Overview

What makes us fall in love with a song? What makes us want to write our own songs? Do songs help? Do songs help us live better lives? And do the lives we live help us write better songs? After two New York Times bestsellers that cemented and expanded his legacy as one of America's best-loved performers and songwriters, Let's Go (So We Can Get Back) and How To Write One Song, Jeff Tweedy is back with another disarming, beautiful, and inspirational book about why we listen to music, why we love songs, and how music can connect us to each other and to ourselves. Featuring 50-plus songs that have both changed Jeff's life and influenced his music - including songs by The Replacements, Mavis Staples, the Velvet Underground, Joni Mitchell, Otis Redding, Dolly Parton, and Billie Eilish - as well as thoughts on Jeff's own songs and his 'Rememories', which have been such a hit on his popular Substack, Starship Casual, this book is a mix of the musical, the emotional, and the inspirational in the best possible way.

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9780593472521

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Reviews

“In the same way that Jeff Tweedy is just miraculously there in every line he sings, he’s here in these pages: disarmingly frank, relentlessly exploratory; funny, earnest, wide-open, and brilliant.  Like his songs, this book felt like a gesture of warm reassurance, an inspiring reminder of the role art can play in keeping a person alert to life and moving forward.  Tweedy is a generous, insanely gifted national treasure.” —George Saunders, New York Times bestselling author of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain “World Within a Song is a treasure trove, a crate of LPs left behind by a cooler sibling. It reveals the DNA of influence of a brilliant artist while feeling like a cherished mixtape gifted to you by an old friend. It’s equally an ode to music from one of the greatest songwriters of our time, punctuated by hilarious memories of a life spent in the music industry with its unique capacity for both sublime glamor and devastating humility. Jeff Tweedy’s reverence for great songwriting...is infectious. Songs are our companions, bands are human scale miracles, and we should never forget it.” —Michelle Zauner, New York Times bestselling author of Crying in H Mart

"""The Wilco frontman delves into his inspiring relationship with music through 50 songs (from ""Gloria"" to ""Free Bird"") and adds heart-wrenching memories of childhood friendship, gun-wielding tour bus drivers and more. If life's a movie, Tweedy's has a pretty great soundtrack."" —People   “Tweedy’s storytelling skills are as sharp as his songcraft…a joy to read.” —Performer Magazine ""Tweedy hits the page with approachable, almost-conversational prose (what’s the opposite of a music snob?) while still providing the reader with tight, evocative sentences sprinkled with silly witticisms, heartfelt anecdotes, pop-culture references and, of course, music history...Tweedy’s writing helps readers relive their own little flashbacks, as if they were listening to an old, cherished tune."" —Brooklyn Magazine “Following the generosity of the best-selling How to Write One Song (2020), Tweedy extends his largesse and candor in this delightfully inspiring blend of memoir and guidance.” —Booklist ""In his inimitable voice, [Tweedy] digs into the ways that songs invite us into the worlds within them, illustrating how music connects us to each other. He reveals how the sonic structure of a song can make us fall in love with it and how it lives within us, shaping and reshaping our experience of music and life whenever we hear it."" —No Depression ""A deeply personal, Dylan-esque, “philosophical” take on the works that have influenced him as a songwriter and a person… thoroughly entertaining.” —Kirkus ""This entertaining and enlightening survey hits the right note."" —Publishers Weekly “In the same way that Jeff Tweedy is just miraculously there in every line he sings, he’s here in these pages: disarmingly frank, relentlessly exploratory; funny, earnest, wide-open, and brilliant.  Like his songs, this book felt like a gesture of warm reassurance, an inspiring reminder of the role art can play in keeping a person alert to life and moving forward.  Tweedy is a generous, insanely gifted national treasure.” —George Saunders, New York Times bestselling author of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain “World Within a Song is a treasure trove, a crate of LPs left behind by a cooler sibling. It reveals the DNA of influence of a brilliant artist while feeling like a cherished mixtape gifted to you by an old friend. It’s equally an ode to music from one of the greatest songwriters of our time, punctuated by hilarious memories of a life spent in the music industry with its unique capacity for both sublime glamor and devastating humility. Jeff Tweedy’s reverence for great songwriting...is infectious. Songs are our companions, bands are human scale miracles, and we should never forget it.” —Michelle Zauner, New York Times bestselling author of Crying in H Mart"

"“Following the generosity of the best-selling How to Write One Song (2020), Tweedy extends his largesse and candor in this delightfully inspiring blend of memoir and guidance.” —Booklist ""In his inimitable voice, [Tweedy] digs into the ways that songs invite us into the worlds within them, illustrating how music connects us to each other. He reveals how the sonic structure of a song can make us fall in love with it and how it lives within us, shaping and reshaping our experience of music and life whenever we hear it."" —No Depression ""A deeply personal, Dylan-esque, “philosophical” take on the works that have influenced him as a songwriter and a person… thoroughly entertaining.” —Kirkus “In the same way that Jeff Tweedy is just miraculously there in every line he sings, he’s here in these pages: disarmingly frank, relentlessly exploratory; funny, earnest, wide-open, and brilliant.  Like his songs, this book felt like a gesture of warm reassurance, an inspiring reminder of the role art can play in keeping a person alert to life and moving forward.  Tweedy is a generous, insanely gifted national treasure.” —George Saunders, New York Times bestselling author of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain “World Within a Song is a treasure trove, a crate of LPs left behind by a cooler sibling. It reveals the DNA of influence of a brilliant artist while feeling like a cherished mixtape gifted to you by an old friend. It’s equally an ode to music from one of the greatest songwriters of our time, punctuated by hilarious memories of a life spent in the music industry with its unique capacity for both sublime glamor and devastating humility. Jeff Tweedy’s reverence for great songwriting...is infectious. Songs are our companions, bands are human scale miracles, and we should never forget it.” —Michelle Zauner, New York Times bestselling author of Crying in H Mart"

"""In his inimitable voice, [Tweedy] digs into the ways that songs invite us into the worlds within them, illustrating how music connects us to each other. He reveals how the sonic structure of a song can make us fall in love with it and how it lives within us, shaping and reshaping our experience of music and life whenever we hear it."" —No Depression ""a deeply personal, Dylan-esque, “philosophical” take on the works that have influenced him as a songwriter and a person… thoroughly entertaining.” —Kirkus “In the same way that Jeff Tweedy is just miraculously there in every line he sings, he’s here in these pages: disarmingly frank, relentlessly exploratory; funny, earnest, wide-open, and brilliant.  Like his songs, this book felt like a gesture of warm reassurance, an inspiring reminder of the role art can play in keeping a person alert to life and moving forward.  Tweedy is a generous, insanely gifted national treasure.” —George Saunders, New York Times bestselling author of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain “World Within a Song is a treasure trove, a crate of LPs left behind by a cooler sibling. It reveals the DNA of influence of a brilliant artist while feeling like a cherished mixtape gifted to you by an old friend. It’s equally an ode to music from one of the greatest songwriters of our time, punctuated by hilarious memories of a life spent in the music industry with its unique capacity for both sublime glamor and devastating humility. Jeff Tweedy’s reverence for great songwriting...is infectious. Songs are our companions, bands are human scale miracles, and we should never forget it.” —Michelle Zauner, New York Times bestselling author of Crying in H Mart"

"""The Wilco frontman delves into his inspiring relationship with music through 50 songs (from ""Gloria"" to ""Free Bird"") and adds heart-wrenching memories of childhood friendship, gun-wielding tour bus drivers and more. If life's a movie, Tweedy's has a pretty great soundtrack."" —People   “Tweedy’s storytelling skills are as sharp as his songcraft…a joy to read.” —Performer Magazine “It’s the chance to see the master at work if you will, even though World Within a Song is entirely about other people’s songs.” —American Songwriter ""Tweedy hits the page with approachable, almost-conversational prose (what’s the opposite of a music snob?) while still providing the reader with tight, evocative sentences sprinkled with silly witticisms, heartfelt anecdotes, pop-culture references and, of course, music history...Tweedy’s writing helps readers relive their own little flashbacks, as if they were listening to an old, cherished tune."" —Brooklyn Magazine ""A disarming, beautiful, and inspirational book about why we listen to music, why we love songs, and how music can connect us to each other and to ourselves... this book is a mix of the musical, the emotional, and the inspirational in the best possible way."" —Rough Trade ""In his inimitable voice, [Tweedy] digs into the ways that songs invite us into the worlds within them, illustrating how music connects us to each other. He reveals how the sonic structure of a song can make us fall in love with it and how it lives within us, shaping and reshaping our experience of music and life whenever we hear it."" —No Depression ""Here we’ve got humor merged with memoir; snippets of his life that feel so messy and real that you can’t help but be drawn in."" —Fatherly “Following the generosity of the best-selling How to Write One Song (2020), Tweedy extends his largesse and candor in this delightfully inspiring blend of memoir and guidance.” —Booklist ""A deeply personal, Dylan-esque, “philosophical” take on the works that have influenced him as a songwriter and a person… thoroughly entertaining.” —Kirkus ""This entertaining and enlightening survey hits the right note."" —Publishers Weekly “In the same way that Jeff Tweedy is just miraculously there in every line he sings, he’s here in these pages: disarmingly frank, relentlessly exploratory; funny, earnest, wide-open, and brilliant.  Like his songs, this book felt like a gesture of warm reassurance, an inspiring reminder of the role art can play in keeping a person alert to life and moving forward.  Tweedy is a generous, insanely gifted national treasure.” —George Saunders, New York Times bestselling author of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain “World Within a Song is a treasure trove, a crate of LPs left behind by a cooler sibling. It reveals the DNA of influence of a brilliant artist while feeling like a cherished mixtape gifted to you by an old friend. It’s equally an ode to music from one of the greatest songwriters of our time, punctuated by hilarious memories of a life spent in the music industry with its unique capacity for both sublime glamor and devastating humility. Jeff Tweedy’s reverence for great songwriting...is infectious. Songs are our companions, bands are human scale miracles, and we should never forget it.” —Michelle Zauner, New York Times bestselling author of Crying in H Mart"

Author Information

As the founding member and leader of the Grammy Award–winning American rock band Wilco, and before that the cofounder of the alt‐country band Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy is one of contemporary music’s most accomplished songwriters, musicians, and performers. Jeff has released four albums, written original songs for thirteen Wilco albums, and is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc. and How to Write One Song. He lives in Chicago with his family.

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