For some reason I found myself listening to Squeeze's 'Up The Junction' and was just wondering if anyone has heard interesting songs that have a strong storyline to them and sound good?
As well as the aformentioned Squeeze track, Johnny Cash's ' A Boy Named Sue' springs to mind. Any others?
"Sometimes you want to give up the guitar, you'll hate the guitar. But if you stick with it, you're gonna be rewarded." Jimi Hendrix.
38 Years Old by the Tragically Hip, it's a great narrative.
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
tweeter and the monkeyman - traveling wilburys
Rocky Raccoon - Beatles
Cheers,
Max
'Angel From Montgomery', 'Donald & Lydia' and 'Lake Marie' - John Prine
'The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down' - The Band
'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' - Gordon Lightfoot
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-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ -:¦:- Elecktrablue -:¦:-
"Don't wanna ride no shootin' star. Just wanna play on the rhythm guitar." Emmylou Harris, "Rhythm Guitar" from "The Ballad of Sally Rose"
Not sure if this is what you mean but The Doors have several "narrated" songs like The End and An American Prayer. However, An American Prayer is more of a poem than a storyline.
'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' - Gordon Lightfoot
I saw GL open with this at an outdoor concert during a raging thunder and lightning storm. Perfect song for a pretty d@mn scary situation. Sounded like the lightning was striking nearby trees.
Black Coffee in Bed and Annie Get Your Gun from Squeeze
Brick - Ben Folds Five
And She Was - Talking Heads
Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young (and he has quite a few more!)
Scenes from an Italian Restaurant and The Ballad of Billy the Kid - Billy Joel
88 Lines about 44 Women - The Nails (arguable, but a fun tune)
Hurricane and Tangled up in Blue (a fave of mine) - Dylan
The Weight - The Band
Paradise by the Dashboard Lights -- Meatloaf (campy, but worth it)
Slit Skirts - Pete Townsend
Jane - Barenaked Ladies
Superman's Song - Crash Test Dummies
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morrisette
-=tension & release=-
Everclear - Why I don't believe in god.
Just about any Crash Test Dummies song.
Pearl jam - Alive, Once, and Footsteps all tell parts of one mans life.
Sublime - Date Rape.
Hmmm, their harder to come by then you would think.
"Like the coldest winter chill. Heaven beside you. Hell within." -Jerry Cantrell
"Ballad of John & Yoko", the Beatles
"Band on the Run", McCartney
"Rocky Raccoon", Beatles
"Hurricane", Bob Dylan
"Boris the Spider", the Who
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
"Ballad of John & Yoko", the Beatles
You are reliable, Tim. I left this off my list, 'cause I knew you'd add it.
-=tension & release=-
A lot of Dylan's songs are stories - "Tangled up in Blue" is my all-time favourite.....
Many years ago, I had an album called "Hard-up heroes" - it was compiled by a couple of New Musical Express journalists, and featured early tracks by artists who later made it big....Joe Cocker's first single was on there, a cover of the Beatle's "I'll Cry Instead" - it sold 6 copies! There were also obscure tracks from the likes of Bolan and Bowie - but the one that stuck in my mind, and I've never come across it anywhere else, was Van Morrison narrating "The Story Of Them" - a spoken lyric over a sparse, bluesy instrumental backing track.....if anyone else knows where I can get a copy of this, I'd be grateful.....
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
i was gonna say tangled up in blue even before reading the other responses, also the ballad of frankie lee and judas priest, the lonesome death of hattie carrol, bob dylan's 115th dream... he wrote a whole bunch of them
"pancho and lefty" by townes van zandt is kind of a sparse narrative
almost the entire "nebraska" album by bruce springsteen is narrative stories
"pet sounds" was kind of a narrative album
John Prine's "Paradise."
One I've been listening to today, Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues."
Some old classics, "Stagger Lee" and "John Henry."
Hendrix's "Hey Joe."
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
You cannot have a list like this and not include some of the old hits, like "El Paso" (Marty Robbins) or Big Bad John (Jimmy Dean).
Less well known is a sequel to El Paso, about what later happened to Felina.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
Greybeard's Pages
My Articles & Reviews on GN
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (I'm partial to The Pogues version on Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash)
Billy the Mountain - Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman
1952 Vincent Black Lightning (Richard Thompson, but I like the banjo on the Del McCoury version)
There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. - A.J. Muste
Dylan is mentioned so I'll go for: Tom Waits!
e.g.
Big Joe and Phantom 309 - written by some Tommy Faile
http://www.officialtomwaits.com/music/m_nd_lyr.htm#Big_Joe_And_Phantom_309
Nighthawks postcards http://www.officialtomwaits.com/music/m_nd_lyr.htm#Nighthawk_Postcards
Burma Shave
http://www.keeslau.com/TomWaitsSupplement/Lyrics/Foreignaffairs/Burmashave-ub.htm
Franks' Wild Years
http://www.keeslau.com/TomWaitsSupplement/Lyrics/Swordfishtrombones/Frankswildyears.htm
Diamonds on my windshield
http://www.keeslau.com/TomWaitsSupplement/Lyrics/Theheartofsaturdaynight/Diamondsonmywindshield-ub.htm
To mention but a few of the songs of a narrative kind
ahhh - where is my record player?
Lars
...only thing I know how to do is to keep on keepin' on...
LARS kolberg http://www.facebook.com/sangerersomfolk
