Top 10 Songs That Tell a Story

Jackie first recorded this at the age of 11. Now 15, she has performed it at nearly every concert. Her rendition is nothing short of spectacular.
From the movie "House of Flying Daggers", a tragic story.

How is this not #1? It is simple, yet complex. It is slow, yet fast. It is quiet, yet loud. And overall tells one of the best stories in any song.

"... Every blow that laid him down and
Cut him til he cried out, in his anger, in his pain,
I am leaving, I am leaving,
But the Fighter still remains
Yes he still remains"

I saw Gordon Lightfoot perform this live once. The creepy thing was, right at the line "and later that night when his lights went out of sight came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" there was a flash of lightning over a lake nearby. Eerie.
One of the most well written and "feeling" songs ever written.
I consider this haunting song the best story song ever.
This is number 1!

It tells the story a defining blow to the world of music where the loss of those three musicians had a huge impact on American culture.

It sounds like opera

How is this only number 40? It should be number one without a question! Stan also is a creative song in that it is written using growingly aggressive letters from Stan, to Eminem. It tells a story good enough to turn into a movie.
There are few songs of any genre that have the deep and complex emotions. If you are really looking for a good version look for the live version it gives even more feeling.
Why in hell is this #35 this is storytelling at its finest and these people here fail to recognize it.
I may dislike rap, but with this song I beg to differ.


Aka Rising Sun Blues. Origins, writers unknown. Many versions and covers. Most popular by The Animals.

"You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off to find the sky."
-- Life takes some subtle turns and Taxi captures the melancholy.

One of the best


I love this song

"... And they say that he went crazy once and he tried to touch the sun, and he lost his hand but kept the memory."
One of the reasons I was compelled to move to and live in Colorado for awhile, - the song, not the going "crazy" part. Haven't always had to look too far for that.
"He was born in the summer of his twenty-seventh year, going home to a place he'd never been before. He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again, you might say he found the key to every door..."
It tells a story indeed. And one which I never get tired of.


Wrong album cover, but you're right that this is a great song that tells a story.


Not really a story.

Jackie's voice soars as she sings of loss and hope.


Best song ever!



El Paso tells a great love story of the old west. No one can tell old western style stories like Marty Robbins.