Anthems We Love: 29 Iconic Artists on the Hit Songs That Shaped Our Lives

by Steve Baltin, Cameron Crowe (Foreword by)

Overview

"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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780785290551
Publisher:	Harper Horizon
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	256,521
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Once a proud teenage music geek, Southern California-based author and journalist Steve Baltin has turned that passion into a career that can only be described as a rock and roll fantasy. As a writer for Rolling Stone, L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Billboard, Playboy, and many more, as well as the host of the podcast My Turning Point and the Amazon Prime/Hulu streaming series Riffing With, Baltin has interviewed a who's who of music luminaries. Among his favorite interviews are Alanis Morissette, Slash, Stevie Wonder, Dave Grohl, ASAP Rocky, B. B. King, John Mellencamp, Aretha Franklin, Adele, and a list of artists in the thousands.

Table of Contents

Foreword Cameron Crowe ix

Prologue Spencer Proffer xiii

Introduction xvii

1 The Temptations, "My Girl" 1

2 The Beach Boys, "God Only Knows" 11

3 The Doors, "Light My Fire" 19

4 Jefferson Airplane, "White Rabbit" 27

5 Neil Diamond, "Sweet Caroline" 37

6 The 5th Dimension, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" 47

7 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "Our House" 55

8 The Jackson 5, "ABC" 61

9 Carly Simon, "Anticipation" 69

10 Don McLean, "American Pie" 79

11 The Spinners, "I'll Be Around" 87

12 Barry Manilow, "Could It Be Magic" 95

13 KISS, "Rock and Roll All Nite" 103

14 Janis Ian, "At Seventeen" 111

15 Hall & Oates, "Sara Smile" 121

16 Aerosmith, "Walk This Way" 129

17 Bob Marley, "One Love/People Get Ready" 137

18 Earth, Wind & Fire, "September" 143

19 CHIC, "Le Freak" 151

20 TOTO, "Africa" 159

21 Linda Ronstadt, "Skylark" 167

22 Tears for Fears, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" 173

23 Fleetwood Mac, "Big Love" 181

24 U2,"One" 189

25 Shania Twain, "You're Still the One" 199

26 Tom Waits, "Take It With Me" 209

27 TLC, "No Scrubs" 217

28 Linkin Park, "In the End" 225

29 My Chemical Romance, "Welcome to the Black Parade" 235

Notes 247

Acknowledgments 249

About the Author 252

Editorial Reviews

'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.'

Shania Twain

'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.'

Victoria Justice

'As all of us songwriters know, a song means one thing to the writer and then takes on a mystical life of its own as it finds its way into the hearts and experiences of the listener. This book resonates with me as a songwriter, but more importantly, it hits home for the music fan that lives in all of us!'

Deborah Gibson

'Steve knows his music and has cornered a classic list of the best songwriters. So many great songs finally explained!'

Gavin Rossdale

'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.'

Alanis Morissette

'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.'

Cameron Crowe

'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.'

Shaina Twain