How Music Works

By: David Byrne

Narrated by: Andrew Garman, David Byrne

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

*Updated with a new chapter on digital curation*

How Music Works is David Byrne’s incisive and enthusiastic look at the musical art form, from its very inceptions to the influences that shape it, whether acoustical, economic, social or technological. Utilizing his incomparable career and inspired collaborations with Talking Heads, Brian Eno, and many others, Byrne taps deeply into his lifetime of knowledge to explore the panoptic elements of music, how it shapes the human experience, and reveals the impetus behind how we create, consume, distribute, and enjoy the songs, symphonies, and rhythms that provide the backbeat of life. Byrne’s magnum opus uncovers ever-new and thrilling realizations about the redemptive liberation that music brings us all.

©2012, 2017 Todo Mundo, Ltd. (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Brilliantly original.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Fascinating.”—Booklist

“Extraordinary.”—The Guardian

Brilliant from start to finish!

Besides being one of the greatest working artist alive (let alone musician/songwriter), David Byrnes curiosity and exploration is thorough and thoughtful. This, to me, is a MUST read/listen for anyone interested or simply instinctively drawn to making things.

Great book. Decent reading

This is not really a book on theory and not the story of David Byrne. This is a philosophical look at music from the perspective of one of the modern geniuses. David is so expressive it makes the monotonous reading a little hard to get through but worth while to have the book in the library.

Like a class I would have liked to take in college

Though I wish there was more from the last 10 years. It got me to think about music in ways I never had before. Definitely worth listening to.

An Examination of Music and Sound Unlike Any Other

David Byrne’s book both informs and delights. It is both unexpected and predictable. It is both autobiographical and historical. It touches on the mystic as much as it does the scientific. He doesn’t agree with everything, and no one else would either. But he has examined music and sound from all possible directions and many different points of view.
It is impossible for me to imagine the depth and breadth of sound as it affects our existence being covered any better or any more completely. I would recommend this book to anyone as long as they enjoyed deep reflection.

Brilliant and Encyclopedic

I’m always trying to learn more about music, and David Byrne has furthered my knowledge in ways I never imagined. The fact that music was composed to fit the venues in which it was performed, had never occurred to me, nor had the features and limitations of recordings on the composition of music. Byrne explores music’s history, philosophy and science, but he also provides a thorough examination of the music business, including the different kinds of distribution contracts available to recording artists. The only thing that would have improved this book would have been if Byrne had read it, instead of just the preface. Although the reader was good, his repeated mispronunciation of Eli Broad’s surname—it’s Brode,, not Brawd—was irritating. David Byrne knows better.

Great content, bland delivery

Many insights here are wonderful, from one of the greatest pop musicians of our time. Some of the information about the music industry is outdated, but still somewhat relevant.

The narration is pretty bland and sounds monotone, akin to a customer service automated system.

Great Book and Narrator

This is a great book that combines stories about DB's origin and development, with practical info about the music industry over time, aspects of music theory not often explained, and predictions and preferences for where music is going.

The performance of the book was great as well. I can imagine that DB used his ear for sound to select someone who presents his thoughts as he would have.

Refreshing stance on music

Very convincing points about the role of classical music. Graceful writing starts autobiographical and then gets historical and theoretical.

Exceptional take

Wow. Between school and my private life, I’ve read a lot of books about music. This one is exceptional. The personal filter that he runs the grand musical concept through is interesting and compelling. David’s take on technology and his ideas on building a scene (CBGB section) are especially helpful. Great read. I feel more empowered on my musical journey.

Very interesting

I enjoyed the content of this audiobook a lot but whew the narration was very monotonous. I had to stop after a bit, do an entirety different audiobook before coming back to this one. Good thing is stopping after a chapter or section doesn’t take anything away. And as Byrne said himself the book is designed to be read/listened to in fragments if one wished and it is not order dependent. Overall, really informative and (to me) fascinating. But just a bit slow. And mostly due to the narration sometimes felt like I was slogging through it. Still worth it I think.