Anthems We Love
29 Iconic Artists on the Hit Songs That Shaped Our Lives
- Arts & Literature
- Publisher: Harper Horizon (HarperCollins Focus)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
" Anthems We Love is not just a tale of artistic adventure, it's also a manual for artists and fans alike. There is no formula. Just these inspiring stories of the heart... " —Cameron Crowe, Academy Award–nominated director, producer, and screenwriter (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Say Anything, and Pearl Jam Twenty) From U2 to Carly Simon, the Temptations to TLC, artists describe in their own words how their songs became the soundtrack of your life in this celebration of music featuring original interviews by acclaimed music journalist Steve Baltin. Which Beach Boys’ song brings Paul McCartney to tears? What makes “Light My Fire” a rite-of-passage song for teens in every generation, according to Doors guitarist Robby Krieger? What is it about music that brings back so vividly the passion of our early loves, our deepest losses, our richest memories? Acclaimed music journalist Steve Baltin examines twenty-nine iconic songs of modern music to ultimately answer: what transforms a song into an anthem? How did these songs become such a part of our culture? Featuring original interviews with superstar musicians like the Beach Boys, Shania Twain, and Earth Wind and Fire, this book offers a detailed celebration of songwriting, fan connections, memorable live performances, and more. A must-have anthology for music fans, Anthems We Love showcases the most beloved and popular songs of all time, including Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” the Jackson 5’s “ABC,” Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” and TOTO’s “Africa.” More so, it centers the artists behind these songs—and the songs that formed the soundtracks of their lives—as they share stories, for the first time, about how writing an anthem has changed their lives, those of their fans, and our world.
Endorsements (7)
“Steve Baltin has a way of getting inside a song, inside a perspective of an artist. He has the care and ability to hold the complexities in what he hears and how he is impacted by music. And the ability to articulate how that personal, microcosmic effect translates to the world and pop culture at large. Steve has the big view and is equally adept at zooming in on and honoring the subtleties. To be beheld by Steve’s view is a true gift to all artists.”
“Anthems We Love is not just a tale of artistic adventure; it’s also a manual for artists and fans alike. There is no formula. Just these inspiring stories of the heart and Steve Baltin’s sparkling portraits of these artists who looked into their souls and often accidentally created indelible songs for all time. Every once in a while, the world claims a little piece of pop poetry and says: ‘This is it. That’s what it feels like to be alive.’ Here are the definitive origin stories of those rare and cherished songs that live on . . . and on . . . and on.”
“As a music lover, this book is a must-have for me! Steve is such a great writer/interviewer, so to get this kind of personal insight from this range of incredible artists is iconic.”
“Anthemic songs achieve the unique duality of being both personal to each listener yet universal enough to alter the DNA of our culture. If you recognize this as a miracle like I do, Anthems We Love is an essential and engrossing journey through the creative process that reveals the fascinating, sometimes intentional, oftentimes alchemical, magic of creating sonic and lyrical lightning in a bottle.”
“Being included among artists and songs that have inspired me so deeply—like ‘At Seventeen,’ ‘God Only Knows,’ and one of my teenage anthems, ‘Africa’—is a perfect example of the honors ‘You’re Still the One’ has given me. This song has been a real gift.”
“Steve knows his music and has cornered a classic list of the best songwriters. So many great songs finally explained!”
“If you’ve ever bounced along to TLC’s ‘Scrubs’ in your car on a girls’ night out, acted out a three- act play in your head to My Chemical Romance’s ‘The Black Parade,’ or swooned to Barry Manilow’s ‘Could It Be Magic,’ and wondered, How did these anthemic songs come to be?—join the club! Steve Baltin so brilliantly takes you deep into an insightful journey of these songs from inception to recording and beyond. . . . “So many fascinating artists and songs that are woven into the soundtrack of our lives in a new and unique way that will leave you hungry for a next edition. This book resonates with me as a songwriter, but more importantly, it hits home for the music fan that lives in all of us!”
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