Have you ever heard a really sad song on the radio and said: who would want to listen to this? The answer is Tom Reynolds. Taking on the staggering challenge of listening to some of most depressing songs in popular music, he shreds 52 of them to pieces and dissects why these songs are not only depressing but absolutely terrible to listen to.
He breaks the book up into sections such as: “I Was a Teenage Car Crash”, “I Hate Myself and Want to Die”, “I’m Trying to Be Profound and Touching, But Really Suck at It”, “If I Sing About Drugs People Will Take Me Seriously”, “She Hates Me, I Hate Her”, “Horrifying Remakes of Already Depressing Songs”, “I’m Telling a Story Nobody Wants to Hear”, “I Had No Idea That Song Was So Morbid”, “I Mope, There I Am” and “Perfect Storms”. He provides cases for each song that will make you laugh or cry a little bit.
It doesn’t matter if you know the song or not, his explanation of the tunes will fill in the gaps that you are missing. He strikes the artist, the content and the poor saps that find solace in each of these songs. Nothing is sacred and it is all funny. There are some obvious cuts in this book and some strange and obscure tracks but each one was a hit at some point in pop culture.
I happened upon this book at a bargain book shop and it will probably be rather tough to find, however, if you get the chance to grab a copy, do it. He explores popular myths about songs and sheds light on what you thought the meaning was about. Good luck and bring tissues to wipe away your tears of laughter. Hyperion Press, $12.95.
