I’ve recently gotten into songs where the entire lyrics are the singer talking to someone. For example,
Sophie by The Altogether - https://youtu.be/k2KRDetyGhs
Dear McCracken by Bug Hunter - https://youtu.be/aWGolv2iqM0
Dance of the Dead by Iron Maiden - https://youtu.be/gG_JLYxbqpQ
Something Stupid - https://youtu.be/0f48fpoSEPU
GMF by John Grant - https://youtu.be/ekFWPsXXcg0
Angel of the Morning - https://youtu.be/K7Qfqle_2Bs
Mariner’s Revenge Song by The Decemberists - https://youtu.be/iPAr7kL-mmg
Jolene by Dolly Parton - https://youtu.be/Ixrje2rXLMA
Genre is no bar - I just want the song to feel like a conversation.
Please help me scratch this itch. I know it sounds a bit vague, especially when there’s a lot of songs that have some “talking” parts sprinkled in them, but that’s not what I want.
If anyone could tell me what genre of music this is, I would appreciate it a lot. I guess a lot of ballads are similar to this style, but I’m not very sure
Edit: Thanks a lot everyone for your suggestions. I’m gonna take my time listening to each of these :)
Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men is, lyrically, a conversation between two people.
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer - George Thorogood is like a dude telling a story, with a bit of song in between the story.
Same with Alice’s Restaurant Massacree by Arlo Guthrie, but a funnier and longer story.
I know a lot of love songs that sound like they are someone talking to a person, which is what I thought of seeing Jolene in your list. I don’t think what you’re after is a specific genre though, and given the examples I could probably just list every single song I have favorited on Spotify that isn’t purely instrumental.
I loved your suggestions, thanks a lot
Little Talks was cute, it reminds me of Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches but with more energy
George Thorogood’s song is not the kind of music I usually listen to, but damn is he engaging and jivey
I think Alice’s Restaurant is my fav from your suggestions, but lol it’s almost an audiobook with it’s length
Love songs seem to be the most common in this style - I also have a large number of such songs in my library. I prolly should’ve asked for non-love songs specifically tbh, but the current suggestions are pretty great so can’t complain.
Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat
This was also the first song I thought of
That was a great song, damn. Thanks a lot. It’s so simple yet deep. It’s gonna stick around in my head for a while
The video starts off NSFW. Pillow Talking by Lil Dicky featuring Brain
It’s a post-sex conversation between two people who presumably met on a hookup app.
That song is hilarious. “Dont call brain names. The brain couldn’t recall.”
Some classics I didn’t see here yet:
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here (all the songs from that album, come to think of it, are in the second person and usually pretty specificially talking to Syd Barrett)
Bob Dylan - Like a rolling stone
Now for a completely different take on “feeling like a conversation”, I have an instrumental recommendation: Bernstein and Brubeck - Dialogues for Jazz Combo and Orchestra
Edit: just noticed that a lot of songs by Steely Dan are also in the second person, usually directed and criminal or tragic figures. Kid Charlemagne is my favorite in that format.
Hi Ren by Ren
I had to scroll too far to find this. I was going to suggest it if nobody else had. Thanks!
Wow, the song was an experience. Chills.
Thank you!
Tom Waits - Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
I mean it might sound an obvious choice but ‘She Loves You’ by The Beatles is basically this.
Telemiscommunications - Imogen Heap + deadmau5
Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols https://youtu.be/ZJLDjYRfx3g
A dude trying to chat up someone he likes
This might be what you’re looking for. Basically a monologue over a scratchy beat
Baz Luhrmann - Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen
Clutch is a stoner rock band with some really unique lyrics - Neil Fallon has the manic poetry of someone who has seen The Truth and has lived to tell the tale. The first 3nsongs of their 2015 album Psychic Warfare are presented as the singer recounting a weird tale to the authorities after the fact.
The Affidavit is spoken word opener where a cop or someone asks the singer to just write down everything that happened.
X-ray visions launches into the tale pychi warfare, conspiracies and the vengeful spirits of Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
Firebirds continues the tale: the singer encounters a strange girl who demands classic automobiles and energy weapons or else.
For extra credit a subsequent album revisits the same speaker years later trying to explain it all to his young son - In Walks Barbarella
Probably most clutch songs have this storytelling style and I can’t recommend them enough
Love clutch, the lyrics are certainly something that helps them stand out from the crowd
Admit it by Say Anything The Noose by A Perfect Circle Never there, rock and roll lifestyle, or Walk on By by Cake (they do this a lot) Kiss me I’m shitfaced by Dropkick Murphys Save Tonight - eagle eye cherry The Most Beautiful Girl (in the room) - Flight of thr Conchords
“Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye
"O.G. Original Gamer"by MC Lars
“I’ll Form the Head” by MC Frontalot
(Actually a lot of MC Frontalot consists of him arguing with other people.)
Wow I’m so surprised someone beat me to MC Lars and Frontalot haha. Glad to see another Nerdcore enjoyer in the wild.
Yeah and somehow I forgot to mention all the other MC Lars stuff… MC Lars and K Flay, MC Lars and Mega Ran, etc. Basically all conversational. That’s kind of an MC Lars thing.
Parody that aged well for all the wrong reasons.
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