A little tidbit about Ballad Music...

Historically, ballads made their lyrical debut around the 15th Century. In general, a ballad is a poem or narrative story (often based on true events or experiences) put to song in a third-person perspective. Ballads may be sung on several topics including stories of heroism, romance, politics or even satire.

Considered a form of folk poetry, ballads are clear and audible. There are varying styles of ballads, comprised of humorous broadsheet or blackletter ballads; murder ballads based on crimes; border ballads based on historical battle events; literary ballads, often used in theater; ballad opera; Jazz ballad and the power ballad (which often refers to love rock songs).

More modern ballads include the songs: "American Pie," by Don McLean; "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," by Gordon Lightfoot; "House of the Rising Sun," sung by The Animals; and the Eagles' hit song, "Hotel California." While these are just a small sampling of obvious ballads, some newly-termed "power ballads" include several Journey songs, ("Open Arms," "Faithfully," "Don't Stop Believing"); Motley Crew's "Home Sweet Home;" and Night Ranger's "Sister Christian;" to name a few.

To learn more about ballad music, or if you are seeking specific ballad music, feel free to listen to Media Positive Radio or visit our recording artist personal pages.