My Top Five Storytelling Songs
Check out my top 5 list of storytelling songs.

Telling stories in music is one of the best ways to connect with your audience and create emotion. That said, it's easier said than done. Telling your friends a story is different from putting it into song lyrics. So I decided to break down five of my favorite storytelling songs so that you understand the principles and tricks you'll need when writing yours.

Don't worry. Storytelling is not meant for only rappers. There are different kinds of songs on this list so that you'll get the full picture of what I'm saying. This goes without saying, but this list is based on my preference. Feel free to share your favorite storytelling songs with us too.

Keep It 100 by Joyner Lucas

In this song, Joyner Lucas tells one of the most random stories you will ever hear. It's the story of a $100 bill. From the ATM, it goes through different hands on a remarkable journey that ends with a shotgun in someone's face. It starts with a guy complaining about how he works so hard for so little money as he tries to withdraw from the ATM.

Next, he goes to buy drugs from his "plug". At this point, we leave the main character and follow the dollar bill. The "plug" goes to the club and uses the dollar bill to write his number for one of the dancers. A point of note here is that the number is written on the bill with a red marker. The dancer goes to the store and uses the bill to make some purchases.

At first, it's just an intriguing story about the journey of a dollar bill, but then the store gets robbed. Now we have some conflict, something unexpected. The dollar bill changes hands in some extraordinary twists, but the story ends with a massive climax. A homeless man picks the money up and goes to the store that got robbed earlier. The store owner recognizes the red marker and pulls out his shotgun. Then the story ends.

Joyner Lucas reels us in by intriguing us, then he captures our attention by shocking us with the robbery, then continues to take us on his journey, before ending things with a cliffhanger. It's a masterpiece of a story.

How I Met My Ex by Dave

We all know how our first relationships went. Most people don't end up with their first partner because they probably decided before they understood what it entailed. Dave tells the story of how he met his ex as an 18-year-old rapper. He just tells the story of how they met, dated, and broke up.

What's interesting about it is it gives a different perspective. We all know how hard it would be to date a celebrity with all that attention, but how do you think they feel? Takes a different kind of commitment for a celebrity to stay loyal.

Stan by Eminem

One of the most iconic Eminem songs ever, Stan, is a story. The character in this story became so popular that all of Eminem's strong fans are called Stans to this day. The story comes to us in the form of letters from an obsessed fan of Eminem. The first letter starts full of admiration and praises. He has written before but he doesn't blame Eminem, it must be an error from the post office. Then he proceeds to tell his idol what's going on in his life and asks him to write back whenever he can. We're moving nicely here, still wondering where he's going.

The second letter is more aggressive. Eminem blew off Stan's younger brother and that has him angry. Then he goes into a long rant about how he and Eminem are alike and how no one else can understand them. The third letter is where things get crazy.

Stan is delirious and drunk, driving on a bridge. He blames Eminem for not reaching out and says he'll be the reason why he ends his life. The crazy part is when Stan's girlfriend starts screaming in the background. Not only has this lunatic gone over the edge, he's taking his girlfriend with him. So they go over the bridge to their deaths. This is the climax.

Eminem then ends the song with a wicked sense of humor where Stan is finally getting a response from his idol. As Eminem rote him back apologizing for all the stuff he complained about and advising him on what to do. As he writes, Eminem then realizes Stan is already long gone.

It's a crazy, twisted story. Stan killed himself because there was no response from Eminem only for the response to come a few weeks later. Do you know why we'll relate to that story? How many fans send their favorite celebrities mail and never hear back?

The Tales by Ren

This isn't one song, but a collection of songs, a mini album if you like. Ren's music will particularly appeal to indie artists because his music is just as anti-rules as anything you've ever heard. The first song starts the story off with a mugging. A young girl named Jenny is mugged and killed in the streets of London. The second song tells the story of how Screech, the mugger, is chased and shot by police.

Ren then pauses here and tells us that to understand how truly tragic the deaths of these two are, we must go back to an earlier story. A woman named Violet was attacked and beaten up to death, but she managed to deliver her twins before dying. Who were her twins? Jenny and Screech.

The best part of this story is how Ren was able to take us from the mugging to the shooting, then back to the birth to reveal the twist nobody was ready for. If your story has no conflict, twist, or climax, what is there for your audience to enjoy?

How Do I Say Goodbye by Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis gives a tear-jerker with this song. He starts the story with a setting. It's early in the morning and he picks up his phone to see a message from his mom. She says he should come home, and he instantly fears the worst. True to his fears, his father is gone. So he asks the one question no one has an answer to.

How do I say goodbye?

Instantly, everyone is hooked. People who've lost a loved one before are probably crying by now. Dean goes on to tell us stories about his father while coming back to that one question with the chorus. It's a tragedy, but it's something so many of us have gone through. That's the power of a good story.

Final Thoughts

There you have it. Those were five of my favorite storytelling songs I broke down to show you how the best in the game do it. Storytelling in your music is a skill that will shoot you from the cool rapper to everybody's best friend, but only if you do it right.

So do it right.