Book Review: The Boy In The Song (The True Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics)

The Boy In The Song: The True Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics
Michael Heatley and Frank Hopkinson
(Chicago Review Press)
Rating: 3 Stars

After 2010’s The Girl in the Song, a sequel revealing the men who’ve inspired mythical pop lyrics was a given. The Boy In The Song no doubt required a bit more creativity in its selection process, given that so much of rock history has been articulated through a male-hetero point of view, and the results can be random at times. The passages sway from multiple Joni Mitchell singles about past affairs (“Carey,” “The Last Time I Saw Richard”) to fatherly paeans about sons and dads (David Bowie’s “Kooks,” Loudon Wainwright III’s “Rufus Is A Tit Man”) and odes to various friends and colorful characters (Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side,” Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man”).

In and of itself, song choice isn’t the collection’s primary drawback, although Brit authors Michael Heatley and Frank Hopkinson will probably alienate some stateside readers with inclusions from Lily Allen, Franz Ferdinand, PJ Harvey, Kate Bush and George Michael. A la Continuum’s 33 1/3 series, these In The Song companion titles are meant to be pocket travelers, bullet points of a bigger story that can be digested on a plane or train.

In that respect, Boy is a success. It’s utterly consumable, although not necessarily habit-forming. In some cases, the book incisively distinguishes fact from legend, whether it’s the plutonic admiration behind Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” or tragedy that inspired Rod Stewart’s “The Killing Of Georgie.” But in other instances, familiar stories are rehashed with precious little new insight for anyone with a passing curiosity and access to the Internet, as is the case with entries on Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett tribute “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” or Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy.”

Boy In The Song is a helpful beginner’s guide to rock lore (assuming budding young music hounds wouldn’t rather just rely on their iPad and Wikipedia) and a handy reference that should settle plenty of debates. The question is: How many people apart from the authors are universally at odds over the background of late-period Stevie Nicks ballads, relatively obscure Patti Smith tracks and Dream Academy one-hit wonders all at once?