Songbook

What will people think if you play Van Morrison at your funeral? When was the last time you listened to Pet Sounds? How does a mandolin solo illustrate or clarify the plight of Eskimos, anyway? In 26 song profiles that are hilarious, nostalgic, and deeply personal, one of our greatest music critics reminds us how much pop songs affect our lives. After all, as Hornby says, “There’s something in us that is beyond the reach of words . . . It’s the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part.”

At long last, this deluxe, limited-edition reprint of Hornby’s National Book Critic’s Circle Award-nominated book will reprise its original form: a square-shaped, intimate, Marcel Dzama-illustrated ode to the lasting joys of the fleeting art of pop music.