Tell Me a Story

[Dizzie]

I hate pretty voices with nothing to say. So forget most of the popular lounge-lizard jazz singers covering old standards. I started my passion for music as a folky (Dylan, Ian & Syliva, Judy Collins, etc). So tell me a story. Share your favorite songs that start somewhere and end somewhere else or travel full circle; be it a journey of time or merely perspective.

My nominees:

"Urge for Going" by Joni Mitchell and covered by Tom Rush is my all-time favorite for story-telling poetry in music.

Tom Rush gets two nods: "Joshua Gone Barbados" and "Galveston Flood"

Richard Thompson: "1952 Vincent Black Lightning"

Buffy Sainte-Marie: "Universal Soldier" also covered by Donovan

I'm not a fan of country music but Garth Brooks absolutely nails a good story in "That Summer"

I am sure I forgot a lot of good "story" tunes but those come off the top of my head as most memorable for me.

 

[jadedavid]

Alice's Restaurant

 

[still-one]

Boy do I agree with you. The Patricia Barber, Sade and Diana Krall's of the world are elevator music to me. I like music that tell's a good story.

Bob Segar - Night Moves. (I could name about 10 of his that are my life story)
Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Someone Else's Prayer
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

More to come......

 

[Mike]

John Lennon - Imagine. I always stop what I'm doing to listen.
James Taylor - Fire & Rain
Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rose (the song I sung in my one and only time singing in front a large audience and actually getting a huge applause. Never again, I swear, never again.)
...so many others.

 

[CPP]

Don Mclean - America Pie
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Bob Dylan - Hurricane
Mellencamp - Jack and Diane
Elvis - In the Ghetto
Beatles- Norwegian Wood

 

[Dizzie]

Alice's Restaurant

:tutu: How could I have forgotten the definitive story-song? And so soon after Thanksgiving. :blush:

 

[Dguitarnut]

Many Gordon Lightfoot songs....Like The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
and Harry Chapin's Cats in the cradle.

 

[bzr]

Lyle Lovett, one of the immense number, comes to mind

 

[RDSChicago]

Dylan "The Times They Are 'A Changin'"

Harry Chapin "Taxi"

Joni Mitchell "Conversation"

 

[Kuoppis]

Johnny Cash, A Boy named Sue [emoji3]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[MikeCh]

Marshall Tucker Band - This Ol' Cowboy

Joan Baez - Lincoln Freed Me Today

Many more but time to sleep....

 

[BobM]

Plenty of stories in the progressive rock genre

Pink Floyd - The Wall
Nektar - Remember the Future
Genesis - Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick, Passion Play
IQ - Subterrania
Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
The Who - Tommy, Quadrophenia
Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage

 

[Mike]

Simon and Garfunkel - Sound of Silence

 

[Shadowfax]

Genesis "Get em out by Friday"

So many songs off of early albums by Genesis. The whole "Trick of the Tail"

 

[Nikhil]

Great topic!

Mark Knopfler is my favorite story teller.

Sailing to Philadelphia
Song for Sonny Liston
Ragpicker's Dream
Prairie Wedding
Don't Crash the Ambulance