Patti Smith's Memoir Recounts Love, Loss, and the Birth of a Hit Song

Patti Smith's memoir, "Bread of Angels," delves into the artist's life, marked by both profound sorrow and unexpected joy. The book is not always an easy read, often serving as a lament for loved ones lost too soon and a record of illness and sadness.

However, "Bread of Angels" also illuminates moments of happiness that fueled Smith's spectacular, independent career. One such story recounts the journey of the hit song "Because the Night." Bruce Springsteen had left the song unfinished, lacking suitable lyrics. His sound engineer, Jimmy Iovine, recognizing the recording's potential, passed the tape to Smith.

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I immediately saw the potential of this song. It was sensual, restless, direct. This is a hit, I thought.

Initially, Smith hesitated, feeling loyal to her own songwriting and conflicted about covering a song while working on her third album. She placed Springsteen's tape aside, but Iovine's persistence eventually led her to listen. "I immediately saw the potential of this song," Smith writes in "Bread of Angels." "It was sensual, restless, direct. This is a hit, I thought."

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Am I in doubt when I am alone? Love is a bell, the sound of a phone.

Inspired while awaiting a call from her beloved Fred, Smith quickly penned lyrics like, "Am I in doubt when I am alone? Love is a bell, the sound of a phone." This love song for Fred, who was running late, appeared on the album "Easter" in March 1978.

The memoir also cherishes her relationship with Fred "Sonic" Smith, her husband and musical partner. Their meeting in 1979 immediately sparked a deep connection, causing her long-term partner, Allen Lanier, to depart. Smith describes their fourteen years of marriage as nearly inseparable, living in unison. Fred, a former boxer and baseball player, was a gentle but strong figure who fulfilled his dream of becoming a pilot. Though he never spoke of his difficult childhood or decade-long struggle with drug addiction, Smith knew he had faced hardship. They chose to build their family life away from the music industry's spotlight in Michigan.

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We lived under a clock without hands, lived in the same skin and sailed the same boat that never left the shore.