The Pop Song as a short story.

[Cas Greenfield]

The most skilful pop songs throughout the decades give the listener more than just a clever chord sequence and a rhyming couplet or two. Lyrics can give us fully fleshed out stories in mere moments. The Lennon and McCartney song 'Eleanor Rigby' tells us so much. 'Ode To Billie Joe' from writer Bobbie Gentry confounds explanation even today. Price with 'Raspberry Beret', Joni's 'Carey', Adele's 'Hello'...


Would love to read your about thoughts and favourite pop song short stories.

-- 14 Dec 2016, 08:51 --

I was at a concert last evening where the singer sang Jimmy Webb's 'Galveston'. A classic example of how to convey so much information and story in the fewest possible words.

...she was 21 when I left Galveston...

[R-Myra]

The most skilful pop songs throughout the decades give the listener more than just a clever chord sequence and a rhyming couplet or two. Lyrics can give us fully fleshed out stories in mere moments. The Lennon and McCartney song 'Eleanor Rigby' tells us so much. 'Ode To Billie Joe' from writer Bobbie Gentry confounds explanation even today. Price with 'Raspberry Beret', Joni's 'Carey', Adele's 'Hello'...


Would love to read your about thoughts and favourite pop song short stories.

-- 14 Dec 2016, 08:51 --

I was at a concert last evening where the singer sang Jimmy Webb's 'Galveston'. A classic example of how to convey so much information and story in the fewest possible words.

...she was 21 when I left Galveston...

I would agree with you on Hello by Adele. I was going to post this question but came across your post and I felt the urge to reply to this one.

[Classicsoldier]

The fact that music conveys short stories in a highly powerful form to the human mind is a living fact.
It drives its listener to near the heavens.
Not only that, plainly, the story appears in pictures in the eyes of the mind.

[imSunshine]

I am glad that music is invented by people because it makes people happy in every way depends on their mood

[Jennashby_87]

This is by no means my favourite pop song with a short story but when I read the title the song Lucky by Britney Spears popped into my head hahah but I do love Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran.

[Art West]

Mr. Tanner by Harry Chapin told a great story about a local singer that tried to make the big time and failed.

Harry Chapin had a lot of great "story songs." Taxi; Cats in the Cradle; A Better Place To Be; just to name a few.

Jim Croce also told some great stories in his music.

Lennon/McCartney has already been mentioned, but Norwegian Wood tells kind of a funny story that most people overlook.

[Georgephilips]

The fact that music conveys short stories in a highly powerful form to the human mind is a living fact.
It drives its listener to near the heavens.
Not only that, plainly, the story appears in pictures in the eyes of the mind.

Your observation is correct!