Holding the Note

Profiles in Popular Music

By: David Remnick

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey, David Remnick

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and editor of The New Yorker gathers his writing on some of the essential musicians of our time—intimate portraits of Leonard Cohen, Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, and more.

The greatest popular songs, whether it’s Aretha Franklin singing “Respect” or Bob Dylan performing “Blind Willie McTell,” have a way of embedding themselves in our memories. You remember a time and a place and a feeling when you hear that song again. In Holding the Note, David Remnick writes about the lives and work of some of the greatest musicians, songwriters, and performers of the past fifty years.

He portrays a series of musical lives and their unique encounters with the passing of that essential element of music: time. From Cohen’s performing debut, when his stage fright was so debilitating he couldn’t get through “Suzanne,” to Franklin’s iconic mink-drop at the Kennedy Center, Holding the Note delivers a view of some of the greatest creative minds of our time written with a lifetime’s passionate attachment to music that has shaped us all.

There is something here for most musical tastes

Although I thought there wasn't much new to say about Aretha Franklin or Paul McCartney etc, Remnick finds what there is, conveys a sense of what song writing is all about and deftly relates the artists early family life to the style and subjects of the songs. The Leonard Cohen chapter was great! I was able to re-live great chunks of my life through the musicians and songs he wrote about.

Some Very Poignant Sections

I learned about some interesting musicians that I didn’t know much about. I particularly enjoyed the section about the Staples Sisters, their story. I liked listening to their music as I heard the story. Some parts of the book were too long and tedious such as the Paul McCartney and the Bob Dylan. Started out with a bang and just didn’t stay engaging. I enjoyed hearing about Bruce Springsteen even though I have never been a fan. It gave me insight of why people like him so much. Overall the book was good. I prefer James Kaplan’s writing about jazz musicians because it’s deeper and doesn’t cover so many musicians.

Wonderful

Wonderful book. Hit the right notes for me. I’ll now try to find the music

Excellent Audiobook

Highly recommend audiobook great story excellent narration. Each chapter is very interesting and very entertaining .

A joyful trip down musical memory lane

I’ve just finished my first listen through Holding the Note and it was such a delicious ’read’… I loved Remnick’s weaving of his own music history… oh how I wish the music tracks could have been integrated into the spoken word… but my second reading will send me to my LPs, cassettes, CDs and online services to do my own sound research. Should take me a year or more… can’t wait to get started. Thanks for the framework for my musical banquet!