From the troubadours of Occitania to today's glut of folk-plundering female solo artists, narrative songs are entrenched in the musical canon. They have inspired dozens of movies. The 1976 film Ode to Billy Joe was a dramatisation of Bobby Gentry's lugubrious song of the same name; Sean Penn's directorial debut, The Indian Runner, had Bruce Springsteen's Highway Patrolman at its heart; and the concept behind J-horror flick, Densen Uta, originated in the infamous Gloomy Sunday. There's also Sweet Home Alabama, Stand By Me and Blue Velvet, all of which made passing references, at least, to their namesakes.
Games based on songs? Well, there have been lots of games based around music and musicians, of course. But a game inspired by, and bearing close narrative resemblance to, a specific track... Hasn't happened yet as far as I know.
So which songs do you think would make great games, and why?
I've got a few dodgy ones to start us off...
Maxwell's Silver Hammer - The Beatles (1969) Imagine what Rockstar North could do with Paul McCartney's vaudeville oddity following the adventures of a murderous medical student. Has already been referenced in a game - it appears as a weapon in Kingdom of Loathing.
Run to the Hills - Iron Maiden (1982) Play as either an imperialistic white invader or a Native American in this historical oppress-'em-up, inspired by the Maiden's pummeling tale of colonial slaughter. Lots of galloping horses, savage fighting and, naturally, plenty of selling them whiskey and taking their gold, enslaving the young and destroying the old.
Camouflage - Stan Ridgeway (1986) Vietnam-based shooter in which the player is occasionally aided by a benevolent ghost soldier. Co-op is cool these days, so there's a possible two-player angle, plus mingling shoot-'em-up and survival horror elements is becoming fashionable (see Project Origin for example).
It Was a Good Day - Ice Cube (1993) In a sort of reverse of the usual gangsta shooter, this interactive rendering of the Ice Cube classic sees you trying to avoid using your AK for as long as humanly possible. Wander the streets of South Central, playing basketball and dominoes, hooking up with girlfriends and munching on Fatburgers. But watch out for fools who may try and blast you - while the police roll right past you...
