Songs with Literary References

[_Laurie_]

This is all very well, but does "Seasons In The Sun" contain any literary references, whether sung in English, French , Yiddish, Swahili

Hmmm nope, none at all, but Edna and I happened to enjoy discussing it anyways...so there!

[ryansgirl319]

Thanks for the great suggestions. I thought of Peggy Lee's Fever: "Romeo he loved Juliet. Juliet she felt the same."

[blind-fitter]

Hmmm nope, none at all, but Edna and I happened to enjoy discussing it anyways...so there!

[blind-fitter]

"The Dice Man" by The Fall may well be a direct reference to the main character in Luke Reinhardt's excellent "page-turner" of the same name. It's hard to be sure as Mark E. Smith's lyrics are often a load of impenetrable gobbledegook...

[umpire]

Actually, you can take my quiz at funtrivia.com and learn about other songs with a literary bent.

Music about Literature

[Uncle Joe]

BF is totally right, it has nothing to do with literature, unless you consider Brel as a classic...

I hear that Jacques Brel is alive and well (and living in Paris).

[Jugband_Blues]

"Super Agent X-9" is the title of a Modest Mouse song and a chapter in Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle"...I'm not really sure how strong the connection is because I just started the novel.

[bazooka]

"Super Agent X-9" is the title of a Modest Mouse song and a chapter in Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle"...I'm not really sure how strong the connection is

Secret Agent X-9 is an old comic strip that must be the reference for both.

[blind-fitter]

One of my favourite bands, Rudimentary Peni released an album entitled "Cacophany" which was a concept album about the life and works of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft.

Link to excerpt thereof (the music starts after 1 min 20, but the spoken bit is vaguely entertaining anyway)

[JumboXL]

Sympathy for the Devil, by the Rolling Stones. My ringtone.

The lyrics were inspired by The Master and Margarita, a book by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Says: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=509

[Farin]

^ same book:

Pilate ~ Pearl Jam

[Udo]

BF jogged my memory ~ the song "Fire" by the Pointer Sisters... "Now Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah, baby you can bet, a love they couldn't deny."

Bruce Springsteen wrote & performed Fire before the Pointer Sisters got hold of it.

[GrahamWellington]

Here's several from Regins Spektor, who is kinda known for including literary references:

Paris:

"Margaret Atwood, she could not stop me. Virginia Woolfe, she could not stop me"

Prisoners:

"If Hans Christian Anderson wouldn't have had his way with me, then none of this sh*t wouldn't have ever gone down"

Pound of Flesh

"Ezra pound sat upon my bed and asked me which bookses of late I've read"

Poor Little Rich Boy

"You're reading Fitzgerald, you're reading Hemingway. They're both supersmart and reading in a cafe"

Sh's kinda kooky, I know...

[Udo]

Nobody's yet mentioned Ring Around Your Finger by the Police.

I always considered that as an allusion to the Lord of the Rings, until I read the Three Musketeers. It fits much better with the latter, most notably that D'Artagnan recognizes the female antagonist by her ring.

Edited November 10, 2008 by Guest

[Levis]

^ Wrapped Around Your Finger? I hadn't paid attention to the lyrics but I've gone and looked them up now. 'tmakes sense what you say.

I didn't post this one earlier because it didn't really reference literature, but since songs based on literature are also allowed, how's about Nirvana's Scentless Apprentice inspired by Perfume? One of my favourite favourite Nirvana songs.

[Farin]

The Grudge ~ Tool

The line, "Unable To Forgive Your Scarlet Lettermen" presumably refers to the classic novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

[Udo]

I didn't post this one earlier because it didn't really reference literature, but since songs based on literature are also allowed, how's about Nirvana's Scentless Apprentice inspired by Perfume? One of my favourite favourite Nirvana songs.

She Blinded Me with Science, then.