He had left it as a lost art, as another forgotten victim of commercialism in the entertainment world. First it was the age of advertising that led to the demise of television shows with catchy themes, such as classics like The Brady Group Prayed Gilligan’s Island or even less old series like Full house Prayed Friends.
Then, apparently, came the near disappearance of songs with spoken word introductions, once staples of popular music. Part of the enduring charm of ’60s groups like the Kingston Trio are the witty introductions to songs like “MTA” or even serious preludes to ballads like “Tom Dooley.”
Fortunately, a popular artist released an album in 2017, the first song of which features a spoken introduction. Tat track tops the list below of ten such songs that start with speech instead of vocals.
Mirage by bull and me
Chaz Bundick opens 2017 boo boo album with this track, which opens with him saying, “I just want everyone to have fun, really.”
Andy Warhol by david bowie
dory features this ode to the eccentric artist, beginning with Bowie trying various pronunciations of the name in the title.
love me i’m a liberal by Phil Oches
“Every American community has various shades of political commentary,” says protest singer Ochs in the introduction to this classic. “The murkiest of these are the liberals, twenty-five degrees left of center when times are good, but twenty-five degrees right of center when it affects them personally.”
bombardment in the room for the sweet
Lead singer Brian Connelly kicks off this stadium favorite by addressing his bandmates and asking “Are you ready Steve? Andy? Mick? Alright guys, let’s go!”
Rolling Stone cover by Dr. Hook and Medicine Show
You can hear the guys in the band discussing their reaction to being featured on the cover, saying “Oh I don’t think so ha ha just look don’t touch it man”.
While my guitar softly weeps by the beatles
As “Bungalow Bill” fades, his successor in the white album it begins with George Harrison yelling “Hello, everybody!” before the unforgettable piano is joined by Eric Clapton’s slow hand on the strings.
one of my shifts by Pink Floyd
Toni Tennille speaks at the beginning of this summary of Wall, while asking the troublesome main character questions such as “Are these all your guitars?” and “Do you want to take a bath?”
waking dreamer by the monkeys
After Davy Jones asks his friends what the track was played, all three reply that it is 7-A. He then tells them that they are teasing him because he is short.
Steve by Alice Cooper
Using the child’s voice in the welcome to my nightmare album, Cooper says “I don’t want you to go” to open this track.
Leader of the pack by the Shangri-Las
Two girls talk about a third who seems to be dating someone named Jimmie, wondering “Is she really dating him?” The third girl then admits that she, yes, she has fallen for the biker in the title.
