Songs that tell a tale

Ode To Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry

 

Sam Stone - John Prine

 

Canadian Railroad Trilogy - Gordon Lightfoot

 

Story songs, otherwise known as ballads (a term often misused to describe any slow song) is a genre with many great examples. Sam Stone (and indeed about half of John Prine's first album) goes near the top of the list, as does this:

 

Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal
W.O.L.D. - Harry Chapin

 

Tom Petty, "Into the Great Wide Open."

 

This somewhat underrated gem:

 

When Colin Meloy was still in the bamd Tarkio, he wrote a song called My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist apparently to amuse his girlfriend at the time.
This song pretty much set the tone for The Decemberists storytelling ways.

Both the Decemberists amd Tarkio versions are on Youtube

 

Stellar track. I'm mesmerized by every word in this song...

 

And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda

 

Cher's "Half-Breed", "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves", "Dark Lady" , "War Paint and Soft Feathers" and "Send the Man Over". For a while there she really seemed to specialize in what a commentator once referred to as "whore operas".

 

Al Stewart, "Roads to Moscow"

 

Elton John "Candle in the Wind"

 

Stagger Lee

 

Richard Marx's "Hazard". Did he do it? Marx never revealed the answer. He used to talk about doing a sequel, but never did (a smart idea).
Also, Heart's "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" (penned by Robert John 'Mutt' Lange).

 

Slaid Cleaves' "Breakfast In Hell." A great voice and a very well-crafted song.

 

Timothy by The Buoys tells a story that may or not be about a donkey.