A vast anthology bringing together more than one thousand of the best American and English lyrics of the twentieth century, this is an extraordinary celebration of a unique art form.
Reading Lyrics begins with the first masters of the colloquial phrase, including George M. Cohan (“Give My Regards to Broadway”), P. G. Wodehouse (“Till the Clouds Roll By”), and Irving Berlin, whose versatility and career span the period from “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” to “Annie Get Your Gun” and beyond. The Broadway musical emerges as a distinct dramatic form in the 1920s and 1930s, its evolution propelled by a trio of lyricists—Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, and Lorenz Hart—whose explorations of the psychological and emotional nuances of falling in and out of love have lost none of their wit and sophistication. Their songs, including “Night and Day,” “The Man I Love,” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” have become standards performed and recorded by generation after generation of singers. The lure of Broadway and Hollywood and the performing genius of such artists as Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Ethel Waters, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Ethel Merman inspired a remarkable array of talented writers, including Dorothy Fields (“A Fine Romance,” “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love”), Frank Loesser (“Guys and Dolls”), Oscar Hammerstein II (from the groundbreaking “Show Boat” of 1927 through his extraordinary collaboration with Richard Rodgers), Johnny Mercer, Yip Harburg, Andy Razaf, Noël Coward, and Stephen Sondheim.
Reading Lyrics also celebrates the work of dozens of superb craftsmen whose songs remain known, but who today are themselves less known—writers like Haven Gillespie (whose “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” may be the most widely recorded song of its era); Herman Hupfeld (not only the composer/lyricist of “As Time Goes By” but also of “Are You Makin’ Any Money?” and “When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba”); the great light versifier Ogden Nash (“Speak Low,” “I’m a Stranger Here Myself,” and, yes, “The Sea-Gull and the Ea-Gull”); Don Raye (“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “Mister Five by Five,” and, of course, “Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet”); Bobby Troup (“Route 66”); Billy Strayhorn (not only for the omnipresent “Lush Life” but for “Something to Live For” and “A Lonely Coed”); Peggy Lee (not only a superb singer but also an original and appealing lyricist); and the unique Dave Frishberg (“I’m Hip,” “Peel Me a Grape,” “Van Lingo Mungo”).
Robert Gottlieb and Robert Kimball have created an indispensable reference work and history. The lyricists are presented chronologically, each introduced by a succinct biography and incisive commentary. Reading Lyrics is a magnificent gathering of words whose power to stir memories and evoke romance is akin to that of lyric poetry. Collected in one volume, it represents one of the twentieth century’s most enduring and cherished legacies.
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《Reading Lyrics》是一本让我重新拾起对文字敏感度的书。作者以一种旁征博引、融会贯通的方式,展现了他对歌词非同寻常的理解。他不仅仅是在解释歌词,更是在通过歌词,折射出人性的复杂、情感的细腻,以及时代的变迁。我常常在阅读时,会因为作者的某个观点而陷入沉思,然后不由自主地将之与自己的经历联系起来。这本书让我意识到,原来我们听到的每一句歌词,都可能蕴含着一个未曾被发现的深层含义,都可能触及到我们内心最柔软的部分。
评分读《Reading Lyrics》的过程,对我而言,更像是一场与作者灵魂的对话。他并非高高在上地评判,而是以一种平等、真诚的姿态,邀请读者一同走进歌词的世界,去感受其中的悲喜、无奈与希望。书中的每一段解读,都凝聚着作者长久的思考和真挚的情感。他会分享自己对某句歌词的个人感悟,会引用相关的文学作品或历史事件来佐证自己的观点,甚至会讲述自己与这首歌词之间的故事。这种非学术化的解读方式,让阅读的过程充满了温度和亲切感。我常常在读到某个段落时,会因为作者的某句话而产生强烈的共鸣,仿佛他正替我说出了我内心深处那些难以启齿的情绪。
评分这本书给我最深刻的感受,莫过于它让我重新认识了“歌词”的价值。我以前总觉得歌词只是旋律的附属品,可有可无,但《Reading Lyrics》彻底改变了我的看法。作者用他非凡的洞察力,挖掘出歌词中那些隐藏的深意和情感力量。他能够从一句简单的歌词中,解读出一段荡气回肠的故事,或者是一种难以言喻的情绪。我尤其欣赏他那种将个体情感与时代背景相结合的解读方式,这让歌词的意义变得更加宏大和深刻。
评分初次捧读《Reading Lyrics》,我便被它深沉而细腻的笔触深深吸引。与其说这是一本关于歌词的书,不如说它是一场对文字力量与情感共鸣的深度探索。作者并非简单地罗列歌词,而是将每一句歌词都视作一个独立的宇宙,用敏锐的洞察力剖析其背后的故事、情感脉络,以及那些隐藏在字里行间的潜台词。我尤其欣赏作者在处理那些看似平常的词语时所展现出的非凡才华。例如,一首描绘失恋的歌词,在作者的解读下,不再仅仅是“心碎”或“想念”的简单堆砌,而是被拆解成无数细微的情绪碎片:那种清晨醒来,身边空荡荡的怅然若失;那种在人群中看到相似背影时的瞬间错愕;那种熟悉的旋律响起时,胸口骤然收紧的疼痛。作者仿佛拥有透视人心的能力,将那些我们曾模糊感受过却难以言说的情感,用精准的语言一一呈现。
评分阅读《Reading Lyrics》的过程,像是在一个巨大的情感宝库中寻宝。作者就像一位经验丰富的向导,带着我一一解锁那些深藏的秘密。我最喜欢的地方是,他从不故弄玄虚,而是用最朴实、最真诚的语言,将复杂的感情和深刻的道理阐释得清晰明了。当我读到他分析某句歌词时,常常会有一种“原来如此”的恍然大悟,然后会不自觉地回想起自己曾经听过的那首歌,并赋予它全新的意义。这本书让我意识到,原来我们所听的每一首歌,都承载着一个故事,都蕴含着一种情感,都记录着一段时光。
评分读完《Reading Lyrics》,我感觉自己仿佛经历了一场心灵的洗礼。作者用他独特的视角,将那些我们耳熟能详的歌词,解读出了全新的生命。他不仅仅是分析歌词的字面意思,更是深入到了歌词背后的情感世界,挖掘出那些隐藏在旋律之下的,最真实、最动人的声音。我特别喜欢他那种细腻的笔触,能够将那些转瞬即逝的情绪,那些难以言说的情愫,捕捉并放大,让我们得以窥见其中蕴含的巨大能量。这本书让我明白,原来歌词不仅仅是文字,更是连接人心的桥梁。
评分《Reading Lyrics》是一本能够触及灵魂的书。作者对歌词的解读,不仅仅停留在文字表面,更是深入到情感的肌理之中。他能够将那些我们生活中可能忽视的细节,升华为对人生、对情感的深刻洞察。例如,他可以从一句简单的道别,解读出一种历史的沧桑和人生的无常;他可以从一个短暂的停留,揭示出一种深刻的羁绊和永恒的思念。这种能力让我惊叹,也让我对文字的力量有了全新的认识。这本书,让我重新学会了“读”歌词,也让我重新学会了“感受”生活。
评分《Reading Lyrics》给我带来的最大冲击,是它颠覆了我过去对“歌词”的理解。我曾经认为歌词就是为了配合旋律而存在的,它们是次要的,甚至可以是随意拼凑的。然而,这本书让我看到了歌词作为一种独立的文学形式所具有的独特价值和强大力量。作者以他博学而细腻的视角,深入浅出地剖析了无数动人的歌词。他不仅仅是解释字面意思,更是挖掘了歌词背后的情感内核、文化背景以及作者创作时的心境。书中有很多让我拍案叫绝的分析,比如作者是如何将一句看似简单的歌词,解读出人生的无常、情感的纠葛,以及社会变迁的痕迹。
评分这本书带给我的阅读体验是前所未有的。它不像一般的评论集那样枯燥,也不像文学分析那样晦涩。作者以一种非常个人化、也非常有故事性的方式,将自己对歌词的理解娓娓道来。我最欣赏的是他那种“看见”的能力——看见那些潜藏在文字之下,不为人知的深情和无奈。读他的文字,我仿佛也拥有了同样的“看见”的能力,能够更加深刻地理解歌词背后所蕴含的丰富情感。书中很多段落都让我忍不住停下来,反复回味,甚至会联想到自己的人生经历。
评分《Reading Lyrics》这本书最让我惊喜的地方在于,它打破了我以往对歌词的固有认知。我一直以为歌词只是歌曲的点缀,是旋律的附属品,但这本书让我意识到,歌词本身就具有强大的独立生命力,它们是诗人用灵魂写下的诗篇,是时代情绪的缩影,是人类情感最真挚的表达。作者在书中对不同年代、不同风格的歌词进行了深入的挖掘和梳理,从那些经典的民谣到前卫的摇滚,再到如今多元化的流行乐,他都能从中找到最打动人心的闪光点。我特别喜欢作者对一些被忽略的歌词细节的关注,比如某个词语的选择,某个比喻的妙用,甚至是某个标点符号的运用,都可能蕴含着作者想要传达的深意。这种细致入微的分析,让我对歌曲有了全新的理解,也让我重新审视了语言的魅力。
评分although never a fan of popular music, I enjoyed reading most of lyrics and it served my purpose; it put my mind at ease. Of course, there are terrible lines; I can't help cringing at an expression of indulgent emotion; watching a non-native speaker tripping over a mangled sentence is less torturous than reading overly practiced lyrics.
评分although never a fan of popular music, I enjoyed reading most of lyrics and it served my purpose; it put my mind at ease. Of course, there are terrible lines; I can't help cringing at an expression of indulgent emotion; watching a non-native speaker tripping over a mangled sentence is less torturous than reading overly practiced lyrics.
评分although never a fan of popular music, I enjoyed reading most of lyrics and it served my purpose; it put my mind at ease. Of course, there are terrible lines; I can't help cringing at an expression of indulgent emotion; watching a non-native speaker tripping over a mangled sentence is less torturous than reading overly practiced lyrics.
评分although never a fan of popular music, I enjoyed reading most of lyrics and it served my purpose; it put my mind at ease. Of course, there are terrible lines; I can't help cringing at an expression of indulgent emotion; watching a non-native speaker tripping over a mangled sentence is less torturous than reading overly practiced lyrics.
评分although never a fan of popular music, I enjoyed reading most of lyrics and it served my purpose; it put my mind at ease. Of course, there are terrible lines; I can't help cringing at an expression of indulgent emotion; watching a non-native speaker tripping over a mangled sentence is less torturous than reading overly practiced lyrics.
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