Stories from Songs
Spanish Train and Other Stories re-imagined.
At heart I am still a journalist, but I have made a career out of all kinds of writing. News, technical writing, PR material, media releases, op-eds, blogs - you name it.
Way back I did write fiction however, and when clearing out boxes of junk one day came across some written in high school (thank-you Miss Dalton) and university (thank-you Gauntlet). They were not great, but looking back, probably okay for a beginner. As a journalist the work I wrote or produced for radio needed some creative style, but it was still all about facts and telling a story for a wide audience who were listening to the radio at home, in the car, at work, or in their headphones while out for a jog.
When I found myself suddenly ‘retired’ more than a year ago, one of the projects I decided to take on was writing fiction again.
This time to seriously make it work.
Start small with some short stories and work my way up to a novella and who knows, maybe a novel.
Starting February 8th I will be posting a new story every other week drawn from what I have written so far and will continue to post regularly after that.
The first stories are going to be different than what you might be accustomed to reading.
They are based on songs. Songs from one very specific album which came out while I was still in university.
Chris de Burgh’s 1975 album Spanish Train And Other Stories was his second album and arguably still his best. The title track was considered blasphemous in South Africa and was banned. Album collector’s heaven is to own a rare copy of the South African release without the song and alternatively titled Lonely Sky And Other Stories. (A & M took it to court and the ban was eventually overturned.)
“Stories” in the album title is what I believe made it successful because the songs do tell a story. Close your eyes, listen to the music, and you can imagine the story behind it. Like all songs the imagery will not be the same for everyone depending on how you react to the melody, rhythm, lyrics, your emotional state when listening, and how past experiences have shaped your perception.
The stories I’ll be posting will tell my interpretation of what I heard in the grooves of an album which still sits on a shelf beside my turntable.
I’m not a de Burgh groupie and Crusader is the only other album of his I own. I’m just a music fan who is drawn to songs that have a story hidden between the musical notes.
For the moment, Spanish Train And Other Stories is the focus.
I’ll be posting in the track order from the 1975 A & M Canada release and there will be no commentary or explanatory notes. Just a story that should stand on its own. If you want to use your favourite streaming service or dig out the album to listen to the track, go ahead and see if it changes your view of the song or the story.
Either way I’d like to hear your thoughts and please share. While satisfaction lies in the creation, it is always good to know someone has taken the time to read it.
The stories:
February 8 - Spanish Train (Side 1, Track 1)
February 22 - Lonely Sky (Side 1, Track 2)
March 8 - This Song for You (Side 1, Track 3)
March 22 - Patricia The Stripper (Side 1, Track 4)
April 5 - A Spaceman Came Travelling (Side 1, Track 5)
April 21 - I’m Going Home (Side 2, Track 1)