Must-Read Music Books for 2025Like this list

14 items

• Mood Machine

  the Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist

  Pelly, Liz,

  Add Mood Machine to your for later shelf

  Drawing on over 100 interviews with industry insiders, former Spotify employees, and musicians, a music journalist reveals the inner workings of today's highly consolidated record business, showing what has changed as music has become increasingly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Eternal Flame

  the Authorized Biography of The Bangles

  Bickerdike, Jennifer Otter,

  Add Eternal Flame to your for later shelf

  Featuring exclusive insights from the band members themselves, this biography of the groundbreaking all-female pop band chronicles their meteoric rise to 1980s superstardom, the challenges of fame and their enduring legacy in a male-dominated music…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Harder I Fight the More I Love You

  a Memoir

  Case, Neko,

  Add The Harder I Fight the More I Love You to your for later shelf

  Chronicles the Grammy-nominated artist's evolution from an isolated, poverty-stricken childhood in rural Washington to a revered international figure, emphasizing themes of loneliness, nature, camaraderie, and the transformative impact of music and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Before Elvis

  the African American Musicians Who Made the King

  Lauterbach, Preston,

  Add Before Elvis to your for later shelf

  This exploration of the Black musicians who shaped Elvis Presley's music focuses on four overlooked artists while examining their influence, legacies and the systemic injustices that kept them in poverty as others profited from their work.

• Pretend We're Dead

  the Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the '90s

  Pearson, Tanya, 1980 or 1981-

  Add Pretend We're Dead to your for later shelf

  From the founder of the Women of Rock Oral History Project, an exploration of women in the '90s rock scene, featuring original interviews with Liz Phair, Shirley Manson, Kristin Hersh, Donita Sparks, Tanya Donelly, members of Hole, Luscious Jackson,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ira Gershwin

  a Life in Words

  Owen, Michael, 1962-

  Add Ira Gershwin to your for later shelf

  Drawing on extensive archival sources and often using Ira's own words, Owen has crafted a rich portrait of the modest man who penned the words to many of America's best-loved songs, like "Fascinating Rhythm," "Embraceable You," and "They Can't Take…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• In My Remaining Years

  Grae, Jean,

  Add In My Remaining Years to your for later shelf

  Jean Grae debunks the myth that coming-of-age narratives should be reserved for the kids, providing a rallying cry for those of us still trying to figure it out in our forties. These laugh-out-loud essays cover everything from aging gracefully (with…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Waiting on the Moon

  Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses

  Wolf, Peter, 1946-

  Add Waiting on the Moon to your for later shelf

  Peter Wolf grew up in the Bronx, a child of “fellow travelers” whose artistic inclinations influenced both his love of music and his initial desire to become a painter. After Wolf joined the J. Geils Band as their front man and his musical fame…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dreaming in Ensemble

  How Black Artists Transformed American Opera

  Caplan, Lucy,

  Add Dreaming in Ensemble to your for later shelf

  Lucy Caplan explores Black opera in the first decades of the twentieth century, before the "golden age" inaugurated by Marian Anderson. Early Black opera was decidedly countercultural, fostering aesthetic innovation and antiracist activism, as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Dream of Joni

  a Portrait of Joni Mitchell in 53 Snapshots

  Alford, Henry, 1962-

  Add I Dream of Joni to your for later shelf

  The eternal singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is seen anew, portrayed through a witty and comprehensive exploration of anecdotes, quotes, and lyrics by "the most graceful of humorists" (Vanity Fair) and author of And Then We Danced.

• Secret Public

  How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream

  Savage, Jon,

  Add Secret Public to your for later shelf

  A monumental history of the gay influence on popular culture, from the rise of Little Richard to the collapse of disco in 1979. Award-winning author Jon Savage takes us on a fast and captivating journey through the history of pop music as seen…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fahrenheit-182

  a Memoir

  Hoppus, Mark,

  Add Fahrenheit-182 to your for later shelf

  With sharp humor and raw honesty, Fahrenheit-182 takes readers through Mark's formative years as a latchkey kid in the 1980s, hooked on punk rock, skateboards, and MTV. Along the way, Mark reflects on his lifelong battle with anxiety, his celebrated…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Everything Guitar Chords Book

  Over 2,000 Chords for Every Style of Music

  Schonbrun, Marc,

  Add The Everything Guitar Chords Book to your for later shelf

  This book takes you on a journey from the most basic chords to the most complicated ones featuring clear, easy-to-follow diagrams of each chord as well as links to online audio of 100 essential chords, making it easier than ever for you to practice…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Monument Eternal

  Coltrane-Turiyasangitananda, A. (Alice)

  Add Monument Eternal to your for later shelf

  The long-awaited reissue of Alice Coltrane’s original spiritual teachings and reflections offers deep insight into her tremendous musical output, and shines a light on her transformation from Alice McLeod, Detroit church organist and bebopper, to…Read moreRead more of this annotation