What was it about the 70s that caused so many story songs to make a huge impact? We’re guessing that there’s some kind of social historian who might be able to clue us in.
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Maybe they can also explain why so many of these successful, narrative-driven songs came from acts who couldn’t quite sustain any chart momentum beyond those hits. Here are four 70s story songs that captivated us then and intrigue us still today.
“The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” by Vicki Lawrence
Bobby Russell already possessed a Grammy Song of the Year award for “Little Green Apples” when he penned this track. Upon its completion, he decided it wasn’t his cup of tea. Luckily, his wife, Vicki Lawrence, who was then famous as part of the ensemble of The Carol Barnett Show, thought differently. Lawrence recorded a demo so that the song could be pitched to others. Potential artists felt the same about it as Russell. So Lawrence went off and recorded it herself, landing a No. 1 song in the process. This particular story song has a twist ending. We think that the narrator is simply telling the story. At the song’s end, we find out that she’s the one who did the murderous deed that precipitated the electric-chair punishment behind the song’s title.
“Seasons In The Sun” by Terry Jacks
This one took on many different guises before Terry Jacks turned it into a No. 1 hit. The legendary French songwriter Jacques Brel first wrote and recorded it. It told the story of a man at the end of his life saying his farewells, which include a warm-wishing message to the man who cuckolded him. This version was translated into English by Rod McKuen, allowing for American artists like The Kingston Trio to take a crack at it. Jacks decided he didn’t want the nasty aftertaste of adultery in his take, so he further altered the lyrics. His version features a man looking back through his life during deathbed conversations with an old friend, his father, and, in this case, his loyal lover.
“Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” by Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods
The British songwriters Mitch Murray and Peter Callanderer found a niche writing pop songs that referenced (not always accurately) American history. In the case of “Billy, Don’t Be a Hero”, they wrote a song about a doomed soldier in the Civil War. It tells the story of a young man who goes above and beyond in the call of duty, volunteering for a dangerous assignment in the heat of battle. He gets killed for his trouble, leaving behind his grieving fiancée. Paper Lace, an up-and-coming British band, recorded it in the UK, where it went to No. 1. But in the US, they were beaten to the punch by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, whose version went to the top of the American charts. Paper Lace, as we’re about to find out, would have the last laugh.
“The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace
Did Paper Lace sulk upon losing out on the chance to be US chart-toppers on their previous single? To quote their next big hit, “Glory be,” they did not. Writers Mitch Murray and Peter Callander went back to work and provided the band with “The Night Chicago Died”. And in this case, they played fast and loose with their historical references. The events in the song are meant to recall the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929 in Chicago. But only seven men died in that event, not 100. And the men murdered were gangsters, not cops. None of that mattered once Paper Lace started blasting away with kazoos and grunting their way through the backing vocals. They had their No. 1 in America, after all.
Photo by Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock
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