what defines a ballad
Definition. A ballad is a type of poem that is sometimes set to music. Ballads have a long history and are found in many cultures. The ballad actually began as a folk song and continues today in popular music. Many love songs today can be considered ballads.ike any poem, some ballads follow this form and some don't, but almost all ballads are narrative, which means they tell a story. Because the ballad was originally set to music, some ballads have a refrain, or a repeated chorus, just like a song does.