Recitation song
A recitation song or "recitation" as it is more commonly called, is a spoken narrative of a song, generally with a sentimental (or at times, religious) theme. Such numbers were quite popular in country music from the 1930s into the 1960s, although there were only few in number. While they almost disappeared in the 1970s, that decade saw several of the biggest recitation songs of all time: Red Sovine's sentimental ode to an ill child "Teddy Bear" and C. W. McCall's truck-driving saga "Convoy", both songs hitting number one on the country charts and even crossing over into the pop market. McCall, who did not sing, became a popular country star in the 1970s with a string of recitations, most of them comic, although his last hit, 1977's "Roses for Mama" was a sentimental tale in the best Sovine tradition. A number of Elvis Presley's and Johnny Cash's songs, as well as a number of songs from other genres of popular music and a number of gospel songs, also featured recitations.
Notable Recitation songs
- "The Americans" by Bryon McGregor
- "Deck of Cards" by Wink Martindale
- "Giddy up Go" by Red Sovine
- "Golden Guitar" by Bill Anderson
- "Hello Fool" by Ralph Emery
- "I.O.U." by Jimmy Dean
- "If Jesus Came to Your House" by Porter Wagoner
- "That Was Yesterday" by Donna Fargo
- "The Shirt" by Norma Jean (singer)
- "Old Rivers" by Walter Brennan
- "Open Letter to my Teenage Son" by Victor Lundberg
- "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band
Semi-Recitation Songs
Semi-recitation songs were also very popular during this period. Usually, the verse (or part of a verse) of these songs were spoken and the chorus was sung.
Hits of this nature:
- "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean
- "Honey Come Back" by Glen Campbell
- "I Dreamed of a Hillbilly Heaven" by Tex Ritter
- "Set Him Free" by Skeeter Davis
- "I Gave My Wedding Dress Away" by Kitty Wells
- "Still" by Bill Anderson
- "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis Presley
- "A Boy Named Sue" by Shel Silverstein, performed by Johnny Cash
- "Uneasy Rider" by The Charlie Daniels Band
- "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis
- "U.S. Male" by Elvis Presley
- "Detroit City" by Bobby Bare
- "One Piece at a Time" by Johnny Cash
- "500 Miles Away from Home" by Bobby Bare