Plus: Liz Phair's Inspiration; Taylor Swift Tour

Keith Richards' Memoir "Life" Inspired Liz Phair To Tour
Liz Phair says she decided to return to the road next month after reading Keith Richards' new memoir Life, which she reviewed for the . "I was like, fuck it!" Phair told Spinner. "This is awesome. I'm actually part of it. I'm a rock 'n' roller too. It made me really invigorated for performing. I'm all into it right now. I wanna rock. I don't think I've ever said that my entire career." Phair released her newest album Funstyle in October. [Spinner]

James Taylor To Tour With His Son
Next year James Taylor will launch a tour with his son Ben Taylor — their first together — who is also a singer-songwriter. Only eight dates are on the books now (the first is February 26 in Tulsa, Oklahoma), but additional shows will be announced December 3. Ben has previously toured with his mother Carly Simon. He's currently finishing his new album Listening. [Press Release]

Tom Waits Contributes Poems About Homelessness To New Book
Tom Waits has teamed up with photographer Michael O'Brien on a book about homelessness in America; Waits wrote poems that are matched with O'Brien's photographs and interviews with homeless Americans. The book, Hard Ground hits stores this March. [NME]

Taylor Swift Launches World Tour in February
Taylor Swift is launching a massive world tour next year in support of her new album Speak Now. Most of the venues for the American leg hasn't been announced yet, but the tour will touch down in stadiums in at least six cities. At just 20 years old, Swift is one of the younger performers to headline a stadium in musical history. [Billboard]

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

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