NOTHING BUT BALLADS

[defrog]

This is not a Valentine’s Day playlist. Which I mention because most people associate ballads exclusively with sappy love songs by hair metal bands. However, while a love song is a type of ballad, there are many others. In fact, ballads are traditionally poems that tell a story set to music.

This was always my understanding of the term – not least because I remember seeing so many songs with a title that starts “The Ballad Of …” and all of them were usually narratives.

Which of course got me to thinking: (1) how many songs are there titled “The Ballad Of _______”? And (2) are there enough for me to program a fake radio station with the motto “Nothing But Ballads”?

Answers: (1) At least 180, and (2) maybe?

Anyway, here’s what I’d be putting in rotation.

METHODOLOGY: Mostly it’s any song with “Ballad Of” in the title. I made a few exceptions in order to bookend it as a proper playlist.

PRODUCTION NOTE 1: This isn’t every song I found with “Ballad Of” in the title – there are some others on Spotify, but I didn’t like them much. 

PRODUCTION NOTE 2: Spotify's embedded lists only go up to 100 songs apparently. But there's at least 80 more songs after the ones you see above, trust me.  

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Did I miss something obvious? Feel free to suggest your own additions, and if I like them I’ll add them.

Cast your ballad,

This is dF