Sound As Story

I’ve never been a massive fan of the traditional love story pop song. It’s not that I don’t like them, sometimes nothing beats a catchy, four chord radio tune. It’s just that they’ve never gripped me. When I’m listening to music, I’m usually looking to zone out for a bit, whether just before bed or a long car journey. For that, I need something that really sparks my imagination.

Music is a great medium for storytelling. It’s one of the reasons musical theatre works so well. From the lyrics to the beat to the tempo, when done right it all comes together to capture the listener’s emotions in a way that the written word alone rarely manages (and as a writer, I don’t say that lightly), and while a simple straight forward story of love or heartbreak will always be a classic, I tend to prefer songs that get a little more experimental with the stories they tell.

I could probably go on for thousands of words about all the songs I’d recommend for when you want to shut the world out and be transported somewhere entirely new, but unfortunately neither of us have all day, so I’ll shorten it to five of my top picks. Most of these come from albums I love in their entirety, so consider these as tasters for the musical storytelling world.

1.) Todd the T1000 (From ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves, Our Cybernetic Arms’ by Jonathan Coulton)

Jonathan Coulton, most well known for writing the songs at the end of the Portal games, was really the one who introduced me to my love of songs as short stories, with the themes of science fiction running through so much of his work. While I could recommend all of his work in a heartbeat, Todd the T1000 is definitely a great starter, especially if you’re in search of a pick me up.

Todd the T1000 is a story about an issue almost all of us can relate to, a roommate that we just can’t stand. It’s just that this narrator’s roommate happens to be a large and rather aggressive robot. Originally written in response to an article in Popular Science, Todd the T1000 is a catchy and upbeat song about overcoming obstacles that’s sure to lift your spirits.

2.) Amnesia Was Her Name (From ‘View-Monster’ by Lemon Demon)

If you were on the internet at all in the late 2000s/early 2010s, odds are you’ve stumbled across Neil Cicierga’s work without even realising it. He’s worked on a whole range of beloved projects including Harry Potter Puppet Pals, Brody Quest, and Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny. Recently, I’ve taken a particular interest in the work he’s done under the name Lemon Demon.

Amnesia Was Her Name, from the 2008 album View-Monster, is a strange love song in its own sort of way. It tells the story of a man with amnesia, trying to recount the things that his doctor/girlfriend told him. Of course, everything gets muddled as he goes, and all the facts don’t quite line up. Half comedy and half subtle tragedy, it’s a song that really keeps you guessing until the end, before hitting you hard with its final line.

3.) Sleeping Beauty (From ‘Once Upon A Time (In Space)’ by The Mechanisms)

Once Upon A Time (In Space) is best enjoyed as a whole album, listened to from start to finish, as it’s deliberately written to tell a cohesive story. It’s fairy tales gone terribly wrong, as war rages against the cruel, immortal King Cole, with the fighting spread across many worlds. However, Sleeping Beauty does a great job at capturing the scope of sounds on display throughout this album, along with managing to tell its own self-contained story, weaved in with the main plot.

Sleeping Beauty tells of a great warrior, captured and controlled by enemy forces, and the chance of freedom The Mechanisms (our trusty narrators) may offer. Starting off slow and steady before bursting with fast paced energy, Sleeping Beauty really pulls you in with a sense of adventure, and gives a small taste of larger story at play.

4.) Misery Fell (From ‘Good & Evil’ by Tally Hall)

If you’re a fan of the podcast Welcome To Nightvale, the story in this song might feel a little familiar to you. Personally, Misery Fell reminds me of Nightvale’s corporate controlled sister town Desert Bluffs, with its cheery exterior full of forced smiles that hides a much darker truth.

Misery Fell is the story of a town plagued by sadness, until turning to a cult like religion that assures them that there’s no reason to worry about a thing. This is in keeping with the rest of Good & Evil, which fans (including myself) have theorised is the tale of strange doomsdays cult. On the surface, the town seems happy by the end, but for those paying attention, it’s clear that that they’ve lost far more than they’ve gained.

5.) Red Shirt (Commissioned for the book ‘Red Shirts’ by John Scalzi, song by Jonathan Coulton)

We started with Jonathan Coulton so we’ll end with Jonathan Coulton. Redshirt is a song that any sci-fi fan is sure to love. Written to celebrate the release of a book with the same name by John Scalzi, the song Red Shirt explores the struggle of two groups simultaneously, the quickly forgotten extra and the often ill-fated red shirt.

If you’re a Star Trek lover or just want a catchy earworm that’ll get stuck in your head for days, then Red Shirt is one you’re sure to love. Plus, it makes for extremely easy listening when trying to zone out.

So, there you are. Five of my favourite songs that come with a little story. I hope you’ll check out the playlist I’ve provided and, if you enjoy them, explore the albums and artists they come from. I know I’ll be revisiting them again very soon.

If you enjoyed this article, consider leaving a tip. Your support helps me keep writing.