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

By: Bob Boilen

Narrated by: Bob Boilen

Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

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 an 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.

Chapter 1 Your Song Changed My Life
Chapter 2 Introduction
Chapter 3 Jimmy Page
Chapter 4 Carrie Brownstein
Chapter 5 Smokey Robinson
Chapter 6 David Byrne
Chapter 7 St Vincent
Chapter 8 Jeff Tweedy
Chapter 9 James Blake
Chapter 10 Colin Meloy
Chapter 11 Trey Anastasio
Chapter 12 Jenny Lewis
Chapter 13 Dave Grohl
Chapter 14 Cat Stevens
Chapter 15 Sturgill Simpson
Chapter 16 Justin Vernon Chapter 17 Cat Power
Chapter 18 Jackson Browne
Chapter 19 Michael Stipe
Chapter 20 Philip Glass
Chapter 21 Jonsi
Chapter 22 Asgeir
Chapter 23 Hozier
Chapter 24 Regina Carter
Chapter 25 Asaf Avidan
Chapter 26 Valerie June
Chapter 27 Conor Oberst
Chapter 28 Courtney Barnett
Chapter 29 Pokey Lafarge
Chapter 30 Kate Tempest
Chapter 31 Ian Mackaye
Chapter 32 Lucinda Williams
Chapter 33 Josh Ritter
Chapter 34 Chris Thile
Chapter 35 Leon Bridges
Chapter 36 Sharon Van Etten
Chapter 37 Fantastic Negrito
Chapter 38 Credits

©2016 Bob Boilen (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Music and Bob Boilen. Awesome listen!

The mix of Bob's broadcasting skills and music knowledge makes this book an absolutely delightful listen. If you are a passionate music fan you will love this!

Very interesting insight into the artist’s reason of existence

This book should be way longer! I didn’t want it to end. We really need a follow up soon, Bob!

Meaty but obvious gaps

No New Porngraphers?, Actually none of the Canadian artists I like, does NPR not get these people on the air?

Cool if you know all interviewed artists

I really enjoyed some of the chapters, like the one about Jonsi. That is because I know his and appreciate his music. I didn't know the majority of the other artists or their music and didn't connect with their stories.

I love All Songs considered because I discover and hear the music Bob tells me about. Without that context (the music!) there is not much left. The performance is not great either. Bob's voice on the show is great. Here it just sounds like reading out loud, quite unnaturally. Adding the actual music to the audiobook would make it so much better.