# What are your top two story songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676 "2005-02-12T00:48:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/41 "2005-02-12T04:30:53Z")
Dan Fogelberg - Leader of the Band ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/42 "2005-02-12T04:33:36Z")
Well, just ‘cause no one’s mentioned it yet, I’ll nominate XTC’s **No Thugs in our House** and the Beatles’ **Rocky Racoon**. Gotta admit, however, that if was to choose any two it would more likely be **Alice’s Restaurant** and Thorogood’s **One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer**. ---
**Author:** ![wheelie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@wheelie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheelie)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/43 "2005-02-12T04:38:37Z")
1. Wet Dream by Kip Adotta ([lyrics](http://www.redsugar.com/muse/archives/006792.html)) 2. Greggary Peccary by Frank Zappa For best reults, apply immediately. User assumes all risk associated with improper application. IANAL. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/44 "2005-02-12T04:41:35Z")
“The Gift” – The Velvet Underground. The song tells an offbeat, convoluted, and very romantic tale with an extremely nasty ending. A young man mails himself in a big box to his girlfriend, who rather impetuously decides to open the crate with… a butcher’s knife, plunged violently. “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” – Rupert Holmes. I don’t understand why so many people claim to loathe this song! It’s clever, cute, packed with unexpected details, and was recently partly emulated by a real-life Jordanian couple who independently posed as single and looking for love on the Internet, struck up a torrid email relationship, and discovered the truth when they agreed to meet. “Babooshka” – Kate Bush. A horror cousin to Holmes’ “Escape”; a neglected wife goes incognito to seduce her feckless husband. “I Bought Myself a Liarbird” – XTC. Inspired by a former manager who stole their money. “No Thugs In Our House” – XTC. Teenage Graham has joined the National Front, but the cops can’t convince the 'rents, and the boy’s father, a judge, keeps him out of jail. The vinyl single came with artwork of a theatrical proscenium and finger-puppet characters you could cut out and animate in front of the “stage”. “Amplifier” – The dB’s. Tells the sad tale of a musician who killed himself after his girlfriend left him (and stole all his stuff); supposedly inspired by a real tragedy. “Found a Job” – Talking Heads. A family, bored with ordinary TV, is invigorated when they undertake to produce their own show. “Tommy the Cat” – Primus. In a way, this may be the best story-telling song in my list, because it’s the story of a cat telling his own story of, uh, getting laid. The singer’s introduction of the cat as a character is a framing device for the story within the story. ---
**Author:** ![RayMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e495f1/32.png) [@RayMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RayMan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/45 "2005-02-12T04:52:35Z")
I love _Hurricane_ by Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Like\_Tears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Time\_Like\_Tears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Like_Tears)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/46 "2005-02-12T05:24:38Z")
_Lucky Man_ and _Pirates_ by **ELP**. _Nanook Suite_ and _Titties and Beer_ by **Frank Zappa**. _The Battle of Evermore_ by **Led Zeppelin**. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/47 "2005-02-12T05:32:36Z")
**Isis** by Bob Dylan **Pirates** by Emerson, Lake & Palmer ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/48 "2005-02-12T05:51:51Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > _Sam Stone_ by John Prine I’ve wondered about your user name from day one. Not a single tune, but an entire album: Harry Nilsson-The Point, and Tommy by The Who. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/49 "2005-02-12T05:56:14Z")
“The Wreck Of The Edmond Fitzgerald” - I saw Gordon Lightfoot live in Vancouver in '76 and he played that song. It was the first time I’d heard it and I think it may have been before it was actually released. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” also Gordon Lightfoot. Truly an epic. “The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia” Vicky Lawrence. I loved it when it first came out. “Ode To Billy Joe” Bobby Gentry. Ah, the enduring mystery. What DID they throw off that bridge?! “The Wind That Shakes The Corn” Irish Rovers. A sad, shivery tale of old Ireland. “Thunder Road” Robert Mitchum. Moonshine and cars. Never a good combination… And finally, my obligatory Alice Cooper offering, “Crazy Little Child”. Very unexpected, sort of a cross between “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Night Chicago Died” A tale of the bad old days and a small time hood’s last run in with the “Sherriff’s bullets” ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/50 "2005-02-12T06:12:46Z")
“A Pirate Looks at Forty” by Jimmy Buffett. “Witch of the Westmoreland” by Stan Rogers - Archie Fisher’s version is more detailed and complete, as well as being the original, but Stan’s is just plain better. Those are the top two. I like a lot of folk music, much of which is story-songs, but I’ll refrain from mentioning them all. Gotta mention this one, though: “The Ghost of the Molly Maguires” by Hair of the Dog. GREAT song, and it inspired me to do a lot of research into the history. Others I like a lot: “Fast Car” by Tracey Chapman “Rocky Raccoon” by the Beatles - can’t help it, it just cracks me up. “I Sang Dixie” by Dwight Yoakam. “God Knows I’m Good” by David Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/51 "2005-02-12T06:13:10Z")
On a more serious note I’d like to nominate “Crazy Man Michael” by Fairport Convention. ---
**Author:** ![ussentinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ce7236/32.png) [@ussentinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ussentinel)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/52 "2005-02-12T06:34:21Z")
Some great ones already mentioned. Off the top of my head, the two that came to my mind … \*Harper Valley PTA \* by Jeannie C. Riley and \*Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) \* by Lookinglass ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/53 "2005-02-12T07:34:03Z")
Oh man, there’s so many greats ones. Why two, Reeder? **Alice’s Restaurant** , as mentioned, is great. What about **The Motorcycle Song - The Significance of the Pickle**? Maybe not as catchy as A’sR but just as funny and infinitely more absurd :D. I always loved **Billy the Mountain** and thought it was funny. Also probably the longest [relatively] popular song I’ve ever heard. My close Norweigan friend once told me the story behind **In the Hall of the Mountain King** and I’ve liked it at least a hundred times better since then. Does that count, even though it has no words? Sublime’s **Date Rape** was a great story with a mixed punchline/moral. Shockingly, I heard a lot of drunken, testosterone-high guys at the time say things like, “You know, if you think about it, he’s right. Date-rape isn’t so bad” :eek::eek::eek: Listen to the song! _He’s condeming it!_ **Biggie** had some really great “story” songs. In fact, _most_ of his songs seemed to tell a story. A guy named J-Live did a pretty cool story-song a few years called **One for the Griot** - A “griot” is an African storyteller. Pink Floyd’s **The Wall** is kind of one big story, though I’ve heard it so much that I can scarcely force myself to listen to it anymore, so I’m not sure if it belongs on a list of my “Favorites” or not. I could go on with these all night. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/54 "2005-02-12T08:00:13Z")
I’ll see your **Billy the Mountain** and raise you a **Magdalena**. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > “A Quick One While He’s Away” by The Who (though it’s more of a suite than a song, even though it’s listed as a single song) I second this one. But then I thought of Whiskey Man, then Silas Tingy, then Happy Jack, and then I just admitted that The Who pretty much only wrote story songs. My favorite story song of all time? Zappa’s **Brown Moses** has to be it. Can’t get enough of that song. I think Billy the Mountain is one of the few that actually fits the OP properly, though. But that’s not his most popular story song by a long shot. Even more well-known than Nanook Rubs It is the ever classic **Joe’s Garage**. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/55 "2005-02-12T14:06:12Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Updated? Is it no longer just a half mile from the railroad track? Yes - Arlo released a new version of the whole album, having redone all the songs. In Alice, he includes updated material, including the songs possible connection to the Watergate scandal. I actually prefer the original version, but the new one will definitely give you a laugh. ---
**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:** [February 12, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/56 "2005-02-12T14:26:40Z")
53 posts and NO mention of “The Gambler”? The song that put the expression “You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em” into the language? The. Best. Story. Song. Ever. I also like “Brandy” by Looking Glass. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/57 "2005-02-12T14:30:46Z")
There’s always “Timothy” by the Bouys. THE best song about cannibalism EVER! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/58 "2005-02-12T14:47:56Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > **"And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda** ,"… This is my first Nomination…Only heard the Pogues version, mesel’ > [@Tracy Lord](#): > > “Fairytale of New York,” by the Pogues and that lovely female vocalist whose name escapes me. Kirsty McColl (now sadly gone) My second would be **Don’t Stand So Close to Me** _The Police_ ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/59 "2005-02-12T15:19:27Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > I’ve wondered about your user name from day one. > > Not a single tune, but an entire album: Harry Nilsson-The Point, and Tommy by The Who. Weird coincidence. Yesterday I saw the thread about “The Dot and The Line” and it got me thinking about a movie I saw as I kid and I couldn’t remember the title, only the song “Me and My Arrow”. So I googled the song and got my answer, Harry Nilsson’s The Point. Then I checked Amazon for the DVD and put it on my wishlist. Then I check this thread today and see it (the album) was mentioned, another SDMB Weird Coinkidink. ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676/60 "2005-02-12T15:34:29Z")
> [@The Scrivener](#): > > “Tommy the Cat” – Primus. In a way, this may be the best story-telling song in my list, because it’s the story of a cat telling his own story of, uh, getting laid. The singer’s introduction of the cat as a character is a framing device for the story within the story. How could I have not picked this song! I went with Harold of the Rocks, but Tommy the Cat is far superior, especially considering that Tom Waits provides the “voice” of Tommy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-top-two-story-songs/289676.md?page=4)