Songs that tell a story? :)

Plankton · 06-16-2022, 03:37 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PabG3nJRu3k

Lisnaholic · 06-16-2022, 05:54 PM

^ I have this song, but tbh, I've never listened to it with enough attention to work out what's going on in Dylan's story. If it comes with the Plankton Seal of Approval, I should remedy that soon.

For me, the story on VU's The Gift gets really irritating really quickly, but with this one, the karaoke version, you can listen to a piece of great music without the distraction of the narrative:-

And here's Paul Simon doing, in my view, a much better job of telling a story in a song:-

Trollheart · 06-17-2022, 05:14 AM

Chris de Burgh used to be able to tell a hell of a story in song...

Plankton · 06-17-2022, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

^ I have this song, but tbh, I've never listened to it with enough attention to work out what's going on in Dylan's story. If it comes with the Plankton Seal of Approval, I should remedy that soon.

It reads a bit like a novella with a decent cadence:

Quote:

Tweeter and the Monkey Man were hard up for cash
They stayed up all night selling cocaine and hash
To an undercover cop who had a sister named Jan
For reasons unexplained she loved the Monkey Man
Tweeter was a Boy Scout 'fore she went to Vietnam
And found out the hard way, nobody gives a damn
They knew that they found freedom just across the Jersey line
So they hopped into a stolen car, took Highway 99

And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they're standing
Never saw them when they fell

The undercover cop never liked the Monkey Man
Even back in childhood he wanted to see him in the can
Jan got married at fourteen to a racketeer named Bill
She made secret calls to the Monkey Man from a mansion on the hill
It was out on Thunder Road, Tweeter at the wheel
They crashed into paradise, they could hear them tires squeal
The undercover cop pulled up and said "Everyone of you is a liar
If you don't surrender now it's gonna go down to the wire"

And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they're standing
Never saw them when they fell

An ambulance rolled up, a state-trooper close behind
Tweeter took his gun away and messed up his mind
The undercover cop was left tied up to a tree
Near the souvenir stand, by the old abandoned factory
Next day the undercover cop was hot in pursuit
He was taking the whole thing personal, he didn't care about the loot
Jan had told him many times, "It was you to me who taught
In Jersey anything's legal as long as you don't get caught"

And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they're standing
Never saw them when they fell

Some place by Rahwey Prison they ran out of gas
The undercover cop had cornered them, said
"Boy, you didn't think this could last?"
Jan jumped out of bed, said, "There's someplace I gotta go"
She took the gun out of the drawer, said, "It's best that you don't know."
The undercover cop was found face down in a field
The Monkey Man was on the river bridge, using Tweeter as a shield
Jan said to the Monkey Man, "I'm not fooled by Tweeter's curl
I knew him long before he became a Jersey Girl"

And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they're standing
Never saw them when they fell

Now the town of Jersey City is quieting down again
I'm sitting in a gambling club called the Lion's Den
The TV set was blown up, every bit of it is gone
Ever since the nightly news showed that the Monkey Man was on
I guess I'll go to Florida and get myself some sun
There ain't no more opportunity here, everything's been done
Sometimes I think of Tweeter, sometimes I think of Jan
Sometimes I don't think about nothing but the Monkey Man

And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they're standing
Never saw them when they fell

And the walls came down
All the way to hell
Never saw them when they're standing
Never saw them when they fell

The Wilbury's all played to their strengths in that super group and of course Dylans strength was his story telling.

rubber soul · 06-17-2022, 08:31 AM

I'm going to go into the moldy oldies bin for these two, but Marty Robbins was known as a great storyteller, particularly on songs about the old West.

Then there was the rather tragic Old To Billie Joe, a huge smash for Bobbie Gentry in 1967.

ribbons · 06-17-2022, 09:47 AM

Off the top of my head, The Band's King Harvest (Is Surely Come).

"Last year this time, wasn't no joke -
My whole barn went up in smoke.
Our horse Jethro, well, he went mad
And I can't ever remember things bein' that bad.
Then here come a man with a paper and pen
Tellin' us our hard times are about to end
And then, if they don't give us what we like
He said, 'Men, that's when you gotta go on strike!'

Corn in the fields,
Listen to the rice when the wind blows 'cross the water -
King Harvest has surely come."

I also love this performance, in Sammy Davis Jr.'s pool house of all places.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKD1Vdarnw

Karice · 06-18-2022, 05:53 AM

Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie is a song that tells a story.

In fact, this song is one of the only songs in History that was the cause for a movie.

Barbara Eden played the Mother who the song is about. Fun fact. Barbara played a character called Jeannie in I Dream Of Jeannie (Genie) and a woman named Jeannie sang Harper Valley PTA.

Lisnaholic · 06-18-2022, 08:40 AM

Welcome to MB, Karice!

Yeah, I remember Harper Valley PTA: a great song, as is the classic from the same era that rubbersoul mentions: Ode To Billy Joe. Oddly enough I think that song was also turned into a movie, so they both share what you rightly say is a rare distinction. (That is, if we are not counting concept-albums-to-movies like The Wall and Tommy).

Thanks for posting the Tweeter And The Monkey Man lyrics, Plankton. You made it super-easy for me to actually follow the song, which was full of surprises. No wonder I never figured it out from listening while driving. It's clearly an underrated gem from Bob, and I loved this classic Dylan, unnecessary detail that he squeezed into the narrative:-

Quote:

The undercover cop was left tied up to a tree
Near the souvenir stand, by the old abandoned factory

On the topic of nice details, here's a song in which the details all but overwhelm the narrative, such as it is:-

Spoiler for Lyrics:

Another great story song not yet mentioned: Hotel California by The Eagles.

And where is Ayn Marx ?!

You should be telling us about Peter and The Wolf, not leaving it up to me to enthuse about this unique combination of spoken word and music. I enjoyed it as a child, then re-enjoyed it all over again when I introduced it to my son. With the help of toy figures and ham acting we used to act out bits of the story - never with an audience, but just for the fun we had together.

rubber soul · 06-18-2022, 08:52 AM

Yes, Lisna, Ode to Billie Joe was made into a movie. Robby Benson played the ill-fated Billy Joe McAllister in the 1976 film (probably one his earliest films as I think he got bigger a little later). Can't say I actually saw the movie, though, but I do remember the trailer.

ribbons · 06-19-2022, 12:46 AM

Robby Benson. Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Never saw Ode To Billie Joe (great song though) but I remember seeing him in Ice Castles.

This one tells a story too, I think. Van Morrison's Madame George.

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

06-16-2022, 03:37 PM	#21 (permalink)
Plankton Just Keep Swimming... Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: See signature... Posts: 7,766	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PabG3nJRu3k __________________ See location...

06-16-2022, 05:54 PM	#22 (permalink)
Lisnaholic ...here to hear... Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: He lives on Love Street Posts: 4,444	^ I have this song, but tbh, I've never listened to it with enough attention to work out what's going on in Dylan's story. If it comes with the Plankton Seal of Approval, I should remedy that soon. For me, the story on VU's The Gift gets really irritating really quickly, but with this one, the karaoke version, you can listen to a piece of great music without the distraction of the narrative:- And here's Paul Simon doing, in my view, a much better job of telling a story in a song:- __________________ "Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

06-17-2022, 05:14 AM	#23 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Chris de Burgh used to be able to tell a hell of a story in song... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-17-2022, 09:47 AM	#26 (permalink)
ribbons Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,265	Off the top of my head, The Band's King Harvest (Is Surely Come). "Last year this time, wasn't no joke - My whole barn went up in smoke. Our horse Jethro, well, he went mad And I can't ever remember things bein' that bad. Then here come a man with a paper and pen Tellin' us our hard times are about to end And then, if they don't give us what we like He said, 'Men, that's when you gotta go on strike!' Corn in the fields, Listen to the rice when the wind blows 'cross the water - King Harvest has surely come." I also love this performance, in Sammy Davis Jr.'s pool house of all places. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaKD1Vdarnw

06-18-2022, 05:53 AM	#27 (permalink)
Karice Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2022 Posts: 438	Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie is a song that tells a story. In fact, this song is one of the only songs in History that was the cause for a movie. Barbara Eden played the Mother who the song is about. Fun fact. Barbara played a character called Jeannie in I Dream Of Jeannie (Genie) and a woman named Jeannie sang Harper Valley PTA.

06-19-2022, 12:46 AM	#30 (permalink)
ribbons Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,265	Robby Benson. Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Never saw Ode To Billie Joe (great song though) but I remember seeing him in Ice Castles. This one tells a story too, I think. Van Morrison's Madame George. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pbhVVFTuow