Country music legend Willie Nelson will write about the origins of some of his songs in a new book, Rolling Stone reports.
William Morrow will publish Energy Follows Thought: The Stories Behind My Songs, co-written with David Ritz and Mickey Raphael,this fall. The HarperCollins imprint describes the book as “an enduring tribute to Willie Nelson’s legacy” that is “revealing, funny, whimsical, and wise.”
Nelson, known for his decades-long career in country music and enduring songs including “Crazy,” “Hello Walls,” and “On the Road Again,” recently turned 90 and celebrated his birthday with a two-day concert in Los Angeles. His previous books include It’s a Long Story: My Life and Me and Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship, both co-written with Ritz.
In his new book, Morrow says, “Willie is disarmingly honest—what do you have to lose when you’re about to turn 90? —meditating on the nature of songwriting and finding his voice, and the themes he’s explored his whole life—relationships, infidelity, love, loss, friendship, life on the road, and particularly poignant at this juncture of his life: mortality.”
The book will contain Nelson’s thoughts on 160 of his songs and will feature “a dynamic assortment of never-before-seen photos and ephemera.”
Energy Follows Thought is slated for publication on Oct. 31.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
