Thursday, May 13: Femme Fatale
SING ME A STORY
by Deborah Elliott-Upton
With the exception of math story problems, I love almost any kind of story. I’m not a snob to genre, although I do prefer mysteries. In listening to my personal music collection, I thought about how I am drawn to songs that tell a story. I can hear the cynics now saying all songs tell a story. Maybe, but the ones that could make it into a movie script seem to be my favorites. Many songs seem to me to be like flash fiction put to music.
“The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” was written for Cher, but Sonny Bono turned it down saying it wasn’t right for her. The songwriter was married at the time to Vicki Lawrence and decided she could sing it just as well. I think she did a fine job, but when Reba McEntire did the video remake, the story within the song jumped to another level. Reba made a believer out of me. Little sister don’t miss when she aims a gun.
In Bobby Gentry’s “Ode to Billy Joe,” we see, feel, and hear the setting come alive. It’s the 3rd of June in a hot and sweaty part of the country. People are working hard in the fields and stop for lunch and hear the town gossip obviously shared by the visiting pastor who will be dropping by on Sunday for dinner.
Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got A Gun,” the story has all the impact of a hard-hitting, no-bars-holding -Charles Bronson’s “Death Wish” fighting-back type of story. Not easy to hear, the story has to be told. If this were a novel instead of a song, it’d leave the same sour taste in the mouth, one we couldn’t easily forget.
Feel free to pull up a chair and relax for a few minutes with me. There are some stories I want to listen to again.
I love all those songs!! Don’t forget ‘The Night Chicago Died‘….that’s a fun one, too!!
Here’s another great story song, written by Townes Van Zandt. There’s a mystery of sorts in it.
Pancho and Lefty
Rob, you are my new hero….I love Townes Van Zandt, his buddy Guy Clark, and all those other era songwriter/singers….Kris Kristofferson…Willie…JDG….to name a few.
I love this article. I actually listen to certain songs to inspire me while writing. Even Ravel’s Bolero…I had it going loudly while writing a scene.
I’m glad someone else writes stories in their head while listening to story/songs.
Thank you!
Music stirs my creativity and I know it does many others. I am not sure why but Billie Jean just danced through my mind. I think my Muse has been trapped lately by too many deadlines and wants to play.
I have some listening to do here, but within the past few days, I leaned Bobby Gentry originally wrote additional verses, but that the publishing house chopped more than half of them out, saying American radio didn’t like long songs. Not having heard the additional verses, I don’t know how they affected the song, but it’s wonderfully mysterious.
Fantastic article. It’s amazing how many dimensions there in songs.
There is no better story song than Robert Earl Keen’s, The Road Goes On Forever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWzIikLDmyw&feature=PlayList&p=87BE84F6E958A24D&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=11
Deborah, you captured the perfect article, one that Lissa and Travis and others augmented. Nicely done, everybody!
Reminded me of (humming) Frankie and Johnny were lovers…
As a native of Mississippi, I was familiar with the landmarks mentioned in Bobbie Gentry’s song, like the Tallahatchie Bridge, Tupelo, Carroll County, etc.–and I certainly knew the feel of a “sleepy, dusty Delta day.” Too bad the movie they made from the song was such a poor effort.
Unoftunately, John, great books don’t always transfer to great movies, either. But when they do — wow, we are doubly blessed. (Add in a great songtrack and I’m really happy!) Thanks everyone for your comments and additions to our mental song tour. Thinking of all the great songs in THE BIG CHILL and humming, ah, but which tune? LOL, we’ll leave that for the reader to decide.