Songs About Talking

Songs About Talking

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Posted 2021-10-21 by Steven Gfollow
This was a column I came up with at the same time as my songs about the radio column for the same reason – I have a spot talking on the radio. Monthly, reading out some short stories to an audience that is rather appreciative. It's not much, but it is fun.

So, what I decided was songs about talking, because it's what I am doing!


Now, this is not songs that are conversations , but songs about talking, conversing, or speaking, or maybe even complaining about people who talk. But it's talking in all its permutations. That's it. So, we're not talking about songs, but we have songs about talking. Right? Right.

Normal rules apply – I have to like the song, one song per artist, it's in my collection.

Songs about talking!
'You Never Talked About Me' by Del Shannon (1962)

Del Shannon is one of my favourite artists from the 60s. While the music was often saturated in strings, his voice – with its great falsetto – was surprisingly hard at times. You could imagine him with crunching guitars backing him. This song about his girl not telling another guy about him is one of those. Such a great talent.
'The Dangling Conversation' by Simon And Garfunkel (1966)

A nice song with some glorious vocal harmonies and unnecessary strings, this is about what happens when two lovers are falling apart and don't know how to finish their conversation. It's a sad song, and the voices are, as always, so good.
'Everybody's Talkin'' by Nilsson (1969)

A beautiful song from the film Midnight Cowboy, sung by Harry Nilsson so magnificently. People are talking at him but he's not really hearing them. Just a wonderful track.
'We Don't Talk Anymore' by Cliff Richard (1979)

Sir Cliff is an incredible recording artist. He made the charts in every decade from the 1950s to 2000s. He was a staple of the 1960s in the UK and Australia, and yet this is his biggest ever single, a semi-disco track. Still, his voice carries it well and it is a fun bit of pop.
'Talk Of The Town' by The Pretenders (1980)

The Pretenders started their career at the tail end of punk, and didn't quite slot into the New Wave with their more guitar-led, rock stylings. But their music resonated and they had a string of hit singles, of which this was just one.
'Talk To Me' by Kiss (1980)

From the magnificent Unmasked album, this song was one of the first Kiss songs I heard. It is a little poppier than their previous works, and yet still sounded rock and was so easy to sing along to. One of my personal favourites of theirs. Sung by Ace Frehley , interestingly.
'The Voice' by Ultravox (1981)

I am a fan of Ultravox, and this song is a great one with Midge Ure's amazing voice carrying it. It is just a great bit of New Wave pop and I really enjoy it.
'Talking To A Stranger' by Hunters & Collectors (1982)

From their debut album, this song is a lot more garage sounding than what they would become known for later in their careers. Still, it is a great track that just rocks hard.
'You Should Hear How She Talks About You' by Melissa Manchester (1982)

Upbeat early 80s pop, as Melissa tells her friend that a guy really likes her. He talks about her constantly. I don't know why I like this song, but I have since I first heard it, way back in 1982.
'Speak Like A Child' by The Style Council (1983)

After the break-up of The Jam, Paul Weller went in a completely different direction and formed the Style Council. This is one of their better-known songs, and is a really good track that stood out stylistically from the music of the time.
'Don't Talk To Me About Love' by Altered Images (1983)

Some glorious 80s synth-pop, with some great singing to go along with it, this track made a brief blip on the charts, then it faded. Which was a shame because I really liked it. Still do, for that matter.
'Talking In Your Sleep' by The Romantics (1983)

Not sung by their drummer this time, this is still a great pop-rock song by the band that was around in the 1970s, hit it big in the 80s and then just petered out.
'Voices' by Russ Ballard (1984)

This song is a great rock track from a singer-songwriter whose songs have been covered by nearly every rock act from the 70s, 80s and 90s. But as a solo singer, he did not have many hits, this being his biggest.
'Voices Carry' by 'Til Tuesday (1985)

Another 80s synth-pop song by a band that did a little then disappeared, and fronted by a woman with an incredible voice. This song reminds me of old friend Natalie, and listening to it for this was the first time I'd thought about her in a decade. Wow. This song is good.
'Talk To Me' by Stevie Nicks (1985)

Stevie Nicks was absolute gold in the 1980s. Either solo, in duets or with Fleetwood Mac, she was everywhere and you looked forward to it. This song is one of her many highlights from that glorious decade.
'Speak No Evil' by Dragon (1986)

Dragon are one of the best musical exports new Zealand gave the world, and it's songs like this that shows they made great music for the duration of their career. A rocking track, with some powerful percussion, this is just a rally good song.
'You Talk Too Much' by George Thorogood And The Destroyers (1988)

His girlfriend talks too much. That's it. A song of complaint, but done with Thorogood's great playing and a sense of humour about it. It's probably not politically correct nowadays, but it's still a fun track.
'Talk Of The Town' by John Farnham (1993)

Farnham doing something akin to pop-country? Well, yeah. And it worked at the time, and – truth be told – I still like it. There is a sense of fun about it that is missing from many songs nowadays.
'Don't Speak' by No Doubt (1995)

My favourite No Doubt song, the pop stylings made this surprisingly really good. I liked their earlier ska-inflected work as well, but this song just showed Gwen Stefani could really sing. Good track.
'Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self' by P!nk (2006)

I think that, as a songwriter, P!nk is under-rated. Her lyrics are often deep and insightful, and this is one of the best examples of that. A deeply personal ballad, this is a song of hope. And it is a beautiful way to finish the list.
So, there we are – 20 songs about talking in all its myriad forms. On the radio, it's about all I do, so I can relate, and I like the idea of having a theme song playlist! Now, this was a tough list to cull, and I know there are other songs out there that I don't happen to own (I mean, there are very few from this century), so feel free to add your own in the comments section!

And I hope you enjoyed the songs!


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83877 - 2023-06-11 06:46:57

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