When I first picked up this book, I was really excited to read it. The creative inspiration behind any artistic production is always an interesting topic because it places the art in a historical and biographical context that often explains much of its meaning to the creator. Yet while some of the songs described here are very interesting stories, I found that most of the songs and bands were ones that I didn't know or didn't care about, so the back story was completely lost.

Besides needing an upgrade in terms of song/band-choice, the biggest disappointment was the poor quality of writing. The linguistic style was that of a hack journalist when it could/should havea been the quality of Rolling Stone magazine. The book would have greatly benefited from a more conversational tone, rather than an academically removed tone, because the book is basically filled with gossip, rumours, and personal intrigues. ( )

The Boy in the Song: The True Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics (2012) is a companion piece to The Girl in the Song: The Stories Behind 50 Rock Classics (2010)

Both were written by Michael Heatley and Frank Hopkinson.

The female muse was a bit more interesting to me because I knew many of the groups, songs and musical time frames.
But, bear in mind, meeting the man that served as inspiration was still a good read, also providing interesting trivia from "recording history."

I'll let the authors tell you what they hoped to accomplish:
"Explain how each boy or man inspired the song written about him, when the song was released, and the impact it had on the charts, the performers, and the subject himself."

I'll simply call this another good mini-trek into rock history. (143 pages)

★ ★ ★ ★ ( )

I knew most of them. Blame it on my wasted youth, I guess. Or my passion for rock biography, either one. I was a little annoyed at some of the inclusions, which basically concluded, "This song is about someone, but Carly isn't telling." Which we all knew already, thanks. Some of the photos were poignant and evocative- and some of the songs were old favorites. Worth leafing through in the waiting room, but I don't think I'd buy a copy. ( )