songs as stories

A slow morning. My only new del.icio.us tags stem from a link from Fimoculous to an A.V. Club post about "26 songs that are as good as short stories".

I am apparently a fan of "story-songs": in addition to really liking a number of the songs on the list, I also go gaga for a number of the songs in the "You forgot . . . " comments that inevitably follow.

So now, in a move that will surely make me late to work, here's my top 17 (?) list:

from the A.V. Club list

1. Johnny Cash, "A Boy Named Sue"
2. Loudon Wainright III, "The Man Who Couldn't Cry"*
3. New Order, "Love Vigilante"**

from the comments

4. Dismemberment Plan, "You Are Invited"***
5. Bruce Springsteen, "Highway Patrolman"
6. The Beatles, "Day in the Life"
7. Frank Sinatra, "It Was a Very Good Year"
8. The Kinks, "Lola"
9. Social Distortion, "Story of My Life"****

and a few others from my iTunes library

10. Bruce Springsteen, "The River"
11. Cowboy Junkies, "Sun Comes Up, "It's Tuesday Morning"
12. Jay Z, "December 4th"
13. Tuscadero, "Latex Dominatrix"
14. Uncle Tupelo, "Lili Schull"
15. Sinead O'Connor, "My Special Child"
16. The Waifs, "London Still"
17. Wilco, "When the Roses Bloom Again"*****

*I like the Johnny Cash version, primarily because I don't know the Wainright version.
**I, like many people in the comments, had no idea the guy actually died.
***I'm going to the reunion show!
****A little literal, but give it to me.
*****The true favorite, for sentimental reasons.

And you?