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Topic: Good Story Songs |
Walter Stettner
From:
Vienna, Austria
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 5:56 am |
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I can't help it, I really love songs that tell a story, something you can listen to all the way through. I really go for those gifted writers who can write down a story that keeps you spellbound and set it to music. This is not the kind of music you might want to use as background while working or at a party, you have to concentrate and listen...
This just came to my mind while listening to one of my favorite story songs, "Sutter's Mill" (by Dan Fogelberg).
Here is a little (incomplete) list of some of my favorites, some sad, some funny, some deal with history (just as they come to my mind right now):
1) "Sutter's Mill" (Dan Fogelberg)
2) "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine" (Tom T. Hall)
3) "Mr. Shorty" (Marty Robbins)
4) "40 Acres Of Hell" (Johnny Russell)
5) "The Coming And The Going Of The Trains" (Merle Haggard)
6) "Alabama Wild Man" (Jerry Reed)
7) "The Homecoming" (Tom T. Hall)
 "A Week In A County Jail" (Tom T. Hall)
9) "The Pass" (Johnny Bond)
10) "Wolves" (Stephanie Davis)
How about your favorites?
Kind Regards, Walter
www.lloydgreentribute.com
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf
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David Rothon
From:
London, England
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 6:16 am
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Surfin' Bird  |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 7:09 am
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Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother.
and my Jedd Clampet inspired supplimental verse
M is for the Mudflaps on my rolls Royce
O is fior the oli that came up in my back yard
T is for T-bird but only the 1st 3 years
H is still for Haggerd, Merles in the back drivin' T-bird # 3 through all my chickens
E is for eggs, from my 2 milolion chickens I bought with that oil
But no matter how rich I get
nor how many chickens I got
or pickin friends with my chickens.
R still just stands foooooor
RED NECK!
.. and it's Up....[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 02 December 2004 at 07:10 AM.] |
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Steve Hitsman
From:
Waterloo, IL
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 8:04 am
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| "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 9:05 am
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Tupelo Mississipi Flash
the ballad of Ira Hays
Never make your move too soon
Big rock candy mountain
Girls from texas
Golly gee, there are so many... 
[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 02 December 2004 at 04:59 PM.] |
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Billy Henderson
From:
Portland, AR, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 9:35 am
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| My favorite story song is about a family going to church at the lst Baptist church in Horn Lake MS. The name of the song is "daddy let the big one" Anyone heard it? |
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 9:51 am
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Most any song written by Guy Clark. The same goes for Townes Van Zandt and Billy Joe Shaver.
Keep on pickin'!
Glenn |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 9:58 am
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| Hands-down winner in my mind is "El Paso" by Marty Robbins. Love, beautiful senoritas, alcohol, guns, despair and death, "Spanish" guitar licks, what's not to like? |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 10:14 am
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| Dinah-Moe Hum |
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 10:24 am
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Earnest, Is that a real poncho or a Sears poncho?!? 
Keep on pickin'!
Glenn |
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John Poston
From:
Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 10:30 am
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| Red Sovine was one of the best for this - if you like the style (which I do). |
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Eric West
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 4:49 pm
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When the Work's all done this fall.
Little Joe the Wrangler.
El Paso.
Still a hundred miles to Mary Ann.
Big Iron.
Then there's Hank Snow reads Robert Service, the Shooting of Dan MCGrew, and The Cremation of Sam McGee.
Biff the Purple Bear, by Dick Fellers.
Many many. I thank my father for introducine me to most of them. Especially Rob't Service. We used to set them to music.
EJL
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Jim Peters
From:
St. Louis, Missouri, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 6:18 pm
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| Panama Red. JP [This message was edited by Jim Peters on 02 December 2004 at 06:18 PM.] |
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George Rozak
From:
Braidwood, Illinois USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 7:58 pm
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Tons of them were written & recorded by the likes of Red Sovine, Tom T Hall, & Hank as "Luke The Drifter." My all-time favorite though is "Old Tige" recorded by Jim Reeves.
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Sho-Bud: Professional & Fingertip
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 7:58 pm
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| Lefty Frezell's SAGINAW MICHIGAN |
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Dave Boothroyd
From:
Staffordshire Moorlands
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 11:29 pm
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Definitely not country, but a great story and a 1,6,4,5 chord structure. Try Phil Ochs' arrangement of an old Victorian era poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes.
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Cheers!
Dave
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Chris Lasher
From:
Blacksburg, VA
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 5:02 am
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"Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean...
NO, just kidding! Ha.
Well, Jimmy Buffett has penned some good story songs, IMO. You can't find a crowd down hear that won't go bonkers if you play "Margarittaville", so I think that's a winner. I like "Havana Daydreamin'" a lot. His rendition of "God's Own Drunk" off his live album is great but totally unsuitable for kids--then again, all his stuff is unsuitable for kids. My personal favorite story song of his would have to be "He Went to Paris". It's just tremendously touching.
quote:
"Through eight-six years of perpetual motion,
If he likes you, he'll smile, and he'll say,
'Jimmy, some of it's magic, some of it's tragic,
But I had a good life all the way'"
There's that whole guitar-guy finally makes it story that's been covered in "Tupelo Missisippi Flash" by Jerry Reed, "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry and "Walk of Life" by the Dire Straits. Always enjoy that theme.
How about Simon & Garfunkel? "For Emily (Whenever I May Find Her)" is a very pretty, brief story told in first person. Certainly "The Boxer" has proven to be one of the most popular lyrical stories.
Somebody's bound to mention "Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)" by Merle Haggard, so it may as well be me.
Instrumental story songs? Leo Kottke has a bunch of really good ones. I like Béla Fleck & the Flecktones' "Bigfoot", too. |
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Gary Meyer
From:
Sacramento, California, USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 6:37 am
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I second the Red Sovine nomination.
Also,when I was a youngster,someone played a record for me,it was a song about a serviceman who had come home to see his folks and his dog's ghost showed him the way to get across the dangerous trail,saved his life. I wish I knew who the artist was or what the name of the tune is.
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 6:44 am
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.....and of course there is the two hankie-soaker of all time, "The Tie That Binds" by Jim Reeves....about a divorcing couple dividing up their dead baby's things.
After 30 or 40 years that song still brings tears every time I replay it.
www.genejones.com |
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Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 6:52 am
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"Me and the Wildwood Rose" (Carlene Carter)
"Saginaw, Michigan" (Lefty Frizzell)
"Evangelina" (Hoyt Axton)
"No man's land" (Tanya Tucker)
"El Paso" (Marty Robbins)
"North to Alaska" (Johnny Horton)
"Old dogs, children and watermelon wine" (Tom T Hall)
"Railroad lady" (Merle Haggard)
"Guthrie" (Hank Thompson"
"Harper Valley PTA" (Jeannie C Riley
"One piece at a time" (Johnny Cash)
"The last cheater's waltz" (Johnny Duncan)
[This message was edited by Per Berner on 03 December 2004 at 07:00 AM.] |
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Andy Greatrix
From:
Edmonton Alberta
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 9:15 am
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Carrol County Accident
The cold hard facts of life
The snakes crawl at night
The banks of the Old Ponchetrain (sp?) |
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George Rozak
From:
Braidwood, Illinois USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 10:37 am
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| Quote: |
| Also,when I was a youngster,someone played a record for me,it was a song about a serviceman who had come home to see his folks and his dog's ghost showed him the way to get across the dangerous trail,saved his life. I wish I knew who the artist was or what the name of the tune is. |
Gary...
See my post above. The song you're referring to is "Old Tige" recorded by Jim Reeves.
George
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Sho-Bud: Professional & Fingertip
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Mark Ardito
From:
Chicago, IL, USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 10:43 am
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In Chicago around Halloween weekend, the public radio station plays a Red Sovine tribute and does all of his "creepy" stories. I have caught this show for the past 3 years. It is always a riot to listen to. Me and the Mrs. sure do like Red Sovine.
Red Sovine had a ton of good "story" tunes, but I think Bob Dylan would be my favorite...
Bob Dylan - Bob Dylans 49th Dream
Bob Dylan - Hwy 61 Revisited
My 2 favorites!
Cheers!
Mark
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Sho~Bud Pro I, Fender D-8 (C6&E13) http://www.darkmagneto.com
http://www.arditotech.com
[This message was edited by Mark Ardito on 03 December 2004 at 10:44 AM.] |
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Barbara Hennerman
From:
** R.I.P. **
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 1:56 pm
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| * [This message was edited by Barbara Hennerman on 21 August 2006 at 01:40 AM.] |
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Frank Parish
From:
Nashville,Tn. USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 2:11 pm
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The Mississippi Squirrel
The Streak
The Christmas Guest (Grandpa Jones)
Alices Restaurant |
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