In Their Lives: Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs

There will never be enough books for fans of The Beatles. On the surface, it would seem that the music alone should be everything but, as any fan knows, it is not. Music becomes more when we can dive deeper—know the history, the personalities, the tiny details of the creation of every note and lyric. Most importantly, however, we want to be able to discuss our feelings about the songs with other fans.That is what this book is about. A bunch of writers have given us their thoughts on their favorite song from The Beatles catalogue. As with any collection of essays by different writers, there are ups and downs here, magnified by the reader’s feelings about the particular song under discussion; however, this effect is muted for the fan. If you care about the songs, there’s always something of interest here.Certain motifs tend across the essays: loving descriptions of record players and vinyl albums, interpretations of lyrics and analysis of music, periods of time long past. On the other hand, the age of discovery and the reasons for the choice are varied. Some songs were heard as children and resonated. Others take on meaning for adults in relationships with lovers, friends, and children. (Just one example: John Hockenberry’s description of his daughter, Olivia, playing “Let It Be” at a sixth-grade talent show near the end of the book is as moving as hearing Paul McCartney and James Cordon discussing the song in a recent Carpool Karaoke.)Obviously, this book has most meaning for a fan; however, there is enough here for the casual reader interested in music as well. All of us have songs that have impacted our lives, not always in ways we would have predicted. This book gathers some of those Beatles-inspired stories and is well worth the read.

With "In Their Lives: Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs", Andrew Blauner has compiled an interesting and enjoyable look at The Fab Fours' music and cultural influence through a collection of essays on individual songs by a variety of musicians, writers and other artists. A ten year old child even enjoyably chimes in.The essays tackle the songs in chronological order of original release dates and vary widely in style. Some break the songs down instrumentally, some deal with the music from the perspective of what was happening with the band members at the time, others focus on the cultural relevance of the song, while yet others are written from a more personal standpoint. Paul McCartney even thought enough of the project to contribute a brief introduction.All in all, I found "In Their Lives..." to be a very fun read. I gave it 4 stars but consider it be closer to 41/2 stars in quality.

Quick, what's your favorite Beatles tune? What's the one that you most associate with your childhood? Romantic partner? That time you helped bury a body out in the woods and didn't tell anyone about it? Chances are, there's a Beatles song for every occasion, and even if you might agree to disagree on which ones are "great" Beatles songs, you might be moved to share your opinion."In Their Lives: Great Writers on Great Beatles Songs," edited by Andrew Blauner, is a mixed bag of essays and personal reflections; not all of them work (at least on my initial reading), but the ones that do make the price of admission worth it. Collected here are all kinds of essays, from the scholarly to the personal, with some interesting tidbits and some TMI moments thrown in throughout. Not all the essays work, but that's the way most any collection of pieces by various writers goes: not everything in here will appeal to all readers. But they don't have to; each reader will likely find one or two that stick with them when all the others are forgotten, or see that an essay they dismissed out of hand the first time around is better than previously thought.I enjoyed Chuck Klosterman's take on "Helter Skelter," Toure's look at "The Ballad of John and Yoko," Pico Iyer's story behind his karaoke choice of "Yesterday," and Shawn Colvin's short look at "I'll be Back." Alan Light speaks to the timeless appeal of the Fab Four to himself and his son with "I Saw Her Standing There," Maria Popova goes behind the Iron Curtain for an appreciation of "Yellow Submarine," and Peter Blauner stands up for the oft-neglected Revolver gem "And Your Bird Can Sing."If you're a fan of the Beatles, and a fan of writing about music (even if the writing veers into the personal, or especially if it does), you'll find something to like in this collection. Not everything will stand out the first time around, but I bet this is the sort of book that rewards repeat readings, especially if an essay underwhelmed you the first time around. I plan on finding out for myself sooner rather than later

Great compilation. I found myself admiring many of the writers' offerings----enough to peek my interest as to their other works. Now it's out of control! Superb anthology. I enjoyed every page.

I need to get out more. I don't know half of these people. Ones I did know -- stories we're great, like David Duchovny's.