Music and Story - Narrative in Song

 

Music and Story: Narrative in Song

Image by Leopictures from Pixabay

    All of us know of musicians who can write popular songs that top the charts solely based on having a memorable, upbeat sound. However, there are musicians who consider their craft, seeking to create music that is filled with emotion and meaning. Some of the best music captivates us through storytelling.

    Using words and sounds to weave together a musical tale, musicians can take us on an exciting journey or invite us to peek into their hearts, revealing a dark or painful place from their past. Regardless of the type of story, listeners can relate. We can all find music that resonates with us because people identify with universal human experiences and emotions.

Songs and Narratives

    Although we usually associate the term “narrative” with written stories, we can find songs that employ narrative techniques. These musicians have shorter amounts of time and space to tell an emotionally moving tale with a beginning, middle, and end. Despite this challenge, songwriters have successfully conveyed stories about love, hope, and overcoming obstacles in concise, yet powerful ways. Such songs often make people laugh, cry, or consider an important truth.

    Musicians may also choose to go a step further than just telling one story through a song. Certain albums present an entire story or unit – The songs fit together, complement each other, or contribute to a unifying theme. An artist accomplishes this by creating a concept album. Examples of concept albums include Andrew Peterson’s well-known Behold the Lamb of God and his anthology of Resurrection Letters, as well as The Oh Hellos’ Through the Deep, Dark Valley, which draws inspiration from the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Therefore, when thinking about narrative in music, we should also consider concept albums and sets of songs that are centered around a message.

    To recognize the presence of stories in songs, let’s consider a few examples from the playlist attached to the bottom of this post.

• “Dirty Paws” by Of Monsters and Men – The story of animals joining together with birds to fight the evil and destructive forces of a group of bees.
• “Anthem” by Sarah Sparks – A whimsical tale about an ant who sees a human and tells the rest of the colony.
• “Corner” by The Arcadian Wild – This song celebrates mothers but also applies to anyone who cheers and supports others with sacrificial love. Although the song also fits with the next category of showcasing the songwriter’s personal experience, it has a strong narrative arc.

Songs with Personal Lyrics that Mirror Memoirs

    Songwriters employ storytelling techniques to deliver imaginative and clever tales, but they can also draw from their own experiences to create music that resonates with others. Weaving pieces of their past into their work, musicians create songs that resemble memoirs.

    Unlike autobiographies, which detail a person’s entire life, memoirs focus on a specific part of the author’s life. For example, in my creative nonfiction classes, I wrote multiple memoir pieces that focused on specific times in my life, such as when my family found an abandoned dog at a church graveyard and brought her home, adopting her into our family. Likewise, memoir-like songs focus on a single event or specific part of the musician’s life.     

    In the playlist, you will find multiple songs that fit in this category. They present varied stories from the lives of the artist and others, including emotionally honest confessions and lessons learned through hardship.  

• “Corner” by The Arcadian Wild – As mentioned above, this song celebrates mothers. Isaac Horn of the band stated in an interview, “It’s the story of my mother, who has never wavered in her aim to love me into the man I am today.” The song was originally released near Mother’s Day of 2023.
• “While I’m In The Wind” by Benjamin William Hastings – The entire album is authentic and raw, but this song poignantly captures Hastings’ feelings about how his work has affected time spent with his family. In addition to presenting honest thoughts about this conflict, the increasing momentum and powerful vocals at the end of the song blend to create an emotional response in the listener.   
• “Isabella” by Dia Frampton – A song about finding freedom and recognizing the strength to break away from a harmful environment. According to Genius.com, Frampton drew from her life experiences and wrote the song about her little sister.  
• “Susan” by Skye Peterson – Many people have heard of Andrew Peterson, but his daughter is a talented young woman with a passion for writing songs that glorify Christ. This song tells the story of Susan, who struggles to fit in and needs a friend.  
• “Hospital Flowers” by Owl City – A story about how a car crash, and disasters generally, can change our perspectives, including seeing the need to place faith in Jesus.

The Greatest Story       

    There are songs that take us on journeys and stir feelings within us, but there are also songs that speak of the Greatest Story of all – God’s loving plan to save us. Mainstream music ignores the beauty of the Bible’s redemptive message. Too often, secular artists choose to exalt human love (or what they may mistakenly call love), forgetting that the greatest and ultimate love comes from God.

    Thankfully, though, there are Christian artists who have utilized their creative skills and musical storytelling techniques to present the story of the fall of humankind, the consequences of sin, and Jesus’ death and resurrection to save us. Using vivid imagery and concise diction, these artists bring us emotionally into the story of God’s love.

    To clarify, when I mention the word “story” in the sense of the Greatest Story, I am not referring to imaginary events. The Bible is completely true and reliable. Unlike fiction books and fairytales, Scripture presents us with historical people and events. Adam and Eve were real people, who literally disobeyed God and brought sin into the world. Jesus Christ, who is God the Son, is also real. He died on the cross and physically rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Jesus is the Last Adam, the One who bore our sins and paid the penalty to bring forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe (see Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:45-47). We see His plan and work to restore our relationship with Himself throughout Scripture – from the first pages of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation.    

    In the playlist included below is a group of songs that present the story of creation, the fall, and the hope of salvation. I have included The Arcadian Wild’s wonderful EP titled Principium which depicts Genesis in an imaginative and emotional way, through the eyes of God and Adam. Finally, the playlist ends with Benjamin William Hastings’ “Eden.” This song encapsulates the overarching redemptive theme of Scripture.

• Principium by The Arcadian Wild. (Note: The lyric videos for these songs beautifully depict the story. Also be sure to check out the music videos which are works of art in their own right).
• “I. Spring: Wake” – Told from the perspective of God regarding the creation of Adam.
• “II. Summer: Walk” – Told from the perspective of God walking with man in the Garden and includes the creation of Eve.
• “III. Fall: War” – Told from the perspective of Adam at the Fall.
• “IV. Winter: Will” – Told from the perspective of Adam after the Fall. He describes his longing for a restored relationship with the Lord. The end of the song is told from God's perspective.
• “Eden” by Benjamin William Hastings.

These songs are perfect examples of individuals using their creativity and skills to show God’s love and beauty through music. Their songs invite listeners to ponder and stand in awe of the Greatest Story.

Continuing the Story

Following the theme of this blog series, the next post will look at how music can inspire storytellers as they create works of art.  

Resource for Further Study

Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson is an excellent book that explores the intersection of story and music, as well as other aspects of writing. A great read and resource for writers, artists, or anyone interested in creativity.  

Music and Story - Introduction

 

Image from Pixabay

In ancient times, stories were recited or sung. Storytellers would memorize long poems like The Odyssey, The Iliad, or Beowulf and perform them for the entertainment of others. People in certain cultures knew these musical storytellers and poets as bards. Their job was a serious one because orally sharing poems and stories was a significant part of many cultures. 

As time progressed and more people wrote down works, storytelling through recitation and song greatly influenced literature. For instance, poetry largely consists of the sound of words and was originally created for recitation. Likewise, African American literature has roots in a rich tradition of oral storytelling.

            Some cultures around the world continue to use oral storytelling and are working to pass on the tradition to the younger generation. However, the skill of memorizing long sections of stories or poems has dwindled in the modern age because of access to physical and online copies of books and poetry. Similarly, poetry is still best read aloud, but reading verse is now a generally private activity. Despite these losses, we have the modern roles of singers, musicians, and songwriters. Though they do not usually sing long epics or histories, these artists give us stories through music and poetic lyrics.   

            The next few posts will be part of a blog series called Music and Story. The series will highlight ways that music conveys stories, such as narratives that take us on an emotional journey in a similar way that a novel does, or how a song can reveal personal perspectives and experiences like memoir-style works. Not only will I examine songs that tell stories, including the Greatest Story, but I will also explore how music can inspire literature, and vice versa. The series will end with a discussion of the modern state of Christian music which I believe is relevant to issues surrounding contemporary Christian fiction. Are there examples of modern books and songs that are beautiful, true, and good? Or are critics correct that modern forms of Christian art are shallow and inauthentic? This blog series will explore these questions and more.

            Before we begin, though, I want to acknowledge that I am still a student in the craft of storytelling. I do not claim to be an expert in writing or music. However, as someone who enjoys music and has been inspired by songs, I have thoughts about the connection between music and story. So often, songs point me to the best Storyteller and Musician I know – The Lord God. In Scripture, we read about the great story of God’s love and grace, the One who sings over us (Zephaniah 3:17).

So, whether you are a writer, music enthusiast, literature lover, or someone interested in the combined discussion of faith, music, and story, come along on the journey as we study the “bards” of our time.

Alcott, Old Maids, and Discontentment

Image by Ylanite from Pixabay 

In my last post, I wrote about Little Women and the struggle people often have with unforgiveness. Another thing in life that people often grapple with, which is pertinent to the discussion of Alcott’s classic, is discontentment.

Towards the end of the story, Jo begins to recognize her growing discontentment and loneliness. Hearing about Laurie’s love for Amy, she retires to her beloved attic and reflects on being alone. Although she tries to comfort herself with the idea that “old maids” can be happy, Jo feels that “the prospect was not inviting” (Alcott 467). In a surprising twist of the story, the fiery, independent Jo desires marriage because she is discontented with being alone.

Alcott assures us that women at 25 or in their 30s who have not yet married do not have it too bad, but she does reveal the general attitude of her time that such women “miss the blossom time” of life (467). While modern readers would laugh at the idea that a woman at 25 or 30 is an “old maid,” the idea of a person being discontent with singleness continues to prevail even in the modern age.

Writing for a specific period, Alcott had to marry off Jo to someone, as this was expected of women. Alcott did not like this expectation or the idea that a woman’s only purpose was to be married. Hence, she promised herself not to marry Jo to Laurie. She recorded in her journal that, “Girls write to ask who the little women marry, as if that was the only end and aim of a woman’s life. I won’t marry Jo to Laurie to please any one” (Alcott and Cheney 201).

Of course, this intention has sparked a continual debate among fans about whom Jo should have ended up with. Some readers have argued that her marriage to Professor Bhaer is satisfying since the Professor is better suited to her personality. Alcott spent a great deal of time trying to convince us of this through the character of Marmee and through the subtle hints from Jo, though some might wonder if this was forced. Other ardent fans argue that Jo should have ended up with her best friend, Teddy.

            Books with alternate endings of Alcott’s classic now exist to satisfy the fans who wanted things to end differently for Jo. For instance, in Jo & Laurie, the authors Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz create a different version where Jo and Laurie end up together. Another similar book is Trix Wilkins’ The Courtship of Jo March: a variation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, which also provides an alternate course of events, including a variation of what it would have been like if Beth had survived. 

To add my opinion to the debate, I think that Jo should have stayed single as her real-life counterpart did (Louisa May Alcott). Singleness fits her character. Even if my opinion may be unpopular, and maybe even in the minority, I think it does align more with Alcott’s own intentions for the story. She wanted the March girls to make their own decisions, though she was limited in what they could choose since the predominant view of Alcott’s time was that a woman had to marry to live a happy and fulfilled life.   

            Today, people have the same idea. In our society, we are taught that we will be happy, fulfilled, worthy, and purposeful if only we _____ (insert: get married, obtain a certain degree, land our dream job, have children, buy that expensive home, etc.). Long after the days of Louisa May Alcott, people still assume that they can only be happy if specific situations occur.

            But can any person, position, prestige, or promotion give us true fulfillment?

            The great philosopher and theologian Augustine did not think so. He wrote in his famous work, Confessions, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” Augustine had much of what the world claims will satisfy the human heart: renown and numerous romantic relationships. However, he came to realize that only the true God of the Bible could fulfill him.  

            I agree with Augustine’s declaration and believe that fulfillment and joy can only come by knowing Jesus Christ. Other things in life can be good, but a person only discovers abundant life and lasting satisfaction in the Lord (John 10:10). Unlike anyone else in life, Jesus will always stay (Matthew 28:20), always listen (1 Peter 5:7; 1 John 5:14-15), and love us unconditionally (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can compare with what Jesus offers us.

            The discussions about Jo and Teddy, or Jo and Professor Bhaer will continue, especially as new readers encounter the story. Such debates have sparked the imagination of many people, inspiring them to write retellings of the beloved classic. As we enjoy Alcott’s work and its derivatives, though, we need to remember that the loneliness and restlessness that Jo felt, which mirrors the way many people feel at some point in their lives, can never be fully satisfied by a person, item, or title.

In Christ alone, we find the answer to our inner discontentment.

 

Works Cited

• Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. Sterling Children’s Books, 2004.
• Alcott, Louisa May, and Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney. Louisa May Alcott, Her Life, Letters, and Journals. Roberts Brothers, 1889. Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38049/pg38049-images.html.   
• Augustine. Confessions. Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1427207-confessiones.