Top 10 Story Songs of the 60s and 70s

Story songs are my favorite genre. I love to get swept up in the characters and their emotions. A great story song will suck you in from the first line and keep you listening to every word. The 60's and 70's gave us some of the best storytellers of all time. There have been one or two since, but now they are few and far between.

"Ode to Billy Joe" - Bobbie Gentry (1967)
The tragic story of the suicide of Billy Joe McAllister is told in this song released in 196 . What struck me from the first time I heard this song as a little girl, was the sheer callousness the dinnertime conversation of Billy Joe's suicide was discussed. As I've grown older, I think the family reaction was perfectly descriptive of the time. The reasons for the suicide are secondary to those that survive.
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"Taxi" - Harry Chapin (1972)
When it comes to storytelling in song, Harry Chapin was one of the greatest. The story told in the song "Taxi" moves me the most. This is the time in one's life when we are fully confronted with what might have been, or what once was. It's the story of a thrown away life, and the realization of that fact.
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"Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" - Jim Croce (1972)
To me this is the most meaningful of all of Jim Croce's songs. It's about wanting to go back to an old lover or friend so bad, only to realize it may not turn out the way you planned. Sometimes when we say the words out loud it just gives us just enough sanity to step back. Even going back physically can't erase the history of what has happened.
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"The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" - Gordon Lightfoot (1976)
The ultimate history lesson in song came from Gordon Lightfoot and this classic. Told of the true story of a major ship capsizing and the souls lost on board in 1975 on Lake Superior. Through this song we gain a respect for the mariners of the northeast, as well as around the world. The music actually makes you feel like you are on the rough waters.
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"Sympathy For the Devil" - Rolling Stones (1968)
Nothing but the story of where and when the devil showed his face in history, and yet so much more. This song has some of the most intricate lyrics and music the Rolling Stones have ever recorded. It is exactly how I imagine the devil dispelling his views on history. Becoming nearly manic in the end. Providing as much proof as possible that he too moves in mysterious ways.
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"Boy Named Sue" - Johnny Cash (1969)
The odd story of a man with a different view on child rearing. Johnny Cash made us laugh about the way some parents choose to make their boys tough. A soon-to-be absentee father decides the only way his son would survive a tough life was to give him a name he would forever have to fight over. While the father's theory probably still hold true, the final comment from that boy named Sue tells the real lesson of the song.
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"The Killing of Georgie"(Part 1 & 2) - Rod Stewart (1976)
This is the story of Georgie, a gay man, who had to leave his family's small town home due to his homosexuality. He found comfort in the hustle of New York City and finally found acceptance. Acceptance always has a high price though. Georgie was killed in a mugging, but had not wasted his life.
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"Hotel California" - The Eagles (1976)
This was The Eagles anthem against the establishment. Telling the story of an innocent traveler getting literally stuck at the "hotel". It's a nice place, but no one wants to live there. The band claimed to use the hotel as a metaphor for the establishment. The music is as captivating as the story in this gem.
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"Comfortably Numb" - Pink Floyd (1979)
Even as part of the larger story album, "The Wall", this song stands alone as the detailed description of a drug abuser nearing overdose. In every word and note we feel ourselves transported along with the user, like it or not. What sounds like it will feel so good is doled out in nightmarish waves. This is one of the most powerful songs written by Pink Floyd.
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"Paradise By the Dashboard Lights" - Meatloaf (written by JIm Steinman 1977)
In this anthem for teenage hormones, Meatloaf captured our "first time" perfectly and poetically. The band managed to get the male version and female version together for the first and only time to date in just over eight minutes. The insertion of the baseball play-by-play makes this a priceless story song.
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There are thousands of story songs out there, especially in the country genre. These ten have always been at the top of my list because the stories move me. I love how each manages to tell a complete story and transport me to another place. Feel free to leave your own favorite story song titles in the comments area.