Story Song Suggestions?

32yg

Can anyone suggest some good story songs (ie. Hurricane - Bob Dylan, Fast Car - Tracy Chapman). I like listening to songs that tell a story:)
Genre doesnt matter

aoshea83

I bought this album a few years ago and I think it's very good, should tick all your boxes

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-Songs-Various-Artists/dp/B001C4Z6Q6/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1311464380&sr=1-1

It's not got track listings there and i've searched everywhere, but take it from me you'll like it

Scuid Mhór

i like the flaming lips' yoshimi battles the pink robots album but really only the first four songs are part of a story if you could even call it that.

aoshea83

Or if you want epic you can't beat pink floyd's the wall album, or even better watch it (the only saving grace for bob geldof imho)

padraig_f

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rleFAS_B04

Malice

Fear Factory's album Obsolete extends a storyline of man v machine and does it very effectively.

Rubik.

Taxi - Harry Chapin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YWGTMC3u5o

lordgoat

The Band - The Night they drove old dixie down

delbertgrady

Here's the tracklisting from that Story Songs CD mentioned above.
I wouldn't necessarily agree with all of them, and some of them are more deserving of the "story" tag than others, but it is a decent compilation and is certainly worthy of attention for being so eclectic, if nothing else.

Personally, I can't f***ing STAND anything by Dr. Hook and I think I agree with the late, great John Peel, whose most hated song was apparently Where Do You Go To My Lovely?

Having said that, there is much to enjoy here - Ode to Billie Joe by Bobbie Gentry is one of the great story songs, not least because nobody is quite sure what actually happened.
1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson is also superb.

Also, not included here - check out Excerpt from a Teenage Opera by Keith West.

Disc 1

Rocket Man I Think It's Gonna Be A Long Long Time - Elton John
Father And Son - Cat Stevens
America - Simon & Garfunkel
Space Oddity - David Bowie
Cats In The Cradle - Harry Chapin
Vincent - Don McLean
In The Ghetto - Elvis Presley
Midnight Train To Georgia (1973 Recording) - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Baker Street (Edit) - Gerry Rafferty
You're So Vain - Carly Simon
Maggie May - Rod Stewart
Eleanor Rigby (Live) - Paul McCartney
Sloop John B - The Beach Boys
Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) - Peter Sarstedt
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
The House Of The Rising Sun - The Animals
The Weight - The Band
Hurricane - Bob Dylan

Disc 2

Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold
Werewolves Of London - Warren Zevon
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
You're Moving Out Today - Carole Bayer Sager
Moonlighting - Leo Sayer
I'm Mandy Fly Me - 10cc
Lady Eleanor - Lindisfarne
Pinball - Brian Protheroe
Home Thoughts From Abroad - Clifford T Ward
Summer (The First Time) - Bobby Goldsboro
Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
Emma - Hot Chocolate
Angie Baby - Helen Reddy
Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C Riley
Ode To Billie Joe - Bobbie Gentry
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
At Seventeen - Janis Ian
Amoureuse (2008 Digital Remaster) - Kiki Dee
Sandy (4th July, Asbury Park) - The Hollies
Rock 'N' Roll I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life - Kevin Johnson

Disc 3

American Pie - Don McLean
Year Of The Cat (Edit) - Al Stewart
Hazard (Edit) - Richard Marx
Nothing Has Been Proved - Dusty Springfield
Days - Kirsty MacColl
1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson
Labelled With Love - Squeeze
Babooshka - Kate Bush
The Millionaire - Dr. Hook
We're Gonna Change The World - Matt Monro
The Days Of Pearly Spencer - David McWilliams
Camouflage - Stan Ridgway
Don't You Want Me (Original Version) - The Human League
Common People (Album Version) - Pulp
The Ballad Of Tom Jones - Space With Cerys From Catatonia
Smile (Radio Edit) - Lily Allen
Hey There Delilah (Abbey Road Version) - Plain White T's

Bus77II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fYjrPdr5rk

4Sheets

Cant beat the Decemberists for story songs..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sw61oITuts

cazwhatever

pearl jam - Jeremy

32yg

thanks all some interesting songs here:)

mackg

Nebraska by Springsteen has some crackers.

Also Spirit in the night.

Dtoffee

Anything by John Prine / John Hiatt / Slaid Cleeves / Nick Lowe / Jackie Greene

Lloyd Coles last album was great .... I loved the line 'wasn't looking for trouble, its just my lazy eye'

The Swordsman

mackg wrote: »

Nebraska by Springsteen has some crackers.

Also Spirit in the night.

Add 'Lost in the Flood', 'Incident on 57th Street', 'Rosalita', 'Meeting Across the River' (a novel in 3 minutes), 'The River','Stolen Car' to that list and you're only scratching the surface. IMO, Springsteen is the greatest story teller in modern music.

Other worthwhile mentions: Warren Zevon (The French Inhaler, Excitable Boy, Werewolves of London etc), Tom Waits

Manchegan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mElryeFD-U

And no-one saw the Carny go
The weeks flew by
Till they moved on the show
Leaving his caravan behind

Irish Guitarist

The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Caroll by Bob Dylan (like Hurricane it's about actual events)

Space Oddity by David Bowie

Atlantis by Donovan

One Piece At A Time by Johnny Cash

kwestfan08

Here's a few of my favourites

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIQz6zZi7R0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TB1x67Do5U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBLZtFK2D7c

DazMarz

"Hazard" by Richard Marx

"Billy Austin" by Steve Earle

"Copperhead Road" by Steve Earle

ANTWON

Sterephonics- Word Get Around, every song tells a great story.

bigwormbundoran

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXCXVWjSbik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt-ZE3OtKH0

Jimmy Iovine

^^^^^^

I just came in to this thread to post a few Slick Rick tunes. The man is a story telling genius.

FortuneChip

Two concept albums I can think of are
The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
&
Hospice by The Antlers

The first telling of a patient that has died and is now looking back at their life (or something to that extent).
The latter is a masterful album, telling the story of a troubled relationship between the singer and an ill partner. Pretty heavy themes though, abortion, death are but a couple, but what an album

strobe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qggxTtnKTMo

Dude...

WinstonOno

del amitri - driving with the brakes on
ben folds five - brick
josh ritter - the temptation of adam
ryan adams - in my time of need
leonard cohen - hotel chelsea (bout getting a blowjob off janis joplin)

Aglomerado

Billy Joel's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.

trad

Musgrave Christy Moore / Planxty

Streets of New York Liam Reilly / Bagatelle

N17 Saw Doctors

Kilkelly by a guy called Peter Jones

InTheTrees

Lisa Hannnigan - Lille

Johro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q659IaXrS3Y

'...don't you walk thru my world.. you got to show some respect...'

Rigsby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UodaOuoMHXs