slyc_willie
Captain Crash
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2006
- Posts
- 17,732
There was a chain story series a while back, based around the song "El Paso," that received a lot of participation. That and other things got me thinking, and it still does, concerning songs from which the basic storyline could be adapted into a full-blown tale.
Songs are great for inspiration. The prose must be tight and able to evoke something from the listener, and the accompanying music needs to grab you and match the cadence of the lyrics. But sometimes, there are songs that beg to be developed further. Listening to them, you can't help but feel that there is much more behind the prose and music. If only someone would expound upon the basic ideas presented.
We can be those someones.
Personally, I have always wanted to turn Sting's "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" into a full-fledged story. Sting has always been a consummate storyteller, giving us a teasing taste of much richer fare through his prose. In this particular song, he tells the tale of seven brothers who travel as wandering gunfighters in an Old West setting. Venturing into Mexico, they learn of a small town which has been ravaged by local bandits. The mayor of the town begs the seven brothers to deal with the bandits, promising a bride for each of them as reward.
Unfortunately, once the bandits are dealt with and the seven brothers return, the mayor informs the men that there is only one eligible woman for marriage. "There weren't seven brides for seven brothers. I knew I had to get rid of the others," the song goes, speaking from the point of view of Sting, who takes the part of the youngest of the seven.
In the end, Sting's character triumphs; all six of the others are dead, and the narrator settles down with his new Mexican bride while the other six brothers "are singing in Heaven."
The song resonates with me. It is a terrific tale of brotherly love and understanding, while at the same time a dissertation on the impact a single woman can have upon men. I see a scenario in which the seven brothers agree that they all want the "prize," but also understand that only one of them will get it, at the cost of the other seven. Something about that is very Greek Tragedy to me.
Anyway, while I may or may not write the above tale, the idea has me wondering what other songs other people might think simply beg for a literary rendering. What songs would you turn into a story?
Songs are great for inspiration. The prose must be tight and able to evoke something from the listener, and the accompanying music needs to grab you and match the cadence of the lyrics. But sometimes, there are songs that beg to be developed further. Listening to them, you can't help but feel that there is much more behind the prose and music. If only someone would expound upon the basic ideas presented.
We can be those someones.
Personally, I have always wanted to turn Sting's "Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)" into a full-fledged story. Sting has always been a consummate storyteller, giving us a teasing taste of much richer fare through his prose. In this particular song, he tells the tale of seven brothers who travel as wandering gunfighters in an Old West setting. Venturing into Mexico, they learn of a small town which has been ravaged by local bandits. The mayor of the town begs the seven brothers to deal with the bandits, promising a bride for each of them as reward.
Unfortunately, once the bandits are dealt with and the seven brothers return, the mayor informs the men that there is only one eligible woman for marriage. "There weren't seven brides for seven brothers. I knew I had to get rid of the others," the song goes, speaking from the point of view of Sting, who takes the part of the youngest of the seven.
In the end, Sting's character triumphs; all six of the others are dead, and the narrator settles down with his new Mexican bride while the other six brothers "are singing in Heaven."
The song resonates with me. It is a terrific tale of brotherly love and understanding, while at the same time a dissertation on the impact a single woman can have upon men. I see a scenario in which the seven brothers agree that they all want the "prize," but also understand that only one of them will get it, at the cost of the other seven. Something about that is very Greek Tragedy to me.
Anyway, while I may or may not write the above tale, the idea has me wondering what other songs other people might think simply beg for a literary rendering. What songs would you turn into a story?
