From Literature to song....

[Quilp]

The other post about Hip Hop songs got me thinking.

Are there many works of literature that have become pop songs? I can only think of two:

Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush
Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits

There must be some more....

Mr Quilp

[imperiex]

not too sure about pop songs mate but there's one MC Lars a so-called "laptop hip hop" rapper who did a song on Macbeth called "Rapbeth". Lovecraft is a popular one with black metal bands, and Metallica has a song called The Call of Ktulu. Tolkien is another choice for metal, as far as I know.

[waryan]

Good questions- not sure about actual songs- I'll have to think about this, poetic works as well.

[Janine]

Well, wouldn't call her exactly pop, but Lorenna McKennitt has written the music to many of her own lyrics and also lyrics which were adapted from famous poetry. I know one such song was 'Greensleeves', which was actually written by King Henry VIII; another is The 'Highwayman', lyrics from the poetry of Alfred Doves; 'The Lady of Shalot' after the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson; 'Cymberline' and 'Prospero's Speech' after the poetry of William Shakespeare; 'Dark Night of the Soul', written originally by St. John of the Cross; adapted by Lorenna McKennitt; 'Stolen Child', lyrics by Butler Yeats....there are even more adapted from 'traditional' works and lyrics.

The Alan Parson's Project put out a great album, based on Poe's 'Tales of Mystery and Imagination.' This album is a classic rock version of the literary material. I own the album and just love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZyNKrYo9I4

Note: There are several poem youtube videos of interest.

The English group from the mid 70's, known as 'Renaissance', with the amazing lead singer Annie Haslam, cut one of their most impressive and well know albums with an Arabian Nights theme. I will post a link to a performance on Youtube. They were phenomenal in their day. Unfortunately, the band has since broken up, but Annie still gives wonderful performances - what a voice! I have seen her live several times.

From "Scheherazade and other Stories"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4FYFRloxAI&feature=related

From the same album - called "The Young Prince and the Princess"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-O0tcbWF3M&feature=related

Accoustic version in studio intimate appearance; more recent...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFsLbbVDaqs&feature=related

Stevie Nicks sang a song based on the poem - 'Annabell Lee' Poe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJcOegUsCrQ&feature=related

I will try and think of others; I know there must be so many more.

[Quilp]

Great suggestions - I never knew about the Alan Parsons Project and Poe. Will have to look it up....

...and thanks for all the links.

[bazarov]

Pink Floyd - Animals and David Bowie - Diamond Dogs ; both inspired by Orwell.

[billyjack]

tons of led zeppelin songs about the lord of the rings--

the dandy warhols: nietzche

[kelby_lake]

Charlotte Sometimes- The Cure

[Janine]

Pink Floyd - Animals and David Bowie - Diamond Dogs ; both inspired by Orwell.

bazarov, thanks for that information...oh wow, never knew that 'Animals' was about Orwell...duh, you would think I would have realised that fact. I love the song and the group emensely - have for a long time now.

Quote by Quilp


Great suggestions - I never knew about the Alan Parsons Project and Poe. Will have to look it up....

...and thanks for all the links.

Quilp, glad the links helped out. I love that Alan Parsons Project album. I play it often. I figured with those links you could sample some music and see what you like. The videos on some are better than others but I enjoyed them all well enough. Problem is I go to Youtube and end up getting sidetracked and look at all kinds of things - one video will lead me to another - and such as with Parson Project I look at all the ones they did on their music. I end up playing one there for hours.

Quilp, please forgive me; I meant to welcome you to the forum. I realise now you are new. You will love it here - a lot of great conversation and nice people.

I will have to think of more - I know I am usually drawn by the pieces of music that depict literary subjects and actually use the poetry as well or the text.

[Quilp]

Thank you for the kind welcome Janine.

Yes, I think I have finally found the perfect forum (after much failing)

I'm learning so much already...

[SirRaustusBear]

The Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs

[Quilp]

I have been having a good look at Bowie's Diamond Dogs.

I appears it was intended to be a concept album based on 1984 but was blocked by Orwell's estate.

There are some great tracks on there though...including ones called '1984' and 'Big Brother'

Thank you kindly for all your suggestions....

[*Classic*Charm*]

The Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs

Strangest yet most intriguing song I've ever heard. What's it based on?

[Janine]

Jekyl and Hyde - Renaissance

I thought of some more last night but now I can't recall them. I am sure they will come back to me. Would the song from the soundtrack to 'Return of the King' work? It is sung by Annie Lenox...beautiful song...I will look up the title....think it won the Oscar that year for best song.

[aeroport]

Lovecraft is a popular one with black metal bands, and Metallica has a song called The Call of Ktulu.

Also, their songs 'The Thing That Should Not Be' and 'The Frayed Ends of Sanity' pertain to similar matter.

The well-known Rush song 'Red Barchetta' was inspired by a short story by Richard S. Foster called 'A Nice Morning Drive'.

Literary references abound in the music of the rock group Nightwish (especially to Shakespeare's sonnets), but I cannot think of any other songs based entirely on literary works.

[mollie]

Dalton Trumbo's Johnny got his gun was the basis for Metallica's One, if memory serves...
Also, the Eurythmics Sexcrime was based on 1984.

[Janine]

The song by Annie Lenox for Return of the King soundtrack to Lord of the Rings trilogy is; I love this song:

Into The West

Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end
Sleep now
And dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across a distant shore
Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away

Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping

What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home
And all will turn
To silver-glass
A light on the water
All souls pass

Hope fades
Until the world of night
Through shadows' falling
Out of memory and time
Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again

And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping

What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home
And all will turn
To silver-glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West

[Mockingbird_z]

Radiohead - Exit - about Romeo and Juliette - but as far as I remember it was an OST for the film "Romeo and Juliette" with Leonardo DiCaprio...

[Mockingbird_z]

Radiohead - NoExit - about Romeo and Juliette - but as far as I remember it was an OST for the film "Romeo and Juliette" with Leonardo DiCaprio...

[JBI]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq6uI-IRa9A
From John Adam's Doctor Atomic.

[FalseReality]

Blind Guardian- Lord of the Rings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQDt7dP3Ksk

[aeroport]

Blind Guardian- Lord of the Rings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQDt7dP3Ksk

Also, BG's album 'Nightfall in Middle Earth' is based on The Silmarillion.

[crisaor]

Here's (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3055) a similar thread on the subject.

[FalseReality]

The other post about Hip Hop songs got me thinking.

Are there many works of literature that have become pop songs? I can only think of two:

Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush
Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits

There must be some more....

Mr Quilp
The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain covers this song and it is, far and away, the better of the two.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSed1K-QNMc

[Dr. Hill]

Mellowship Slinky in B Major by RHCP references Bukowski and Truman Capote.

[Quilp]

Here's (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3055) a similar thread on the subject.

Thanks for the link Crisaor!

And it was first posted by a fellow Adelaidian - great minds and all that....

It was certainly a comprehensive list - so I think that answers my question:thumbs_up

[cipherdecoy]

Brave New World by Iron Maiden and the music video of R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion (although it doesn't really count because it's from literature to music video) which was inspired by Marquez's A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings.

[kelby_lake]

Dalton Trumbo's Johnny got his gun was the basis for Metallica's One, if memory serves...
Also, the Eurythmics Sexcrime was based on 1984.

they played it on the trailer didn't they?

[_Shannon_]

Just off the top of my head:

The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe , and The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes are fabulous songs by Phil Ochs.

New Jerusalem by William Blake is a great Billy Bragg song.

[lisahead]

"Sympathy for the Devil"- Rolling Stones
from Master and Margarita- Bulgakov

[Sapphire]

"Last Day Of Magic" by the Kills has references to the Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Or well... it is based on Raskolnikov.


“His room is just described so amazingly in that book. It’s like a brain, a paranoid brain. That’s what the song’s about, really: having a sickness, a paranoia and just wanting someone to love, wanting that person to be there on that last day of magic. But they’re not there. You’re on your own, basically, at the end of the day.”

I have to say though, that Crime and Punishment never came to my mind when I listened to the song ... Not even when I knew :confused:

[Blah4]

A slumber did my spirit seal by draconian, from Wordsworth's