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Storytelling is an integral part of music, and many of the most genre-defining songs of each generation follow a plot structure of some kind. Rarely, however, do these songs get more than a music video.
That all changed this summer, though. With the release of Girls Like Girls, the Hayley Kiyoko- directed adaptation of her 2023 book and 2015 song of the same name, the pathway for music to go from soundtrack to center stage has never been clearer. Whether they become movies, books, or television shows, the following seven songs all deserve to be brought to the masses in a new form.
Goodbye Earl by The Chicks
A no-brainer inclusion, The Chicks’ 2000 twangy murder ballad smash hit combines the country music genre’s storytelling tradition with themes of womanhood and female friendship not often awarded with commercial success in Nashville. In the song, best friends Mary Ann and Wanda hatch a plan to kill Wanda’s abusive ex-husband, the titular Earl. They get away with the murder after realizing Earl was a “missing person who nobody missed at all,” and by the end are living together and selling “Tennessee ham and strawberry jam” together.
The song’s music video is already a mini adaptation of the lyrics, but that’s not enough. A feature film for Wanda and Mary Ann would take the Southern Gothic aesthetic foundational to the country murder ballad genre with the playful attitude of similar movies like 9 to 5. Emma Seligman (Bottoms, Shiva Baby) or Aleshea Harris (Is God Is) are both current writer-directors who would be fantastic at the helm of a big screen adaptation of The Chicks’ masterpiece.
All of Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
The entirety of Preacher’s Daughter is a masterclass in both musical innovation and narrative construction, so narrowing it down to just one song for the sake of a list would do singer-songwriter and producer Ethel Cain a major disservice. A harrowing tale of a girl also named Ethel Cain fleeing her cultish Chirstian home in the rural South and falling for dangerous men (one of whom kills and cannibalizes her), Preacher’s Daughter was immediately lauded as one of the best albums of 2022 upon its release.
Hayden Silas Anhedönia, the real name behind the Ethel Cain persona, has already stated she wants to write a series of novels adapting the story of Preacher’s Daughter and direct a film adaptation. Steeped in themes of intergenerational trauma and religion, and with clear intentions for modes of storytelling beyond music, Cain should absolutely take Ethel’s story out of the recording studio and onto the page. A limited series by either Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass) or Karyn Kusama (Yellowjackets) based on the album would also do numbers.
Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst by Kendrick Lamar
This 12-minute lyrical odyssey about street violence, grief, vengeance, and spirituality is Kendrick Lamar at his best. The song is split between multiple different perspectives, each describing the K-Dot experiences that made him steer away from gang culture and find his own faith. It is situated perfectly as track 10 on the album good kid, m.A.A.d. city, tying together the overarching narrative of the record in the introspective fashion Kendrick fans have come to love about his music.
Directors such as Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing), F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton), and Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) are hypothetical frontrunners for a big screen adaptation of one of Lamar’s greatest musical achievements. However, up-and-coming Black directors like Ryan Coogler (Sinners) or RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys) could also provide a fresh adaptation of “Sing About Me.”
Hallowed Be Thy Name by Iron Maiden
Most Iron Maiden songs could make an appearance on this list, but “Hallowed Be Thy Name” is the best of many good choices. Told from the perspective of a prisoner on the day he is to be executed at the gallows, “Hallowed Be Thy Name” is a haunting heavy metal opera that represents the genre at its prime.
Although the song is not lengthy or complex in its plot structure, there are so many unknowns about the narrator that would allow for more narrative development. His denial of actually being there (“Can it be there’s some sort of error?”, “Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?”) hint at a wrongful conviction, while the entirety of the song’s fourth verse being told from beyond the grave adds a supernatural aspect to the very real horror of impending death. Audiences could get a great horror project from filmmakers such as Nia DaCosta (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) or Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) with “Hallowed Be Thy Name” as the source of inspiration.
Off to the Races by Lana Del Rey
Similar to many of the other entries on this list, Lana Del Rey has several candidates for adaptations in her extensive discography. She often finds inspiration in visual art and literature for the themes and sonic quality of each of her albums, but none are more apparent than the song “Off to the Races.”
From Del Rey’s debut studio album Born to Die, “Off to the Races” quotes Vladimir Nabokov’s opening lines in Lolita throughout, using the classic Russian novel as its central inspiration for the volatile relationship between the narrator and her much older lover. The song has a chaotic, fast-paced tempo that few other Del Rey tracks have, and its flirtation with mafia aesthetics provide a foundation for any crime thriller writer or director looking for a female-led story. In a dream world, Francesca Scorsese would have introduced her father Martin Scorsese to this song and changed the landscape of cinema forever.
Twin Size Mattress by The Front Bottoms
The Front Bottoms’ most popular song is among the most heartwrenching songs in contemporary rock music. The song tells the story of a friendship that is ultimately ruined by addiction. Its devastating lyrics and overarching narrative of guilt and grief are told expertly across the tracks four-minute and 25-second runtime.
If it were adapted into a film, “Twin Size Mattress” would run away with critical acclaim. Its lyrical content provides ample inspiration for many of the auteurs currently in Hollywood. A Greta Gerwig (Ladybird) or Felix van Groeningen (Beautiful Boy) film production based on the song would blow audiences out of the water.
Kokomo, IN by Japanese Breakfast
Jubilee, the highly-praised 2021 album from Japanese Breakfast, is full of emotional depth and vibrant swells of synth and string music. Michelle Zauner, the woman behind Japanese Breakfast, is among the music industry’s most talented producers and songwriters, and her writing on “Kokomo, IN” is Zauner at her best.
The song is told from the perspective of a narrator who is stuck in her Midwestern hometown, presumably Kokomo, Indiana, while her ex-lover made it out. It’s an upbeat reflection on place and potential, quietly showcasing the longing to be somewhere else with someone who the narrator is still in love with.
Zauner has already proven her writing skills with her debut memoir, Crying in H Mart. Her next literary creative project should be taking “Kokomo, IN” to the bookstore.
The post 7 Songs that Deserve a Narrative Adaptations appeared first on Den of Geek.
