RESEARCH

NARRATIVTY OF POPULAR MUSIC IN THE 70S VERSUS THE 2020S

Based on Billboard top 100 performing songs of the decade

1971:
Joy To the World – Three Dog Night
Maggie May – Rod Stewart
It’s Too Late – Carole King
One Bad Apple – The Osmonds
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart – Bee Gees

2021:
Levitating – Dua Lipa
Save Your Tears – The Weeknd and Ariana Grande
Blinding Lights – The Weeknd
Mood – 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior
Good 4 U – Olivia Rodrigo

Bal
P4 A narrative text is a text in which an agent or subject conveys to an addressee (“tells” the
reader, viewer, or listener) a story, in a medium, such as language, imagery, sound, buildings, or
a combination thereof. A story is the content of that text and produces a particular manifestation,
inflection, and “colouring” of a fabula. A fabula is a series of logically and chronologically related
events that are caused or experienced by actors.

EVENT ACTOR TIME SETTING

RANDLE EVANS
P125 Lyrics that tell a story have always been a defining characteristic of American popular music.
Musical adaptations of nineteenth-century folklore (The Ballad of John Henry), teenage heartbreak
songs of the early 1960s (Tell Laura I Love Her), and compositions by singer-songwriters of the 1970s
(e.g., Harry Chapin, Jim Croce) all demonstrate Americans’ appetites for listening to, becoming
immersed in, and interpreting story. While some music genres, such as country, tend to emphasize
linear narratives, many major pop hits leave listeners reading between the lines for some semblance
of a story (Adele’s Set Fire To The Rain).

P125 Despite advances in technology and digital music tools, storytelling is still at the core of
many of our culture’s 126 Vol. 13, No. 1 (2013) mass-mediated musical expressions. In sum, story is
song and song is story.
P126 While there have been many analyses of song lyrics in a general or cultural sense (Tagg 1982,
DeWall 2011) as well as studies on the effects of song lyrics on adolescents (American Academy of
Pediatrics, Council on Communications and Media 2009, Peterson, Safer, and Jobes 2008, Greenfield
1987), little has been written on the construction of narrative or the structure of narrative in pop
music (Neal 2007, Nicholls 2007). Even most basic how-to books on songwriting give the subject little
direct attention, approaching narrative merely in passing as an approach, often comprised of just a
section on archetypical story songs that have a very linear beginning, middle, and end (Brahemy
2006, Pattison 2009). With story being such an integral part of song, it is somewhat surprising that
narrative theory has not been used more to parse out the elements or structure of story in song,
explicit or implicit.

P127 American pop traces its beginnings to Anglo-American folk music, which, in turn, is derived
from European mythic and epic storytelling (Cooke 2000). Wandering minstrels and troubadours in
Medieval and Renaissance Europe who performed in small hamlets cemented the oral transmission
and regionally distinct nature of folk narratives, establishing that their music was for commoners
(Tick and Beaudoin 2008). Historically, the simple subject matter and repetition of folk music were
more of a practical choice rather than an artistic one: the orally transmitted nature of folk music
dictated that it must be easily understood and easily memorized. The tendency for a simple form
utilizing repeated phrases and lyrics carried over into modern pop music (Abrahams and Foss 1968).

P129 While, perhaps, the more explicit narrativity that developed in pop music in the 1970s has
decreased in recent decades, story songs are still clearly visible in the contemporary music scene
across all genres. Country music, still heavily influenced by American folk and the didactic
Appalachian ballads of the nineteenth century (Neal 2012), is a particularly rich genre in which to
study story songs. At the other end of the music spectrum, even rap music commonly features
linear, first-person narratives, told from the perspective of the songwriter to elicit street credibility
or listener empathy. With this background in mind, it is valuable to ask whether (and to what extent)
pop music is still story-driven and what types of stories are being told?

P132 Bal defines “fabula” as consisting of four components: event, actor, time, and setting. While
every song contains some element of character, the presence of the other factors—especially event
—indicates an increasingly concrete fabula and thus a stronger narrative: a greater sense of story,
per se.

P140 But a similar study might quantify how the lyrics in various genres of pop music have evolved
— with some styles becoming more denotative and others becoming more connotative, mirroring
parts of society in general. For example, one might hypothesize that while popular culture in the
United States has become more post-modern in recent decades, typical pop songs have moved from
being more explicit and denotative to being more implied and connotative.
NICHOLLS – NARRATIVE THEORY AS AN ANALYTICAL
TOOL IN THE STUDY OF POPULAR MUSIC TEXTS

P297 On the face of it, narrativity and popular music are not the most obvious of bedfellows:
narrativity is theoretically a feature common to all activities involving the representation of events in
time, but it is almost invariably encountered in the context of storytellingg,

P298 The emphasis here (and elsewhere in the literature) on the temporal dimension of narrative
immediately suggests a potentially strong link to the art form-music--that almost uniquely depends
on time for its measurement.

P299 However, it is also important to note at this point that much of the foregoing discussion-and
the content of much of the literature so far cited-has been concerned with instrumental, rather than
vocal, music. Indeed, that theorists and analysts have apparently been so little concerned with vocal
music is odd, for at least three reasons. First, most music-even within the limits of the Western art
music tradition-is vocal rather than instrumental in nature; second, the customary presence in a
vocal work of one or more texts immediately provides an entry point for narrative analysis; and
third, one of the first-and most influential-studies of what came to be called musical narrativity,
Edward T. Cone's The Composer's Voice, spends the first four of its eight chapters in a detailed,
thorough, and extremely useful exploration of vocal music.

P300 The fundamental problem is perhaps that as Abbott posited our desire to read for narrative
'seems almost automatic, like a reflex action'.17 In other words, we strive-in spite of ourselves-to
perceive stories in musical texts that do not, per se, narrate. If there is a solution to this problem,
then, it may lie in the acceptance, however reluctantly, of two basic principles: first, that narrative
theory is, despite its superficial complexity (and rather abstract dryness), in essence a relatively
simple tool that can aid us in the analytical interpretation of a variety of texted materials; and
second, that from a musical point of view the main application of narrative theory may have to be
restricted to those instances in which the musical material has been created in response to, or-
better--as a setting of, a literary text.

P301 In concrete terms, I would suggest that there are five basic levels at which narrativity can
operate in popular music texts:19

(1) The 'control' level, at which there is no story per se in the lyrics, and as a consequence there is no
element of narrative discourse in the musical setting.

(2) The lyrics contain elements of narrative discourse, but these are not reflected or supported in the
(neutral) musical setting.

(3) The lyrics contain elements of narrative discourse, and these are supported by the musical
setting.

(4) Both lyrics and music contain elements of narrative discourse, which to some degree operate
independently of each other, though always in relation to an overlying story.

(5) A complex narrative discourse is rendered through multiple media, including lyrics, music, prose,
and art work.
NEGUS – Narrative, Interpretation and the Popular
Song

P368 Yet the popular song - one of the most pervasive narrative forms that people encounter in
their daily lives - has been almost entirely ignored in the vast literature on narrative.

P368 I will diverge from Nicholls's analytical method by suggesting that the application of
narrative theory to popular music must inevitably and fruitfully move beyond the world of the text
and allied media to a much wider universe.

P370 My challenge, and the point I argue for, is that there are other equally complex narrative
meanings that are emergent in and articulated to many single pop songs, due to their embedding in
a broader social and cultural context. In suggesting that Nicholls's approach is unnecessarily limited
by its focus on musical text and identifiable supporting paratexts, I take a cue from Lawrence
Kramer's argument that narrative cannot provide a means of "illuminating musical structure and
musical unity" because the very "fractious and disorderly" character of narrative disrupts the
stability of a text and points outward at the real drama of performative actions (rather than the
perceived drama of the music), toward the "social and cultural" tensions of the human world.

P370 Songs do not convey narrative meanings as texts alone or in relation to the supporting
conceptual package. Songs exist in relation to other songs. The practice of song writing and acts of
interpretation are embedded within grids of intertextuality.

P389 Not only does meaning continually accrue, but the interpretation of narrative moves back
and forth from specific song text to other songs, to knowledge of cultural forms (art, books, films)
and personal experience. Hence, I am arguing that an exploration of intersubjective dialogue and the
intercontextual accumulation of meaning provides a richer understanding of the meaning of songs
than notions of "subject position" or "personal listening" that tend to emphasize location and place.

P390 Narratives - the stories we tell about our experiences, observations, and imaginings - cannot
be comprehended and constrained within or by any one text.

BAL 2 – NARRATOLOGY INTRODUCTION TO THE

THEORY
P5 A narrative text is a text in which an agent relates ('tells') a story in a particular medium,
such as language, imagery, sound, buildings, or a combination thereof. 1\ story is a fabula that is
presented in a certain manner. A fabula is a series of logically and chronologically related events that
are caused or experienced by actors. An event is the transition from one state 10 another state.
Actors are agents that perform actions. They are not necessarily human. To act is defined here as to
cause or to experience an event.

P6 These definitions suggest that a three-layer distinction - text, story, fabula _ is a reasonable
basis for a further study of narratIve texts. This distinction is the point of departure for the theory of
narrative texts that is presented here. Such a distinction carries with It the assumption that it is
possible to analyse the three layers separately. That does not that these layers 'exist' independently
of one another.

P7 Events, actors, time, and location together constitute the material of a fabula. In order to
differentiate the components of this layer from other aspects, I shall refer to them as elements.

LYRICS 1971
JOY TO THE WORLD

Jeremiah was a bullfrog

Was a good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him a-drink his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine

Singin' joy to the world

All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

And if I were the king of the world

Tell you what I'd do
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war
Make sweet love to you

Sing it now, joy to the world

All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

You know I love the ladies

Love to have my fun
I'm a high life flyer and a rainbow rider
A straight shootin' son-of-a-gun
I said a straight shootin' son-of-a-gun

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls
Joy to the world
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world

Joy to you and me
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls

MAGGIE MAY
Wake up, Maggie, I think I got somethin' to say to you
It's late September and I really should be back at school
I know I keep you amused, but I feel I'm being used
Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried any more
You led me away from home
Just to save you from being alone
You stole my heart and that's what really hurts
The mornin' sun when it's in your face really shows your age
But that don't worry me none, in my eyes, you're everything
I laughed at all of your jokes, my love, you didn't need to coax
Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried any more
You led me away from home
Just to save you from being alone
You stole my soul, and that's a pain I can do without
All I needed was a friend to lend a guiding hand
But you turned into a lover, and mother, what a lover, you wore me out
All you did was wreck my bed, and in the morning, kick me in the head
Oh, Maggie, I couldn't have tried any more
You led me away from home
'Cause you didn't wanna be alone
You stole my heart, I couldn't leave you if I tried
I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school
Or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playin' pool
Or find myself a rock and roll band that needs a helpin' hand
Oh, Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face
You made a first-class fool out of me
But I'm as blind as a fool can be
You stole my heart, but I love you anyway
Maggie, I wished I'd never seen your face
I'll get on back home one of these days
Ooh, ooh, ooh

It’s Too Late

Stayed in bed all mornin' just to pass the time
There's somethin' wrong here, there can be no denyin'
One of us is changin', or maybe we've just stopped tryin'
And it's too late, baby, now it's too late
Though we really did try to make it
Somethin' inside has died
And I can't hide and I just can't fake it
Oh, no, no, no, no, no
(No, no, no, no)
It used to be so easy, livin' here with you
You were light and breezy, and I knew just what to do
Now you look so unhappy and I feel like a fool
And it's too late, baby, now it's too late
Though we really did try to make it (we can't make it)
Somethin' inside has died
And I can't hide and I just can't fake it
Oh, no, no
There'll be good times again for me and you
But we just can't stay together, don't you feel it, too?
Still I'm glad for what we had and how I once loved you
But it's too late, baby, now it's too late
Though we really did try to make it (we can't make it)
Somethin' inside has died
And I can't hide and I just can't fake it
Oh, no, no, no, no
It's too late, baby
It's too late now, darling
It's too late

One Bad Apple

Yeah, yeah

I can tell you've been hurt

By that look on your face, girl
Some guy brought sad
Into your happy world

You need love, but you're

Afraid that if you give in
Someone else will come along
And sock it to you again

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, give it one more try
Before you give up on love

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, I don't care what they say
I don't care what you heard

I could make you happy, baby

Satisfy you too (satisfy you now)
But how can I if you
Won't give me a chance
To prove my love to you

Won't you just give me one

Little chance (one little chance now)
I'll give you love's guarantee
That you won't be hurt again

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, give it one more try
Before you give up on love

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, I don't care what they say
I don't care what you heard now

I've been noticing you, baby

For a long, long time
(Long, long time now)
I'm not ashamed to tell the world
That you really messed up my mind

Girl, to me you're like a

Dream come true
(Dream come true now)
I'd rather hurt myself
Than to ever hurt you

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, give it one more try
Before you give up on love

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, I don't care what they say
I don't care what you heard now

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, give it one more try
Before you give up on love

One bad apple don't

Spoil the whole bunch, girl
Oh, now, I don't care what they say
I don't care what you heard now

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow, but I was never told about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend a this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again
I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow, no one said a word about the sorrow
And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?
How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again

LYRICS 2021

LEVITATING
If you wanna run away with me, I know a galaxy
And I can take you for a ride
I had a premonition that we fell into a rhythm
Where the music don't stop for life
Glitter in the sky, glitter in my eyes
Shining just the way I like
If you're feeling like you need a little bit of company
You met me at the perfect time
You want me, I want you, baby
My sugarboo, I'm levitating
The Milky Way, we're renegading
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I got you, moonlight, you're my starlight
I need you all night, come on, dance with me
I'm levitating
You, moonlight, you're my starlight (you're the moonlight)
I need you all night, come on, dance with me
I'm levitating
I believe that you're for me, I feel it in our energy
I see us written in the stars
We can go wherever, so let's do it now or never, baby
Nothing's ever, ever too far
Glitter in the sky, glitter in our eyes
Shining just the way we are
I feel like we're forever, every time we get together
But whatever, let's get lost on Mars
You want me, I want you, baby
My sugarboo, I'm levitating
The Milky Way, we're renegading
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I got you, moonlight, you're my starlight
I need you all night, come on, dance with me
I'm levitating
You, moonlight, you're my starlight (you're the moonlight)
I need you all night, come on, dance with me
I'm levitating (woo)
You can fly away with me tonight
You can fly away with me tonight
Baby, let me take you for a ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm levitating (woo)
You can fly away with me tonight
You can fly away with me tonight
Baby, let me take you for a ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (woo)
My love is like a rocket, watch it blast off
And I'm feeling so electric, dance my arse off
And even if I wanted to, I can't stop
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
My love is like a rocket, watch it blast off
And I'm feeling so electric, dance my arse off
And even if I wanted to, I can't stop
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You want me, I want you, baby
My sugarboo, I'm levitating
The Milky Way, we're renegading
I got you (yeah), moonlight, you're my starlight
I need you all night (all night), come on, dance with me
I'm levitating (woo)
You can fly away with me tonight (tonight)
You can fly away with me tonight
Baby, let me take you for a ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (take you for a ride)
I'm levitating (woo)
You can fly away with me tonight (tonight)
You can fly away with me tonight
Baby, let me take you for a ride
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (let me take you for a ride)
I got you, moonlight, you're my starlight (you are my starlight)
I need you all night, come on, dance with me (come on, dance with me, baby)
I'm levitating
You, moonlight, you're my starlight (you're the moonlight)
I need you all night, come on, dance with me
I'm levitating

SAVE YOUR TEARS

Ooh
Na-na, yeah
I saw you dancing in a crowded room
You look so happy when I'm not with you
But then you saw me, caught you by surprise
A single teardrop falling from your eye
I don't know why I run away
I'll make you cry when I run away
You could've asked me why I broke your heart
You could've told me that you fell apart
But you walked past me like I wasn't there
And just pretended like you didn't care
I don't know why I run away
I'll make you cry when I run away
Take me back 'cause I wanna stay
Save your tears for another
Save your tears for another day
Save your tears for another day
So, I made you think that I would always stay
I said some things that I should never say
Yeah, I broke your heart like someone did to mine
And now you won't love me for a second time
I don't know why I run away, oh, girl
Said I'll make you cry when I run away
Girl, take me back 'cause I wanna stay
Save your tears for another
I realize that I'm much too late
And you deserve someone better
Save your tears for another day (ooh, yeah)
Save your tears for another day (yeah)
I don't know why I run away
I'll make you cry when I run away
Save your tears for another day, ooh, girl (ah)
I said save your tears for another day (ah)
Save your tears for another day (ah)
Save your tears for another day (ah)

BLINDING LIGHTS

Yeah
I've been tryna call
I've been on my own for long enough
Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe
I'm going through withdrawals
You don't even have to do too much
You can turn me on with just a touch, baby
I look around and
Sin City's cold and empty (oh)
No one's around to judge me (oh)
I can't see clearly when you're gone
I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night
Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust
(Hey, hey, hey)
I'm running out of time
'Cause I can see the sun light up the sky
So I hit the road in overdrive, baby, oh
The city's cold and empty (oh)
No one's around to judge me (oh)
I can't see clearly when you're gone
I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night
Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust
I'm just walking by to let you know (by to let you know)
I can never say it on the phone (say it on the phone)
Will never let you go this time (ooh)
I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch
(Hey, hey, hey)
I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights
No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch

MOOD

Oh-oh-oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (yeah)
Why you always in a mood?
Fuckin' 'round, actin' brand new
I ain't tryna tell you what to do
But try to play it cool
Baby, I ain't playing by your rules
Everything look better with a view
Why you always in a mood?
Fuckin' 'round, actin' brand new
I ain't tryna tell you what to do
But try to play it cool
Baby, I ain't playing by your rules
Everything look better with a view, yeah
I could never get attached
When I start to feel, I unattach
Somehow always end up feeling bad
Baby, I am not your dad, it's not all you want from me
I just want your company
Girl, it's obvious, elephant in the room
And we're a part of it, don't act so confused
And you love startin' it, now I'm in a mood
Now we arguin' in my bedroom
We play games of love to avoid the depression
We been here before
And I won't be your victim
Why you always in a mood?
Fuckin' 'round, actin' brand new
I ain't tryna tell you what to do
But try to play it cool
Baby, I ain't playing by your rules
Everything look better with a view
Why you always in a mood?
Fuckin' 'round, actin' brand new
I ain't tryna tell you what to do
But try to play it cool
Baby, I ain't playing by your rules
Everything look better with a view
So why you tryin' to fake your love on the regular?
When you could be blowin' up just like my cellular
I won't ever let a shorty go and set me up
Only thing I need to know is if you wet enough
I'm talking slick back, kick back, gang sippin' Fourties
You keep playin', not another day with you shorty
Mismatch, bitch, that was way before you know me
Got a lot of love, well you better save it for me
We play games of love to avoid the depression
We been here before
And I won't be your victim
Why you always in a mood?
Fuckin' 'round, actin' brand new
I ain't tryna tell you what to do
But try to play it cool
Baby, I ain't playing by your rules
Everything look better with a view
Why you always in a mood?
Fuckin' 'round, actin' brand new
I ain't tryna tell you what to do
But try to play it cool
Baby, I ain't playing by your rules
Everything look better with a view, yeah

GOOD 4 U

Well, good for you, I guess you moved on really easily

You found a new girl, and it only took a couple weeks
Remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world? (World?)
And good for you, I guess that you've been working on yourself
I guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped
Now you can be a better man for your brand-new girl (girl)
Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy
Not me, if you ever cared to ask
Good for you, you're doing great out there without me, baby
God, I wish that I could do that
I've lost my mind, I've spent the night crying on the floor of my bathroom
But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it
But I guess good for you
Well, good for you, I guess you're getting everything you want (ah)
You bought a new car and your career's really taking off (ah)
It's like we never even happened
Baby, what the fuck is up with that? (Ha)
And good for you, it's like you never even met me
Remember when you swore to God I was the only person who ever got you?
Well, screw that and screw you
You will never have to hurt the way you know that I do
Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy
Not me, if you ever cared to ask
Good for you, you're doing great out there without me, baby
God, I wish that I could do that
I've lost my mind, I've spent the night crying on the floor of my bathroom
But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it
But I guess good for you
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah
Maybe I'm too emotional
But your apathy is like a wound in salt
Maybe I'm too emotional
Or maybe you never cared at all
Maybe I'm too emotional
Your apathy is like a wound in salt
Maybe I'm too emotional
Or maybe you never cared at all
Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy
Not me, if you ever cared to ask
Good for you, you're doing great out there without me, baby
Like a damn sociopath!
I've lost my mind, I've spent the night crying on the floor of my bathroom
But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it
But I guess good for you
Well, good for you, I guess you moved on really easily
1971

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