What a fun companion this was for a few days, and such an interesting way to look at music. This is a memoir told through music. Rather than picking favorite songs, Tweedy chooses songs that had great impact on him and/or are meaningful because of the moment he heard them. The stories and explanations are quite brief. I listened to this, read by Jeff, at 1.5x which was a totally comfortable speed, not fast at all. The whole took 3 hours, and it was time very well spent. A must for Wilco fans (and I am definitely one.)art-lit-media audiobooks memoir ...more15 s2 comments Victoria SanchezAuthor 1 book28

I'm a huge Wilco fan and found solace in Jeff Tweedy during the pandemic. And yet I wasn't expecting to get much of anything from this book except a few deep cut discoveries that only a musical genius could pass along. I was thinking something akin to a Nick Hornsby book. Anyway, no, it wasn't a music nerd's musings on music, and I didn't discover any new artists - not even a song - but it was enough to be allowed in Tweedy's surprisingly ordinary brain, and get to "hear" his inner workings. He is, as he admits, just a normal flawed human, a low-key rock star, and a little odd, but also honest and genuine and very conversational. He comes across as someone I'd hang out with on a regular basis and genuinely . So though his little vignettes were hard to get at first (when would this music phenom talk about the songs more? Was he conveying deep meanings that I was too obtuse to get? Is this book as boring as I think it is?), after a couple "songs," I began to relax and finally go with it. Once I stopped looking for a perfect list of songs, I was able to hear the stories he was stringing together. Stories that are both endearing and pretty damn wise. By the end, I felt just the mom I am, proud of Jeff, proud he landed on his feet, fame be dammed, and reminded once again that it's always worth it to dig a little deeper.
(FYI, he sneaks in just the tiniest amount of music gossip so as not to disappoint - who's nice, who's not, and who he might have been a jerk too.)autobiography-or-biography non-fiction11 s Erin Cataldi2,313 89

New York Times bestselling author and Wilco front man, Jeff Tweedy is back with another fun music inspired journey. Tweedy shares the fifty songs that have impacted his life the most, for better or for worse. He’s very clear that these aren’t what he considers the best fifty songs of all time, that is too daunting of a list to try. Rather this compilation of songs represents moments in his life where the song is crucial to the memory. From childhood to his wedding, music has been involved in every aspect of his life and these fifty songs highlight some important and unforgettable moments. Fantastically narrated by the legend himself, Tweedy’ s charisma shines throughout the recording. He shares the experiences behind each song and how it impacted his own relationship with music and song-writing. Featuring an eclectic list of songs by Otis Redding, Billie Eilish, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, and many others; this list is fresh and surprising. Part memoir, part music appreciation, and all-around joy; World Within a Song is a fantastic listen, that will have listeners pausing the audiobook to listen to the many songs referenced. – Erin Cataldi 2023 audiobook library-journal8 s Crystal Myers134 1 follower

If you don’t love Jeff Tweedy’s writing, you’re wrong. 7 s Kayla DeToma46 1 follower

this book spoke to me and i’m gonna listen!! perfect for music lovers musicians singers and anyone who cares4 s1 comment Mary445 51

The parasocial relationship I have with this guy is kind of intense.nonfiction short-stories-essays4 s Beth Bonini1,329 293

I only discovered Wilco, Jeff Tweedy and the wonderful album “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” (2002) on a road trip through Texas at the beginning of this year. (Thank you, Mark.) How timely, though, was the nearly simultaneous discovery of this, Tweedy’s recently published musical memoir.

I was immediately charmed by Tweedy’s voice and writing style, and in his Introduction, he made a claim for music that I, too, have long believed: “songs absorb and enhance our own experiences and store our own memories.” I didn’t love, or even know, all of Tweedy’s own choices - it was nice to utilise Spotify as I read this book - but I did identify with all of the underlying ideas and enthusiasm. I laughed out loud on a number of occasions, and I felt exceptionally moved as well.

Here’s an example, for a bit of flavour. In this excerpt, Tweedy nominates ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” as a song that he sneered at for many years before realising that it is a song of joy and genius.

“I truly recommend spending some time looking for a song you might have unfairly maligned. It feels good to stop hating something. Music is a good place to start if you’re interested in forgiveness. For yourself, mostly, I assume. Because records can’t really change much over time, but we sure can, and do. Better late than never.”

Probably my favourite entry in the book, though, is the one where Tweedy links a long-lost friendship with Michelle Shocked’s song “Anchorage.” Perhaps it helps that I also love this song, but even if it was unknown to me entirely, I think that I would have still responded to Tweedy’s insight about its lyrics and messages.

“I think it’s the profound air of forgiveness that gets me - the relief of having ‘walked across that burning bridge’ and instead of being met with judgment and resentment, as feared, finding a warm embrace on the other side.”

Such a lovely book - what a nice start to the reading year. 4 s2 comments Connor Mellas40 1 follower

A love letter to kindness, humanity and good tunes 20244 s Michelle121 23

Loved this! It's below-freezing here and we don't have school because of the weather, so I've been keeping warm working on some yarny crafts and listening to audiobooks. I love a good narrator, and listening to memoirists read their own work. This fits both. Tweedy is a generous, gifted storyteller, both in song and in his books. Listening to this, interspersed with searching for and listening to the songs he writes about, was a wonderful audio experience. It has me thinking about which songs I have a deep relationship with- some blissful, some heartbreaking, some silly.

Now I must return my freezing hands to the warm yarn. Cheers!about-writing audio creativity ...more3 s1 comment Jay103 2

A great stocking stuffer for any Tweedy fan.

I was able to procure an autographed copy at my local Barnes and Noble which was awesome.

Tweedy chose 50 songs which impacted him and wrote vignettes as to why they did. I've read his autobiography and he had the good fortune of living near a hip record store, growing up at a time when big business didn't dictate what was played on the radio, and some fantastic bands played in small venues when he was a teen. Unfortunately, I am more than 15 years younger than Tweedy, so I did not have the same experience.

However, this book was so well written, that it led to me reflecting on what songs impacted me at different times in my life. He mentioned a Replacements song, and I remember being hooked the first time I heard "Alex Chilton." "The Weight" was also of importance in both of our lives.

I was not a kid who could afford $15 CDs growing up - but I was blessed to attend a prep school initially because I was a good basketball player, but the best thing that ever happened to me was that I never developed into anything and got involved in English and Writing pursuits. My teachers introduced me to Lucinda Williams, John Hiatt, and after I heard Warren Zevon play "Porcelain Monkey" on Letterman (I just always knew him as the Werewolves of London guy) - one teacher let me borrow his Zevon CDs. His music has affected my life in so many ways, and has allowed me to meet some really cool people throughout my next 20 years.

I have always thought the best non-fiction and fiction books are those which stay with me afterwards and allow me to reflect on my own life. Tweedy accomplished that for me. I hope it does for other fellow Tweedy/Wilco/music fans in general.3 s Christina309 10

This was a really nice read. Wouldn’t it be great if you could read about all your favorite musician’s favorite songs? Short but sweet ??3 s Ajay Kapoor55 3

I love Tweedy and Wilco’s music but the book didn’t really hold my attention. It would be better with fewer songs and chapters and more depth per song. 3 s Bob O'Bannon227 22

As a music lover, I have always been fascinated by what musicians say about other people's songs. That means this book by Jeff Tweedy, formally of Uncle Tupelo (one of my favorite bands) and currently in Wilco, is the perfect book. Tweedy writes short chapters on his favorite songs, not by way of scrutinizing analysis, but by connecting the songs to his own life experience and demonstrating how his favorite songs remind him that he is not alone in this world.

Tweedy seems a genuinely good dude – a guy who loves his family, who makes a point to encourage all of the his warm-up acts, who even regrets lost opportunities to show "grace and acknowledgment" to others (p.116). And his song choices throughout the book demonstrate an eclectic range of tastes -- everything from the Undertones to BTO's "Takin Care of Business" to the Minutemen's "History Lesson Part II" to "Free Bird" and "You Are My Sunshine."

The chapter on Abba's "Dancing Queen" hit close to home. Being roughly Tweedy's age, I remember the pressure in the late 70s to hate disco, especially if you were into hard rock, and "Dancing Queen" definitely qualified as disco. So did I really hate this song, or did I just convince myself that I hated it? I can't imagine how, because it is so clearly an irresistible pop tune. Abba taught Tweedy (and me too, I guess) a lesson: "It taught me that I can't ever completely trust my negative reactions . . . I truly recommend spending some time looking for a song you might have unfairly maligned. It feels good to stop hating something." (p.71)

Sometimes, however, the idealism of the artistic mentality can be a little frustrating. Tweedy dismisses the existence of Satan, calls religion a "delusion," and yet acknowledges the regrettable existence of everything "in the world that sucks, all of the evil, all of the greed, all of the phoniness..." (p.99). So is there any hope that evil might be overcome in this world? Tweedy says it's the teenager in his bedroom listening to music. (p.100). Really? What do we do about drug cartels, pornography, genocide and corporate greed? Don't worry, everyone – the teenager down the street is listening to his favorite song on Spotify! Just seems really naive to me.

But I'm probably overthinking things here. In most cases, Tweedy with great sincerity and heartfelt prose reminds us how powerful music is -- that it can function for many as a "consciousness filling the void of isolation." (p.106). He is absolutely right, and I am grateful for the ways this book has reinvigorated my love for my own favorite music. But I'm not expecting my favorite songs to save me. They might change my life, but they won't save it.2 s Kerry Dunn747 35

"One of the amazing things songs can do in the mind of a single listener is to transform, over time, from something, reviled and loathed to the point of avoidance--an instant radio-dial-lunge type of track--to something breathtakingly beautiful and essential."

I love Jeff Tweedy. I have for what feels forever. My best friend, who also loves Jeff, bought me this book (a SIGNED copy, no less!) for Christmas this year and it was just a perfect little read.

To have Jeff, with all his signature humor, insight, deprecation AND bravado, outline for us the fifty or so songs that affected his life the most, either as a kid, a young punk, an aspiring musician, a husband, a father, or a mature musician inspiring younger musicians, is a pure delight. We have some beloved songs in common. There are also some artists on this list I have never heard of. There are also some songs by artists I have heard of, but this particular song is new to me. All that makes for a fun journey through Jeff's mind.

Be sure you listen to the songs as you read to make for a true sensory experience. There are quite a few playlists already curated on Apple Music if you search the book title.

One more thing: Jeff talks about how he turned the song I'm Beginning to See the Light, a jazz standard meant to be sung from lover to lover, into a lullaby for his children and this struck me deep in my soul because I have been singing the song The Very Thought of You, a jazz standard meant to be sung from lover to lover, as a lullaby to my daughter since she was born. We both understand that as Jeff says, "A great song works even when repurposed for familial love."

His song about familial love:
"I never cared much for moonlit skies
I never wink back at fireflies
But now that the stars are in your eyes
I'm beginning to see the light."

Mine:
"I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love."

If you have kids, do you have a special lullaby you sing to them?read-in-20242 s Bryn Lerud668 21

Jeff Tweedy writes about how different songs have affected his life and he tells some more stories about traveling with his band. He is a kind, generous, and thoughtful soul and he tells touching stories. I love the one about seeing The Replacements do “God Damn Job.” Being in the room with them must have been cathartic. “The self-liberating promise of punk rock. It said to me this above all else: job or not, I am free- school or not, I am free- as long as this exists - this feeling - this moment where nothing else in the world matters - I will survive - this is where I will choose to live. This is where you will find me.”

Tweedy also goes way back to the Anthology of American Folk Music for “Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” a song his old band, Uncle Tupelo, did. We don’t believe in the old idea of Satan but we can agree there is a lot of bad stuff in the world. The dream here and the dream of punk music is still for good to conquer evil. Art is powerful. 2 s Justin Gerber118 70

“As ridiculous as that all sounds, it's a true revelation of an internal dialogue that is always happening just below the surface of any song I'm singing. Singing ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ back in the day was my effort to come clean. I'm in love with you people out there listening. Please don't hurt me.”2 s Patrick90

II wish this was longer, and either included more songs or more pages so we could get past the surface level the author scratches when he discusses the songs that made the most impact on him. I did enjoy this and found some great songs that I loved. I’m glad he included one from his own former band (Uncle Tupelo). I’d never heard them and quite enjoyed the song.3-stars-aka-just-ok american-authors essay ...more2 s Emily48 Read

Thanks Mom!2 s Marguerite Turley123

This book was just an incredible experience!! I listened on audio with Jeff reading, I felt he was telling me these wonderful, sometimes sad memories. These songs he chose also brought back my own memories of these songs. Mull of Kintyre brought me back to the days of listening to nothing else but Wings greatest! Thank you for sharing your life with us, I will cherish this book always.2 s Kalan Weaver1 review

I love jeff tweedy so much. Full circle moment to have someone who has written so many songs that have made me feel so deeply to be writing about songs that make him feel that same way. 2 s Susan Dunker451 6

Going out of 2023 with a high note. Listened to the audiobook because I LOVE YOU JEFF!2 s Chris Brook132 1 follower

Last couple of Wilco records have been a little hit or miss for me but I continue to enjoy these Tweedy books. The man certainly stays busy. This one was an especially quick read; thought the chapter about the makeshift memorial he describes in Portland, Maine was touching.2 s Steve163 2

I only just recently “got into” Wilco. Sure, I’d heard Yankee Hotel Foxtrot before. It’s a seminal indie record. It’s ImPoRtAnT. But I didn’t really claim myself as a fan of the band and the music they created until finding out just how rad A Ghost Is Born is and then falling in love with Jeff Tweedy’s 2018 solo record WARM. It was last year’s Cousin that confirmed it. Now I’m hooked. Now I’m in.

I saw that Tweedy was also writing a book last year and added it to my Want to Read list and was very happy to see that I received it for Christmas. It was smaller than I expected, a bit stout, not as thick, but I was joyful to see what he thought about some music. I wanted to see what songs he felt were worthy of his time. Not only his time to write about them, but also my time to listen to them.

I will tell you that while reading this book, his chosen songs are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are 50 in all, and they range from soul to rock to punk to R&B to things ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’. And while the titles and arrangements of the songs set the tone for what he’s about to dive into, it’s the kernels of memory that he shares that are the most moving pieces of information we receive. I can feel the way he sat in his bedroom obsessing over shitty records he would later love. I can see the sights of vast open gas station parking lots on a 2AM freeway between venues. I can feel the goosebumps he feels when he hears these songs for the first time and the fiftieth time. I can feel the way he wants to offer gratitude for all of the people around him who listened to the songs before him, with him, because of him.

This book is precisely the book I was looking for this year. I’d been grappling with my own feelings of How to write about music, How to share music, How to appreciate music. This book affirms that I’m doing the right thing, not only with my words but with my endless voyage to find good music that feels great.

Within these passages about music, I found so many little anecdotes to laugh at and to feel a deep sense of camaraderie with Jeff about. But even more so, quick little notes on how it feels to be in a band with people. How it feels to know about the Beatles and even moreso how it feels to introduce someone to the Beatles. How it feels to trust. How it feels to love. How it feels to feel good. This book has added a context not only to Tweedy’s personal works, but also to so many more artists and musicians and albums and songs. I’ve already been deeply entrenched in a commune with the spirit and the soul of Music, but this book provided a whole new codex with which to translate the very special, very intimate language of Music and how it speaks directly to our hearts.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an endless hunger for new music. For anyone who is always seeking the perfect song that might rest behind their favorite song. For anyone who feels they’re missing out on finding a new band if they don’t take a chance on just one more new record from a band they’ve never heard of. This is a book brimming with the human experience, and its passageways are paved with the endless love of Song. 1 Peter Palmer2 1 followerRead

When we explore an artist we love expressing themself outside of their primary medium it’s interesting and novel, but seldom something worth revisiting. I’ve never tossed David Lynch on Spotify while going for a walk. Jerry Garcia’s paintings have never graced the wallpaper of my phone. On those rare occasions when it does work something really special happens; both forms of art add context to one another, complimenting each other and adding new depth.

Two artists sit in the lens of the van diagram between people who’ve made music that moves me and people that have written books that move me: Jeff Tweedy and Michelle Zauner. Jeff’s songwriting book is fantastic whether you have intentions of making music or not. Similar to Rick Rubin’s book, it’s less about the technicalities of making art (songwriters have Pat Pattison for that), rather it gives an approach that can be applied to many areas of our lives. While How to Write One Song uses the lens of a creator of music, World Within A Song uses the lens of the listener. This isn’t a case of creator = output, listen = input. Tweedy highlights this throughout the book. “This book is about how much we can all bring to a song as listeners”. The autobiographical vignettes are very entertaining, but the magic in the book is the chance to reflect on the music we love, how it changed us, and also, how we changed what the music means to us by carrying it along with us throughout lives.

Have the playlist handy while reading!1 Shaun O’Sullivan7

Listening to the World Within a Song by Jeff Tweedy, the audio version, checked out from my local library was a great first read for the new year. Taking parts of it in on a Henderson Nevada desert, Mars planet looking, arid landscape hike. Listening to Jeff Tweedy recollect songs that effected him with stories and his thoughts on music and his own past events, eloquently laying it out for us to enjoy and take in. I’m all for reading the hard copy or electronic version, but the audio version read by Jeff with his voice takes you to all those Wilco songs he sings that you might know and love. There’s a poetry to it all.

***I don’t think this is a spoiler, this isn’t a plot twist focused book, but if so I apologize: Most notably for me the chapter on the Minutemen with their song “History Lesson part 2 broke me in a good way. Stopping the book for a moment on that rock and sand trail, and listening to that song again and again. Remembering growing up in So Cal, pogging and listening to those artists that D Boon from the Minutemen sings about in 1984 took me back to that time. It all seems otherworldly, the scenery in the high desert, but yet very familiar on the first day of 2024 with the nostalgia feels pumping away inside my brain. Take a listen to this one.2024-books1 Martin Maenza743 12

World Within a Song will be published on November 7, 2023. Penguin Group has provided an early galley for review.

Looking back, I was on the groundfloor when Tweedy's band Wilco released their first album in the mid-90's. I really enjoyed those early releases. So, given this book's author and subject, I was definitely interested in hearing him tell about some of the many songs that inspire him.

The approach of using songs to reflect on events in one's life is logical; music often triggers memories of where and when you were at a time that song was playing. Some of Tweedy's choices are integral to the moment while others come across as very tangential. With fifty chapters, averaging one to two pages, each is a quick moment in time recollection. Still, each one reveals a bit more about this musician, his life and how he got to where he is today.

Fans of Jeff Tweedy will ly get the most out of this book.autobiography music netgalley ...more1 Nick Hansen65 20

Just barely hit four stars for me. It’s hard to be critical of a book that’s so light and earnest but there were a few frustrating things that took away from the experience of me enjoying this book.

The heart of this book is Tweedy writing about 50 songs that have had a personal impact on his life. It’s in an interesting premise but he doesn’t put the name of the artist along with the title at the beginning of each chapter. He mentions the artist somewhere in each chapter but it annoyed me because my focus was on finding out who did the song.

Nevertheless, some are great, the last chapter sticks out, but the bit kind of runs out of gas (Happy Birthday, the Star Spangled Banner, really?) and I got bored with some of them.

There some good band/personal anecdotes strewn throughout the book. But if you’re looking for that, just read Tweedy’s first book. He has a knack for painting scenes and places.

It’s a fine book, but not as deep as I wish it was. 1 TommyAuthor 3 books37

Jeff Tweedy is always a reassuring voice to me, whether as frontman for Wilco or as an author. His latest book brings together fifty songs that have had some impact on his life, whether as inspiration, a source of joy or amusement, or - in a couple of cases - songs he truly despises, but still was able to extract a life lesson from.

He's charming, self-effacing, and has a deep appreciation of music across many genres. In a year when Bob Dylan released a pretty epic book focusing on a similar expanse of songs, Tweedy takes the more straightfoward approach, speaking from a very personal place. Dylan is all about the myths, the storytelling, and layers of connective history. Tweedy simply shares his own experiences and opinions. There's a place for both, and Tweedy's authenticity is refreshing in an artistic landscape where snarkiness and negativity are too often weapons of choice. 1 3 comments vicki honeyman215 18

This delightful book is Jeff Tweedy's love letter to 50 songs, the songs and the musicians that impacted his own life and work as a singer/songwriter. Co-founder of the band Uncle Tupelo and founding member of Wilco, Tweedy refers to these songs, and songs in general, as "our companions . . . some become friends for life." Such a lovely concept that he very lovingly shares in these pages. Tweedy's pure passion for the poetry of songs and his charming sense of humor shine a glowing star in this treasure of a book.1 Michael Willis57 1 follower

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