David Browne's "Fire and Rain" Humanizes the Complex Lives of Influential Artists

     Let me first start by saying that I have SO much I would like to say about this book, but I will try to limit my thoughts and opinions for the sake of brevity:
   
     Although I'm a pretty big fan of The Beatles, I was quite unfamiliar with other artists primarily mentioned in this book: Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (better known as CSNY).
    That being said, prior to reading Fire and Rain I conducted a fair amount of "research", primarily in the form of song-listening. I spent many hours (it must have been a solid week or so) pouring through the music of these three iconic music acts, and I found myself quite impressed. Simon & Garfunkel were my favorite of the new groups I explored, but James Taylor also found a special place in my heart with his gentle and sweet melodies. CSNY was a little too country and folksy for my personal taste, but memorable songs like "Our House" and "Ohio" still struck a chord with me.
    Upon concluding my research, I finally cracked open the book, and was quite fascinated with the complex stories of all the artists. Beginning in the year 1970 (as one can guess from the cover), Fire and Rain follows the stories of the demise of iconic 60's music acts such as The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and CSNY, along with the rise of new stars, namely James Taylor.
     As a Beatles fan, it was somewhat hard to read about the breakup of the band leading up to and following the release of their last studio album, Let it Be. When one listens to the Beatles decades after their infamous breakup, it becomes easy to detach the personal lives of the artists from their work. In Fire and Rain however, one comes to realize how deeply intertwined the two truly are.
     For all four music acts, their personal battles--whether it be breakups, divorces, the deaths of loved ones, or battles with drug addiction--often worked their way into some of the most notable songs of the 20th century. In reading the stories of these musicians, audiences discover that behind all the catchy tunes, musical talent, and immense fame were deeply complex individuals, who wrestled with the same insecurities and frustrations faced by all humans. Cliche though it may be, money truly cannot purchase happiness, and all the artists mentioned in this book perfectly encapsulate this truth. 
     Not only is music deeply intertwined with one's personal struggles, but also the realities and happenings of the times. Fire and Rain makes it perfectly clear that the year 1970 was by no means a peaceful time in human history Along with exploring the personal lives of notable musicians, the book also provides mini "history-lessons" in each chapter, from the Apollo 13 failure, Woodstock, the Kent State student massacre, the Civil Rights Movement, the scandals of the Nixon presidency, the Kennedy assassination, and the war in Vietnam. Social and political tensions ran high during this time, and all four music acts used song-writing as a means to cope with the collective difficulties they faced.
     While this book provided a breadth of information, I felt overwhelmed at times due to sections with excessive detail. Author David Browne (a journalist at Rolling Stone) was extremely thorough in his research, but he often included so many different names, locations, and dates (or other random anecdotes) that it was sometimes hard to follow his writing. In many ways, I think this book would have functioned better as a docuseries, so audiences could put faces to names and actually hear some of the songs that are mentioned frequently throughout the book.
     Overall, I am grateful to have read Fire and Rain. Had I not picked up this book, I would not have explored Simon & Garfunkel or James Taylor in depth, but now I truly admire the work of both artists, and look forward to continue listening to their music in the future.
     More importantly however, this book reminded me just how powerful of an outlet music is for self-expression. No matter what emotions one is experiencing, they can take comfort in knowing that there is a song (and behind that, another human being) that can match their experience, which is perhaps the one of the best reassurances one can ever receive. Music really does serve as a means of bridging divides between seemingly different individuals, and the timeless works and artists mentioned throughout this book speak to the truth of this.