Tales told with tunes

Similar to narrative poems, ballads are poems that tell stories. They have simple stanzas and frequently contain refrains.

Ballads have been set to music throughout many centuries. Many folks now probably define them as romantic or sentimental songs rather than poetry.

The Western Slope’s own Joe Cocker has been quoted as saying he’s a “sucker for ballads,” but that singers can overload fans with them. Cocker’s “Up Where We Belong” is considered a modern-day “power ballad.” He first sang it together with Jennifer Warner for use in the 1982 movie, An Officer and a Gentleman.

“In nearly all ballads, the words set the mood and meaning, while the music intensifies or enhances them,” Kate Smith once noted. (Smith, an iconic American singer, is best known for her rendition of “God Bless America.”)

Kate Smith
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

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