SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Apr 20, 2017 16:04:36 GMT 1
I just thought an interesting subject for a thread would be who everyone's favourite characters are in songs - any thoughts?
I think about this a lot. I've always had a very clear image in my head of Mr McGee, Prince's boss at the Five & Dime in Raspberry Beret. I especially like the way he pronounces "leisurely".
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Post by raliverpool on Apr 20, 2017 16:13:24 GMT 1
Terry & Julie in The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset comes to mind first.
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Post by Robin on Apr 20, 2017 16:19:03 GMT 1
The first character that comes into my head is Father McKenzie in "Eleanor Rigby" as follows:
"Father McKenzie, writing the words
Of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there's nobody there
What does he care"
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SheriffFatman
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Been spending most our lives living in the Cheshire countryside
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Post by SheriffFatman on Apr 21, 2017 23:56:32 GMT 1
Regarding Summer Of '69, I always think that if only Jimmy hadn't quit and Jody hadn't got married then maybe they could have steered Bryan away from the dodgy ballads, and the world would have been spared (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
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vya
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Post by vya on Apr 22, 2017 0:40:05 GMT 1
Tommy and Gina in "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi I can almost picture in their home.
More obscure, but "The Clarke Sisters" by the Go-Betweens ("they sleep in the back of a feminist bookstore ") I can almost see and smell. Actually the Go-Betweens are great at creating and depicting well-rounded characters in their lyrics, at least as good as the Kinks...
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Post by Shireblogger on Apr 22, 2017 9:50:45 GMT 1
I've often wondered about Marie, the girl Chuck Berry is trying to contact in "Memphis, Tennessee".
In 1959 she lived on the south side, high upon the ridge, just a half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge. She is only 6 years old, and Chuck is her estranged father.
She's 64 years old now. Did she ever make contact with Chuck again ? Did she have a family ? Did she have a job ? Did she take part in any of the freedom marches in the 60s ? My visualisation has her escaping the poverty of the southern states, and becoming a pillar of a church community in a mid-west city.
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borneoman
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love is tough, when enough is not enough
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Post by borneoman on Apr 22, 2017 9:58:11 GMT 1
first name I thought was also Gina in the Bon Jovi song  it's a pity we never got the name for the girl character in Fast Car |
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Post by Whitneyfan on Apr 22, 2017 10:23:00 GMT 1
 What about poor Billie Joe McAllister, who jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge? ('Ode To Billie Joe' by Bobbie Gentry)
And did Jacko ever find out if Annie was ok?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2017 17:48:10 GMT 1
Some first coming in my mind :
Susie and Jeffrey
Johnny and Louise (Reparata - Shoes)
Stan
Kerry (ABBA - That's Me)
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vastar iner
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Post by vastar iner on Apr 22, 2017 19:54:36 GMT 1
I wonder whether the Maria in "Is This The Way To Amarillo?" is the same one as the one who gets murdered in "I Did What I Did For Maria". Would be even better if she were the one in Blondie's no. 1 hit.
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Post by raliverpool on Apr 22, 2017 21:03:44 GMT 1
My second suggestion is someone fictional character which has been in not one, not two but five songs, of which four are by the same act:
Major Tom
David Bowie - Space Oddity (69), Ashes To Ashes (80), Hallo Spaceboy (94)
Peter Schilling - Major Tom (83)
.... With his concluding act being his demise, as shown in the opening shots of the video to Blackstar (15):
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Post by Whitneyfan on Apr 22, 2017 21:20:22 GMT 1
Rhiannon the Welsh witch!!
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vastar iner
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I am the poster on your wall
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Post by vastar iner on Apr 22, 2017 22:15:04 GMT 1
Thought that was Fenella.
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SheriffFatman
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Post by SheriffFatman on Apr 23, 2017 7:57:36 GMT 1
Ode To Billie is one of my favourite story songs ever, one where the singer tells the story in the first person as though they are recounting their own experience, but there's lots of other characters in there too. Same with Camouflage by Stan Ridgway.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Apr 23, 2017 9:40:38 GMT 1
Oh, how could I forget about Georgie in Rod Stewart's fantastic 'The Killing Of Georgie'.
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Post by thehitparade on Apr 23, 2017 10:35:58 GMT 1
I think the Marie/Maria references in the Tony Christie songs became intentional at some point - she's also in 'Drive Safely Darling' and then Jarvis Cocker wrote her into 'Walk Like A Panther '98'.
Tommy and Gina in 'Livin On A Prayer' are supposedly based on Desmond Child and Maria Vidal of 'Bodyrock' fame.
Feel like I should mention Blur's 'Ernold Same' here. It's not their best song but you get to hear Ken Livingstone talking for almost three minutes without mentioning Hitler.
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Post by Whitneyfan on Apr 23, 2017 13:45:13 GMT 1
What about Daniel, Elton's brother who had lost his sight while fighting a war.
And I wonder if Joelene did steal Dolly's man in the end!
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Post by raliverpool on Apr 23, 2017 18:21:16 GMT 1
A mini soap opera in under 3 minutes from early 1979:
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 23, 2017 18:30:20 GMT 1
what about Big John, Big John... Big Bad John...
(Jimmy Dean character. That's Jimmy Dean the country singer, not James Dean the actor).
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Post by Earl Purple on Apr 23, 2017 18:30:53 GMT 1
A mini soap opera in under 3 minutes from early 1979: and Paul Phillips used to be quite active in Popscene |
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What about poor Billie Joe McAllister, who jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge? ('Ode To Billie Joe' by Bobbie Gentry)
