There are many reference books available that have collections of quotes from literature, movies, plays, speeches, and papers, but none of just quotes from contemporary songs. It seems strange that something so profound and influential in our daily lives could be overlooked as a serious form of art and literature.
The world of song lyrics is very rich with poetry, texture, rhymes, rhythms, colorful symbols, word play, emotion, deep content, and imaginative stories. It also contains a lot of silliness and stupidity, which may also have its purpose. Does rock and roll music deserve its place as an under appreciated form of literature?
What is interesting is that contemporary music, specifically Rock and Roll, probably has had more impact than any other literary form in the second half of the twentieth century, if not by its creator’s shear brilliance and genius, then at least by the shear amount of national and international exposure through repetitive playing on the radio, television, dance halls, discos, pubs, bars, events, and in the home via records, tapes, and CDs.
However, who deserves the credit? Assigning original credit for the song quote to the performer can be misleading. Just as an actor or actress is identified with a movie more than the author of the script, singers and performers often "steal recognition" from the song writers, who are the real creators. In fact, particularly in the earlier days of Rock and Roll, professional song writers who sold their songs to other performers were common.
In the case of this book, the identification of the actual song writers was not the goal of this book. However, it needs to be recognized the contributions made by the song writers.
Imagine how much emptier the world of music would be without the contributions of: Lieber-Stoller; Willie Dixon; Chuck Berrry; Otis Blackwell; Ellas McDaniel (aka, Bo Diddley) Richard Pennimen (aka, Little Richard); Buddy Holly; Pomus-Shuman; Goffin-King; Bob Dylan; James Brown; Lennon-McCartney; Sam Cooke; and Brian Wilson.
Imagine the void created, if not for; William "Smokey" Robinson; Holland-Dozier-Holland; Jagger-Richards; Burt Bacharach (and Hal David); Gibbs Brothers; Paul Simon; Whitfield-Strong; Plant-Page; Bob Seger; Don Henley (and Glen Frey); Stevie Wonder; Elton John and Bernie Taupin; Bob Marley; Joni Mitchell; Gamble-Huff; George Clinton; Neil Young; Bruce Springsteen; Elvis Costello; and Bono and the Edge.
This category contains song lyrics that could be interpreted as poetic. Should rock and roll receive more recognition and be considered as a serious form of literature?