Do u remember the days when they wrote these songs that had stories in them... like:

"Billy Don't Be A Hero"
"The Night Chicago Died"
"American Pie"
"Cats In The Cradle"
"Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro
"Copacabana" by Barry Manilow
"El Paso" by Marty Robbins
"Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast" by Wayne Newton
"Raspberry Beret" by Prince
"Hollywood Swingin' by Kool & The Gang
"Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry
"I Wish" by Stevie Wonder


What's a song with a story u've ever heard? Do u remember the artist that sang/wrote it? I don't remember all the artists of the songs up there...help me out!

I find most of the songs 2day that have a story about them r usually country songs... and I still dig an occasional story.

What about the funk? A couple I can think of was "Hollywood Swingin'" by Kool & The Gang and "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry, they were funky and had a story 2 it...have the funksters lost that special touch?

Now, a lot of these songs were pretty corny... but some of them were cool, and made you think, (or cry).

Fill me in on the ones u remember...

there are still tons of bands that do stories as a basis for a song or record...although most of these are metal bands but im sure there are some pop?funk outfits that do that shit alot...

There are still artists out there that tell stories in their music. Sometimes you gotta listen a little harder to hear them but they are there.

Yeah, but can u name any?


Oh yeah, what about Chicago's "Saturday In The Park"... when I hear that, I can actually picture what's goin' on... a bright sunny day ...a man selling ice-cream, singin' italian songs..."

Almost all of Bob Dylans songs have stories. Don't ask me to name them because there are just far too many. I suggest everyone buy a Bob cd and listen to the wonderful stories he has told over his almost 40 year career. To start, I suggest "blood on the tracks" or "blond on blond".

1)"Billie Jean"Michael Jackson,2)HeartBreak Hotel" The Jacksons.3)"Whitey on the Moon" Gil Scott Heron,4)"How Much I Feel" Ambrosia,5)"Fanny Be tender with my heart" Bee Gees,6)"Reasons" Earth,Wind&Fire,7)"Ghetto Life" Rick James,8)"Me&Mrs.Jones" Billy Paul,9)"SuperStar"The Carpenters,10)"Go your own Way"Fleetwood Mac,"11)"DOn't let our love start slipping away" Vince Gill",12)"The Message" Grandmaster Flash&The Furious Five,13)"When Doves Cry"Prince,14)"Suspicious Minds" Elvis Presley,15)"Eleanor Rigby" THe Beatles,16)"Luck be a Lady" Frank Sinatra,17)"If you think you are lonely now,wait until tonight" Bobby Womack,18)"Careless Whisper" Wham,19)"You Belong to me" Calrey Simon&The Doobies Brothers.20)"Glamour Profession" Steely Dan.

June7 said:

I love that song!

Papa Don't Preach, Maddonna

OMG! (This one deserves a post all by itself!) How could I forget Stevie Wonder's Living for the City?

UptownDeb said:

Great Pick&with Stevie you can do a whole page On Him&Story-telling just as you can with Donny Hathaway,Curtis Mayfield,Sly Stone,Marvin Gaye,etc.. Cats that really were about saying something beyond the usual Faire.

mistermaxxx said:

Great response mistermaxxx, I can't believe I left out "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson!!! What a great and well written story... for forty days and for forty nights, the law was on her side, but who can stand when she's in demand, her schemes and plans..." Oh, and what about "Smooth Criminal" - there's a movie of the week in that song somewhere!!

Also, ur choices, "Me & Mrs. Jones", "Eleanor Rigby", "How Much I Feel", and "Ghetto Life" r right on the money!

However, some of ur other choices are more love songs or just blanket statements... not quite stories per se.

UptownDeb said:

Great pick!!! This song brings images 2 my mind that only a writer like Stevie can!



OMG! Great choice! This song was actually made in2 a movie starring Robbie Benson as Billy Joe. That acoustic guitar and the strings... mmm, mmm, mmm.

DigitalLisa said

Great song about about a teen with child...she has a knack 4 writing things that u can visualize.

I just thought of another great "storyteller"... Dolly Pardon's...

"Coat Of Many Colors" - a true story of her mom sewing patches 2gether 2 make a coat 4 her, cuz they were 2 poor 2 buy a new one...

"Jolene" - story of a woman pleading 2 this woman not 2 take her man away from her.

"Me n' Little Andy" - a tearjerker about a lost little boy with his little dog "Andy".

and we all know she wrote "I Will Always Love You", not so much a story, but definately a great song.

Or how 'bout Janis Joplin's rendition of Kris Kristofferson's "Me & Bobbie McGee"? That was a great story ...Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headed for the train, feelin' nearly faded as my jeans, Bobbie flagged a Diesel down, just before it rained, took us all the way to New Orleans...

Springsteen has a lot of stories in songs throughout his career.

"Jolene" by Dolly kicks much , btw. I heard Paula Cole cover that live on the radio too.

"The Hurricane" by Dylan is one of the best story songs I have heard

"paul revere" by the beastie boys.

Everything Jim Croche wrote/sings

"Happy Birthday" Stevie Wonder,"Hey Joe" Jimi Hendrix',"Shit,Damn,MotherFucker" D'angelo,"Fight The Power" Isley Brothers&Public Enemy,

Pretty much anything Bowie did from 1969-1974:

Some classics are Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold the World, Life on Mars?, Ziggy Stardust, Starman, Rock 'n Roll Suicide, Aladdin Sane, The Jean Genie, Rebel Rebel, etc.

Moonbeam said:

Yup. Bowie is the master of the narrative. Good call.

TRON said:

And the coolest thing is that the entire albums carry a cohesive narration. The albums are almost like fables that way, or legends. That's why they're so classic. The characters are timeless.

Moonbeam said:

Yeah. He really knows how to extend an idea. I like it too. He said that there are essentially 3 types of writing:
narrative - storytelling
situational - where you put yourself into a certain environment or mindset to see what it brings out of you. In other words, experimentation
scenario - conceptual and character writing

And countless combinations and proportions of the 3.

Billy Joel's "Piano Man", "Big Shot", "Allentown", "Good Night Saigon" and not at all last, or least, "Keepin' The Faith".

This man can write.

June7 said:

I love me some Billy Joel... heard he was in a car accident lately. I hope he's allright. And I hope he moves his ass out to the bay area for a concert eventually

"One Tin Soldier" by ?

'cause on the bloody mornin' after...one tin soldier rides away...

J O N I M I T C H E L L

A great storyteller...my favorite...the BLUE album

"...my old man..is a singer in the park..."

How can u forget Billie Jean - Micheal Jackson

The Pharcyde-Otha fish

"you theres otha fish in the sea...in the sea that is.."

"She's leaving home" The Beatles
"Playboy mommy" Tori Amos
"Janie's got a gun" Aerosmith
"I think it was december" Wendy & Lisa
"Marrow" Ani DiFranco

"The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence
"Hotel California" by the Eagles

John Mellencamp--"Jack & Diane"
TLC--"Waterfalls"