STORYTELLERS: Songs that tell stories (1 Viewer)

[Sean Moon]

Ok, since we are on a storytelling kick, what is everyone's interpretation of the Don Henley song END OF THE INNOCENCE? Some people take it as a political statement about the 80s. Some take it as a divorce song. Some take it as a girl losing her virginity.

I and others take it as a song about a father sexually molesting his child. I get weird looks when I say that, but a few people I know get the same impression from that song. Did Henley do a storytellers and reveal? or what are your opinions?

 

[Zen Butler]

Tom Waits- A Soldier's Things

 

[John Kotches]

Sean:

It's about the Reagan administration and the end of a relationship.



Cheers,

 

[Mark Murphy]

For the hip hop fans out there, Slick Rick's first album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick is great example of storytelling.

 

[GlennH]

Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg.

 

[AaronMg]

Im surprised nobody has mentioned Bob Dylan's 'The Hurricane'

 

[Nathan Stohler]

And speaking of Dylan, how about "Brownsville Girl"? I love that song...

 

[Judy Y]

Don't forget Warren Zevon.......... he seemed to tell the saddest stories of all in his songs, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, Carmelita etc. etc.

John Hiatt- my personal favorite, the perfectly crafted Tennessee Plates

Steve Earle- Copperhead Road

Neil Young's Greendale

Emmylou Harris' Red Dirt Girl

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

Check out John Hiatt, Bruce Cockburn, and T-Bone Burnett.

 

[Dave S.G.]

John Prine - Live (1988) - Acoustic renderings of hits and misses, often interspersed with stories about the songs themselves or related subjects. The songs themselves, such as "Donald & Lydia", "Sam Stone", "Six o'Clock News" are almost all story-based.

Bill Morrissey - Night Train - He sings with gravelly but empathetic voice. Most of these songs are story-based and about relationships or character portraits. The song "Birches" itself is one of the best story-songs I know, dramatizing the state of a marriage without ever being overt. And the last two stanzas are magical, visualizing the sacrifices people make to remain in a longterm relationship.

Josh Ritter - Hello Starling - Only a few of these songs are really stories, but what stories they are: "Wings" and
Bone of Song". Go back to his previous record, Golden Age of Radio and there are more narrative songs; they aren't as deep, but they are rollicking fun (particularly "Me & Jiggs", "Lawrence, KS", and "Golden Age of Radio"

A sampling of narratively-based Dylan - "Bob Dylan's Dream", "Boots of Spanish Leather", "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll", "Tangled Up in Blue", "Simple Twist of Fate", "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts", "Isis", "Senor", "Dignity", "Highlands", "Mississippi"

 

[Marvin]

"American Pie" by Don McLean.

 

[North]

Wow. Fantastic. Now I have lots of new songs to enjoy from many genres. Thanks for sharing!

I'll add another album that I discovered and really like.

--David Gray's White Ladder--

"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye", & "Nightblindness" are two cuts that have a storytelling vibe to them but the whole album is great.

 

[MikeH1]

Rachel by Julie Miller, from the 2001 disc Buddy and Julie Miller.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I was just thinking that a lot of The Smiths songs tell little stories.