Ballad of X

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Things that are named "The Ballad of (Something)".

See also The Something Song and Something Blues. Note: actual Ballad form requires specific meter and rhythm, and not all of these examples fit that classification in its strictest sense. The trope is about the name not the song structure.

Examples of Ballad of X include:


Anime

  • The Cowboy Bebop episode "Ballad of Fallen Angels."
  • Ranma ½: "The Ballad of Ranma and Akane."
  • Trigun: "The Ballad of Vash the Stampede."


Comics


Film


Literature


Live Action TV

  • An early Doctor Who serial, The Gunfighters, had "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon".
  • The Gilligan's Island theme song is actually called "The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle" (written by creator Sherwood Schwartz and George Wyle)
  • An episode of Alton Brown 's Good Eats featuring foods that are both salty and sweet in nature, was appropriately titled The Ballad of Salty and Sweet.
  • Firefly has The Ballad of Jayne Cobb.
    • Firefly's opening is The Ballad of Serenity.
  • Whose Line Is It Anyway has "The Ballad of Leonard the Lawyer".
  • Walking with Dinosaurs has The Ballad of Big Al


Music

  • "The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper" by Poets of the Fall
  • "Ballad of Davy Crockett" by Bill Hayes
  • "Ballad of the Green Berets" by SSgt. Barry Sadler
  • "Ballad of a Thin Man" by Bob Dylan
  • "The Ballad Of Tom Jones" by Space and Cerys Matthews
  • "Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" also by Bob Dylan
  • "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" by Billy Joel
  • "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" by Leonard "Spock" Nimoy
  • "Ballad of Mutt" by Bruce Dickinson
  • "The Ballad of Mary (Queen of Scotts)" and "Ballad of a Hangman" by Grave Digger
  • "Ballad of William Kidd" by Running Wild
  • "Ballad of a Hard Man" by Thin Lizzy
  • "Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)" by Big & Rich
  • "Ballad of Obie Trice" by Obie Trice
  • "The Ballad of John and Yoko" by The Beatles
  • "A Ballad for the Fallen Soldier" by Jay Z
  • "Ballad Of A Ladyman" by Sleater-Kinney
  • "The Ballad Of Irving" by Frank Gallop.
  • "The Ballad of Lester Walker" by The Whitlams
  • "The Ballad of Chasey Lain" by The Bloodhound Gang
  • "Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes" by Elton John
  • "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" by Marianne Faithfull
  • "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" by Jerry Scoggins. And the one by "Weird Al" Yankovic.
  • Somewhat of a subversion: "A Ballad to Forget" by Soulwax
  • "The Ballad of Dan" by The Arrogant Worms
  • "Demon Bell - The Ballad of Horace Pinker" by Dangerous Toys.
  • The Ballad of Jared and Jensen.
  • If you were watching cartoons in, what, the late 80's or early 90's, you probably remember the incessant PSA called The Ballad of Gordon, though perhaps not by name. Here's the vid, one of the earlier songs by Barenaked Ladies.
  • "Ballad of an Ancient Russian Warrior" by Aria
  • "The Ballad of Barry Allen" by Jim's Big Ego
  • "The Ballad of Sal Villanueva" by Taking Back Sunday
  • "The Ballad of Bill Hubbard" by Roger Waters
  • "Ballad of Dwight Fry" by Alice Cooper.
  • "The Ballad Of Curtis Loew" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • "The Ballad of Resurrection Joe and Rosa Whore" by Rob Zombie
  • "The Ballad of Marston Moor" by The Electric Light Orchestra
  • "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners" by Foo Fighters
  • "Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)" by George Harrison
  • "The Ballad of Springhill Disaster" by Peggy Seeger
  • "The Ballad of Love and Hate" by The Avett Brothers
  • "Ballad of Big" by Genesis.
  • "Ballad of Enchantment" by Jagex Games Studio.
  • "The Ballad of Michael Valentine" by The Killers.
  • "The Ballad of Mona Lisa" by Panic! at the Disco.
  • The Ballad of Johnny X, by The Bouncing Souls.
  • "The Ballad Of Danny Bailey (1909-34)" by Elton John.
  • "Ballad of Truth and Lies", "Ballad of Weapon", and "Ballad of Hate" by Vladimir Vysotsky
  • "Ballad of T.V. Violence (I'm Not the Only Boy)", by Cheap Trick
  • "Ballad of a Cold Lost Marble" by Sparklehorse
  • "Ballad of Jimmy Bones" by Latoya Williams
  • "The Ballad of Big Poppa and Diamond Girl" by Cobra Starship
  • "The Ballad Of Candlepin Paul" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  • "The Ballad of Clay Carmine" by Miracle of Sound
  • "The Ballad of Eskimo Nell", a legendarily-dirty folk song.

Theater


Video Games


Web Comics


Western Animation