# Is there a musical term for 'talking' portions of songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636 "2018-04-18T13:06:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/21 "2018-04-18T16:16:01Z")
All I could find was, “Spoken Word Lyrics”. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/22 "2018-04-18T18:38:08Z")
[19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRJFvtvTGEk) by Paul Hardcastle. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/23 "2018-04-18T18:41:26Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > “Patter song”? Patter songs are usually in a fast tongue-twister kind of style. Not like Elvis saying “I wonder if… you’re lonesome tonight…” ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/24 "2018-04-18T18:47:30Z")
What the wiki article describes as “semi-recitation songs” are also very commonly described without a special name - “a song where one verse (or section) is spoken” is often the preferred term (or, more accurately, lack of term). ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/25 "2018-04-18T22:16:59Z")
That would be the monologue. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/26 "2018-04-18T22:25:20Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > That would be the monologue. Yeah, that sounds about right. The question in the thread title, though, seems to be a little different than the question in the OP. “Jesus at McDonald’s” sounds like it would be an exemplar of the “recitation song” (a term I only just learned.) But it doesn’t sound like “recitation song” properly identifies songs that are otherwise melodic, with a spoken break in the middle of them (like some of those croony ballads in early rock had) which is what the thread title suggests. That musical part probably is best described simply by “monologue,” I should think. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/27 "2018-04-18T22:35:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > . . . a spoken break in the middle of them (like some of those croony ballads in early rock had) which is what the thread title suggests. That musical part probably is best described simply by “monologue,” I should think. Right, like in [this number.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5zNgTvBCpU) The monologue starts at 1:25. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/28 "2018-04-18T22:37:27Z")
> [@jaycat](#): > > Right, like in [this number.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5zNgTvBCpU) The monologue starts at 1:25. Yeah, that’s exactly the kind of thing I thought the OP was asking about from the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/29 "2018-04-18T23:10:57Z")
I thought that was called “spoken word”, too. When I hear “patter song”, I think something like “I’ve been everywhere”. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/30 "2018-04-18T23:22:03Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Patter songs are usually in a fast tongue-twister kind of style. > > Not like Elvis saying “I wonder if… you’re lonesome tonight…” Patter songs are sung to a melody as well: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Rs3dPaz9nAo/maxresdefault.jpg "Major-General's Song from The Pirates of Penzance - live and with lyrics!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs3dPaz9nAo&t=12) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/31 "2018-04-19T00:59:29Z")
Also known as, “The _Fred Schneider_ Part” in a\*\* B-52’s\*\* song. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/32 "2018-04-19T01:34:19Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Are we talking about something like the spoken portion of Elvis’s [Are You Lonesome Tonight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cS5aCozhcA)? Saw Jackson Browne live back in the 70s, and he had a spoken verse like this in the middle of one soulful tune. As he came to that section, he said “Okay, here comes the white part of the song…” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/33 "2018-04-19T01:47:07Z")
I’m not sure if this is what the OP has in mind, but the first song I thought of was Harry Nilsson’s [Joy](https://youtu.be/H7v_v7xbagY). Speaking of patter songs, would [Goin’ Down](https://youtu.be/xnzrGr78Mws) qualify? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/34 "2018-04-19T02:11:21Z")
I had two thoughts: Howlin’ Wolf doing “Goin’ Down Slow” with bassist Willie Dixon providing a “spoken narrative.” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s865qLWy8-g/hqdefault.jpg "GOIN' DOWN SLOW HOWLIN' WOLF") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s865qLWy8-g) Subsequently, I recalled Suicidal Tendencies’ “Institutionalized” in which the “lyrics in the verses are not sung, but spoken in a run-on sentence style.” (from Wikipedia) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AdUBTE9JpgI/maxresdefault.jpg "Institutionalized") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdUBTE9JpgI) ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/35 "2018-04-19T04:21:52Z")
Patter song: [the Major-General’s Song](https://youtu.be/R1dy44jV8EM) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/36 "2018-04-19T09:56:31Z")
The Stones homage to this in country music is “Far Away Eyes,” but it’s an imperfect example, as the talking is throughout each verse, rather than in one specific verse (like Elvis would do), and because it isn’t pure talking, but sometimes morphs into normal melody (“…in Bakersfield”). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/37 "2018-04-19T10:11:51Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Patter song: > > [the Major-General’s Song](https://youtu.be/R1dy44jV8EM) Mothers of River City — _heed that warning before it’s too late!_ Watch for the telltale signs of corruption: the minute your son leaves the house, does he re-buckle his knickerbockers below the knee? Is there a nicotine stain on his index finger? ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/38 "2018-04-19T13:01:06Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, that sounds about right. The question in the thread title, though, seems to be a little different than the question in the OP. “Jesus at McDonald’s” sounds like it would be an exemplar of the “recitation song” (a term I only just learned.) But it doesn’t sound like “recitation song” properly identifies songs that are otherwise melodic, with a spoken break in the middle of them (like some of those croony ballads in early rock had) which is what the thread title suggests. That musical part probably is best described simply by “monologue,” I should think. I think ‘recitation song’ is the correct term to generally describe the type of song I was referring to in the OP. Given the name of the song type, I guess I just assume that “recitation” would refer specifically to those portions of the song that are spoken. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/39 "2018-04-19T13:28:11Z")
[quote=“Dropo, post:34, topic:812636”] I had two thoughts: Howlin’ Wolf doing “Goin’ Down Slow” with bassist Willie Dixon providing a “spoken narrative.” [GOIN' DOWN SLOW HOWLIN' WOLF - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s865qLWy8-g) . . . "And Women… Great Googley Moo! ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636/40 "2018-04-19T16:55:27Z")
The spoken part? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-musical-term-for-talking-portions-of-songs/812636.md?page=1)