In my blog on baseball literature and pop culture, I tend to arch an eyebrow when it comes to titles that include such words as “best” or “greatest.” That is often something for readers to decide. And, as is my nature, I have some trouble with titles that claim their subjects changed things to a substantial degree.

As one might imagine, readers may disagree with some of the selections in ANATOMY OF 55 MORE SONGS: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul, and wonder why their favorites weren’t included. But Marc Myers --- who writes about music and the arts for The Wall Street Journal and has previously published ANATOMY OF A SONG: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop, and ROCK CONCERT: An Oral History as Told by the Artists, Backstage Insiders, and Fans Who Were There --- would seem to have the bona fides to make such assessments.

"Books like this beg for the creation of playlists on music services. I made one on my phone in chapter order, listening to each as I read the applicable section, and highly recommend it."

Some of the “changes” included in Myers’ follow-up are technical in nature, such as a revolutionary method of recording, a twist on an existing practice or even simple tweaks in tuning. Others are more anthropological or sociological: an established gospel group breaking into pop chart territory, for example, or the influence of a psychedelic drug culture on the lyrics. Really, how many times have we heard a song but never heard it, considered the meaning or the story behind it?

Most of the 55 songs came out during my teenage and young adult years, save for the couple of punk rock selections (I never got into that scene). Myers introduces each chapter with a bit about the tune and how they, in fact, changed the industry in some greater or lesser way. Then we hear from the musicians, songwriters and producers for their input. Some of the details might get a little wonky for the casual listener as the discussion turns to the pros and cons of specific instrument models, but hardcore fans undoubtedly will consider this information gold.

Books like this beg for the creation of playlists on music services. I made one on my phone in chapter order, listening to each as I read the applicable section, and highly recommend it. In that way, you can hear exactly what Myers and the groups were talking about in “real time” rather than trying to imagine amorphous constructs. It made a big difference and enhanced the enjoyment of ANATOMY OF 55 MORE SONGS. For better or worse, it also led me down a rabbit hole as I looked for cover versions of some of these songs for comparison. Perhaps that could be a subject for another Myers project.