The Soundtrack of My Life

by Clive Davis

Other authors: Anthony DeCurtis

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
108	3	259,395	(3.65)	1
In this star-studded autobiography, Clive Davis shares a personal, candid look into his remarkable life and the last fifty years of popular music as only a true insider can. Davis' career has spanned more than forty years, and he has discovered, signed, or worked with a staggering array of artists: Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, The Grateful Dead, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Aretha Franklin, to name a few. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, and hosted the world's highest profile parties. In this fully illustrated, personal account, Davis tells all, from becoming an orphan in high school and getting through college and law school on scholarships, to being falsely accused of embezzlement and starting up his own record company, J Records. His wealth of experience offers valuable insight into the evolution of the music business over the past half-century and into the future.--From publisher description.… (more)

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Despite the regular moments of "I'm all that and a bag of chips in the music industry," this is an entertaining and readable account of his life as a music executive. He recounts plenty of inside moments with the stars to keep any entertainment hound happy. It also inspired me to look up some of the music of the stars he worked with, particularly those he cites as breakthroughs and of great influence in music history. Very enlightening to hear from an astute leader in music. (

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Salsabrarian | Feb 2, 2016 |

There were many parts of Clive Davis's memoir that were extremely interesting. I loved hearing about his personal experiences with icons such as Janis Joplin and Bruce Springsteen. It just seemed like there was so much included, especially some of the strictly business side of the music industry, that made it a chore to get through sometimes. (

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LissaJ | Apr 8, 2013 |

Clive is a born promoter and this is an autobiography. It therefore is not surprising that the book is all about "me." He does focus on the music, and you do not learn much about his personal life. I enjoyed the anecdotes about many of the artists he signed. He still champions some of the godawful artists and crap he produced. He also yaps about artists I never heard of and how many "hits" they had, with no reference to any validating source. He shamelessly urged artists to sacrifice their art in order to get a top ten hit. Obviously for him the business was ultimately about money. Yet, one's art is no good if it does not communicate to anyone but the artist. If you have enjoyed popular music since the sixties, you will enjoy this book. If you abandoned popular music for alternative music in the eighties, the last third of this book will annoy you. (

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nemoman | Apr 3, 2013 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Clive Davis	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
DeCurtis, Anthony	—	secondary author	all editions	confirmed

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Awards

Bisexual Book Award (Finalist – Bi Writer of the Year – 2013)

Lambda Literary Award (Finalist – Bisexual Nonfiction – 2014)

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2013-02-19

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New York, New York, USA

Los Angeles, California, USA

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▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (11)

(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman

Back to Basics (Christina Aguilera album)

Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson album)

Catch Me Now I'm Falling

Christina Aguilera discography

Kip Cohen

Larry Russell (bassist)

List of songs recorded by Kelly Clarkson

Miss Independent (Kelly Clarkson song)

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)

Tom Corson

▾Book descriptions

In this star-studded autobiography, Clive Davis shares a personal, candid look into his remarkable life and the last fifty years of popular music as only a true insider can. Davis' career has spanned more than forty years, and he has discovered, signed, or worked with a staggering array of artists: Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin, Simon and Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Dionne Warwick, Carlos Santana, The Grateful Dead, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Aretha Franklin, to name a few. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, and hosted the world's highest profile parties. In this fully illustrated, personal account, Davis tells all, from becoming an orphan in high school and getting through college and law school on scholarships, to being falsely accused of embezzlement and starting up his own record company, J Records. His wealth of experience offers valuable insight into the evolution of the music business over the past half-century and into the future.--From publisher description.

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