DBT #412 Tell Me A Story Vol. 3

 

In my Dave's Dozen Top Albums for 2025, I highlighted a few songs in the albums would be great part of a story song playlist, and then my wife got me a BOOK for Christmas, she knows I rarely read books, but it was Todd Snider's "I Never Met a Story I Didn't Like"  Of course it's so sad that Todd has passed away during 2025 and I didn't do a playlist for him.  So let's consider this the first nod to Todd and why the post pic looks a lot like him.  I will try to keep his music alive in more playlists in the future.  

Story songs are my favorite exemplified by Volume One and Two; plus I also playlists called "End of Story", "Immigrant Stories", and "The Ballad of:"  So let's get started listening to a sixteen stories.

Here's the covers of the albums featured:

I curated the songs from some of my favorite storytellers, recent purchases or gifts, and just magic of browsing the library.  This is such an easy subject to prowl and I think this playlist hit really is special.

1) The Rearview Mirror - Sometymes Why

Sometymes Why?  Let me tell you a story, I had a huge fan crush on Sometymes Why to a point where I did a fan video back in 2009.  Yes it's so low resolution kind of laughable today, but the music and the love for them is truly special memory for me.

Aoife O'Donovan I think was the musician I discovered first from following Lissa Schneckenburger, and then I quickly was wowed by Kristin Andreassen and her writing in the group.  Ruth Unger was a familiar last name, and perfect third.  So when I ran into the group in my browsing for this playlist, I clicked around to see if I could re-visit the ladies, and my oh my; Kristin wrote a great story.  Yes it took from 2009 to 2025, but I finally saw Kristin live with her hubby Chris Eldridge (just a member of the Punch Brothers) at Mile of Music. 

I still need to see Aoife, hopefully someday with the band I'm with Her would be cool.  Ok so here's the story of a woman putting on her lipstick in the rearview mirror.

There is only one video out in YouTube of this song, and his camera hit the limit and stopped before the ending so you'll have to listen to the above.  Fun to watch and I guess I also shared the song on "All The Ladies Now Edition No. 328" inspired by Kristin Andreassen. (I guess I still have a fan crush on Kristin, ha.)

Yikes if each song will be a story this playlist will take forever, ha.

2) Liquor Store Angel - Parry Lamont

Parry reached out to me recently and gifted me a wonderful album, instead of me waiting to buy it next time on Bandcamp.  I haven't listened to it all yet but I fell in love with both this song's title and story.  He's a good ole Minnesota guy, so I'm hoping that Amy books him to the Trempealeau Hotel along the way.

Hey it's a Christmas song too and boy I would love to play music in this place in the video.

3) A Day In The Life - The Beatles

You know I just listened to the all of Sgt Peppers after watching a Beatles documentary.  I don't add them too often, but this one fits.  I love the story how John had the beginning from reading the newspaper, and I think Paul got him to end his part with "I love to turn you on"; and then Paul wrote the bridge; and then back to stories from the newspaper and ends on the four grand in a chaotic finish to four grand pianos hitting the same chord and just letting them sustain. I know a story within a story again.

4) The Case of the Wine Soaked Preacher - Corb Lund

Here's one of the songs I mentioned in my top albums of 2025 post.  Also starts another vein of Todd Snider's friends that will show up in the playlist.  We know Corb was friends with Todd because he covered one of Todd's songs in "Songs my Friends Wrote."  Now if ONLY Taylor Swift would share the wealth and make an album of her friends songs too.

5) Ride of Their Lives (Ronnie and Connie) - Mike Ward

Here's the second song I mentioned in my top albums of 2025 post.  How about a story spanning 60 years.

they met at the Iosco County Fair
just 13 ..parents dropped them there
Ronnie and Connie…the names might’ve rhymed
but they were so different..each one of a kind

Connie had full lips..begging to be kissed
self conscious about her freckles and her lisp
Ronnie was clumsy, kindhearted… kinda slow
big for his age…hair everywhere starting to grow

Here's Mike solo acoustic singing the great story.

6) The Story Of My So-Called Life - Molly Tuttle

Here's the third song I mentioned in my top albums of 2025 post.  Very fun story but never mentions learning guitar.

Here's what Google had to say:

...serving as a reflective look at her life's pivotal moments, from childhood to her move to Nashville, closing her album So Long Little Miss Sunshine with personal storytelling. She describes it as taking stock of who she is and saying goodbye to trying to fit in, embracing her real self, and sharing her coming-of-age journey with listeners.

Cartwheel back in time
Shy kid in '99
Looked different, felt the same inside
Too young to understand why
Changed schools, changed my clothes
Pierced my ears, then my nose
Oh well, I guess that's how it goes
Another storybook line
In the story of my so-called life

Wow this great video was only added 3 weeks ago.

7) The Ballad of the Kingsman - Todd Snider

So many to pick from, here's a fun one to remind people music has an effect on the youth but not always as bad as you think.

Plus I got lucky to also get a live cut from Todd.

8) Emma Rose - Kate Wolf

Yes a story about a real person who was thrilled that Kate wrote about her.  The studio version is very nice, and you can listen to it here; but I'll share a live cut every time.  This song also showed up recently in Rosie Edition no. 392.

9) The Rooster and the Hen - Emily Nenni

A woman my wife found in YouTube and told me I should look her up; I did and bought one vinyl so far.  Here's a fun little barnyard story.

10) Backseat - Chicago Farmer

Boy if you are in need of a story, you need to get you butt over to see a Chicago Farmer concert.  I have an 8 minute story song from his "Quarter Past Tonight" album, and this video has a different story about his wife blended into the song.  They prohibit embedding so you need to click the link.  Oh wait I found another one, again with the Pittsburgh story and not the Cubs game story that is on the album.  Either way they are fun.  I love the clarity of the video and sound in both videos I linked here.  Yes Chicago Farmer is another Todd Snider connection because he opened for Todd a few times, and was told by Todd stop being so funny.

11) Holiday - James McMurtry

I almost put this great story song in my Christmas Monday Morning Song series, but thought better of it.  I'm so glad I recently picked up his 2017 release on vinyl.  While his dad could spin a good western novel, James just puts a lot of life stories in 6 minutes.

James is on my bucket list to see yet, and this is how I want to see him.

12) Sit In With The Band - Hayes Carll

Pretty sure Hayes and Todd knew each other, and I would be surprised that they jammed together in some band.

Here's a nice fan video with cool pictures:

13) The Ballad of Turk and Roxy - Alice DiMicele

Recently I got Alice's sampler cd from her, and this song fit wonderfully.  Since I played in a band called Lucky Dog, I think it's cool this song comes from an album called "Lucky Dogs"  Sit back and let Alice sing you a story.

14) Johnny's Camaro - David Wilcox

Oh my, this was fun to run into in the library.  David was on a roll live on the album "East Asheville Hardware" for 8 minute 55 second story.  Here's a video that's longer.  I haven't listened to it yet to hear the changes in the story; but it has to be MORE exciting and not just 5 minutes of him tuning HA.  I see I commented 11 years ago that it's like "Moth Hour story in a song".

15) Mary Ellen Carter - Stan Rogers

Keeping Stan alive, in his infamous RISE Again song... keep your hopes up, you too can rise again like the Mary Ellen Carter.  This video gets you both a real story of the impact of the song, and Stan's song.

16) Hurricane - Bob Dylan

Release in 1976, "Desire" has truly some incredible stories on the album.  I picked Hurricane for this post, Dylan just knows how to tell a story in a song.  You can listen to the official audio here, but when I saw this video from "A World of John Hammond" I knew I wanted to share it although it doesn't have Emmylou singing with him live; and I'm not sure what he eliminated it feels a little shorter than the album.

Yep, if you prefer to click once and let a playlist stream (with commercials) here's your ONE Click YouTube playlist.

Next steps:

- Stop over to the Review page to my other most spinned and loved albums.

- Browse the rest of the blogs by stopping at this "Theme Page."

- Enjoy Tune Tuesday which brings you one song from a past blog post.

- See what other post have been most popular recently with our Stats Page.

- Find out who in the world thinks he has the authority to write this blog in the About.

- Let me answer why you won't find the playlists on Spotify here.

- Finally, the Mission page explains why there is no advertising cluttering the page.

If you use Facebook, we have a page "Like" us there and it will help you remember to read the next post

You could always decide to feed my music addiction and donate to the cause.  If you did, I will spend it only on music and even will buy the music you recommend if you tell me to.  Here's a Paypal donate button

#MusicHasNoExpirationDate #bestunknownmusicblog  #80sfolk #curatedplaylist #compilations  #AdobeStockPhotos