Please suggest me songs that feel like a conversation
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."
Left Handed Kisses - Andrew Bird feat Fiona Apple
Tom Waits - Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis
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.
Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols https://youtu.be/ZJLDjYRfx3g
A dude trying to chat up someone he likes
Telemiscommunications - Imogen Heap + deadmau5
I mean it might sound an obvious choice but 'She Loves You' by The Beatles is basically this.
Hi Ren by Ren
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s\_nc1IVoMxc
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!
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
This might be what you're looking for. Basically a monologue over a scratchy beat
Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen
Another Customer by Andy Ditzler
A guy talking to himself or to another person who is on the phone with customer service, and then while on hold starts to ponder about life.
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
"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.
Star wars that I used to know
Parody that aged well for all the wrong reasons.
Interesting idea :) Gonna have to think about this one.
Not sure this song qualifies, but it does feel like he's expressing his frustrations to someone.
Kane Strang - My Smile Is Extinct
Here are some that came to mind for me, some might be closer to what you are expecting than others, but I feel like they fit the description decently.
Father John Misty - Mr.Tillman
James and the Shame - Believe Me
Bo Burnham - FaceTime with My Mom (Tonight)
Head East - Never Been Any Reason
Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do
A story telling describing drinking at a bar at noon during a workweek when the man sitting next to her starts a conversation.
The first one that came to mind is a wife and mistress talking.
Does He Love You by Reba McIntyre - https://youtu.be/FUP9DnurODw
Emo?
Ben Folds (with Regina Spektor) - You don't know me
Tom Waits - Martha
This song fit the bill? Very fun and catchy! Pamplemousse - Bust Your Kneecaps
Ooooh yes it does. I enjoyed the song a lot, thank you! I think I'm going to binge Pamplemousse entirely, their work seems like it'd jive with me
Would Everybody's Free by Baz Luhrmann count for this? (You might know it as "Wear Sunscreen")
You should check out Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. A lot of his songs are like this, the rest tend to be short stories set to music. Excellent band ( although I think it's just one guy named Owen Asheworth). He calls the project Advanced Base now, also really good
Henry Rollins - Liar might hit on that.
Setting Sail, Coming Home by Darren Korb. For the game Bastion, by Supergiant Games (developers of Hades + a few other cool games).
This one’s fairly new but I really like it.
https://song.link/i/1683111979
Coffee Conversations by FUTURISTIC & Oswin Benjamin
A lot of rock operas do this, Ayreon is one of my favourite projects here.
To pick one, The Human Equation is about a character in a coma, and has external and internal characters. Day Four: Mystery is his friend and his partner discussing the mystery of the car accident that put him there: https://youtu.be/fzsKhT3wHgI
A lot of Bruce Springsteen’s songs are like that, but I’ll recommend one in particular that hits your mark:
Brilliant Disguise. https://open.spotify.com/track/0nqbZ17t9v52SCemAm1QP0
Haunt Me by Sansa
upbeat loss
Thanks for the recommend, I'm taking my time going through all the suggestions here, and have been listening to this song for the past week - and wow this one is great, It made me tear up at times and I love the lyrics
XTC - Dear God
maybe ME! (Brenden Urie and Taylor Swift, probably only kinda counts) and Just Give Me A Reason (P!nk and Nate Ruess)? I think Like I'm Gonna Lose You (Meghan Trainor, John Legend) might also work?
BB King - Lucille
Dear Coach’s Corner by Propaghandi is an open letter to Rob McLean about Don Cherry and other issues in hockey.
Said the King to the River - La Dispute
Song for a chicken named Jenny - Pat the Bunny
‘The Business Man and ‘Atlanta’s Own’- The Taxpayers - The album ‘God, forgive these bastards’ may have a few like what you’re looking for.
Carolina Drama - The Raconteurs
Carolina Drama is what I came here to say. Not just talking to you, but telling you an amazing story. Such a great song
Dear McCracken is great!
Orange Juice by Noah Kahan
I do this all the time by Self Esteem is one that comes to mind
A confession of unrequited love. (And one of my top 10 songs of all time.)
An affirmation that things might not be as bad as you think.
This may or may not count, but:
Talking Song Repair Blues - Alan Jackson
Khruangbin - Connaissais de Face
Robbie Williams, Nicole Kidman - Somethin' Stupid
Chat Pile - Pamela
It's dark and aggressive, but this always felt like someone talking to their therapist to me
Arlo Parks - Caroline
It's more so the singer narrating a conversation from the third person, but it's a delightful track.
Down On My Knees - Ayo
Kendrick Lamar - We cry together