Can I borrow your pen?

[sarea]

There are not enough songs that are stories. You know what I mean? Or maybe there are, and I just haven't noticed. I love lyrics that tell a story. I suppose all songs tell a story to some extent, but I mean ones that actually have a narrative: a beginning, middle, and end. Here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head:

The Ballad of Grim and Lily - Bree Sharp
Goodbye Earl - Dixie Chicks
The Highwayman - Loreena McKennitt (of course, this was adapted)
Jack and Diane - John Mellencamp
Long Black Veil - Johnny Cash
Me and a Gun - Tori Amos
Misery - Green Day (this might not count)
Sk8ter Boi - Avril Lavigne
Travelin' Soldier - Dixie Chicks (this is the one I've been listening to recently that got me thinking about this)

What am I forgetting?

Well, Jade and I have consulted, and I think I've got the final list of AtS eps that I'm going to include for significantowl. Agree or disagree? Speak now or forever hold your peace ...

(The ones in parentheses we're unsure about ... if you can make an argument one way or another, that may decide their fate. Also would appreciate suggestions on eps that could be cut, as this might be a trifle long.)

S1
City of...
In the Dark
Room with a View
(Sense and Sensitivity)
Hero
The Prodigal
Five by Five
Sanctuary
War Zone
To Shanshu in L.A.

S2
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been
Dear Boy
Darla
(The Shroud of Rahmon)
The Trial
Reunion
(Redefinition)
(Reprise)
Epiphany
(Dead End)
Over the Rainbow
Through the Looking Glass
There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb

S3
That Vision Thing
Fredless
Offspring
(Quickening)
Lullaby
Birthday
(Waiting in the Wings)
Sleep Tight
The Price
A New World
Benediction
Tomorrow

S4
Deep Down
(The House Always Wins)
(Slouching Toward Bethlehem)
(Supersymmetry)
Apocalypse, Nowish
Long Day's Journey
Awakening
Soulless
Calvary
Salvage
Orpheus
(Inside Out)
Home

Am most uncertain about S4. The whole Jasmine thing was really unbelievably lame, and it is my preference that it's left out entirely -- I just need to quickly explain the one big thing that comes out of it.

And now, even more Angel (and Smallville, too) ...

Smallville: I liked the ep. I know a lot of people don't like Lana, and I'm not actually that enamored of her myself (although I think she could be 100 times more interesting if they'd made her go dark and align herself w/ Lex -- all the repercussions of that would be awesome), but I think KK is a good little actress. I liked the Clark/Lana angst in this ep, although I still don't understand why they talk about "not being together anymore" when they were never together in the first place. Did I miss that ep?! Keeping them apart at this point just seems really contrived (much like what they were doing to Max and Liz in S2 Roswell, although the angst there was way better). The worst part of this ep was when Lana and Chloe were reciting the summary of what had happened to them in the last two seasons. And at least they did acknowledge that stalking Lana is extremely unoriginal. Dude, is anyone else sensing Chloe/Lionel vibes?!

Am shamefully looking forward to next week's ep, which "features music by REM." Dare I hope that there's some AU thing going on?

AtS: As predicted, extremely lame ep. So what, is this chick going to guest star occasionally now? Hope not. She did nothing for me. Was this another attempt to see if anyone had chemistry w/ Angel? (How stupid were the promos? Thank God the episode didn't actually follow it, as Jade predicted, and there wasn't really overt romantic interest there.) If so, I'd prefer Gwen. At least she'd make a pretty kickass member of their team, and I like her personality far more. The strongest part of this ep was the Fred/Spike stuff, though not necessarily in an USTy way. I just care about Spike. Liked Gunn more, and Wes is still underused. Although I'm a little bleh over Fred turning into DT!Hermione (or Anne of GG for that matter), w/ everyone seeming to need to try and pair themselves w/ her one way or another. They need another female cast member.

Am v. excited for next week's ep, which looks awesome. Spike stuff usually has the potential to be v. rewarding (which is why the last season of BtVS was so disappointing). Though I agree w/ corianderstem, all that "viewer discretion is advised" stuff was really lame.

Also, sydney_lynne, email me your address if you want me to send you a keyboard. I have many working ones that I'm not using. They're all MS Natural keyboards though -- not sure if you prefer the regular kind or whatever.

Edited to add: Have you guys seen Joss Whedon's letter to encourage us to watch AtS S5? Hilarious. I wonder if he wrote it, or some other funny flunky. Anyway, Mary Caroline, he says that there should be no problem for newbies to start in on the show at this point: "Those of you who have never seen the show will have no trouble jumping on board. Just remember, Angel is the one everybody keeps calling 'Angel.'" There, I don't even know why I'm bothering to make tapes.

Comments

[fearthainn.livejournal.com]

Most folk music (as well as a lot of country) tends to have a story format rather than an "I love you" or "I hate you" repeated-ad-nauseum format...it's part of the reason why I listen to folk more than anything else. :) I'd list some for you, but my CDs are at home and my body is at work, and of course I can't remember anything off the top of my head. (A lot of Celtic music tends to be more story-teller-ish too, usually tragic stuff where everyone dies.)

(Ok, I'll give it a shot:

"The Thunder Rolls" and the one about the kid and the older woman where he was a ranch hand for her and she slept with him which I cannot remember what the name is, by Garth Brooks
"The Good Stuff" by Brad Paisley
"Red Rag Top" by Tim McGraw
"The Longest Road" by Stephen Fearing
"The Wreck of the Edmund FitzGerald" by Gordon Lightfoot
"Barrett's Privateers" and "Northwest Passage" by Stan Rogers

And apparently I can remember more than I think. :) )

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Why, thank you muchly. Will check all of these out. I also forgot to include Eminem, who tends to tell stories. They're not pretty stories, but they're stories.

Also, I have an outline of a fic that I was hoping you could write. Just kidding. Hahahahaha!

[fearthainn.livejournal.com]

Will check all of these out.

Stan Rogers and Stephen Fearing might be hard to find...I know Stephen Fearing is, because he's a small-time Canadian folkie and *I* have trouble finding his stuff, and I live here. But if you want me to send you an MP3 or two of his work, I can do that. :)

Stan Rogers is a slightly larger-time Canadian folkie, but alas he's dead and most of his stuff hasn't been released on CD yet, so he's also kind of hard to find. But if you're lucky you can find stuff on P2P, and again, I can send you an MP3 (at least of Northwest Passage).

Also, I have an outline of a fic that I was hoping you could write.

Ahaha. You're funneh. ;)

[nokomis305.livejournal.com]

I too thought the Angel episode was lame, and also am looking forward to the hopefully Spike-y goodness of next week.

Ooh, I love story-songs! I have a favorite one that I've actually been singing all day today- "Ode to Billy Joe" by Bobbie Gentry. Then there's Jim Croce's stuff, which rocks. "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" is of course the classic out of that bunch. Oh, and Lynard Skynard, like "Ballad of Curtis Lowe" and "Gimme Three Steps"... I'll stop naming oldies now. :)

Re: Lana Lang

[gnrationfo.livejournal.com]

ok, for all you Smallville watchers that don't know anything about Superman comics.
Lana Lang is a character that has been around for 60 years in the comics, she was Superman's girlfriend in his teens and is now one of his closest allies. Lana has always been tough and able to take of herself. When Clark revealed his powers to her after they graduated high school, she realized that He belonged to the world and not to just her, so she set him free and told him to use his power to help other people in need around the world. Lana basically gave him the idea of becoming Superman. So all those wanting Lana to join up with Lex...it ain't gonna happen kids, unless she is affected by some kind of kryptonite for one episode. Oh, and in the comics Lana is married to Pete Ross (who is white in the comics, but that doesn't matter)Pete is a Senator and a very good man.Lana and Lex are bitter enemies and Lana has taken on Lex by herself more than a few times, sad thing is Lex is now the President of the United States in the comics, so he is very protected now. Ok, now you're up to speed.

Re: Lana Lang

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Well, we can't rely too much on Superman canon, right? I mean, to a certain extent, we have to, and should. But if we're going by strict Superman mythos, the character of Chloe Sullivan shouldn't even exist. Or what about Whitney? Or Lex's erstwhile wife, Helen? Since Lana does not have significant impact in Clark's future life (after she encourages him to be Superman in one version of canon), they'd have nothing to lose by fiddling w/ the mythology here a bit.

They've created ties between Lex and Lana that I'm not sure they have in canon, maybe you can tell me -- in the comics, was Lex's hair loss due to the meteor shower? Did the meteor shower also kill Lana's parents? If not, in Smallville mythology, both Lex and Lana have suffered losses as a result of Clark's appearance on Earth. Also, they've got Lana and Lex going into business together w/ The Talon -- why create that tie between them if they're not going to do anything with it?

But none of that is to say that I think they will go where I want them to go; I'm just saying that they're fully capable of messing around with canon, whatever that might be.

I used to be on this mailing list where people would try to insist that things were sure to happen this certain way because it was in the comics. However, it was quickly revealed that there seemed to be some question as to what was really Superman canon. Apparently, there are some "issues/episodes" (or what do you call them?) that introduce alternate universes. For instance, I have heard of instances where:

1) Lana is v. bitter by the lies Clark has told her, and joins up with Lex. She then regrets this decision and leaves him.

2) Lana marries Pete. Pete becomes vice president of the US, w/ Lex as prez.

3) Lana plays little-to-no role in Clark Kent's adult life.

4) Older!Lana is sometimes a fashion designer, sometimes a reporter/newscaster.

5) Lana dies with Jimmy Olsen trying to do something for Superman.

So which canon facts are the producers following? :D I'm just saying, given that there are so many different variations out there, and given that the Smallville folks have already shown a willingness to deviate from established canon, anything is possible.

Re: Lana Lang

[seldon.livejournal.com]

Ah! Welcome to the messy thing that is the DC Universe continuity. Yes, there are several Superman timelines, but officially the only 'real' one in comics right now is 2).

1) appears to be an alternate story. Fashion!Lana is from the Animated Series, IIRC, and the reporter/newscaster was the Earth 1 Pre-Crisis Version of Lana Lang (the 'real' continuity before 1985). 5) is from the alternate story "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow", a must read for Superman buffs.

Yes, the DC continuity is a complete mess. DC fixed it in mid 80's, just to screw it again recently. Superman's continuity in comics is in fact being retroactively being modified right now, thanks in no small part to a TV series called "Smallville". For example, Superman's costume and shield were made by Martha Kent in modern continuity, but from this month on, Clark Kent found the costume when he was young. Comics can get very very messy.

Re: Lana Lang

[seldon.livejournal.com]

I'd normally agree, but the Executive Producers of Smallville have been playing fast and loose with the comics continuity for a while now. Morgan Edge and Perry White meeting Clark before he left Smallville, for example. And I can't imagine how Clark can become Superman without Lex tying two and two together about Supes' secret identity. And frankly, I think that Smallville's Lana only common trait with comic's Lana is her name.

With all the angst that a Lex/Lana relationship could bring to the series (also known as ratings) I think it could happen - for a while.

Lyrics

[sevenfourteen.livejournal.com]

I completely agree on songs that tell stories...it's something different, right? I havent heard a lot of hose but i def. want to check them out. here's one with a little story off the top of my head, but I'm not sure it really counts :$

Icehouse-Heartbreak Kid

*mwah*

Re: Lyrics

[sevenfourteen.livejournal.com]

"also...and i can't believe i'm about to admit this, but maybe you'll find it amusing...i read that as Can I Borrow Your Penis?"

Re: Lyrics

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

You have got such a dirty mind! As if I would ever say something like that! I am shocked, I say, shocked! :D

My delicate sensibilities must now recover.

Ballads

[talathmeril.livejournal.com]

Had some thoughts on ballads:

The Night the Lights Went Out In Georgia - most recently by Reba McEntire (but originally by Vicki Lawrence) which has been my favorite song since I was like 6 or 7
Ode To Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry
Billy Don't Be A Hero - Paper Lace
One Week (sorta) - Barenaked Ladies
The Night I Called The Old Man Out - Garth Brooks
The Night Will Only Know - Garth Brooks
The Beaches of Chyenne - Garth Brooks
The Thunder Rolls - Garth Brooks
(I just love Garth :-D)
Spirit Boy - Kane (The band that Christian Kane started)
The Devil Went Down to Georgia - Charlie Daniels Band
Uneasy Rider - Charlie Daniels Band
Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves - Cher
Hotel California - Eagles
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You - Heart
Highwayman - The Highwaymen - Waylon, Willie, Johnny, and Kris (several little ballads actually)
The Bonny Swans - Loreena McKennitt

And I got tired of thinking of them at that point LOL

And there's a lot of really good Filk (Fan Based Folk) out there and most of it tells a story. The Divine Intervention CD by Julia Ecklar is FANTASTIC! Terminus Est will just blow you away. Other good ones are Tom Smith (although he tends to be somewhat Weird Al like) and Cynthia McQuillin

[sumdumgai.livejournal.com]

The greatest story song ever is "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash (who passed away recently).

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

I did a show about a year ago of "story songs". Among them:

Gordon Lightfoot, "the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
Loreena McKennitt, "The Lady of Shalott"
Paper Lace, "The Night Chicago Died"
Dennis DeYoung, "Desert Moon"
Harry Chapin, "Cat's in the Cradle"
Luther Vandross (or Karen Carpenter), "Superstar"
Billy Joel, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant"
Chad Mitchell Trio, "Lizzie Borden"

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

Thought of some more: Gladys Knight and the Pips, "Midnight Train to Georgia"
Oh, and Vicki Lawrence, "The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia"
Alan Jackson, "Midnight in Montgomery" (creeeepy but good. He meets the ghost of Hank Williams)

Guh. I could do this all night. Will stop spamming.

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

and one more: "Mr. Bojangles" by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Yeah, I'm a DJ. Why do you ask? *grin*

[sarea-okelani.livejournal.com]

Hahahaaha, I knew you could be counted on for help here! A show about story songs; that's awesome. I also like the mix of genres.

[significantowl.livejournal.com]

hee! thanks for the link - too funny.

I was pleased with last night's Smallville, too. I was expecting a lot less from the teaser, for some reason - was very surprised by how much plot development went on.

And I literally squealed on the REM thing, out loud and everything. Huge REM nerd, over here. :)

Dude, is anyone else sensing Chloe/Lionel vibes?!

Yep. I'm sure someone, somewhere is at this moment writing fic. :-)

Story songs

[seldon.livejournal.com]

Let's see...

Alanis Morrisette - "Your House"
Celine Dion - "I Love You"
The Beatles - "Eleanor Rigby"
David Bowie - "Space Oddity"
Savage Garden - "Two Beds and a Coffee Machine"

I think these qualify as well, but your opinion may differ:

Meat Loaf - "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights"
Meat Loaf - "Bat Out of Hell"
Aerosmith - "Janie's Got a Gun"
Pulp - "Common People"

I know more, but those are in spanish. Both "corridos" and "trova" are musical styles that are commonly used to tell stories in songs, and some of them are quite beautiful. There's also a Spanish pop group, Mecano, that used to tell both urban life and fantasy stories in songs.