The Songs That Saved Us by Simon McDermott, Paperback, 9780008719333 | Buy online at The Nile
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The Songs That Saved Us

My Dad, Dementia and Me

Author: Simon McDermott  

The Songs That Saved Us
Paperback

An unforgettable memoir of the unbreakable bond between father and son and the music they cherished – new paperback edition for 2025!

An unforgettable tribute to the unbreakable bond between a father and son

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Pre order release date
29th September 2025
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PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

An unforgettable memoir of the unbreakable bond between father and son and the music they cherished – new paperback edition for 2025!

An unforgettable tribute to the unbreakable bond between a father and son

Read more

Description

An unforgettable tribute to the unbreakable bond between a father and son

When Simon McDermott first noticed his dad Ted’s sudden flares of temper and fits of forgetfulness, he couldn’t have guessed what lay ahead. Then came the devastating, inevitable diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. The dad Simon knew seemed to be drifting further away, and he had no idea how to reach him.

Then, one day in the car, Simon hit play on Ted’s favourite song. And just like that, they were simply two mates driving around Blackburn, singing at the top of their lungs. That moment would change the course of their lives forever.

Simon filmed their adventure, uploaded the video to YouTube and woke up to messages, tweets and his phone ringing off the hook. Their carpool karaoke had gone viral all the way across the globe.

But a record deal, Pride of Britain Awards, over £130,000 raised for The Alzheimer’s Society and a Top 10 single later, Simon was still losing Ted. That’s when he made a decision. His Dad – the storyteller of his childhood and his best friend – couldn’t tell his own story, so Simon would tell it for him. This is that story.

Full of poignant moments, the ups and downs of family life and treasured memories, The Songaminute Man is a story of two halves: a celebration of the man Ted was, and a powerful and moving account of caring for a loved one.

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Critic Reviews

“An elderly dementia sufferer is set to become a singing sensation after his viral videos landed him a record deal.”
Express

“The old-school entertainer, a former Butlin's redcoat who has spent his whole life singing in working men's clubs, singing in the bath, singing for family and friends, dreaming of his big break, will finally get it… the story of how they got to here is Simon's as much as it is Ted's – a story about the love of a son for his father.”
Daily Mail

“THIS Morning viewers fell utterly in love with the son who helped his 80-year-old father with his dementia by using music.”
The Sun

“Carpool karaoke star with Alzheimer's disease has been named the UK's "most creative" fundraiser.”
BBC

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About the Author

Simon McDermott is the son of eighty-year-old Teddy McDermott, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2013. The pair's joyful carpool karaoke videos went viral across the globe and raised over £125,000 for the Alzheimer's Society. Simon and Ted won the Pride of Britain Award for raising dementia awareness. They live in the UK.

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Product Details

Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers | HQ
Published
5th June 2025
Pages
272
ISBN
9780008719333

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