Songbook is a blast from the past (2002). I’m hoping that a little rehash will serve as a good reminder for those who don’t own it ( myself included) to go get a copy. It is written by Nick Hornby who also wrote High Fidelity , later becoming the screenplay for a movie of the same name which happens to be one of my favorites. I fluked upon this book in Chapters a couple of years ago, and literally read it from cover to cover in the store ( it’s not very big ). Hornby takes 31 songs which have some type of meaning or relevance to him and he breaks them down both lyrically and musically to explain why. He makes it an interesting read and comes accross in a way similar to that of John Cuzak’s High Fidelity character. My personal favorite is his entry on Ani Difranco’s You had time – but that’s a whole different story . I think I would like to personally take on the challenge of compiling a list of songs which actually have relevance to me past the point of just sounding good. Then again, there is a part of me that wouldn’t even know where to start… Anyways people’s interpretations of songs are quite subjective and I think that a unique and thorough point of view is what adds in making this book a gem.