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matthewwester's review
5.0
I don't like the bands/songs he reviews and yet I still found myself deeply wanting to listen to (and love) them. Can I give a bigger compliment? His passion is infectious; these chapters clearly show how near and dear the songs are to his heart.
savvinaki's review against another edition
4.0
If you are considering reading this book, then my guess is that you are either a Nick Hornby fan (like me) or always curious about music-related text (like me) or born in the late 50s (not like me) - or even all three if you are Hornby himself.
And I say do it. It is a sweet and sour collection of thoughts on the state and evolution of music post World War II. There is some interesting insight, but the main attraction for me was his language. It's neither exactly funny nor exactly serious, but it's uniquely his, and if you remember yourself not being able to put down his "Juliet, naked", then you will know what I mean.
On top of that, it's entertaining to see how wrong or right he was about 2022's music climate 20 years ago. It's certainly interesting how he viewed Destiny's Child existence in the top 10 back then ("unmemorable"), when Beyonce ended up becoming who she is today. It tells you that critics, like all of us, are people and are also in danger of getting old and too possessive with their own youth, their own pop, their own definitions of what makes music memorable or worthy.
[Last thing: I will know I have made it when people care which 31 songs permanently marked my life.]
And I say do it. It is a sweet and sour collection of thoughts on the state and evolution of music post World War II. There is some interesting insight, but the main attraction for me was his language. It's neither exactly funny nor exactly serious, but it's uniquely his, and if you remember yourself not being able to put down his "Juliet, naked", then you will know what I mean.
On top of that, it's entertaining to see how wrong or right he was about 2022's music climate 20 years ago. It's certainly interesting how he viewed Destiny's Child existence in the top 10 back then ("unmemorable"), when Beyonce ended up becoming who she is today. It tells you that critics, like all of us, are people and are also in danger of getting old and too possessive with their own youth, their own pop, their own definitions of what makes music memorable or worthy.
[Last thing: I will know I have made it when people care which 31 songs permanently marked my life.]
dar_muzz's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to all the songs on an Apple Music playlist as I read, so this was an immersive experience! I only knew about 6 of them...Nick Hornby's tastes are not much like mine (except for being in the pop/rock vein) but he is a great writer who makes the impact of music come alive. Greatly enjoyed!
bryce_is_a_librarian's review
5.0
Once again Hornby's affectionate and intelligent criticism reminds me why I bothered with him in the first place.
5fourteen's review
3.0
Another one of those books that I had to go out and read because of its music related content. Basically, he spends each chapter talking about a different song or album. I had probably heard maybe 5 or 6 of the songs mentioned when I read this, and it didn't exactly make me want to run out and listen to the rest.
nunuseli's review against another edition
3.0
Tal como su título ya da a entender, '31 canciones' se trata de una disección de 31 canciones que por diversos motivos han impactado y llegado al autor. No importa que la lista que ha escogido Hornby no tenga ningún parecido con la que hubiéramos escogido nosotros, ni que ni siquiera hayamos oído las canciones de las que habla, porque consigue transmitir perfectamente el amor que siente por estas canciones en concreto, y por la música en general, con un estilo que mezcla crítica musical, ensayo y autobiografía. Hay momentos verdaderamente memorables: como cuando defiende la "música pop" ante los que la consideran superficial y simplona; cuando relata el efecto que tiene la música en su hijo autista; cuando explica lo que es adorar un grupo que nadie conoce o descubrir una canción nueva que logra emocionarnos; cuando nos cuenta cómo en su juventud sólo adoraba (y se decidía a escuchar sólo) música "ruidosa", pero que con el pasar de los años ha ido perdiendo todos sus prejuicios musicales.
Sin embargo, mi momento preferido es cuando nos cuenta cómo podemos llegar a odiar una canción que habíamos descubierto por casualidad, simplemente porque la empiezan a poner a todas partes y a todas horas. Es algo que inevitablemente nos habrá pasado a muchos y algo que yo nunca hasta ahora me había parado a analizar. Hornby argumenta que es porque es imposible "amar o conectar con una música que está tan omnipresente como el monóxido de carbono", porque la música es algo que nos habla directamente a nosotros, sobre nuestra intimidad. Y a partir de aquí también he descubierto porque siempre es tan especial encontrar en la radio esa canción que para ti es en algun modo especial, simplemente porque es la oportunidad de compartir por una vez algo que tienes muy dentro, algo que te define como persona. Y por todo esto creo que es un libro imprescindible para todos los que aman la música.
Sin embargo, mi momento preferido es cuando nos cuenta cómo podemos llegar a odiar una canción que habíamos descubierto por casualidad, simplemente porque la empiezan a poner a todas partes y a todas horas. Es algo que inevitablemente nos habrá pasado a muchos y algo que yo nunca hasta ahora me había parado a analizar. Hornby argumenta que es porque es imposible "amar o conectar con una música que está tan omnipresente como el monóxido de carbono", porque la música es algo que nos habla directamente a nosotros, sobre nuestra intimidad. Y a partir de aquí también he descubierto porque siempre es tan especial encontrar en la radio esa canción que para ti es en algun modo especial, simplemente porque es la oportunidad de compartir por una vez algo que tienes muy dentro, algo que te define como persona. Y por todo esto creo que es un libro imprescindible para todos los que aman la música.
merricatadamtine's review
3.0
Nick Hornby starts out the book by saying that these will not be essays about the memories these song invoke, so "Love is a Mix Tape" this is not. However, he has quite a few things to say about the thoughts these songs might generate. And being Nick Hornby, he does state everything quite well. This book did inspire me to look up quite a few of these songs and give them a listen. I just wish that the CD included with the book included all of the songs he mentions, rather than just a few. I feel that would have give the book a wholeness I found lacking. I was particularly cheered by his statement regarding popular media "It's a strange critical phenomena that only works of art that are "edgy", "scary" or "dangerous" are regarded in any way noteworthy...I don't want to be terrified by art anymore." This is a sentiment that I get pegged as "Pollyannaish" when I express. I was happy to see one of my favorite authors express the same feelings I have in a much more succinct fashion.
theothercatherine's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0