Reading Lyrics: More Than 1,000 of the Twentieth Century's Finest Song Lyrics

Useful and a delight to read for pleasure.

Every so often one buys a book which is a sheer treasure. This certainly counts under that category. The idea is almost unheard of, except in old magazines. Here we have all of the lyrics of over 1000 of the greatest songs ever written. The listing is by chronological dates of birth of the greatest lyricists and quite a few forgotten ones . The first 5 lyricists are Anne Caldwell, Otto "Yip" Harbach, George M. Cohan, Henry Creamer and P.G. Wodehouse. Really, few books can be described as indispensable, but that is no exaggeration here. Turn to any page and you become fascinated, regardless of the fact the you may well be familiar with the song. A true gem.

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A wonderful well written book concentrating on he scholarship and research that informs. It does not however include two very important lyric writers who also performed at the World class level. Hank Williams Sr. (the hillbilly Shakespeare) and Chuck Berry both wrote lyrics that define key parts of All American parlance and vernacular." As I was motorvatin' over the hill, saw Maybelline in a Coupe De Ville, Cadillac runnin' down the open road, but nothin' out run my V8 Ford." /// " no more lookin' I'am already tookin hows about savin' all your time for me?"

Collections of lyrics are not always my cup of tea, despite a lifelong passion for great songs. Sometimes on the page even great lyrics can seem flat, shorn of their tunes. Lyrics are not poetry, and it can be rather redundant to read them as such.This book, however, is different. Part if that is it do with its scope, and the judicious choices of the editors. The other is the very attractive layout. This is genuinely revealing of the great contribution made by the classic lyricists of the 20th century, and their work and genius shines in this beautiful volume,