Hello all, and welcome to another edition of "What I'm Listening To"! This quarter, I wanted to keep with the theme of storytelling, so this blog will focus on my top 5 musical storytellers of all time. Some of these will be repeated musicians from prior blog posts, but that's just how it rolls when you listen to good music!
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - Joan Baez (The Best of Joan Baez)
Joan Baez is consistently regarded as one of the best storytellers of our time. In a day and age when songs have been "dumbed down", there is little to no actual storytelling in music, and it's all about the "hook", I look towards the past to really shine. This is probably my favorite song of hers, but she has multiple hits, such as "Diamonds and Rust".
"Operator" - Jim Croce (The Definitive Croce)
Did the 70's just have some of the best storytelling? In my mind, yes. Besides Joan Baez, how can you not recognize the phenomenon that was Jim Croce. Storytelling and Jim Croce go together like peanut butter and jelly. Every song he put out always had a great story that flowed so well with his acoustic guitar. It's a shame he was taken away from us so early in his career, because his potential off was off the charts. Choosing which song to use was hard for me, as my personal favorite is "I Got a Name". Honorable mention would be "Time in a Bottle". Love this guy's music!
"The Times They Are A-Changin'" - Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown)
Top of the list for storytelling has to be this man. Bob Dylan, love him or hate him, is well regarded as one of the best storytellers of his generation. I'll admit I'm not a big Dylan fan...at all. However, I do absolutely love this song, as well as "Shelter From the Storm". This song is as poignant then as it is in today's society, and music like this just stirs emotion in you. His easy going vocals, to his acoustic guitar, to his lyrics, he truly is one of a kind.
"Stan" - Eminem (The Marshall Mathers LP)
Yeah, I know. Eminem? Yes, Eminem! The thing I love about Eminem is that he can tell an entire story, invoking his emotions, while at the same time rapping it at an extremely fast speed. He is one of the best lyricists of my generation, and nothing explains this better than the iconic song "Stan", which tells the story of an obsessed fan that keeps writing to Eminem. If you truly sit down and read his lyrics, you will see he has so much more to offer as a lyricist and storyteller.
"Hallelujah" - Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah & Songs From His Albums)
Another artist that I am particularly not a listener of, however you cannot talking about songwriting and storytelling without bringing this man up. Known for his more poetic, somber tone in his lyrics and music, Leonard Cohen was an artist all to himself. Some of my friends will be happy I included him on this list, but the fact of the matter is he deserves to be on it.
Hallelujah & Songs From His Albums
I'm sure you have your own favorites, but I hope you enjoyed seeing who I enjoy. As always, if it sounds good, listen to it!
