cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board  

Go Back   cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board > non-Sports > Art/Movies/Media/Music/Books

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-08-2008, 02:16 AM   #21
creekster
Senior Member
 
creekster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: the far corner of my mind
Posts: 8,711
creekster is an unknown quantity at this point
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
Great topic, Creekster. And I like your three choices.

Some songwriters just have a knack for storytelling. One of my personal favorites is Steve Earle. Tends to pick harsher themes, but they are excellent tunes. A few of my favorites:

Billy Austin - Song about a guy on death row. Live version is best.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/B.../lyrics/557366)

Tom Ames Prayer - Story about a gunfighter/desperado looking back on his life and pondering whether there is a god.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/T...lyrics/2000801)

Ben McCulloch - Story of two brothers who fought for Ben McCulloch in the Civil War. I get a kick out of this one because Ben McCulloch is a hero in Austin (and Texas in general), but Steve doesn't paint such a pretty picture.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/B...lyrics/1021436)

Tecumseh Valley - Sad, yet beautiful song about a miner's daughter. This one has been covered by other artists.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/T...lyrics/1021424)

Of course, when just reading the lyrics you don't get the full effect.
Good stuff. I am not that familair with Steve Earle, although i saw him n concert once and he was very good. Thanks for the links; I'll check them out.
__________________
Sorry for th e tpyos.
creekster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 02:16 AM   #22
8ballrollin
Senior Member
 
8ballrollin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: WA
Posts: 1,287
8ballrollin is an unknown quantity at this point
Default

Steely Dan - "Kid Charlemagne"

Why are all the story songs I can name from the '70s or earlier? I can't think of any recent ones that aren't rap or hip hop, not that there is anything with that, but I can't think of anything else current...
__________________
"Five to one...
One in five
No one here gets out alive"
8ballrollin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 02:23 AM   #23
creekster
Senior Member
 
creekster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: the far corner of my mind
Posts: 8,711
creekster is an unknown quantity at this point
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 8ballrollin View Post
Steely Dan - "Kid Charlemagne"

Why are all the story songs I can name from the '70s or earlier? I can't think of any recent ones that aren't rap or hip hop, not that there is anything with that, but I can't think of anything else current...

"Is there gas in the car? Yes there's gas in the car" Steely Dan has many great ones. My Old School, with a great Horn bridge (love the bari part), although it's a stretch to call it a story, Reelin' in the Years.

I also forgot about Tom Waits. Has a song ever had a more poignant opening line than "Small Change got rained on with his own .38"?

Not sure why, but the 70s is full of this sort of thing. Maybe that's why i like them, coming of age in the 70s and all.
__________________
Sorry for th e tpyos.
creekster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 03:38 AM   #24
YOhio
AKA SeattleNewt
 
YOhio's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,055
YOhio is an unknown quantity at this point
Default

Mariners Revenge Song - Decemberists

I Hung My Head - Sting, but I like Johnny Cash's version better

Cocaine Blues - Johnny Cash

Secret Life of Morgan Davis - Ben Folds

Fred Jones pt. 2 - Ben Folds

Jeremy - Pearl Jam

Camouflage - Stan Ridgeway
YOhio is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 03:47 AM   #25
il Padrino Ute
Board Pinhead
 
il Padrino Ute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the basement of my house, Murray, Utah.
Posts: 15,941
il Padrino Ute is an unknown quantity at this point
Default

My favorite story teller would be Stan Ridgway:

Camouflage


The Big Heat


Drive She Said (not the official video, but it's a great story)



I could go on and on an on about Ridway's story telling through song. Pretty much every song is a story.
__________________
"The beauty of baseball is not having to explain it." - Chuck Shriver

"This is now the joke that stupid people laugh at." - Christopher Hitchens on IQ jokes about GWB.
il Padrino Ute is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 03:57 AM   #26
Frank Ryan
Formerly Mastershake
 
Frank Ryan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Utah
Posts: 707
Frank Ryan is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski View Post
Great topic, Creekster. And I like your three choices.

Some songwriters just have a knack for storytelling. One of my personal favorites is Steve Earle. Tends to pick harsher themes, but they are excellent tunes. A few of my favorites:

Billy Austin - Song about a guy on death row. Live version is best.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/B.../lyrics/557366)

Tom Ames Prayer - Story about a gunfighter/desperado looking back on his life and pondering whether there is a god.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/T...lyrics/2000801)

Ben McCulloch - Story of two brothers who fought for Ben McCulloch in the Civil War. I get a kick out of this one because Ben McCulloch is a hero in Austin (and Texas in general), but Steve doesn't paint such a pretty picture.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/B...lyrics/1021436)

Tecumseh Valley - Sad, yet beautiful song about a miner's daughter. This one has been covered by other artists.
(http://music.yahoo.com/Steve-Earle/T...lyrics/1021424)

Of course, when just reading the lyrics you don't get the full effect.
I love Steve Earle

Here are a couple of my favorite story songs:
Fairytale of New York by the Pogues

The Line by Bruce Springsteen

Veronica by the great Irish folk singer Christy Moore
__________________
And maybe if we tell the truth about the past, maybe we tell the truth about the present

-- Ken Loach
Frank Ryan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 04:01 AM   #27
Surfah
Master
 
Surfah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: F'burg, VA
Posts: 3,211
Surfah is an unknown quantity at this point
Send a message via AIM to Surfah Send a message via MSN to Surfah
Default

Stan by Eminem is epic.

The River by Bruce Springstein.

Lots of country songs come to mind:

Garth Brooks has a ton. That Summer. Unanswered Prayers. Thunder Rolls is awesome.

I love Whiskey Lullaby by Alison Kraus and Brad Paisley.

Don't Take the Girl by Tim McGraw.
__________________
Ernie Johnson: "Auburn is a pretty good school. To graduate from there I suppose you really need to work hard and put forth maximum effort."

Charles Barkley: "20 pts and 10 rebounds will get you through also!"
Surfah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 04:02 AM   #28
BarbaraGordon
Senior Member
 
BarbaraGordon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Gotham City
Posts: 7,157
BarbaraGordon is on a distinguished road
Default

Since my questionable taste in music is already the stuff of legend, I'm not afraid to admit that my favorite story song is Same Old Lang Syne by none other than Dan Fogelberg.

My least favorite - by far - is the Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald, followed closely by Brandy, which may not actually qualify as a story song, but is so awful it deserves mention nonetheless.
BarbaraGordon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 04:04 AM   #29
Surfah
Master
 
Surfah's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: F'burg, VA
Posts: 3,211
Surfah is an unknown quantity at this point
Send a message via AIM to Surfah Send a message via MSN to Surfah
Default

I loved Coward of the County as a kid by Kenny Rogers.
__________________
Ernie Johnson: "Auburn is a pretty good school. To graduate from there I suppose you really need to work hard and put forth maximum effort."

Charles Barkley: "20 pts and 10 rebounds will get you through also!"
Surfah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2008, 04:09 AM   #30
BarbaraGordon
Senior Member
 
BarbaraGordon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Gotham City
Posts: 7,157
BarbaraGordon is on a distinguished road
Default

The Gambler is a story song, isn't it?
BarbaraGordon is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:39 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.