by lord Kitchener, la Bamba by Ritchie Valens, I'd forgotten how great that one is, Le Poinconneur des lilas by Serge Gainsbourg and Brand New Cadillac by Vince Taylor and his Playboys, and all the other 50s selections were unarguably great too. That was a hell of a decade, and even the square pre-rock part of it was hip.

Now the 60s - who doesn't know everything from that endlessly retrodden decade already? Well, add back the deducted star for unearthing :

Don't gimme no Lip Child by Dave Berry
Go Way from my Window by John Jacob Niles (sounds like it's from 1664 not 1964)
La Boheme by Charles Aznavour (consistent acknowledgement of great French music in this book, which, you know, a lot of Anglo-American rock writers patently don't do)
Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes

all the rest are pretty much shoo-ins, 150 pages of swingingness.

The 70s, that very dubious follow-up to the 60s, get 200 pages. My heart sank a little at this, but i persevered, and discovered... disco. Well, I discovered that some disco stuff which I never heard before sounds wonderful , e.g.

Love hangover by Diana Ross
You Make Me Feel by Sylvester

also so nice to see some personal favourites in here :

54-46 That's my Number by toots & the Maytals
Blackwater Side by Anne Briggs (she came from Nottingham!)
A Nickel and a Nail by O V Wright
Cocaine in my Brain by Dillinger
River Song by Dennis Wilson
Solid Air by John Martyn
Shot by Both Sides by Magazine (could be my all time favourite single)

and I'd never heard Gloria by Patti Smith before so thanks for that.

This whole enterprise started to sag a little bit in the 80s (190 pages) for me. I mean, there were so many chunky good time semidemimetally middle of the roadie bands that who could bother to sort them out ? Rush, Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, The Cult, Slayer, The Triffids, INXS, Mudhoney, on and on and on, all those white boys with guitars, it's just a big blurry noise to me. I don't really like rock music. It's monotonous.

But there were delights along the way such as the insane Via Con me by Paolo Conte and the two minutes of bliss called Please Don't Touch by Motorhead & Girlschool and the gorgeous Cattle & Cane by the Go-Betweens. You can't have a whole decade of popular music without a shed load of gems as well as a shed load of landfill, but this book's selection of the 80s mostly bored me.

The 90s gets 150 pages and it was good to see the coverage of non Anglo-American stuff coming on strong. Dylan's Blind Willie McTell shares an opposite page to Body Count's Cop Killer as does Snoop Doggy Doggy and Cheb Khaled. Honestly, it's difficult to level accusations of complete shitness against this 90s stuff as one might about a lot of the 80s. They even found room for Ching Soortukchuleringing Yryzy by Huun-Huur Tu. Check page 704 if you don't believe me.

2000 to 2009 gets 112 pages and this was not so interesting for me. i noticed that an awful lot of the songs in this decade were written by a committee who had based it on a riff from a previous song. I think this is called either post-modernism or unoriginality.

But anyway, for a music fan like me, this was a long and exhilarating trek through the last 60 years and I recommend it unreservedly. The writing is nice, not scintillating, but not annoying, and there are a lot lot lot of pix. It really tries its best and there is absolutely no J M Coetzee or Ian McEwan in here, which was the mistake they made with the 1001 Books volume.





And yes, it does say that Lonnie Donegan wrote Rock Island Line!

[Özlem Güzelharcan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Şarkıları dinleyerek okumaya başladım ama hayal ettiğim gibi eğlenceli, heyecan verici bir okuma olmadı. Bir iki şarkıdaki bilgi dışında da yeni bir şey öğrendiğimi söyleyemem. Şımarık'ın listede olması ise beni hem şaşırttı hem de mutlu etti.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a great way to spend an afternoon with friends talking about the songs we love, hate, and were missing from the list. I have a great time every time I pick up the book with someone new :).

[Leigh Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pop music 101, or a fun trip down memory lane, depending on how you look at it.

Best-of books are always highly subjective, but this trip through pop music will surprise and please even folks who think they've heard it all. For starters, "pop" doesn't mean just American or British here, and no one genre corners the market on what makes a good pop song. Pop, after all, simply means "popular," and while you may not like what that means in 2020, pulling back the camera to see what it has meant in the past provides fascinating insights. Acknowledging that 1001 is an arbitrary number, and that there are many great songs out there, the editor has included a list of 10,001 (!) listed at the back in TEENY TINY PRINT. This is hard on the eyes, but good for the reader, as the book is already thick as a brick, if you'll pardon the pun.

The best way to approach this book is the one that takes the longest time, so make sure your library either has unlimited renewals. If not, just go buy yourself a copy, as it's totally worth it. To get the full effect from this book, do the following:

1. Find the song on YouTube and listen to it.
2. Read the essay that goes along with it.
3. Listen to the song again with your newfound understanding of the work.

Yes, you have other things to do with your life, but music is one of those things that makes life worth living, so, give it a shot. Feel free to skip songs you already know, though the stories behind THOSE songs may open up additional listening pleasure for you as well.

Highly recommended for all libraries as a fun way to cover your popular music bases. I didn't stop to check before writing this review if there were a more recent edition, but I hope there is, or will be. We've been making music for thousands of years and haven't used up all the sounds yet, and it's kind of amazing. Listen for yourself: that sentence can be read with two meanings, and I emphatically mean both.

[Ed Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me damn near half a year to read, but largely because I gave each song a listen as I went. Before I get into the tracks I picked up for the regular rotation, let me share some interesting takeaways from the text:

+ No Beatle played an instrument on "Eleanor Rigby."
+ "Bohemian Rhapsody” required 180 vocal overdubs.
+ Brian Eno called Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” “the sound of the future.”
+ The Clash’s “London Calling” makes reference to the nuclear scare at TMI.
+ Gary Numan attributed his remote style to having Asperger’s syndrome.
+ Tears for Fears’ The Hurting was influenced by psychologist Arthur Janov.
+ The lyrics for The Orb’s “Little Fluffy Clouds” come from an interview with Rickie Lee Jones.
+ Kristin Hersh’s “Your Ghost” was popular enough to be recognized in this book. Who knew?!
+ Nick Cave performed “Into My Arms” at Michael Hutchence’s funeral.
+ The editors correct the comma error in the Stones' "Paint It, Black." Boooooooo.



And now for some musical gems that this book properly introduced me to:

+ Lead Belly, "The Gallis Pole"
+ Billy Fury, "Wondrous Place"
+ John Leyton, "Johnny Remember Me"
+ Simon and Garfunkel, “The Only Living Boy in New York”
+ Frankie Goes to Hollywood, “Two Tribes”
+ A-ha, “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.”
+ Kaiser Chiefs, “I Predict a Riot”

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the 1001 albums book, but more focused on songs and the stories behind them. I'd start with this one. Spend a few nights curled up with this astonishing volume of music history and play around on YouTube Music until you find your new favorite songs. :)

[Blog on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Young Dudes,” “Rock Lobster,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and about 998 more. It’s been five years since Robert Dimery compiled the collection “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” and now with the music world returning to its roots as a singles based medium, it’s a perfect time for this series to surface the best songs of all time.

This completely subjective report (as Dimery gladly admits) is a veritable jukebox in book form. Spanning the decades from the pre-50’s to the 00’s, Dimery and his contributors have compiled a list ranging from the obvious (R.E.S.P.E.C.T.) to the obscure (Captain Beefheart’s “Big Eyed Beans from Venus”) to hundreds of musical slices in between.

Each of the selections are accompanied by a story of the history, the behind the scenes and/or the influence the song had on others. In addition to full credits, there are boxes on certain entries that indicate cover versions and which songs influenced which others. In all cases, the original releases provide the template, with later credits (samples, etc) added where appropriate. There is also an intro by famed Bowie producer, Tony Visconti.

The book concludes with a list of 10,000 songs (listings only) that you must download before you die. Though the book has a bit of an international lean in places (many songs from the UK, France, Africa, etc. are simply unknown in the states) it serves as both a treasure trove of great songs you may have forgotten from the past, as well as a jumping off point for a wide berth of new musical territory to explore for quite a while. Pure fun.

[Kathy McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all fairness, I did not read every page of this book. I read the three sections on the music eras that I enjoy most and am most familiar with. I also looked at the multiple page index of all 10,000 hits.
What a thoroughly researched resource. Awesome information about the top 1000 songs. While I do not necessarily agree with all of Dimery's choice's, he does a marvelous job of including all genres and also provides for the international music artists as well.
It is sure to generate much discussion among music lovers.

[Moon child · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taste is different for everyone but there veeeeeeeery questionable songs in here. I could die withouth listening to them and i would be dancing in hell just fine.

[David Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an audiophile I couldn't resist this book. So, I've listened to everyone of then, even made a play list. My verdict: about 500 are necessary to listen to before you die, 500 are not, and one may hasten your death. Read/listen to find out which one!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read, listing songs for each decade beginning from the 1920's. I especially enjoyed learning more about the earlier artists such as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Mahalia Jackson. I had my iPad in one hand so I could listen along on iTunes as I flipped thru the pages.

[Miguel R. Luaces · Rating 2 out of 5]

La lista no está mal. La descripción de cada canción es pobre y aburrida. Siempre sigue el mismo esquema: quien la compuso, quien la canta, a que suena, y cómo lo hizo en las listas. Pero no hay profundidad: ni crítica ni análisis de por qué la canción es una de las elegidas.

[figsfromthistles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fodder. I didn't care so much after the 1950s, but there was lots to listen to up to then.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I loved it! Of course, being the music trivia enthusiast and lyrical vault that I am, that isn't surprising.

[Stephanie Mohler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read

[Franceska · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fucking Africa by Toto isn't in this. Actual disgrace

[Ellie Mackin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened along to the songs which added so much! A really great variety of songs from different genres, cultures, languages and perspectives.

[Vanessa (V.C.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've savored this book over the years by listening to each song/reading each segment on them one by one when I had the time and for fun, and let me tell you, this book is FANTASTIC. I LOVED how it was sectioned by year/era, and each time it was kicked off with a few bullet points that give a gist on the historical context to suggest the flavor of possibly why and how these songs and their themes came to be, and by the songs that followed, it very well served that purpose and one can see clearly what defined the times. I can imagine that it may conjure a lot of memories for people who remember when the song(s) was first released, and not to mention, they sure were a joy to read as they also gave us a little bit of recording industry gossip and legend and tragedy and triumph in between. Not to mention, THE DIVERSITY. They didn't list just the American, French, and British songs we all love, it wasn't a constant mention of The Beatles/Stones/Who, it wasn't Anglo-centric like most music books tend to be, there were nods to other nations and cultures that also released such amazing songs that deserve as much praise and attention. The backstories were succinct but super helpful and oftentimes inspired me to read further into the history of the song and sometimes the artist, naturally it won't go into every detail, but it gave us just enough information, as a starter. I even formed a new love to some of the artists on here based on just the one song and went on to listen to full albums from there that I can now call a favorite. Great fun!

If there's only one minor distraction was some of the typos, like the repetition of "The the" in the introduction of The Police's "Message in the Bottle" (pg. 455) and it happened again on the last paragraph for the blurb of Blondie's "Rapture" (pg. 459), and while it was great how well they sectioned the era and their songs that made it breezy and accessible without overwhelming the reader, the table of context was useless as it listed all of the artists and the songs that got mentioned BUT with no page number where to find them with exception to only a few songs that they bothered to do that, which renders the table of context pretty useless especially for an over 900 page book! So if you want to revisit a song, you have to literally look for it manually yourself. Not that this is a total downer, but it begs the question, why have a table of context at all?

While annoying and unfortunate, those little flaws did not take away from the sheer pleasure, enjoyment, and importance of this incredible music reference book. 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die is not merely for the coffee table, for all music lovers, it's a book for the heart.

[Under Milkwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I read this reference book like a novel, do I necessarily need help for my musical addiction?
The problem is there are so many books available of this type. All the things you need to see, hear and eat before you die. Which by extension surprises me that there hasn't been one on drugs yet - but I'm sure Q Magazine covered that adequately back at the turn of the century.
Let's face it, a thousand things to conquer before you die is a tall order for someone of advanced years.
But out of all the lists possible, hearing songs are indeed the most achievable. You'd like to think that the majority of people have got 3 to 4 thousand minutes up their sleeves. And you can even sample on Spotify or Apple Music for convenience! Movies to see and books to read are problematic and destinations are out of the question.
But I willingly began in 1916 through to the forties where the key songs were more sparse then by the 1950's the list became fuller and strictly chronological. By the 60's and 70's I was in seventh heaven remembering all my favourites and learning about those I'd missed along the way.
What makes this book so essential is the quality of information that accompanies each song like production details, the political and social climate, artist backgrounds and the meanings behind the songs. And the information is in the hands of nearly fifty internationally recognised music journalists and critics.
Of course it's all subjective. We could all add a few hundred of our own personal favourites. But it's a fun and fulfilling ride and I believe you'd feel cheated if you just delved randomly into it. Well, that's my excuse anyway.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's taken me nearly two years but thanks to YouTube I've listened to every single song (not all of them all the way through). It's been a fascinating journey. I listened to the originals of many Elvis Costello songs I'm very familiar with, I listened to many songs I never want to hear again, I discovered some gorgeous songs I didn't know about and I rediscovered some classics. Not surprisingly for me, I enjoyed listening to music of the 50s, 60s, 70s and early 80s. It was comforting to confirm that my lack of interest in music of the 90s and 2000s was not because I was busy doing other things but simply because (with very few exceptions) I just didn't like the music.

There were some songs I'd known for years but found a new appreciation for, such as
Shakin' All Over by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates (1960)
The House of the Rising Sun by The Animals (1964)
All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople (1972)
Sweet Gene Vincent by Ian Dury (1977)

Some I didn't know but now love:
Sinnerman by Nina Simone (1965)
Psycho by The Sonics (1965)
Pushing Too Hard by The Seeds (1966)
Psychotic Reaction by The Count Five (1966)
Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler) by Marvin Gaye (1971)
Cattle and Cane by The Go-Betweens (1982)
Can't Be Sure by The Sundays (1989)
Consolation Prizes by Phoenix (2006)

The book has its flaws, particularly in terms of balance - very little ska and reggae, for example - but I'm very happy that I listened to everything.

[Jonathan Crary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 50's, 60's, 70's and most of the '80's were really well documented in this book. I found that the book just mirrored the sister book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" from time to time and more so towards the '80's and 90's which I found annoying. However, that being said, I thought they did a good job with the early to mid '60's giving the reader/ listener an opportunity to hear some of the most explosive and iconic tunes; plus, the book did highlight French and Italian hits really well. I applaud the editors for that. Once you found yourself in the '90's, they just sort of slid into a pattern of taking the biggest hit or one big song from that particular album they mentioned in the other book. If you stop reading/ listening this book by 1990, you are doing yourself a favor, and this comment comes from someone who adores post- 2000's music more than 90% of the people my age and older.

[Martin Ridgway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is loads more fun than the 1001 Albums!
The format is the same but the range is wider because they don't have to find a whole album that meets the authors' quality criteria.
But the real highlight for me is the index (bear with me on this) because it doesn't just index the 1001 songs but also references (just by artist and title) 9000 more that didn't quite make the cut into the main body of the book. OK, ignore Anita Bryant's Paper Roses, but there are some weird gems here: and a whole bundle of non-English language picks as well.
Get into and start digging.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book features songs critiqued by about 50 contributors, covering music from the early 1920's through 2010,with mostly American and British artists, but also with some representation of artists the world over. About 50% of the music in this book was totally new to me, and I can't say I'd describe these as "must hear" tracks, but I appreciated the new musical exposure. Similarly, there were artists listed here, but not for the track that I would pick (though frequently those tracks would be listed in the extensive index of songs.) Would recommend for music aficionados and those seeking new musical experiences and pathways.

[Paulo Catarino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adquiri o livro e lia histórias de artistas que eu não conhecia. Muitos casos foram curiosos, mas confesso que não estava me conectando por não ter escutado a música. Decidi fazer o contrário, e após conhecer as faixas descritas, era mais interessante saber o que estava por trás. Uma ideia interessante é marcar as que você já conhece para que depois tenha escutado de fato todas listadas.

Vale a pena ler tudo de uma vez? Sinceramente acho que não. Mas como a música está no nosso cotidiano, muitas vezes você vai consumir algumas citadas no livro e quando revisitar a obra, vai notar que agora sim você conhece sobre o que eles estavam falando. É interessante neste ponto.

[David Haggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another entry from the 1,001 series that I have browsed this year.

Unfortunately, this volume is skewed much like the 1,001 Children's Books title that I reviewed earlier in the year. It offers a sampling of popular music from the early 1900's until the early 2010's. Not many country songs and not many international songs made their way into this listing. Furthermore, even some of selected songs are not what I would consider to be the best works of certain artists or bands.

On the other hand, it does challenge the readers to ruminate on what are their favorites songs and why their favorites are worth being their favorites.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really strange admissions. Utter crap that no one considers good or groundbreaking eg a tramp singing one line over classical music for over 20 minutes.
Possibly some snobbish admissions: Robbie Williams has won more Brit awards than anyone and has more number one albums than any other British man (solo) but not a song in here.
Also if I was going to make some last minute changes, drop some songs for more recent releases, I’d make damn sure the index was changed accordingly.
Despite the negatives it was interesting and I did enjoy listening to some new (to me) tracks.

[Robert Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvellous scene music is! Took it me almost nine years to work my way through these songs, but what a rewarding journey it has been. There's some lovely music out there. Don't kid yourself you've heard it all. You haven't.

There's also a book called 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. I think I'll pass. It's a beautiful idea, but there are other things to do besides listening to music.

Read this and listen to the songs if you want to know more.

[Natasha Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive, interesting, and succinct reading.

[Kerrie Arkwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book

[Ana Paula Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

si hay unos life changing bangers ahi