Country is the genre that comes to mind when we think of spoken word moments in song, but that scene isn’t the only one that fancies a less-than-melodic verse. Rock music also has its fair share of spoken word moments, and they are just as powerful as their country counterparts. The three iconic rock songs below all feature spoken word in some capacity. These moments shaped these songs and made them the undisputed bangers they are.
Blur’s “Parklife” consists mainly of spoken word. While the chorus is a traditional melody, the verses are attitude-filled monologues. The band tapped English actor Phil Daniels to narrate, adding even more Britishness to this Britpop anthem.
The verses describe seemingly mundane everyday things, delivered with a feigned importance. Dripping in sarcasm, this song was meant to be a counter-culture answer to the meaning of life.
“A lot of people thought it was a celebration of Englishness, but it was actually very sarcastic,” Blur member Graham Coxon once explained. “The ‘Parklife’ single wasn’t about the working class, it was about the park class: dustbin men, pigeons, joggers – things we saw every day on the way to the studio. It epitomizes what Blur were about — having fun and doing exactly what you want to do.”
Pink Floyd’s “Money” is a meritable message in and of itself without the spoken word section at the end. But it’s mostly a by-the-book blues-tinged number. The off-center interviews tacked onto the end of this iconic rock offering make it more in line with Pink Floyd’s typically experimental sound.
The sound bites include interviews conducted by Roger Waters around London. They are hard to discern and not entirely sensible with the rest of the song, but they are indicative of the band’s bravery in music-making.
The Talking Heads’ David Byrne helped to start the ’80s trend of talk-singing. This yelping vocal style would bleed into much of the era’s synth rock and continues to be used today. Many of the Talking Heads’ songs use this approach, but one of the best is “Once in a Lifetime.”
Right from the onset of this song, Byrne launches into a half-spoken word, half-melodic verse. Like every song he uses this technique in, “Once in a Lifetime” is all the more enticing, thanks to this unique approach.
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