Epistolary Songs?

June 10, 2009 9:52 PM

Epistolary songs?

Helping a friend write a paper. Can you think of songs which are in the form of a letter?

A few examples to get you started:

"Famous Blue Raincoat" by Leonard Cohen
"Stan" by Eminem
"Letter to Elise" by the Cure
"Dear God" by XTC

What else?

posted by rabbitrabbit to media & arts (38 comments total)

Morrissey's "Will Never Marry"
posted by padraigin at 10:04 PM on June 10

Sally Cinnamon, by the Stone Roses, maybe.
posted by sugarfish at 10:04 PM on June 10

Jens Lekman, A Postcard to Nina
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:10 PM on June 10

Postcard from a Hooker in Minneapolis, Tom Waits.
posted by liketitanic at 10:15 PM on June 10

Alanis Morissette - Unsent
posted by ALongDecember at 10:19 PM on June 10

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah by Alan Sherman.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 10:21 PM on June 10

Signed DC by Love.
posted by misteraitch at 10:27 PM on June 10

Rilo Kiley Does He Love You. On the lyric sheet the song starts "Dear Friend".
posted by kbibb at 10:32 PM on June 10

If I Wrote You, Dar Williams.
Take A Letter, Maria has a quasi-epistolary bit in it.
Grown-Up Christmas List and All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth and probably a couple of other Christmas songs. There is some terror called "Dear Mr. Jesus" I heard a couple of years ago about child abuse.
posted by tyrantkitty at 10:37 PM on June 10

Dear Landlord by Bob Dylan
posted by Knappster at 10:38 PM on June 10

Paperback Writer by The Beatles
posted by Knappster at 10:42 PM on June 10

"Dewey Cox" had a hilarious song called Dear Mr. President.

Pink has a song by the same name which is less intentionally humorous.
posted by drjimmy11 at 10:53 PM on June 10

Along the lines of kbibb's suggestion, Passion Pit - Moth's Wings also begins "Dear Friend."
posted by telegraph at 10:55 PM on June 10

Letter to Hermione, David Bowie
posted by scody at 10:58 PM on June 10

New Model Army, "Green & Gray" (off of Thunder and Consolation) and its reply, "Bad Old World" (off of The Love of Hopeless Causes).
posted by nasreddin at 11:27 PM on June 10 [1 favorite]

Oh, and also: Burning Sky, The Jam
posted by scody at 11:36 PM on June 10

Great Plains - Letter to a Fanzine
posted by hydrophonic at 12:09 AM on June 11

The Zombies - Care of Cell 44
Rod Stewart - You Wear it Well
Donovan - Epistle to Dippy, which is more of a letter in the form of a song--see the second comment here.
posted by hydrophonic at 1:00 AM on June 11 [1 favorite]

The 1953 country hit 'A Dear John Letter'. There are many songs called 'Dear John' or some variation thereof, so a Google search for 'Dear John lyrics' could help your friend find some other suitable songs.
posted by eatyourcellphone at 1:16 AM on June 11

Morrissey - The Last of the Famous International Playboys
Michelle Shocked - Anchorage
posted by Jakey at 3:02 AM on June 11

En relisant ta lettre, Serge Gainsbourg. Le déserteur (English subtitles), Boris Vian.
posted by nicolin at 3:26 AM on June 11

Bloodhound Gang - The Balled of Chasey Lain. I apologise in advance for this one.
posted by permafrost at 3:45 AM on June 11

Kristin Hersh -- The Letter
posted by archimago at 4:27 AM on June 11

Isobel by Dido
Dear Jamie, Sincerely Me by hellogoodbye (this is the best example I could come up with, especially just given the title)
Dear Prudence, the Beatles (kinda works?)
Dear Mama, 2pac (he addresses her throughout, repeats the "dear mama")

A silly one from the Aquabats, Dear Spike, but he specifically mentions that this is a letter
posted by potatopeople at 4:54 AM on June 11

Pretty much all of The Juliet Letters by Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet
posted by He Is Only The Imposter at 6:03 AM on June 11 [1 favorite]

Postcard from Cariacou, by Jim's Big Ego. It even has his address at the end.
posted by bondcliff at 6:17 AM on June 11

Open Letter to a Landlord by Living Colour
posted by LordSludge at 7:01 AM on June 11

I'll Never Turn My Back on You (Father's Words) by Terrence Trent D'Arby might work.
posted by Brody's chum at 7:32 AM on June 11

Oooh actually it's "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis," sorry.
posted by liketitanic at 7:46 AM on June 11

Letter to a Pretty Girl by the Avett Brothers
"Dear, dear Carla
It's only that I'm askin'
Make time more easy for the passin'
If I knew I would see you again"


3 x 5 by John Mayer
"I'm writing you to
catch you up on places I've been
You held this letter
probably got excited, but there's nothing else inside it"
posted by kidsleepy at 8:09 AM on June 11

R.E.M., "Letter Never Sent", for a rather different take on this.
posted by Casuistry at 10:19 AM on June 11

Dead Kennedys Dear Abby.
posted by buzzbash at 10:33 AM on June 11

And don't forget The Dickies Fan Mail.
posted by buzzbash at 10:35 AM on June 11

"Letter From Louise" by the Saw Doctors is about a person who gets a letter from their friend in Northern Ireland, and the news that the letter shares.
posted by wenestvedt at 11:43 AM on June 11

John Prine's Dear Abby
posted by doncoyote at 12:56 PM on June 11

I've always liked Letters Home, by the Forester Sisters.

- AJ
posted by Alaska Jack at 11:46 PM on June 11

Kilkelly, Ireland
posted by katyggls at 4:44 PM on June 12

"Boots of Spanish Leather" by Bob Dylan is in the form of Letter A, Letter B, A, B, A, B, A, A, A.
posted by soonertbone at 7:23 PM on June 16