Explore the Words + Music Catalogue
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Under My Control
- Words + Music, Vol. 38
- Written by: Tegan Quin, Sara Quin
- Narrated by: Tegan Quin, Sara Quin
- Length: 1 hr and 35 mins
- Original Recording
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Tegan and Sara recount their unique navigation through sisterhood and the music industry. Once twin sisters fighting over their shared guitar in rural Canada, now chart-topping, award-winning indie rock icons, they reflect on the highs and lows of their relationship and their career.
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Loved
- By Bruce Novakowski on 2024-01-26
Written by: Tegan Quin, and others
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From the Streets to the Suites
- Words + Music, Vol. 36
- Written by: Snoop Dogg
- Narrated by: Snoop Dogg
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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Launching during the 30th anniversary year of Doggystyle, Snoop Dogg’s installment of Words + Music reflects on his coming-of-age journey from the streets of Long Beach to around the world and his decision to pursue love and life over death and destruction.
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Snoops Music
- By farah on 2023-06-17
Written by: Snoop Dogg
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A Dynamic Career in Communications
- Words + Music, Vol. 37
- Written by: yasiin bey
- Narrated by: yasiin bey
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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In his W+M installment, A Dynamic Career in Communications, yasiin bey treats listeners to a rich and immersive experience that goes beyond the surface. It's a captivating journey that explores his roots, beliefs, and creative process. Through his words and music, yasiin bey offers a unique and powerful perspective on life, art, and the role of communication in shaping the world we live in.
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Pretty Good
- By RandomAccount007 on 2023-09-02
Written by: yasiin bey
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Please Tell My Brothers
- Words + Music, Vol. 35
- Written by: Jeff Tweedy
- Narrated by: Jeff Tweedy
- Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
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A leading light on the alternative and indie music scene for nearly 40 years, Jeff Tweedy is a master of the art in the artifice of songwriting. In this volume, Tweedy introduces listeners to the people, occasions, and frames of mind that have inspired but don’t necessarily populate the iconic songbooks of bands Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and Tweedy.
Written by: Jeff Tweedy
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The Art of Confessing
- Words + Music, Vol. 34
- Written by: Jazmine Sullivan
- Narrated by: Jazmine Sullivan
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
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The Art of Confessing is an intimate diary entry from Jazmine Sullivan, a Grammy-winning vocal powerhouse blessed with the unique gift of emotional storytelling. R&B is a space for Black women to create their own language around love, sexuality, and heartache. Within that space, Jazmine Sullivan has built a strong, powerful sisterhood through her music.
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Just listen pls
- By Monica Rodriguez on 2023-04-02
Written by: Jazmine Sullivan
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Straw into Gold
- Words + Music, Vol. 33
- Written by: Aimee Mann
- Narrated by: Aimee Mann
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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Performance
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Indie-rock icon Aimee Mann is well acquainted with trauma and the transformative act of using it as a basis for artistic expression, but that doesn’t mean that she knows how or why it works. Mann goes on a journey of discovery to better understand the link between damage and why what we do with it matters.
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Vapid
- By Pete on 2023-11-23
Written by: Aimee Mann
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Under My Control
- Words + Music, Vol. 38
- Written by: Tegan Quin, Sara Quin
- Narrated by: Tegan Quin, Sara Quin
- Length: 1 hr and 35 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Tegan and Sara recount their unique navigation through sisterhood and the music industry. Once twin sisters fighting over their shared guitar in rural Canada, now chart-topping, award-winning indie rock icons, they reflect on the highs and lows of their relationship and their career.
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Loved
- By Bruce Novakowski on 2024-01-26
Written by: Tegan Quin, and others
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From the Streets to the Suites
- Words + Music, Vol. 36
- Written by: Snoop Dogg
- Narrated by: Snoop Dogg
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Launching during the 30th anniversary year of Doggystyle, Snoop Dogg’s installment of Words + Music reflects on his coming-of-age journey from the streets of Long Beach to around the world and his decision to pursue love and life over death and destruction.
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Snoops Music
- By farah on 2023-06-17
Written by: Snoop Dogg
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A Dynamic Career in Communications
- Words + Music, Vol. 37
- Written by: yasiin bey
- Narrated by: yasiin bey
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In his W+M installment, A Dynamic Career in Communications, yasiin bey treats listeners to a rich and immersive experience that goes beyond the surface. It's a captivating journey that explores his roots, beliefs, and creative process. Through his words and music, yasiin bey offers a unique and powerful perspective on life, art, and the role of communication in shaping the world we live in.
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Pretty Good
- By RandomAccount007 on 2023-09-02
Written by: yasiin bey
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Please Tell My Brothers
- Words + Music, Vol. 35
- Written by: Jeff Tweedy
- Narrated by: Jeff Tweedy
- Length: 2 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A leading light on the alternative and indie music scene for nearly 40 years, Jeff Tweedy is a master of the art in the artifice of songwriting. In this volume, Tweedy introduces listeners to the people, occasions, and frames of mind that have inspired but don’t necessarily populate the iconic songbooks of bands Wilco, Uncle Tupelo, and Tweedy.
Written by: Jeff Tweedy
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The Art of Confessing
- Words + Music, Vol. 34
- Written by: Jazmine Sullivan
- Narrated by: Jazmine Sullivan
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Art of Confessing is an intimate diary entry from Jazmine Sullivan, a Grammy-winning vocal powerhouse blessed with the unique gift of emotional storytelling. R&B is a space for Black women to create their own language around love, sexuality, and heartache. Within that space, Jazmine Sullivan has built a strong, powerful sisterhood through her music.
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Just listen pls
- By Monica Rodriguez on 2023-04-02
Written by: Jazmine Sullivan
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Straw into Gold
- Words + Music, Vol. 33
- Written by: Aimee Mann
- Narrated by: Aimee Mann
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Indie-rock icon Aimee Mann is well acquainted with trauma and the transformative act of using it as a basis for artistic expression, but that doesn’t mean that she knows how or why it works. Mann goes on a journey of discovery to better understand the link between damage and why what we do with it matters.
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Vapid
- By Pete on 2023-11-23
Written by: Aimee Mann
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A New Moon
- Words + Music, Vol. 32
- Written by: Brandy Norwood, Gerrick Kennedy
- Narrated by: Brandy Norwood
- Length: 1 hr and 11 mins
- Original Recording
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Brandy has influenced the last quarter century of pop music and helped define the R&B legacy of the ‘90s and ‘00s with seven rich, innovative albums. She’s an esteemed vocalist who along the way had to manage the pressures of teenage fame, young superstardom, and self-doubt. These are her Words + Music.
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New Moon
- By Shaina on 2023-02-03
Written by: Brandy Norwood, and others
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Living Legend
- Words + Music, Vol. 31
- Written by: John Legend
- Narrated by: John Legend
- Length: 1 hr and 53 mins
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This is the story of how a nerdy, homeschooled kid in the church choir named John Stephens became the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling, genre-pushing pop star we know as John Legend. For a long time, he led a double life—excelling as a star student while his home life was in shambles, working in corporate America as a financial consultant while moonlighting as a musician in nightclubs, always straddling a line between the person he was and the person he wanted to be. These are his Words + Music.
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Fabulous
- By Sheena Henderson on 2023-10-23
Written by: John Legend
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Light, Spirit, and Soul
- Words + Music, Vol. 30
- Written by: Carlos Santana
- Narrated by: Carlos Santana
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
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Carlos Santana’s Light, Spirit, and Soul is a rhythmic journey into the places, spaces, artists, and music that have inspired and informed one of popular music’s most successful artists by any measurable standard. He’s not an entertainer. He’s a communicator of a language that speaks directly to the molecules of listeners across space and time. These are his Words + Music.
Written by: Carlos Santana
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The Road to Redunktion
- Words + Music, Vol. 29
- Written by: Tenacious D
- Narrated by: Tenacious D
- Length: 1 hr and 49 mins
- Original Recording
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Through hard work and, well, tenacity, Jack Black and Kyle Gass catapulted themselves into rock superstardom. But before they were the only two members of the best rock band on earth, they were just Jack and Kyle, two theater students finding their footing in Los Angeles. The D’s trajectory was a slow and steady rise from clubs to a guest spot on the hit show Mr. Show on HBO to albums to film to headlining festivals across the globe. But it wasn’t without its pains. This is their story. These are their Words + Music.
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hilarious
- By Sarah Kyle on 2023-09-22
Written by: Tenacious D
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Dear Life
- Words + Music, Vol. 28
- Written by: Beck
- Narrated by: Beck
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Original Recording
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A true musical polymath, Beck shifts between and blends genres and generations with a preternatural ease—one foot in the secret history of American music and the other moving toward the future. Consistently brushed off by industry gatekeepers on both coasts, Beck perseveres—ultimately building a bespoke audience of millions who share his borderless musical vision. In Dear Life, Beck proves that the most powerful art is made by those who are brave enough to be fully themselves.
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great insight into an interesting artist
- By Meagz on 2024-07-24
Written by: Beck
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Somebody Saved Me
- Words + Music, Vol. 27
- Written by: Pete Townshend
- Narrated by: Pete Townshend
- Length: 2 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Pete Townshend is one of the great figures in rock ‘n’ roll history. For almost 60 years, The Who have balanced the physical and the spiritual with introspective lyrics and inspirational music. But there is a part of Townshend’s story—and The Who’s—that has not been examined. These are his Words + Music. In the Audible Original Pete Townshend: Somebody Saved Me, the songwriter takes us through the period between the 1978 death of Who drummer Keith Moon and the 2002 loss of bassist John Entwistle.
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Good stories
- By Sheena Henderson on 2023-08-21
Written by: Pete Townshend
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Songs That Shook the Planet
- Words + Music, Vol. 26
- Written by: Chuck D
- Narrated by: Chuck D
- Length: 1 hr and 44 mins
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Hip-hop pioneer Chuck D, the legendary lyricist and cofounder of Public Enemy, takes listeners on an extraordinary journey through politically and socially conscious music. Part history lesson and part memoir, Songs That Shook the Planet spans genres and decades to call out the brave artists who continue to inspire necessary change in the world.
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Enjoyed this listening
- By Rob on 2023-06-06
Written by: Chuck D
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Never Said Nothing
- Words + Music, Vol. 25
- Written by: Liz Phair
- Narrated by: Liz Phair
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
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How do you explain Liz Phair? Looking at her career, the word fearless seems the right place to start. In Never Said Nothing, the latest in Audible’s Words + Music series, Phair charts her unlikely journey from making her first record - one that’s now ensconced on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” - to a trial by fire (she’d never set foot on stage before its release), to even more improbably, a second and a third, maybe fourth act, depending on how one counts these things.
Written by: Liz Phair
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I Am Mine
- Words + Music, Vol. 24
- Written by: Eddie Vedder
- Narrated by: Eddie Vedder
- Length: 1 hr and 22 mins
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In the summer of 1990, Eddie Vedder left the surf and sun in San Diego to join a group of friends working to put a new band together in the Seattle underground. Within months, they were anything but underground; they’d found their lead singer, and Vedder went on to lead Pearl Jam on a global takeover of ‘90s culture. In this latest edition of Audible’s Words + Music series, Vedder dives deep, reflecting on a life at the intersection of art, sensitivity, and masculinity.
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Amazing
- By Cristina M Sousa on 2021-11-24
Written by: Eddie Vedder
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All I Can
- Words + Music, Vol. 23
- Written by: Sharon Van Etten
- Narrated by: Sharon Van Etten
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
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Sharon Van Etten is a songwriter, musician, performer, and actress. Impressive sure, but that’s not why fans crowded the merch table she manned at her early gigs, hoping to shar….
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Couldn’t love more
- By Anonymous User on 2023-02-28
Written by: Sharon Van Etten
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Who I Really Am: Diary of a Vampire
- Words + Music, Vol. 22
- Written by: Alice Cooper
- Narrated by: Alice Cooper
- Length: 2 hrs and 9 mins
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Rock and roll in the BC (Before Cooper) era was a tamer, milder world. In Who I Really Am, Cooper’s latest addition to Audible’s Words + Music series, we learn how the boa-wearing (not the feathered kind) maestro arrived at a show and sound - let’s call it AC for After Cooper - that has entertained millions of kids while terrifying parents in equal measure. Cooper drew inspiration from Saturday matinee horror movies, applied a "no such thing as too much" attitude, and hitched it to a kick-ass rock and roll band.
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I love these Words + Music Audible has available.
- By MissBecka on 2022-01-08
Written by: Alice Cooper
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How to Play the Guitar and Y
- Words + Music, Vol. 21
- Written by: Elvis Costello
- Narrated by: Elvis Costello
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
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“This isn't strictly speaking an instructional manual, but a work of comedic philosophy.” Elvis Costello - songwriter, singer, author, and Fender Jazzmaster known to his admirers as “The Little Hands of Concrete” - spins his tale with wit, grit, and spit to spare. How to Play the Guitar and Y, Costello’s new entry into Audible’s Words + Music series, combines recitation, impersonation, and musical illustration to show you how to turn a three-chord trick into a four-chord caper and let your curiosity take you where it will.
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What I would've expected from Mr Costello.
- By David White on 2021-11-03
Written by: Elvis Costello
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Black Me Out
- Words + Music, Vol. 20
- Written by: Laura Jane Grace
- Narrated by: Laura Jane Grace
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
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Laura Jane Grace doesn’t defy rock ‘n’ roll. She defines it. In an inspiring examination of identity and creativity, the founder and frontwoman of notorious punk band Against Me! recounts the story of her extraordinary life, her rise to fame, and the painful but powerful moments that have led her to where she is now. Black Me Out invites listeners to not only hear Grace’s complicated journey through gender dysphoria, addiction, mental health, and artistic integrity, but recognize the universal pursuit of our authentic selves. Track the common journey with a modern icon.
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LJG is never a bad decision
- By Maggie on 2022-03-15
Written by: Laura Jane Grace
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To Balance on Bridges
- Words + Music, Vol. 19
- Written by: Rhiannon Giddens
- Narrated by: Rhiannon Giddens
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
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Rhiannon Giddens possesses the power to express herself and the human experience like few others. Journey with the inimitable folk musician and MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient as the celebrated artist examines the multitude of influences and identities that have led her to a life "nestled in the nexus” - defined and further made whole by the sum of her parts.
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Eye-opening and inspiring
- By Amazon Customer on 2023-08-01
Written by: Rhiannon Giddens
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7 Years
- Words + Music, Vol. 18
- Written by: Tariq Trotter
- Narrated by: Tariq Trotter
- Length: 1 hr and 47 mins
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Tariq Trotter, a.k.a. Black Thought, sits firmly within the pantheon of hip-hop’s greatest MCs. But the cofounder of the multiplatinum-selling hip-hop band The Roots is best understood not through all trophies and awards, but the sheer weight of his lyrical force. In 7 Years, Trotter’s new addition to Audible’s Words + Music series, the prolific rapper examines his life and career in dynamic seven-year increments.
Written by: Tariq Trotter
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One More Hour
- Words + Music, Vol. 17
- Written by: Sleater-Kinney
- Narrated by: Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
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Sleater-Kinney’s co-leaders Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein dig into 25 years of shared history-making music and making noise. Listen to this bold duo speak openly about the places, people, and movements that have shaped their career as well as the evolution of their creative and personal relationship. The bandmates and friends trace how their ambitions and their relationship have continued to inform each other and how they’ve navigated through the ups and downs for the sake of the band and their art.
Written by: Sleater-Kinney
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Deep Soul Lowdown
- Words + Music, Vol. 16
- Written by: Gary Clark Jr.
- Narrated by: Gary Clark Jr.
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
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Before Gary Clark Jr.’s first major-label album even debuted, the music world had already labeled him the rightful torchbearer of the blues. In his new Audible Original, Deep Soul Lowdown, the soft-spoken Texas guitar hero unpacks the gravity (and limitations) of such towering expectations as he recounts his astonishing life journey from teenage phenomenon to inheritor of the very mantle of his mentors.
Written by: Gary Clark Jr.
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The Moment in 1965 When Rock and Roll Becomes Art
- Words + Music, Vol. 15
- Written by: Steve Earle
- Narrated by: Steve Earle
- Length: 1 hr and 21 mins
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“This is a story about an idea that I have,” Americana legend and self-proclaimed “recovering folk singer” Steve Earle states early in his enthralling Words + Music performance. “This job of mine becomes an artform spontaneously in 1965 - when Bob Dylan wants to be John Lennon, and John Lennon wants to be Bob Dylan, whether either one of them would admit it or not - and in that moment, rock and roll becomes art."
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Real and rude!
- By Martin S. on 2024-06-20
Written by: Steve Earle
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Welcome to My Panic
- Words + Music, Vol. 14
- Written by: Billie Joe Armstrong
- Narrated by: Billie Joe Armstrong
- Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
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Soaring ambition. Unwavering integrity. Billie Joe Armstrong isn’t the first punk to negotiate mainstream success, but he might be its most undisguised example. In Welcome to my Panic, Green Day’s iconic front man holds nothing back as he tracks listeners though his deeply personal and artistic journey in raw detail. Matching his emotional storytelling with new, exclusive, recordings of Green Day’s biggest hits, Armstrong chronicles the seminal moments in his life: the trauma and triumphs that have come to define him.
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Terrific Insight into a brilliant songwriter
- By Linda McClure on 2022-02-10
Written by: Billie Joe Armstrong
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Beginner's Mind
- Words + Music, Vol. 13
- Written by: Yo-Yo Ma
- Narrated by: Yo-Yo Ma
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Original Recording
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Journey with musical virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma as the iconic performer and global phenomenon delves into the world of self-discovery and our deeply interwoven humanity. This is Beginner's Mind, Ma’s extraordinary addition to Audible’s Words + Music series, blending vivid personal memoir and breathtaking exclusive performances with indelible lessons gained over a lifetime pursuing meaning, connection, and shared purpose.
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Worthwhile
- By JB on 2022-01-07
Written by: Yo-Yo Ma
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Upon Reflection
- Words + Music, Vol. 12
- Written by: Sting
- Narrated by: Sting
- Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
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Before he was nicknamed “Sting” by the leader of a local show band in northeast England, Gordon Sumner knew he was meant for more than his working-class background promised. He just didn’t know how to get there. In Upon Reflection, hear the singular talent trace his unlikely rise from his days as a young husband and father working as a local schoolteacher, to risking everything on a fateful move to London, and joining an aspiring punk band called The Police.
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Driven to Tears
- By Anonymous User on 2023-11-27
Written by: Sting
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Unquiet: My Life with Beethoven
- Words + Music, Vol. 11
- Written by: Jonathan Biss
- Narrated by: Jonathan Biss
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
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In his vivid and profound addition to Audible’s Words + Music series, Jonathan Biss, the world renowned pianist and critical Beethoven interpreter of our time, expounds on the spellbinding hold the classical figure and his work possesses over him. Biss doesn’t just love Beethoven more than other music, he loves it more than most things. It’s the lens through which he understands the world, and has been since he can remember. But in Unquiet, Biss reveals the full extent to which Beethoven is also a ruthless lens through which he views himself.
Written by: Jonathan Biss
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Grateful and Blessed
- Words + Music, Vol. 10
- Written by: Smokey Robinson
- Narrated by: Smokey Robinson
- Length: 1 hr and 35 mins
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If any artist could brag about his contribution to the pop culture canon, it’s Smokey Robinson. His career is filled with so many “he was there” moments it’s a wonder he doesn’t recall them with the swagger of a conquering hero: songwriting and singing as a teenager in Detroit; co-founding Motown Records with Berry Gordy; creating 26 Top 40 hits with his group The Miracles; helping to spark racial integration of popular music in the 1960s; discovering hitmakers like Diana Ross and the Supremes; penning tunes for a jaw-droppingly diverse group of artists.
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Too short
- By sunflower on 2023-05-12
Written by: Smokey Robinson
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Road Trip Elegies: Montreal to New York
- Words + Music, Vol. 9
- Written by: Rufus Wainwright
- Narrated by: Rufus Wainwright
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
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Gorgeous music, riveting stories, and the open road ahead. Don’t miss your chance to join Rufus Wainwright, the inimitable singer, songwriter, and composer, as he tracks his fascinating journey as an artist and man over the course of his deeply familiar car ride between the storied home of his youth (Saint-Sauveur, Quebec) and New York City, the birthplace of his musical rise. Part of Audible’s Words + Music series, Road Trip Elegies features more than 20 songs performed by Rufus and a tight-knit band (including family and friends) at a recent set of performances out West.
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Rufus Wainwright-Canadian Legend
- By joan williams on 2023-10-23
Written by: Rufus Wainwright
Some of our favourite Words + Music moments
Take a trip with an artist like no other