A list song is exactly what it sounds like: a song that contains a list.
In everyday life we use lists to delineate the steps in a process, to remind ourselves of important things, to take inventory, and otherwise organize our thoughts and our lives. In speeches and persuasive writing, lists are used to support an opinion or idea.
When a list appears in the verses of a song, the chorus often provides commentary on that list or gives it a name.
- One example of this is Geoff Mack’s “I’ve Been Everywhere,” in which verses 2-5 are just long lists of places the narrator has visited. Obviously these long lists serve to illustrate the title of the song and make it persuasive.
- Another example is Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It”, which is organized very deliberately, with each verse listing things that “do it”. The first verse lists human ethnicities, the second verse lists birds, the third verse lists aquatic life, and so on.
- Willie Nelson’s “Reasons to Quit” is a list song in which the narrator is trying to convince himself to sober up.
“Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon uses a list as its chorus, which is a less common approach.