How to Write One Song: Loving the Things We Create and How They Love Us Back
Updated: Aug 8
Wilco has long been one of my favorite bands and Jeff Tweedy’s autobiography, Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back), was a five-stars-all-the-way read. So, it probably goes without saying that Tweedy’s new book, How to Write One Song was going to make it to my reading list. Of course, I hadn’t anticipated getting it as a Christmas gift but my wife is wonderful and surprising in that way.
The book is exactly what it says it is: advice, suggestions, and instructions on how to write one song, served up with Tweedy’s Midwestern charm and self-deprecating humor. There is some extrapolation here and there outside the literalness of the book’s title but not quite as much as I’d hoped. That is to say, while I expected the book to literally be about songwriting, I hoped it would do so in a more metaphorical way more often than it did.
Ratings and reviews are often more a reflection of the reader than the writer—a measure of the gap between expectation and actuality—and that sentiment feels particularly applicable here. I think Tweedy succeeded admirably in demystifying the process of writing a song, of breaking down and debunking barriers to creativity, of providing a set of tools to jumpstart and fuel songwriting, of encouraging vulnerability and tapping into the childlike sense of wonder and possibility that lives within us all.
But I didn’t pick up the book looking to learn how to write a song. Stupid, I know. Perhaps I should write a song. Perhaps I should finally learn how to play the acoustic guitar my lovely wife got me too many years ago when I said I wanted to learn how to play guitar. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. If I ever do, this book will be worth its weight in gold.
Until then, How to Write One Song missed the mark for me. Too much nuts-and-bolts practicality and not enough philosophical inspiration. There is no one but me to blame for reading this book but wanting one titled How to Live Life Creatively. Never have I felt so guilty for doling out a three-star rating. Still, it’s important to know: If you want to write songs but don’t know how to get started, this is an excellent place to start. If you want to better understand how one of your favorite musicians approaches music and songwriting, this is an entertaining, breezy read. If you want a heavy dose of capital-I illumination you’ll have to go elsewhere.
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