# Songs that are letters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971 "2008-08-06T00:09:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/41 "2008-08-07T02:22:10Z")
[Once In a Very Blue Moon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFlk337vpA4) - **Nanci Griffith** (The link is a video snippet of the song.) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/42 "2008-08-07T02:25:30Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] I was going to post [Take A Letter, Maria](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5p1RkO5YRc&feature=related) by R.B. Greaves, but it’s actually only partly the narrator dictating a letter, rather than being the letter itself. [/QUOTE] Same thing for the Mekons’ “Love Letter” - the vocalist starts by singing about the man writing a letter to his ex, and sings some of the lines, but it diverts after the first verse. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/43 "2008-08-07T02:40:14Z")
[QUOTE=MikeG] Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen [/QUOTE] _Chelsea Hotel #2_ also by Leonard Cohen, is a letter of sorts to his dead lover Janis Joplin. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/44 "2008-08-07T03:56:59Z")
Thanks for the suggestions! A lot of these I had heard before and liked. It’s a kind of cool genre, time to make a new playlist 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/45 "2008-08-07T05:50:11Z")
[Bad Horse Letter](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN2U5wkhRWc) by Joss Whedon [Hey There Delilah](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_m-BjrxmgI) by Plain White Ts YouTube links. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/46 "2008-08-07T06:21:13Z")
Would a [Prayer to God](http://www.last.fm/music/Shellac/+videos/+1-mxbTRh1o_RU) count? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/47 "2008-08-07T07:04:41Z")
Santa Baby ---
**Author:** ![lunar\_elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lunar\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lunar_elf)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/48 "2008-08-07T20:33:10Z")
[Simple Plan - I’d Do Anything](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/simpleplan/iddoanything.html) _And I wrote this letter in my head…_ ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_2Times](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b2d939/32.png) [@Jimmy\_2Times](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_2Times)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/49 "2008-08-07T21:05:23Z")
Dear Prudence ~ The Beatles ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/50 "2008-08-07T21:16:42Z")
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s [Song & Dance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_and_Dance) has First Letter Home, Second Letter Home, and Third Letter Home. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cephalus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Cephalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cephalus)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/51 "2008-08-07T21:47:34Z")
Bob Schneider’s [2002](http://www.musicsonglyrics.com/B/bobschneiderlyrics/bobschneider2002lyrics.htm). So melancholy and self pitying, it can’t help but be one of my favorite songs. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/52 "2008-08-07T22:41:08Z")
“Strawberry Letter 23” , the best known version of which was by The Brothers Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/53 "2008-08-08T01:09:03Z")
Incidentally, before I opened this thread I thought it was going to be about things like: Van der Graaf Generator: **W** Jackson Five: **ABC** Cream: **NSU** and **SWLABR** Rush: **YYZ** ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/54 "2008-08-08T09:32:36Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] Incidentally, before I opened this thread I thought it was going to be about things like: [/QUOTE] "LBJ took the IRT down to 4th street USA When he got there, what did he see? The youth of America on LSD. LBJ, IRT USA, LSD LSD, LBJ FBI, CIA F-B-I-C-I-A L-S-D; Eh-eh-el…Be…Jay" ---
**Author:** ![gnagtcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@gnagtcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnagtcha)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/55 "2008-08-09T17:48:33Z")
> [@Jimmy 2Times](#): > > Dear Prudence ~ The Beatles Hmm…not to sure about that one. I always pictured some guy standing in her front yard yelling up at her window “Hey, Prudence, come on out and play” “Signed D.C.” by Love ( Arthur Lee ) ---
**Author:** ![brainsewage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@brainsewage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainsewage)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/56 "2008-08-10T04:40:13Z")
“The Letters” by King Crimson (though it’s more about a sad correspondence than the actual words in the letters “Fucker” by Eels “Dear Darling” by Dennis DeYoung ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/57 "2008-08-10T06:00:16Z")
This one is obscure, but well worth hunting for. [Dear Darcie](http://www.cowboylyrics.com/tabs/fromholz-steve/dear-darcy-6051.html) by [Steven Fromholz](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll) from his “A Legend in My Own Mind” album. Note: The lyric site has it as “Darcy,” but the cut on the actual album is “Darcie.” In fact, if you run across any of his stuff, snag it. You will not be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![threnodyangelfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/58 "2008-08-10T06:11:56Z")
\*\*Paul Kelly’s \*\* [How to Make Gravy](Designer forms are structured documents with a hierarchical structure that can be converted into XML. This structure can include structure from XML Schema and example XML files. ). But don’t listen to it when you’re emotional. ---
**Author:** ![shefDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@shefDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shefDave)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/59 "2008-08-10T09:07:40Z")
Nas - “One Love” The Bloodhound Gang - “The Ballad of Chasey Lain” ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971/60 "2008-08-10T12:52:50Z")
How 'bout some old-school country music: [Tupelo County Jail](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyqUp6nYgoM) - Webb Pierce [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-are-letters/458971.md?page=4)