Strictures on the Past History of the Jews, and on the Future Prospects of that People Book

My rating is for the first half of this book. I got the 1988 version from the library and the second half is about sending cassette tapes to record companies because it was written two decades before YouTube.

I found the first half of the book to be full of practical, eye-opening insight. For instance, songs on the radio have to be simple and universal, unlike songs on an album which a buyer will pore over. I tend to write obscure lyrics and needed to be told that lyrics are not poetry. I've also had more experience with classical composition, which I didn't realize was so different than pop songwriting (pop has no development, just hit them over the head with the idea and get out).

I liked the section that explained how to use specific, dynamic images to capture and hold the listener's imagination.

The chapter on collaboration was helpful for me to understand the mindset of collaboration ("I'm working with this person to make a better song"). I tend to want to do everything myself but as my projects become more ambitious I am realizing that solo endeavors are inherently limited.

Sadly, I didn't recognize the vast majority of the songs he cites as examples. That's probably because I was a toddler when the book was written ...

My goal for my songs is simply to entertain mostly myself, and family and friends second, so I'm not worried about copyright or monetization. But I might try to hunt down a more up-to-date edition of this book just to learn about the process.

In conclusion, I know my songs are going to be better as a result of reading this book.

[One fun fact I learned is that songs in musicals always use exact rhymes, while other songs often use close rhyme. I've been listening closely to musical songs now, and they do indeed use exact rhymes. I'd never noticed.]