And Then I Wrote: The Songwriter Speaks

An entertaining look at the craft of songwriting, in the words of songwriters themselves: a collection of anecdotes and quotations from well-known songwriters, past and present, on their influences, work habits, and how they came to write particular songs now ingrained in the popular psyche. The book forms an effective oral history, featuring songwriters from Irving Berlin and Noel Coward to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell; from Stephen Foster and Hank Williams to R.E.M., Nirvana, and the Smashing Pumpkins. It's a book to be enjoyed by songwriters and music fans alike.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1551520230
• ISBN13: 9781551520230
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Really A Gem!

I found this when I was researching (more like a trip down memory lane) Ian and Sylvia...decided to buy it on a whim and find it's a great read...lots of info here (in short bursts) for anyone interested in a little more than simple music trivia. This would make an excellent gift!

who says what?

I read the book "And Then I wrote: the Songwriter speks because of the simple reason that I had seen Tom Russell life in my home town before and I was interested what this book was about when I saw it in the library. I had it for 6 weeks and read the whole book of quotes over and over again, and in the end I had the feeling that I could read it ten thousand times more. Yesterday I was at a show of his again, and I talked to him for a while and I got the feeling as if I had understood him much better because of this book.

Great inspiration for writers of all types

Tyson and Russell, both accomplished song writers in their own right, have taken great care to compile stories from a diverse gathering of song writers, both known and unknown. The chapters, each prefaced by one of the editor's own tales, are divided up by subject, but within each chapter the reader is treated to a wide variety of tales about the birth of songs, the struggles of writing, and the thrill having a song "make it." The mix of writers, from rock to folk to classical, means that there is something for everyone. But the great part about reading through the quotations and stories is discovering a writer you didn't previously know about, and learning something new by reading about their writing process. This is a great book for anyone who has ever written a song, a poem, a book, or even just a report for school. Within the struggle to create music and lyrics are the struggles we all face when create anything of meaning in our lives.