Friday, April 13, 2012

TGIF: Musical Stories


Here's a new-to-me bookish meme that I found this morning that I feel like responding to. Check it out over on GReads blog! It's called TGIF.

Here's the question:

Musical Stories:
 If you could read a book about any song, 
which song would you love to see written down in story form?


I've sort of mentioned this before, but the song that always comes to mind when I think about this is Hazard by Richard Marx. What a story in this song! There's a boy who's not quite normal who goes to this town and finally finds a friend, but then she turns up missing he's accused of murder? What?!!! I want to know more! I want to be in his head! I want to know what REALLY happened!

Here's the lyrics:

My mother came to Hazard when I was just seven
Even then the folks in town said with prejudiced eyes
That boy's not right 
Three years ago when I came to know Mary
First time that someone looked beyond the rumors and the lies
And saw the man inside 


We used to walk down by the river
She loved to watch the sun go down
We used to walk along the river
And dream our way out of this town 


No one understood what I felt for Mary
No one cared until the night she went out walking alone
And never came home 
Man with a badge came knocking next morning
Here was I surrounded by a thousand fingers suddenly
Pointed right at me 


I swear I left her by the river
I swear I left her safe and sound
I need to make it to the river
And leave this old Nebraska town


I think about my life gone by
And how it's done me wrong
There's no escape for me this time
All of my rescues are gone, long gone


I swear I left her by the river
I swear I left her safe and sound
I need to make it to the river
And leave this old Nebraska town

And here's the song being performed:




See? Doesn't this tragic song just BEG for a book to go with it?

8 comments:

  1. I would love to see The Luckiest by Ben Folds put into a book.

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    1. Ben Folds is so fantastic at telling a great story with a song. I think anything from his first solo album would be great books.

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  2. I'm glad you mentioned this one. The husband and I saw Richard Marx in concert a year or so ago and he talked about writing "Hazard." It was interesting to hear about his creative process (the song's story is completely made up, BTW) and the fact that he was planning to shove the recording he made of it into a drawer until his wife convinced him it would be a huge hit. And it was. Love a man who listens to his wife :)

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  3. Iagreed with you before but if not, I do now. I want to know what happens!

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  4. Whoa, this sounds like it would be a crazy story! And one I would definitely read to see what happened. Great pick. :)

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  5. What a cool song and the story that goes with is fabulous.
    Great pick. I never RM had this song. I like RM, he has a few gr8 romantic tunes.
    My TGIF

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  6. Billy Joel's "Leningrad" would be such a wonderful story to tell with a book. I'd read that in a heartbeat.

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  7. Hey Suey! This is a new one for me. Thanks so much! Great pick! :)

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