best songs that tell a story?

so is 'Don't Call Me Dude' number one or what?

 

Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres by Rush

 

'Don't Eat the Yellow Snow' and 'Nanook Rubs It' by Zappa. I know the story goes beyond those two songs but it's really shit from that point. Those two songs are ON POINT though.

If we are talking about a story all encompassed in one song though it has to be Oran Juice Jones. Don't get on his bad side, num sen?

 

Whilst it's not my thing, surely the answer has to lie in a rap song or something? I'll leave it to one of the hip hop heads to get back to you on this one.

 

Bob Dylan has a bunch

 

fuck is wrong with the guy's voice???

 

Its not from tossingham, wankfordshire?

 

Rap and Country would be the best genres for storytelling. I don't hear many stories in new rap though.

I like Steely Dan and Jimmy Buffett for storytelling. Though they have different styles both will drop a name into the first verse and then go from there. Steely Dan's stories are more open for interpretation. Buffet's are clever but straight forward.

 

El Paso
Ghost Riders
Camoflauge
Coward of the County
Decomposing Composers

 

velvet underground 'the gift'

 

I don’t have a one favorite storytelling rap song, but I would say Ice Cube was my favorite rapper when it came to storytelling. He had a pretty good variety; funny ones like “You Can’t Fade Me”, dark ones like “Ghetto Vet”, others like “Once Upon a Time in the Projects” or “It Was a Good Day”

 

Rap can tell a story but there ain’t nothing like a piece o’ Country - ‘cept mibbees the Indy 500.

 

One of my favorite rap stories is "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)" by Boogie Down Productions. It tells the story of how easily it is for someone who is impoverished to get sucked into a life of crime.

 

Baker Street
My Eyes Adored You
Don't You Want Me
Copacabana

 

Harry Chapin - Sniper

Mustard's a fuckin' psycho, so he should love it.

 

Blink -182 got all deep & emotional with this one.

 

Stories contain a plot a protagonist an antagonist and a conclusion.

 

The ultimate story song IMO:

 

For the above video:

Plot - The Wreck
Protagonist - Ship's crew
Antagonist - The big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Conclusion - Church bell ringing 29 times

 

Not one mention of I Gave You Power.

 

What's Beef, Niggas Bleed, Somebody's Gotta Die, Me and My Bitch and others from Big are great as well.

 

"The Battle of Epping Forest" by Genesis was inspired by an article in The Evening Standard about a huge fight between two London street gangs that took place in Epping Forest.

Peter Gabriel tried to get ahold of some of the participants, even putting an ad in the paper seeking contact with them. After coming up with nothing he ended up writing a fictional story based on the real fight.

Pretty much all of Genesis's songs with Gabriel were stories. That was his writing style.

 

"Touching The Untouchables" by Men At Work

The story told first hand from an old homeless man. He mentions his advanced age and short time left but you get the feeling he's probably only 50 or so. But lived a hard life.

 

Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll

Isis

Ballad of Hollis Brown

Seven Curses

Lily, Rosemary and The Jack of Hearts

All by Dylan

 

"Where DO You Go To" by Peter Sarstedt

 

"Chuck E's In Love" -Rickie Lee Jones

A 70's hit with a plot twist. Guy & girl have been best friends for a while. Guy starts acting strange then stops showing up to hang out with girl. Girl (narrator) figures he's probably in love with someone. After looking for him all over town she finally finds him. And then tries to spot the girl he's in love with. About that time it hits her that he's actually in love with her.