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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1CPB-gBhcNVqwY0-fWgIdjnkPeMcfFFE David Bowie narrates Sergei Prokofiev's 'Peter And The Wolf'. The narrator tells a story and the orchestra illustrates by using different instruments to play a "theme" that represents each character in the story.
For modern stories I like The Curse. It's about an archeologist that falls in love with a mummy that comes to life.
Dating myself a bit here, but Meatloaf's Paradise By The Dashboard Light, and Billy Joel's Scenes from an Italian Restaurant are 2 that need to be on this list.
Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Gurhtie. Actually, just about anything by Arlo Guthrie and his dad, Woody.
Indian Ira Hayes by Johnny Cash. It's not very long, but a poignant story that shouldn't be forgotten.
This is a pretty epic story telling song by a dude called Ren.
City Hall by Tenacious D
Most of Coheed and Cambria's albums follow along with a graphic novel written by Claudio, the lead singer. I've never read them and don't know the story, but if you listen to an album start to finish, you can tell that it's more than just lyrics.
Ten Speed of God's Blood and Burial. Perfectly clear.
The Coheed and Cambria comics are awesome. They're hard to get your hands on, after Umbrella Academy got popular, but worth it.
Arlo Guthree's Alice's Restaurant has you covered. I play it every Thanksgiving.
Iron Maiden - Empire of the Clouds
Iron Maiden - Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Hell yeah
A bunch of stuff in the classical realm fits that bill, holst's the planets, a bunch of operas some with words some without many in other languages you wouldn't understand. One modern song with words that I want to be in these comments is Albuquerque by weird Al. I'll also mention Maggot brain by funkadelic
I had forgotten about maggot brain, such a great song! Thanks for reminding me.
there is a hindi song which is sorta long (5 mins without music, 6 with) - Breathless (not really breathless, but full song done in just 16 breaths(that is roughly 3 per minute), but almost none are easily audible) - it is a romance story - meetup - love blossom - heart break - life ruined - reunion - together forever. The lyricist is one of the best hindi/urdu lyricist, maybe among the best in the world
also there are many old classical concerts (for example - beethoven) which are music only and at times were in conjunction with plays or dramas going through stories
I don't know about without words (and only slight repetition for effect), but I really like The Mariner's Revenge by The Decemberists.
If you want to get into older music, Der Erlkonig by Shubert is a good one.
Came here to say Mariners revenge. Love that song.
Avenged Sevenfold - Exist is a 15 minute song that is about the big bang all the way to Earth forming and cooling.
American Pie - Don McLean it's the history of rock and roll from the 50s through the 60s
Cats in the cradle, has no one said this one π π π
The Decline - NoFX
Here you are, was definitely the first thing to come to mind.
If you like jazz piano, Keith Jarretβs kΓΆln concert is a masterpiece.
There were a bunch of issues with the venue and he ended up playing the whole thing on a broken piano.
This video sums up how the peice happened.
Edit: I like to think itβs a story of stacked disasters and a master artist somehow making the whole mess gorgeous.
The Phant albums together tell a story, the first 4 albums were even bundled with short novels.
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The whole album Days of Future's Past by the Moody Blues (with the London orchestra)
I figured there'd be plenty of mentions of Rush's 2112, but they have a lot of other songs that fit the bill too. The Necromancer, Fountain of Lamneth, Xanadu, Natural Science (well I guess that's more of a rant than a story), Cygnes X-1 books 1 and 2. Since you say maybe without words, La Villa Strangiato.
If you want to stick to classic prog then Yes has some songs that fit the bill too like America and Harold Land. I confess to not really understanding the lyrics of most of the rest of Yes's discography, they can be really poetic, but I think the whole Closer to the Edge album fits on it's musicality alone. The title track's a freaking journey.
Led Zeppelin has a few of these too, though musically they are a little repetitive. Achilles Last Stand, Battle of Evermore, Gallows Pole.
the repeat itself part is a bit tough with music. music is sorta a repeating sequence of notes and usually even the most complex will have some sorta of repeating element. That being said the band jethro tull has many songs that are story and two are album length. Pretty much all of them have at least a significant meaning but most are basically stories. The one that I think would most meet your criteria is passion play https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XrlWumWbUU&t=241s&pp=ygUMcGFzc2lvbiBwbGF5 side one and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUyIhIhf3A4&pp=ygUMcGFzc2lvbiBwbGF5 being its from the days of records they needed a way of linking the two sides. Curiously in this one did it with a unrealted story that just sorta starts getting told in the middle of the song. You may not like that. Its other album length song, thick as a brick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldXdnZtTWp8&pp=ygUQdGhpY2sgYXMgYSBicmljaw%3D%3D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTWQv8RsI6s&pp=ygUQdGhpY2sgYXMgYSBicmljaw%3D%3D , is a story but its not as straight forward and more flowery being a bit more about life and society and the struggles of the individual. Its transition is really neat as the music blends with this wind sound which fades and then starts back up on side B. Its a great transition. If I get some time I will do a list of some other songs along with the idea of the story but they are not super long although most of their songs are not exactly short.
The Wall and American Idiot always springs to mind when I think of story albums.
2112 by Rush
Jesus of Suburbia by Green Day
And almost anything by The Mars Volta
It's not long, but I really like the feel of Whole World Knows by Adia Victoria. It's about a girl with a secret drug problem (that the whole world knows about) as she spirals out of control. The symbolism is heavy, the syrongly religious family can't or doesn't help and it's a catchy tune.
Badger Badger Mushroom
2112 by Rush
Anything from Yorushika
Mastodon's Crack the Skye tells a story about Astral Travel and weaves in references to Rasputin
https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2016/02/15/prognotes-mastodons-crack-the-skye-part-i/
Fat Cats, Bigga Fish tells a story about the broader effects of class struggle
For comedy, Better Midler's Otto Titsling tells an urban legend about how the bra was invented and it's freaking hilarious, with great singing.
If you want something more powerful but emotional, Linkin Park's album, 1000 Suns, if you listen to it, in order, tells the horror of the atomic bomb in a way that feels like your just listening to awesome rock music. Follow that up with the song Mike Shinoda; the rapper/musican/writer from Linkin Park; made called Kenji and it paints a dark story about how his own family was locked inside US concentration camps, during WWII, just because they were Japanese. Family/Friends died in that camp... and those that got out found their houses destroyed and graffitied by racists. It's really powerful and shows a side of the band that most people don't know.
Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
Metallica's
To Live Is To Die.
Orion
Doesnβt a song have words by definition?
If youβre looking for musical compositions, Iβd say Schubertβs Death and the Maiden quintet or Griegβs In the Hall of the Mountain King.
Its called opera.
Give a listen to "Music inspired by the snowgoose" by camel.
They were a psychedelic /progressive rock band from the UK who wanted to write an album based on a short story called The snowgoose. The author wasn't a fan, unbelievably, so they scratched the lyrics and added "music inspired by" to the album title. The whole album is a journey that I can't recommend enough!
Halloween by Helloween.
2112 by Rush.