Songs that Tell a Story
They used to be called "ballads," but now any old name will do. These are songs that use music as a narrative device. This practice actually has a long history, going back through operas, epics, poetry, and even to ancient Greece.
The stories these songs tell might be happy or sad, truth or fiction, frivolous or serious. But they'll all have one thing in common: Having a little more depth to them and a lot more thought put into them than your average teenage love ditty. Follow the story and identify with the characters; the journey you find mat parallel your own life, for good or bad.
-
(Old Dogs, Children And) Watermelon Wine
Tom T. Hall -
(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance
Gene Pitney -
18 and Life
Skid Row -
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
Bruce Springsteen -
7 Years
Lukas Graham -
9th & Hennepin
Tom Waits -
A Boy Named Sue
Johnny Cash -
A Horse With No Name
America -
A Little Piece of Heaven
Avenged Sevenfold -
A Nightmare to Remember
Dream Theater -
Adam's Song
Blink 182 -
Afire Love
Ed Sheeran -
Ahab the Arab
Ray Stevens -
Alice's Restaurant
Arlo Guthrie -
All Along the Watchtower
Bob Dylan -
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You
Heart -
All Too Well
Taylor Swift -
All-American Girl
Carrie Underwood -
America
Simon & Garfunkel -
American Pie
Don McLean -
Amnesia
5 Seconds of Summer -
And So it Goes
Billy Joel -
Ariel
Dean Friedman -
At Seventeen
Janis Ian -
Baby
Justin Bieber -
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
Jim Croce -
Ballad of Billy Joe McKay
Shawn Mullins -
Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
Bob Dylan -
Ballad Of The Alamo
Marty Robbins -
Bat Out of Hell
Meat Loaf -
Battle Scars
Guy Sebastian -
Best Friend
Foster the People -
Big Bad John
Jimmy Dean -
Big Iron
Marty Robbins -
Billy and Bonnie
Steve Earle -
Billy Brown
Mika -
Billy Don't Be a Hero
Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods -
Bloodstream
Ed Sheeran -
Blown Away
Carrie Underwood -
Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen -
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Green Day -
Boxing
Ben Folds Five -
Brain Stew
Green Day -
Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)
Looking Glass -
Brick
Ben Folds Five -
Brick by Boring Brick
Paramore -
Broken Home
5 Seconds of Summer -
Brooklyn Roads
Neil Diamond -
Buenas Tardes Amigo
Ween -
Build God, Then We'll Talk
Panic! At The Disco -
Bulletproof Love
Pierce the Veil -
Burma Shave
Tom Waits -
Canadian Railroad Trilogy
Gordon Lightfoot -
Car Radio
Twenty One Pilots -
Carolina Drama
Raconteurs, The -
Casimir Pulaski Day
Sufjan Stevens -
Cat's in the Cradle
Harry Chapin -
Chelsea Hotel
Leonard Cohen -
Chesterfield King
Jawbreaker -
Circle
Flyleaf -
City of New Orleans
Steve Goodman -
Cleaning this Gun (Come on in Boy)
Rodney Atkins -
Coat of Many Colors
Dolly Parton -
Come Dancing
Kinks, The -
Concrete Angel
Martina McBride -
Convoy
Red Sovine -
Copacabana (At the Copa)
Barry Manilow -
Copperhead Road
Steve Earle -
Country Death Song
Violent Femmes -
Coward of the County
Kenny Rogers -
Dance with the Devil
Immortal Technique -
Dark Paradise
Lana Del Rey -
Darling Nikki
Prince -
Daughter
Pearl Jam -
David's Last Summer
Pulp -
Deathbed
Relient K -
Della and the Dealer
Hoyt Axton -
Devil's Right Hand
Steve Earle -
Dirty Paws
Of Monsters and Men -
Distance
Christina Perri -
Do I Wanna Know?
Arctic Monkeys -
Don't
Ed Sheeran -
Don't Ask Me
Seasick Steve -
Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
Jam, The -
Drink A Beer
Luke Bryan -
El Paso
Marty Robbins -
Eleanor Rigby
Beatles -
End Up Here
5 Seconds of Summer -
Escape (The Pina Colada Song)
Rupert Holmes -
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Poison -
Faceless Man
Creed -
Fancy
Reba McEntire -
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman -
Fernando
Abba -
Field Of Innocence
Evanescence -
Fireball
Pitbull -
Flawless
Neighbourhood, The -
Forever
Papa Roach -
Forever and Always
Parachute -
FourFiveSeconds
Rihanna -
Frankie and Johnny
Lead Belly -
Friends
Marshmello -
Funhouse
Pink -
Glory Days
Bruce Springsteen -
Goodbye Again
John Denver -
Goodbye Earl
Dixie Chicks -
Goodnight Saigon
Billy Joel -
Grace Kelly
Mika -
Green, Green Grass of Home
Tom Jones -
Hand of Sorrow
Within Temptation -
Happily
One Direction -
Harper Valley PTA
Jeannie C. Riley -
Headlights
Eminem -
Heart Made Up on You
R5 -
Hello
Evanescence -
Hero Of War
Rise Against -
Hey Man, Nice Shot
Filter -
Hey There Delilah
Plain White T's -
Highway Don't Care
Tim McGraw & Taylor Swift -
Hold On Till May
Pierce the Veil -
Honey
Bobby Goldsboro -
Honeymoon Suite
Suzanne Vega -
Hot Rod Lincoln
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen -
Hotel California
Eagles -
How to Save a Life
Fray, The -
Hurricane
Bob Dylan -
Hurricane
Bridgit Mendler -
I Don't Love You
My Chemical Romance -
I Feel Lucky
Mary Chapin Carpenter -
I Hate Everything About You
Three Days Grace -
I Love Rock 'n' Roll
Joan Jett -
I See Fire
Ed Sheeran -
I'll Show You
Justin Bieber -
I'll Walk
Bucky Covington -
If I Die Young
Band Perry, The -
If It Makes You Happy
Sheryl Crow -
If It Means a Lot to You
A Day to Remember -
In the Ghetto
Elvis Presley -
Into the Great Wide Open
Tom Petty -
Jack and Diane
John Mellencamp -
Jamie All Over
Mayday Parade -
Jamie's Cryin'
Van Halen -
Jeremy
Pearl Jam -
Jesus Of Suburbia
Green Day -
Jesus Take the Wheel
Carrie Underwood -
Jukebox Hero
Foreigner -
Just a Dream
Carrie Underwood -
Kenji
Fort Minor -
Knife
Rockwell -
La Freeway
Guy Clark -
Last Kiss
Pearl Jam -
Lead Me Out Of The Dark
Crown the Empire -
Let The Record Show
Emilie Autumn -
Light Pollution
Bright Eyes -
Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts
Bob Dylan -
Little Lady
Ed Sheeran -
Living on a Prayer
Bon Jovi -
Lola
Kinks, The -
Love is Thicker Than Water
Andy Gibb -
Love Story
Taylor Swift -
Love Vigilantes
New Order -
Lullaby
Nickelback -
Lullaby
Shawn Mullins -
Lyin' Eyes
Eagles -
Mack the Knife
Bobby Darin -
Mama's Broken Heart
Miranda Lambert -
Man in the Mirror
Michael Jackson -
Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffett -
Mary's Song (Oh My My My)
Taylor Swift -
Matty Groves
Joan Baez -
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Beatles -
Me and Bobby McGee
Janis Joplin -
Me and My Uncle
Grateful Dead, The -
Memories
Panic! At The Disco -
Miles
Christina Perri -
Misery Business
Paramore -
Mockingbird
Eminem -
Moments
One Direction -
Monster
Meg & Dia -
Monster
Skillet -
More than This
One Direction -
Mr Bojangles
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The -
Mrs Potato Head
Melanie Martinez -
Norwegian Wood
Beatles -
Nothing
Script, The -
Number 29
Steve Earle -
Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da
Beatles -
Ode to Billie Joe
Bobbie Gentry -
Old City Bar
Trans-Siberian Orchestra -
Old Rivers
Walter Brennan -
On the Bus Mall
Decemberists, The -
One
Metallica -
One Thing
Finger Eleven -
Papa Was A Rollin' Stone
Temptations, The -
Paradise by the Dashboard Light
Meat Loaf -
Phantom 309
Red Sovine -
Photograph
Nickelback -
Piano Man
Billy Joel -
Polk Salad Annie
Elvis Presley -
Problem
Ariana Grande -
Ragged Old Flag
Johnny Cash -
Red Ragtop
Tim McGraw -
Reminder
Mumford & Sons -
Replay
Zendaya -
Ride
Twenty One Pilots -
Ride the Lightning
Metallica -
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Iron Maiden -
Ring of Fire
Johnny Cash -
Rocky Raccoon
Beatles -
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Warren Zevon -
Roller Coaster
Luke Bryan -
Run Joey Run
David Guetta -
Saginaw, Michigan
Lefty Frizzell -
Same Old Lang Syne
Dan Fogelberg -
Save the Life Of My Child
Simon & Garfunkel -
Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)
Browns, The -
Seventeen
Marina and the Diamonds -
Shalott
Emilie Autumn -
Shape Of You
Ed Sheeran -
Shiloh
Neil Diamond -
Shooting Star
Bad Company -
Sk8er Boi
Avril Lavigne -
Skin (Sarabeth)
Rascal Flatts -
Small Town Southern Man
Alan Jackson -
Smile
Avril Lavigne -
Sometime Around Midnight
Airborne Toxic Event -
Space Oddity
David Bowie -
Speak Now
Taylor Swift -
Stan
Eminem -
Stitches
Shawn Mendes -
Story of My Life
One Direction -
Strawberry Swing
Coldplay -
Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down
Kris Kristofferson -
Supper's Ready
Genesis -
Sylvia's Mother
Dr Hook -
Take Me To Church
Hozier -
Take the Money and Run
Steve Miller Band -
Taken
One Direction -
Tam Lin
Fairport Convention -
Tangled Up In Blue
Bob Dylan -
Taxi
Harry Chapin -
Teddy Bear
Red Sovine -
Teenagers
My Chemical Romance -
Tell Laura I Love Her
Ray Peterson -
Terrible Things
Mayday Parade -
That's My Kind Of Night
Luke Bryan -
The A Team
Ed Sheeran -
The Ballad of Billy the Kid
Billy Joel -
The Ballad of Ira Hayes
Johnny Cash -
The Ballad of Love and Hate
Avett Brothers, The -
The Ballad of Lucy Jordon
Dr Hook -
The Ballad of Mona Lisa
Panic! At The Disco -
The Battle Of New Orleans
Johnny Horton -
The Boxer
Simon & Garfunkel -
The Dance
Garth Brooks -
The Death of Sis Draper
Guy Clark -
The Deeper In
Drive-By Truckers -
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Charlie Daniels -
The Dilemma
You Me At Six -
The Eighth of November
Big & Rich -
The End
Macklemore -
The Gambler
Kenny Rogers -
The Gates Of Delirium
Yes -
The Gift
Velvet Underground, The -
The Gunners Dream
Pink Floyd -
The Highwayman
Loreena McKennitt -
The Last Resort
Eagles -
The Last Time I Saw Richard
Joni Mitchell -
The Letter
Midnight Youth -
The Lighthouse's Tale
Nickel Creek -
The Man Who Can't Be Moved
Script, The -
The Mariner's Revenge Song
Decemberists, The -
The Night Chicago Died
Paper Lace -
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
Reba McEntire -
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Joan Baez -
The Queen and the Soldier
Suzanne Vega -
The Roadblock
Stan Ridgeway -
The Thunder Rolls
Garth Brooks -
The Way
Fastball -
The Weight
Band, The -
The Westerner
Falling in Reverse -
The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Gordon Lightfoot -
Thinking 'Bout You
Frank Ocean -
Three Wooden Crosses
Randy Travis -
Thunder Road
Bruce Springsteen -
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
Tony Orlando and Dawn -
Tillamook County Jail
Todd Snider -
Tom's Diner
Suzanne Vega -
Travelin' Soldier
Dixie Chicks -
Try Hard
5 Seconds of Summer -
Turn the Page
Bob Seger -
Twin Rocks, Oregon
Shawn Mullins -
Two Black Cadillacs
Carrie Underwood -
Two Pieces
Demi Lovato -
Valentine's Day
Linkin Park -
View from Heaven
Yellowcard -
Viva La Vida
Coldplay -
Voices Carry
Til Tuesday -
Voodoo
Godsmack -
We're an American Band
Grand Funk Railroad -
West Coast
Lana Del Rey -
What It's Like
Everlast -
What Makes You Beautiful
One Direction -
What Sober Couldn't Say
Halestorm -
Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?
Peter Sarstedt -
Where Have all the Cowboys Gone?
Paula Cole -
Where the Wild Roses Grow
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds -
Whiskey Lullaby
Brad Paisley -
Whispering Jesse
John Denver -
Who Knew
Pink -
Wild Wild Life
Talking Heads -
Worth It
Fifth Harmony -
You are in Love
Taylor Swift -
You Belong With Me
Taylor Swift -
You Don't Mess Around with Jim
Jim Croce -
You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison
My Chemical Romance -
Young Turks
Rod Stewart -
Ziggy Stardust
David Bowie
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