Lyrically Speaking: Tell me a story

[etaoin22]

Spoiler

1. Well another man might have been angry
And another man might have been hurt
But another man never would have let her go
I stashed the bill in my shirt

TAXI - HARRY CHAPIN

2. He came on a summer's day
Bringin' gifts from far away
But he made it clear he couldn't stay
No harbor was his home

BRANDY - LOOKING GLASS

3. And then the punches flew
And chairs were smashed in two
There was blood and a single gun shot
But just who shot who?

COPACABANA - BARRY MANILOW

4. Brother thought his wife musta left town
So he went home and finally found
The only thing Papa had left him, that was a gun

THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA - ?

5. Yeah I'm lookin' for the king of 42nd Street
He drivin' a drop top Cadillac
Last week he took all my money
And it may sound funny
But I come to get my money back

DONT MESS AROUND WITH SLIM - JIM CROCE

6. Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er

THE WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD - GORDON LIGHTFOOT

(LS meister and radio DJ in need of a break -- favorite songs of both)

7. And the night got deathly quiet
And his face lost all expression
Said, if you're gonna play the game, boy
Ya gotta learn to play it right

THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS

8. I guess you didn't know it
But I'm a fiddle player too
And if you care to take a dare
I'll make a bet with you
\
DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA = CHARLIE DANIELS BAND

9. Sister, I implore you
Take him by the hand
Take him to some shady bower
Save me from the wrath of this man

10. By the dark of the moon I planted
But there came an early snow
Theres been a hoot owl howling by my window now
For six nights in a row

WEREWOLF - FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND

Bonus: In what I thought was a hilarious scene, song #2 was used in a prime time show as a bedtime story (lyrics only) between mother and daughter. What show was this?

Double Bonus: Although song #4 became a #1 hit (and a "one hit wonder" for the singer), it was originally shopped around by the songwriter, but there weren't any takers. What prominent singer was the song offered to, and why did her husband reject it? (10 points for artist, 10 points for reason it was rejected)

Final Bonus: Which of these artists was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for campaigning on social issues?

CHAPIN.

forgot to close the spoiler needed edit.

[etaoin22]

well there, the game was already over and I didnt even notice.

There probably was a story song which began thusly.....

[traininvain]

One of the reasons why I tend to dislike current music is that it doesn't mean anything. There might be some good music, but the lyrics are often nothing more than a random collection of words. There used to be a time when songs weren't just music -- they told stories. They would go through the whole exposition-conflict-climax-denouement phases. And so, that is the theme of today's quiz. Please keep in mind that I want the original artist, not a cover version.

I only half agree, there are still many groups telling stories with there songs, including one of my favs from the last year or so...


O Valencia!
(The Decemberists)

You belong to the gang
And you say you can't break away
But I'm here with my hands on my heart

Our families can't agree
I'm your brother's sworn enemy
But I'll shout out my love to the stars

So wait for the stone on your window, your window
Wait by the car and we'll go, we'll go

When first we laid eyes
I swore to no compromise
'Til I felt my caress on your skin

Well, how soon we were betrayed
Your sister gave us away
And your father came all unhinged

So wait for the stone on your window, your window
Wait by the car and we'll go, we'll go

But Oh Valencia
With your blood still warm on the ground
Valencia
And I swear to the stars
I'll burn this whole city down

All I heard was a shout
Of your brother calling me out
And you ran like a fool to my side

Well the shot, it hit hard
And your frame went limp in my arms
And an oath of love was your dying cry

So wait for the stone on your window, your window
Wait by the car and we'll, go we'll go

But Oh Valencia
With your blood still warm on the ground
Valencia
And I'll burn this whole city down
Valencia
With your blood getting cold on the ground
Valencia
And I swear to the stars
I'll burn this whole city down


BTW, a very good LS

[VAdame]

Great game! Thanks

I was going to nitpick that "Gallows Pole" is no more original to Led Zeppelin than "When The Levee Breaks" is -- but I went and listened to Leadbelly's rendition here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmTNgJxlrCY

And that particular line isn't there -- so Page & Plant get credit for it, I guess! Of course, it's an ancient traditional ballad, and not exactly "original" to Leadbelly either Great song, and the only one I didn't get.

After Katrina, when Dubya popped out with his "No one anticipated the breach of the levees....." remark, my immediate thought was, "Oh yeah? In all your years of partyin' hearty, you never listened to Led Zeppelin?!" Eh, could be he was too highed up to pay attention to the lyrics! Should say he never listened to Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie, I guess, since they did it first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SrNc7ueMDA

Gotta agree w/ megaadict on the lack o' Dylan! "Hurricane" is one of my favorites, but the one I like the most (and rarely hear played) is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S09JB9KUbVg

Other favorite story-songs:

Bonnie Jean (Little Sister) by David Lynn Jones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE7XKvuvMLA

"Peter built a truck for a man to drive" is such a great opening line!

Steve Earl's "Copperhead Road"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc86_Weoye0

The terrain in the video looks a little too flat & midwestern to me -- not like the "hollers" around here -- but still nice.

And (almost) anything by Harry Chapin. Except for 2:

"Cat's in the Cradle" -- yeah, I loved it the first 400 or so times I heard it -- then I got permanently sick to death of it! LOLOLOL

And "If My Mary Were Here" -- yeah, way to make a girl feel good about herself, Harry -- make a drunken booty call in the middle of the night and tell her that you wouldn't be there in that condition if your twu wuv were available. Nice! Bleah. Hate!

My fave Harry song isn't exactly a story, but that didn't stop the folks who made this silly video from trying to tell one! "Last Stand" with visuals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGV2MUYwHAg

Now....if yinz will excuse me.....I'm going out to run some errands and while I'm in the car I will have "Story of a Life" in the CD player.

ETA: Dunno why my links aren't showing properly & don't have time to fix it - just copy & paste 'em if you're interested.

ETA: OK, fixed 'em

[Estonut]

Spoiler

When I saw today's subject, I hoped I'd see a couple of familiar songs -- this is one of 'em.

5. Yeah I'm lookin' for the king of 42nd Street
He drivin' a drop top Cadillac
Last week he took all my money
And it may sound funny
But I come to get my money back
Say Jack! You don't tug on Superman's cap.
You don't spit into the wind.
You don't mess around with no Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim, Jim Croce

I think you've been singin' it wrong, Sprots, it's:

"You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim"