What links Lead Belly‎,‎ Lonnie Donegan and Black Betty‎?‎ Whose gravestone inspired Phil Spector‎'‎s first hit‎?‎ And for which song did Johnny Rotten replace the singer from Def Leppard‎?‎ The rich history of popular music is built on a foundation of classic songs‎.‎ From Tin Pan Alley to the Brill Building‎,‎ Bob Dylan to Kurt Cobain‎,‎ and Joni Mitchell to Amy Winehouse‎,‎ gifted songwriters have crafted a cherished body of music that has become part of our lives‎.‎ Imagine the Fifties without the magical clamor of ‎"‎Tutti Frutti‎"‎ and ‎"‎Hound Dog‎"‎ the Seventies without the anthemic ‎"‎Le Freak‎"‎ and ‎"‎Anarchy in the UK‎"‎ or the Noughties without the Leftfield pop of ‎"‎Toxic‎"‎ or ‎"‎Crazy‎"‎‎.‎ This music mirrors the times‎,‎ both reflecting society at large ‎(‎‎"‎A Change is Gonna Come‎"‎‎,‎ ‎"‎The Message‎"‎‎)‎ and mapping our own personal highs ‎(‎‎"‎God Only Knows‎"‎‎)‎ or lows ‎(‎‎"‎Hurt‎"‎‎)‎‎.‎ And from ‎'‎Saturday Night Fish Fry‎'‎ to Saturday Night Fever‎,‎ it has helped us simply forget our problems‎.‎ 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Diepicks through nearly a century of music to bring you an inspiring selection of some of the greatest recordings ever made‎.‎ Each entry in this wonderfully browsable book tells the story of a great song‎.‎ Find out what inspired the songwriter‎,‎ what makes the track so enduring‎,‎ which songs it influenced in turn and which cover version to listen out for‎.‎ You‎'‎ll also pick up a wealth of fascinating trivia along the way‎.‎