Songs as Flash Narratives

​Most songs are based on stories. Some songs tell stories. Some of these are factual, others are fictitious. Some songs address only portions or fragments of stories. Story songs use literary features like point of view, character(s), dialogue, description, metaphor/simile, flashback, etc. Novels, short stories, news articles, and films all tell stories. Songs, however, are particularly useful in understanding and applying the features of good storytelling. This is because in songs, particularly in contemporary commercially marketed songs, the story is so compressed. For this reason, it is easy to see, evaluate, and draw inspiration from songs and the stories presented in songs. In this session we will listen to three or four “demo” songs, evaluate them and learn how to use such songs as springboards to imagination and creativity. The songs I have presently in mind are from Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, and Gillian Welch.