One of the cooler parts of working here at woodstock.com is that I never know what will land on my desk.  This past week I've walked away with concert tickets, albums, quesadillas, several items I am not allowed to talk about, and a music book I dig.  That book is "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song," whose publishers are nice enough to allow us to take a few excerpts and throw them up here all week. Check back each day this week to read a new excerpt from a music superstar.  "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song" will give you an inside look into the story behind the songs you love.  It's a neat book, you should check it out.

The official website, with a full list of storyteller/songwriters is http://books.simonandschuster.com/Chicken-Soup-for-the-Soul-The-Story-Behind-the/Jack-Canfield/9781935096405?mcd=z_091118_BD_Chicken-Soup_Woodstock

You can also purchase the book at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1935096400/simonsayscom?mcd=z_091118_AM_Chicken-Soup_Woodstock

And now.....today's Woodstock.com exclusive excerpt from "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song." 

KANYE WEST

WELCOME TO HEARTBREAK

 

One day we were shooting in a hotel and I was talking to Dave Sirulnick, a producer from MTV, discussing ideas for a performance of mine. He had a small photo album of him and his wife and kids on the beach and doing different things together. It struck me that I really want to be married and have a family, but that hasn’t worked out for me.

 

My friend showed me pictures of his kids
And all I could show him was pictures of my cribs.

 

I felt like I was in high school and jealous of what another guy had. I knew that was what I really wanted.

 

You have to put time and effort into a relationship with the right person and you have to be with the right person to have a family. Being number one is great and I want that but I also want to chase other dreams in my life.

 

He said his daughter got a brand new report card
And all I got was a brand new sports car.

 

It was the first time a rap artist spoke condescendingly about property, possessions like a sports car. People are so concerned with what they have or what other people have instead of what’s really important – other people. Things like cars are usually used to show how people make it, but there is nothing more important than home and family.

 

Dad cracked a joke, all the kids laughed
But I couldn't hear him all the way in first class
Chased the good life my whole life long
Look back on my life and my life gone
Where did I go wrong?

 

 

We need to take the time to look past their possessions to the people themselves. I was so busy chasing my dreams and everything is always moving so fast that I didn’t take the time to be part of everyday life and simple things like a walk to the store.

 

I became a prisoner of my own fans.  I’m not complaining, and I know that I put myself there but, at the end of the day, I had to break out of prison, accept that I will never have a ‘normal’ life, that it is part of the territory, and look beyond it. But I’m trying to live a more normal life – I’m in Hawaii now, where things are slow. I went to a Virgin MegaStore, which I love – I’m  like a kid in a candy store there – and nobody was looking at me. It was one of those lost moments that I thank God for.

 

I expressed a lot of these same feelings in “Pinocchio Story.” I don’t have to be what a celebrity is supposed to be. I don’t want to be a superstar shell of myself. I need to know “Who’s the real person?” I don’t want to simply be a caricature of myself.

 

Real life, what does it feel like?
I ask you tonight, I ask you tonight
What does it feel like, I ask you tonight
To live a real life
I just want to be a real boy.

 

The verse in “Welcome To Heartbreak” about missing my sister’s wedding is absolutely true. I had to leave to catch a plane to London. These are real accounts of my life.

 

Oh my God, sister getting married by the lake
But I couldn't figure out who I'd wanna take
Bad enough that I showed up late
I had to leave before they even cut the cake
Welcome to heartbreak

 

It was a tough  year after the breakup with my fiancée and losing my mom. This whole album was a poignant reality. I opened myself up to new ideas. I was heartbroken and deflated, lauded and idolized all at the same time. It was a time of the highest highs and the lowest lows.

 

Kanye West has become a global brand. What I have had to learn is how to separate myself from that and be Kanye, the person who can have a real life and be able to go to soccer games with my kids.