Topic: Songs Inspired By Literature

We often talk about who inspired certain musicians yet we tend to forget that many great songs were inspired by books. Literature being another one of my passions, I was wondering if any song made you read the book that inspired it.

Such as:

Gordon Lightfoot wrote the song Don Quixote inspired by Don Quixote by Cervantes

Billy Joe Armstrong wrote the song Who Wrote Holden Caulfield? inspired by the book  The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger 

Check out this site you will surely find it interesting.

http://artistsforliteracy.org/display/f … amp;page=1


Enjoy,
Michel

I may be goin' to hell in a bucket babe

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

- WHO WILL FORGET THE "FANTASTIC" wuthering heights by KATE BUSH????
- Tales of brave Ulysses: CREAM
- Ghost in the machine: The Police

I will get you some more

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Wow!  Great internet resource - thanks for the link and the topic mherbert.

I read through their listings with great interest.  Was glad to see some of my favorite books had inspired songs.  Got to admit though that Camus' "The Stranger" being the inspiration for Sinatra's "My Way" seems a bit of a stretch to me . . .

Was interested to note that Walker Percy's "Love in the Ruins" had inspired a song by Animal Logic - not familiar with the artist, but now I have good reason to give them a listen.

I submitted "Ballad of Peter Pumkinhead" by XTC to their listings - seems to me to be directly inspired by events described in the new testament gospels.  I'm sure other examples will come to mind eventually now that I'm thinking about it.  James

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Turn, turn, turn.....from the Bible...by I believe the song was written by Pete Seeger.....

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Iron Maiden's "Number of the Beast" was inspired by the poem "Tam O'Shanter" by Robert Burns, and their song "Dance of Death" was inspired by the classic Hawthorne short "Young Goodman Brown."

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Mherbert,

This is a great thread  i  Love books!  The two that come to mind immediately! are

The Man of La Mancha { which you have mentioned} Don Quixote. Loved that book!
I still, when i visit my sister in Holland cannot look at a "Windmill" without thinking of that book!   But the Music!
another one of my favourite pieces "To Dream the Impossible Dream" Fab! Takes me right back to my nucleus..

El Cordobes! "Manuel Benitez Peréz" Spains most famous bullfighter {Great book}

Tom Jones, Had a hit with ! "A Boy From Nowhere!" Another beautiful piece based on this book!

Oh my God! Mherbert my head is reeling with stuff. Ah im going  to have to lie down to settle my self!

Heathcliffe's its me your Cathy ive come home now! ah best lie down ?

Old Doll.

Why Blend in with the Crowd ? When you were made to stand out !

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

There's an instrumental calleed the raven, i don't know who it's by, but it goes on,stops, someone receits the poem by edgar allen poe and then it continues for a few more minuets, but it;s pretty cool. does any one know who it's by?

the answer is blowin' in the wind

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Hi
Rick Wakeman recorded an whole album based on the Jules Verne book" Journey to the centre of the earth" in  1974.
Parts of the book are read out to compliment the music.
I had already read the book.
A great prog Rock album.

Ark

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Jeff Wayne's  -   War of the World

and at the other end of the scale

Bob the Builder

David

Gutar Player, Singer, Entertainer  - At least in my own mind.

10 (edited by gitaardocphil 2007-08-08 10:35:58)

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

An attack on JAMES, a question of course.
DO YOU KNOW who wrote the song "MY WAY"???
I know it belongs now to the US patrimonial history, because the biggest american artists covered it.
It is written, both music and lyrics, by a "French Singer & composer" named CLAUDE FRANCOIS.
The TITLE WAS and still IS: COMME D'HABITUDE (an English traduction should be LIKE ALWAYS.
During a holiday in France, Paul Anka was so impressed by this song, that he started writing English Lyrics, for this song. They met each other, Claude knew Paul, because his career started later (song : 1966?) and one of his heroes was PAUL ANKA. That song travelled to the USA, isn't it clever that Paul Anka wrote English Lyrics? so he had also a big piece of the cake. Once in the USA, every single crooner would have that song on his list, amongst them: Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and yes,even the SID VICIOUS version.
Claude François died at the age of 39 (+ 1978) while replacing a lamp in his bathroom, but still in the water: real idiot to die that way, you could say he did it "my way", of course sad enough inspiring all comedians and jokes. The funeral was quit close and similar as RUDOLPH Valentino, impossible to count the people, and I remember me still all that hysteric behaviour.
I think, if he had written only this song, he would have so much money being the author.

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

The Police had a lot of literary references in their lyrics.  I especially like rhyming "shake and cough" with "in that book by Nabakov" in "Don't Stand So Close to Me".  Not sure whether that counts, though.

I have long thought that Neil Young's "After The Gold Rush" was inspired by Ursula LeGuine's "The Dispossessed" though I have no information on that aside from some common references.   Love the song, could have done without the book (with due apology to Ms. LeGuine, a matter of my taste not of quality of the book or story). 

The entire Tommy rock opera by The Who was a retelling of Pilgrim's Progress. 

The Wall was inspired by President Reagan's speech to "tear down this wall!"  (Just kidding, the song came long before the speech, perhaps the song inspired the speech writer???)

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Gitaardocphil, that is very interesting to learn about the composer of "My Way".
I had noticed in the literature list that the writer's name was French.
He died while standing in water and changing a light bulb????? Not an accident!

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

James McCormick wrote:

Gitaardocphil, that is very interesting to learn about the composer of "My Way".
I had noticed in the literature list that the writer's name was French.
He died while standing in water and changing a light bulb????? Not an accident!

I guess you could say he ''Saw the Light'' lol

I may be goin' to hell in a bucket babe

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Zurf wrote:

The Police had a lot of literary references in their lyrics.  I especially like rhyming "shake and cough" with "in that book by Nabakov" in "Don't Stand So Close to Me".  Not sure whether that counts, though.



- Zurf

It is a direct referance to the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The song is about a teacher and one of his students and the sexual tension between the two. Sting was once a schoolteacher and some people speculated that the song was autobiographical.

Michel

I may be goin' to hell in a bucket babe

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

mhebert wrote:

It is a direct referance to the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The song is about a teacher and one of his students and the sexual tension between the two. Sting was once a schoolteacher and some people speculated that the song was autobiographical.

Michel

Thanks.  I was unaware that Nabakov wrote Lolita.  Shows the poor state of my liberal arts education, I suppose.  That helps me understand the song better.   People will speculate on anything.  I don't put much credit into random people's speculations. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

The book is a great read yet you are constantly torn between loving and hating the main caracter , Humbert Humbert. You can only hate his manipulations to be with a 12 year old girl, Delores Haze, but his language and the pace of the narration , the story is written as a memoire, draw you in. It's a tough read but a must for any literature buff.

Michel

I may be goin' to hell in a bucket babe

Re: Songs Inspired By Literature

Dear James

IT's 100% true, but smart?
But as far as I remember (almost 30 years ago) they didn't talk about suicide, more like, he couldn't reach the lamp, put a chair in his bath, it was the only way to replace that lamp, felt of that chair, the bath was "moisty", and in a reflex he tried to take the device for his lamp.
Anyhow: "He did it his way"
BUT check his name: on wikipedia, the FRANCOIS/ANKA story

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]