%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
| Songs That Tell A Story Now, songs started life as poetry put to music – they deal with situations that lead to emotions. That is not to say they are not good writing – of course they are! – it’s just that they follow that emotional path that allows people to relate to them and come into them with recognition within themselves and others. And, if the music is good as well, then the whole thing can get into you a mood, manipulated by the song-writers and performers. And songs can also be used as protests, to put forward points of view, to try and convince others to see things your way. Again, the music backing does help there, but the protest song is an art form that I have been in awe of for decades. And let us not forget character studies… However… Some songs do tell an actual story. Like, we have a beginning, a middle and an ending. Like, we have characters we can relate to. And like they make sense and could easily be made into at least a one hour TV movie. Or be formed into a decent short story. But that’s not necessary – these are already fine the way they are. I have even mentioned two recently: "20250423 Two Songs, One Meaning (Using Similar Story Ideas)"  . That was to show how one idea can produce two different works, but they tell the same story: Hey, girl, let’s get out of here before we end up like everyone else!With that in mind, here are some of the best examples of songs that tell stories. By “best” I do not mean they are the greatest songs ever (although I do like them all), just that they tell the stories I enjoy the most. 6 songs, 6 genres. Enjoy. ’Timothy’ by The Buoys (1970) Three miners are trapped. Two make it out alive. No-one knows what happened to the third. Except the other two appear well fed. The narrator cannot remember what happened. Some radio stations tried to spin it that the missing Timothy was a donkey or a dog. But, no… this is a song about cannibalism. The story makes it pretty clear. They ate Tim. Genre: Horror ’I Did What I Did For Maria’ by Tony Christie (1971) The story here is so definite. A man is awaiting execution, but he doesn’t care because he got revenge for his wife who was killed – or at least sexually assaulted – by some bad guys. It’s OTT, but that’s okay, because Christie delivers it with such passion you’d think it was based on his life. It failed to chart in the US, but was quite the success everywhere else. Genre: Western ’Take The Money And Run’ by Steve Miller Band (1976) A young couple go on a crime spree… and get away with it! A Bonnie & Clyde scenario without the nasty ending! The story is pretty obvious, sure, but the delivery almost makes it seem like a jolly jaunt, just one that involves breaking the law an awful lot. Genre: Crime ’Escape (The Pina Colada Song)’ by Rupert Holmes (1979) This song often comes up in worst lists. Well, that’s unfair. We know the chorus and can sing along to it. But the story is what I am looking at here. Guy wants to cheat on his wife, but in attempting to do so, reconnects with her. There are some dodgy things about the situation – he wants to cheat! Hang on, so does she! – but it is the sort of story I can imagine on a screen. Genre: Romance ’Major Tom’ by Peter Schilling (1983) An astronaut – borrowed liberally from David Bowie – goes into outer space and finds that he does not want to go back to the Earth, and so decides to stay there, knowing that, as far as he is concerned, he has gone “home.” This is a depressing song if looked at from a certain point of view, but if approached from the PoV of Tom, it is a song of hope. Either way, it is magnificent. Genre: Science fiction ’Stan’ by Eminem (2000) We have an actual epistolary story in song form! The tale of an obsessed fan going to ridiculous lengths to get the attention of his musical idol is harrowing in its delivery, and then to end when the singer realises that the recent death was him… this is intense, and there is a reason why the word “stan” has now become a part of the vernacular. What a tale. Genre: Thriller Stories can come in a myriad of forms. Do not be afraid to experiment or to look for stories wherever you might find them. The results can be surprising. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
