SKU: 19991219849

Words and Music Into the Future: A Songwriting Treatise and Manifesto

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Words and Music Into the Future: A Songwriting Treatise and ManifestoLiterary criticism, songwriting analysis, and cultural commentary, Words and Music Into the Future is an uncompromising examination of the current state of popular songs and songwriting in the English speaking world. Devoid of hero worship and celebrity gossip, using mostly well known songs from recent decades as examples, Michael Koppy presents a compelling case that we listeners have been force fed a steady diet of industrial illiteracy, and that

Literary criticism, songwriting analysis, and cultural commentary, Words and Music Into the Future is an uncompromising examination of the current state of popular songs and songwriting in the English-speaking world. Devoid of hero worship and celebrity gossip, using mostly well-known songs from recent decades as examples, Michael Koppy presents a compelling case that we listeners have been force-fed a steady diet of industrial illiteracy, and that the timer has come for songwriting and song criticism to riser to greater heights.

Whether you agree or disagree with the challenging, even heretical ideas presented in Words and Music Into the Future, it will forever change how you think about and hear popular music.

Sample chapters:

1. No, Don, the Levee Wasn't Dry--And No One Was Drinking Whiskey and Rye

2. There Goes The Robert E. Lee?

3. To What End?

4. A Personal Remembrance

5. A Later Kick in the Pants

6. Don't Shoot, Dammit I'm Just the Messenger

7. Politics? Religion? How About SONGS? ?

8. Ground Rule Number One

9. I'm Your Fan You're My Hero

10. Herds of Wildebeests Stampeding Across the Veldt

11. Why Peeing Your Pants Beats the Hell Out Of Nostalgia

12. Madonna, Kanye, Coldplay, Bieber, U2, One Direction--Effluvia, Ephemera, Etcetera, Etcetera

13. See You at the Grammys --A Note on Industrial Smarm Festivals

14. Ethics? In Popular Music...? ?

15. Dunno Much 'Bout Art, But I Know What I Like

16. Ever Notice the Worst Writing in an Insightful Pop Music Review--Even a Rave--Usually Shows Up When the Critic Quotes the Band's Lyrics?

17. Those Pesky, Over-Idealized Nineteen-Sixties

18. So Where Are We?

19. "Yeah, But You Really Hafta See 'Em Live "

20. Over the Top? Ya Think?

21. Yes, We Too Are All So Very Sorry You Weren't Born on a Mississippi Cotton Plantation

22. Art School Confidential

23. Dance? Okay, Fine. Dance Now Go Away.

24. It's All Greek--French, Swahili, Latin, Klingon--To Me.

25. Country Music is "Three Chords and the Truth" Computerized Drums, a Catering Truck, and a Smirk

26. Country's Brainier Half-Sibling: Americana

27. Tradition and Illusions of Same

28. The Disarmingly Enabling Inscience of Rap and Hip-Hop

29. Come to the Cabaret, Old Chum

30. Under a Stack of Marshall Amplifiers

31. Ethics? In SONGWRITING ITSELF...? ?

32. The Twentieth Century Ended Two Decades Ago

33. The Insolvency of 'Po-Mo'

34. Song Lyrics vs. Poems

35. "But It's Poetry "--Refuge for the Inarticulate

36. Sincerity Ain't Depth

37. The Kids Are Alright

38. La-Da-Da / Sha-La-Ti-Da

39. Is 'The Folk Process' an Expired Merchanism?

40. Lessons from Browne's "These Days" and Kristofferson's "Bobby McGee"

41. How About That Some Country Music Is...

42. Get Me Rewrite

43. Bob Dylan: Bad Writer, Bad Influence

44. Shallowness, Thy Name is Bob

45. Dying is Easy, Comedy is Hard

46. If Ya Wanna Send a Message...

47. McCartney's Song Writing Lesson

48. Steve Sondheim Desperately Wishes He Were Right

49. Didn't I Just Hear That Song in a Commercial for Paper Towels? Insurance? Gum?

50. Should We Use A Number 37-A?

51. On Brightly Wrapped Packages

52. On Gilded Frames

53. Making Sausages

54. Making Music

55. Sure 'Authenticity' is Great--But It Doesn't Guarantee Good Work

56. Form Follows Function

57. Words Seek Music. Object: Matrimony.

58. Rules Were Made to be Broken. However--

59. Swan Song



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Good Track Records
Published: 08/07/2019
ISBN: 9780996640022
Pages: 358
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.80d

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 06/24/2019
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SKU: 19991219849

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A.Lamb
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 4
Beautiful Solar Angel Garden Statue
I honestly teared up a little when I opened this because it’s even more beautiful in person than I expected from the listing. The angel design with the birds perched across the arms is peaceful and eye catching, and once it’s placed in the garden it really becomes a focal point. I positioned mine in a sunny spot and surrounded the base with a few decorative stones to help hold it in place since the statue itself is fairly lightweight. The solar feature works great, I’ve had it outside charging during the day and the birds automatically glow at night with a soft warm light that looks really pretty once the sun goes down. It gives off a calm, cozy glow that makes the yard feel really inviting in the evenings. The resin construction seems durable for outdoor use and overall the detail is really nice for the price point, though if you look very closely you can see a little bit of glue around the birds. Once it’s set up outside though, those little details fade away and the overall effect is just beautiful. Overall I’m really impressed with this piece and it’s a lovely addition to the garden.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2026
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Cowboy Frank
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
Angel garden
Very affordable, & timely
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Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2026
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angie
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 5
Beautiful
So beautiful at night on my porch!! I'm buying another one!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
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L Mm
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 3
Poor quality
This is really cheap looking in the daylight but it is quite pretty when it lights up at night. I wish the birds weren’t multicolored and could match the white tone of the angel (what makes it look cheap), but when it lights up at night you don’t see the multicolor. It’s just a beautiful glowing soft white. My problem with this is that it tipped over in a light breeze because it’s super light weight and several of the birds popped out and are hanging by their wires and will not stay in after trying to pop them back in. I will probably have to crazy glue them back on. If I put this figure in a sheltered place, then it doesn’t get the sunlight it needs to light up at night. And after the fall, it’s not lighting up well. I’m not sure if that’s because it didn’t get enough sunlight when I sheltered it or some of the wires became dislodged. This is not a good item for a garden. It has no weight to it to make it stable outdoors. *** Additional added note - after the fall, this statue completely stopped working and doesn’t light up at all. A waste of money!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2026
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Pure Happenstance
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
Cute angel to add to your garden decor...
I added this angel statue to my porch, and it’s even sweeter in person than I expected. The resin feels sturdy and well‑made for the cost, and the colorful little birds look charming during the day and glow softly at night once the solar panel has charged. It’s lightweight enough to move around easily but still feels solid, and the details on the angel give it a gentle, peaceful look that fits nicely among plants or on a small table. After a full day in the sun, the lights come on automatically at dusk, and the warm glow makes the space feel cozy and inviting. It’s a lovely decorative piece that also makes a thoughtful gift.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2026

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