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Dec 8, 2022 · Taylor Swift, BTS, and The Roots are among the artists who have made literary references in their songs.
- Kate Bush
A short list of words that might be used to describe Kate...
- Deals
Test your knowledge with amazing and interesting facts,...
- The Great Gatsby
Today, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is revered as...
- Kate Bush
- Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights. This iconic single from British Artpop pioneer Kate Bush is, perhaps, one of the most notorious examples of a pop song taking direct influence from literature.
- The Beatles – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Unlike many other lyrics on this list, The Beatles took direct inspiration from a children's book for this classic track off the ubiquitous 1967 album Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
- David Bowie – 1984. With his chameleonic approach both to performing and writing music, David Bowie's career incorporated musical and novelistic influences from an eclectic array of genres.
- Manic Street Preachers – Faster. There are few, if any novels, that have directly inspired the world of alternative music to the level of George Orwell’s 1984.
Mar 2, 2024 · While many artists have been able to channel their personal pain into their songs, artists like Nirvana and Metallica have found ways to subvert expectations by drawing from works of fiction. Throughout rock history, artists have used literature as a primary resource for inspiration on their biggest hits.
- Brandi Carlile, “The Things I Regret” Reference: Cormac McCarthy, The Road. Brandi Carlile has often talked about her admiration for the southern-gothic author.
- Sleater-Kinney, “A New Wave” Reference: James Baldwin, The Last Interview and Other Conversations. Although singer-guitarist Carrie Brownstein is a writer herself, it’s clear she knows poignant writers when she reads them.
- Regina Spektor, “Baobabs” Reference: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince. This entire song is an allusion to Exupéry’s The Little Prince. The song’s opening line is “You have tamed me / now you must take me,” which alludes to the tumultuous relationship between the prince and the flower.
- Indigo Girls, “Ghost” Reference: Greek Mythology. The Indigo Girls are masterful lyricists, but what more would you expect from two English majors? The duo’s entire discography is embedded with literary allusions, but this one references to the downfall of Achilles, the Trojan warrior who was brought down by an arrow into his ankle.
Famous songs like Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights,” Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and The Cure’s “Killing an Arab” are directly influenced by classic novels. These tracks use literary references to explore themes such as love, war, and existentialism.
Apr 6, 2020 · From David Bowie’s “1984” to killer Queen track “The Invisible Man,” some of the best have incorporated literature references.
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May 20, 2020 · Art comes in infinite forms and combinations. We can be influenced in capacities we’d never expect, and these seven songs are examples of when a musical artist was inspired by the written...
