Jeff Tweedy, Wilco frontman and New York Times bestselling author, has announced the publication of his third book, WORLD WITHIN A SONG: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music, which is set to be released on Nov. 7 through Dutton.
Tweedy is widely regarded as not only a talented musician but also an astute and insightful writer. His previous two books, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back) and How to Write One Song, received critical acclaim and were beloved by readers, solidifying his status as one of America’s most respected performers and songwriters.
In WORLD WITHIN A SONG: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music, Tweedy reflects upon 50 songs that have had a profound impact on his life and career. He opens up about the real-life memories behind each song and the ways in which music and life intersect and enhance one another.
“I want to talk about songs that gave me permission to be creative… to be myself. To say something that was hard to say. I’ll be telling stories from my life, focusing on a true-to-memory style of how it really felt to me, how I experienced things emotionally. And then I want to talk about music in the same way. I want to talk about music in a way that it rarely gets talked about. I want to talk about the world within the son,” said Tweedy.
The songs Tweedy discusses in his book span various genres and decades and include artists such as The Replacements, Mavis Staples, The Velvet Underground, Joni Mitchell, Otis Redding, Dolly Parton, and Billie Eilish. He also includes his thoughts on his own songs and “Rememories,” which are short, often dream-like stories from his childhood and early years as a musician. These “Rememories” have been a popular feature on Tweedy’s Substack, Starship Casual.
WORLD WITHIN A SONG: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music is now available for pre-order. Learn more and pre-order the book here.