Songwriter Appreciation

I listen to country, Irish, bluegrass, rock (the good old stuff) and Broadway show music.  What do these music types have in common and why do I like them?  Easy.  They all tell stories.   And I am always amazed that in 3 verses and a chorus they can get their story across.  (*Some Irish songs have  LOT more than 3 verses!!)

I am a novelist.  It takes me around 100,000 words to get my story across.  So I astounded by the precision that songwriters use to convey their ideas.

And what about choruses?  They are practically magic!  How can the verses further the story but the chorus still applies to each later part of the story?  Absolutely amazing!

This morning, I was listening to a Phil Vassar song and the story was so great I just wanted to sit down right there and write a novel about it! 

So, here is a novelist singing the praises of songwriters who are able to tell a full story-- in what?-- 300 words?  Incredible.

Here are some songs with good stories in them (I linked to a lyric website for you!):
-A Boy Named Sue, Johnny Cash (classic!)
-Connemara by the Lake, Irish (a favorite since I was a little girl)
-Let Mr. McGuire Sit Down, Irish Rovers (very fun song!)
-basically any Broadway show (I really like The Scarlet Pimpernel - here's one of my favorites from that show)
-In A Real Love, Phil Vassar (what I heard this morning - great description in verses!!)
-Scenes from an Italian Restaurant or Lenningrad or Downeaster Alexa, Billy Joel (there are many great stories in Billy Joel songs!  He is just plain awesome!)

There are many, many more great ballads than just these songs so for a story in a hurry - listen to some music!