Musical inspiration is as vast and vivid as imagination itself. Of course, at the core of a song is the story it tells.
No surprise, then, that musicians often find a guiding light in literature. From Shakespearian dramas to teen classics, here are a few popular works that inspired popular music.
George Orwell鈥檚 dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (or 1984, published in 1949) is a hugely influential work on culture鈥攊ncluding music.
One song inspired by it is David Bowie’s “1984,” released on his 1974 album Diamond Dogs (ten years before the fateful Orwellian year).
On it, Bowie warns listeners to 鈥渂eware the savage jaw of 1984,鈥� using a crushing metaphor for a government that controls all culture and thought in Orwell鈥檚 novel. The lyric 鈥渢hey鈥檒l split your pretty cranium, and fill it full of air鈥� relates to the dangers of totalitarian thought-control and brainwashing.
Paste magazine has suggested 1984 is 鈥渢he only book referenced more in the punk rock canon than A Clockwork Orange.鈥� The punk band Subhumans released 鈥淏ig Brother鈥� on the cusp of the actual year 1984. The title, of course, comes from Orwell鈥檚 name for the leader of the Party, the head of the fictional superstate Oceania. Lyrics from the chorus reflect Big Brother鈥檚 creepy omnipresence: 鈥淎nd somebody told me / Big Brother鈥檚 watching you / And somebody else said / 鈥榊ou know it鈥檚 not true鈥� / Who do you believe?鈥�
In 2016, the alternative pop artist Douglas Dare released 鈥淒oublethink,鈥� lifting another iconic term and concept from the novel for his title. In 1984, doublethink is 鈥渢o be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies 鈥︹�� Alternative facts sounds freakishly similar …听
With no shortage of epic tales, calling the Bible a source of inspiration for much of Western art and music is an epic understatement. Not only is it sacred scripture to its adherent, it’s听 also considered literature.
Bruce Springsteen鈥檚 1978 song 鈥�Adam Raised a Cain鈥� references the tumultuous relationship between Adam and his son Cain, the jealous rebel who fell short and wandered down a crooked path. (The Biblical Cain killed his brother, Abel).
Springsteen sings, 鈥淵ou’re born into this life / Paying for the sins of somebody else’s past.鈥� Springsteen said the song was 鈥渆motionally autobiographical.鈥澨�
鈥淭urn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season),鈥� written by Pete Seeger in the 1950s and famously covered by The Byrds, closely adheres to a passage from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: 鈥淭o every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:听A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted 鈥�.鈥�
Def Leppard, Mahalia Jackson, Metallica, Muse, Mariah Carey, Josh Groban, and Kanye West are just a few of many other artists who released biblically inspired songs.
The classic hip-hop duo, Black Star (a.k.a. Mos Def and Talib Kweli) heard the muse鈥檚 whisper in Toni Morrison鈥檚 1970 The Bluest Eye. One of the themes of the novel is how, in American society, whiteness has set the standard for beauty. The title The Bluest Eye refers to the dream of the African American protagonist, who believes that the cruelty she experiences would never come to pass if she had blue eyes鈥攊f she conformed to white beauty standards.
In the 1998 track 鈥�Thieves in the Night,鈥� Talib Kweli raps: 鈥�… we live the truest lie / I asked him why we follow the law of the bluest eye.鈥� Then: 鈥淭he question was rhetorical, the answer is horrible / Our morals are out of place and got our lives full of sorrow.鈥�
Ultimately, the song鈥檚 message, as evidenced in the refrain, is to stop 鈥渉iding like thieves in the night from life,鈥� and for people of color to 鈥済et to the true essence鈥� and be fiercely proud of who they are.
Shakespeare joins the Bible as one of the canonical texts in the English language. Unsurprisingly, many musical artists consider Shakespeare a muse.
Taylor Swift鈥檚 2008 鈥�Love Story鈥� is the singer鈥檚 connection between her own life experience and the iconic love story Romeo and Juliet. Swift thought she was in love, but her parents didn鈥檛 like the guy. In the song, 鈥淵ou were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles / And my daddy said, 鈥楽tay away from Juliet.鈥欌��
Mumford & Sons鈥� 2009 鈥淪igh No More鈥� is inspired by Much Ado About Nothing. The song鈥檚 title and second verse come from a song performed by the character Balthasar in Act 2, Scene 3 of the comedy: 鈥淪igh no more, ladies, sigh no more. / Men were deceivers ever, / One foot in sea, and one on shore, / To one thing constant never.鈥� Mumford & Sons incorporates their rendition of the lyric into a song of apology, with a rousing chorus that tells men 鈥淟ove, it will not betray you鈥� and to 鈥淏e more like the man you were made to be鈥� (a lover, not a deceiver).
Rufus Wainwright is another artist who loves the Bard, with an entire album dedicated to his work. Released in 2016, the album is called 鈥淭ake All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets.鈥�
From the imaginative genius of Lewis Carroll sprang 鈥淭he Walrus and the Carpenter,鈥� a narrative poem recited by Tweedledum and Tweedledee in his 1871 Through the Looking-Glass.
There aren鈥檛 many famous walrus songs out there, but the Beatles鈥� 1967 鈥�I Am the Walrus鈥� is more than sufficient to represent them. And, the inspiration, of course, came from Lewis Carroll鈥檚 poem.
Having written the song on several acid trips, John Lennon said there weren鈥檛 any deep meanings behind it. The repeated line 鈥淚 am the walrus鈥� might simply come from Lennon鈥檚 childhood love of the poem. For any child, it is intriguing to think of a walrus who can speak 鈥渙f shoes鈥攁nd ships鈥攁nd sealing-wax鈥� / Of cabbages鈥� and kings鈥� / And why the sea is boiling hot鈥� / And whether pigs have wings.鈥� Sounds a little like Lennon’s 鈥�See how they run like pigs from a gun / See how they fly,鈥� no?
Years later, in a 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon said:
It never dawned on me that Lewis Carroll was commenting on the capitalist and social system. I never went into that bit about what he really meant, like people are doing with the Beatles’ work. Later, I went back and looked at it and realized that the walrus was the bad guy in the story and the carpenter was the good guy. I thought, Oh, s***, I picked the wrong guy. I should have said, ‘I am the carpenter.’ But, that wouldn’t have been the same, would it?
In 1978, Kate Bush released 鈥�Wuthering Heights,鈥� a song whose literary inspiration is dead-easy to identify. At high pitch, Bush lyrically retells Emily Bront毛鈥檚 Wuthering Heights (1847), a classic narrative of the turbulent romance between Heathcliff and Catherine.
Bush鈥檚 song is from Catherine鈥檚 perspective鈥攊n fact, spoiler alert, it鈥檚 as if Catherine鈥檚 ghost were singing to Heathcliff. She first remembers their love and jubilance 鈥�out on the wiley [sic], windy moors,鈥� but then touches on Heathcliff鈥檚 temper and her desire to possess him (and another man, who she ends up marrying instead). Though they go their separate ways in life and love, they are soulmates and, after Catherine鈥檚 death in childbirth, her ghost haunts Heathcliff. Bush鈥檚 chorus 鈥淐ome home, I鈥檓 so cold / Let me in-a-your window鈥� is Catherine鈥檚 constant, haunting presence.
This song pulls from Wuthering Heights the essence of what so many torrid love songs are about, and it beautifully captures it in the opening verse:
You had a temper like my jealousy
Too hot, too greedy
How could you leave me
When I needed to posses you?
I hated you, I loved you, too.
J.R.R. Tolkien鈥檚 fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings (LOTR; 1954鈥�55) is a fountain of inspiration for musicians, particularly in rock and heavy metal genres.
In writing the 2009 song 鈥�This Day We Fight鈥� (incidentally a direct quote from Return of the King), heavy metal band Megadeth took inspiration from inciting pre-battle speeches by the characters Aragorn and Th茅oden.
Much earlier in 1975, the Canadian progressive rock band Rush released a song titled 鈥淩ivendell,鈥� clearly influenced by the elven realm in Tolkien鈥檚 fictional world.
Led Zeppelin offer their interpretations of LOTR themes in the songs 鈥淭he Battle of Evermore鈥� (1971) and 鈥淩amble On鈥� (1969). The former makes references to 鈥渢he Queen of Light,鈥� 鈥渢he Prince of Peace,鈥� and 鈥渢he dark Lord鈥濃�攁pparent allusions to LOTR characters Galadriel, Frodo Baggins, and Sauron. 鈥�Ramble On鈥� creates a parallel between Frodo and Sam鈥檚 mission and Led Zeppelin鈥檚 journey as a band. Like the precious One Ring that Frodo carries, the band achieves everything they could imagine, but both the ring and fame can bring destruction to those who become obsessed with them.
Russian novelist Mikhail Bulgakov鈥檚 The Master and Margarita (written starting in 1928 and only published much later) situates Soviet Moscow as a realm of magical realism, where the Devil himself descends to play tricks on mankind. Along with him is a wildly eccentric posse, including a sensitive feline named Behemoth with a love of vodka. Why wouldn鈥檛 musicians everywhere not love this masterwork?
Most famously, The Rolling Stones took inspiration from Bulgakov in their hit 1968 鈥淪ympathy for the Devil.鈥� In the song鈥檚 famous first lines, Mick Jagger, singing the voice of a the Devil as a kind of gentleman, makes the polite request:
Please allow me to introduce myself
I鈥檓 a man of wealth and taste
I鈥檝e been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man鈥檚 soul and faith.
The song, as the book, explores the 鈥減uzzling鈥� nature of the Devil鈥檚 game.
The title of Patti Smith鈥檚 2012 album Banga refers to a pet dog in Bulgakov鈥檚 novel. In an interview with the British newspaper The Sun, Smith said:
The dog was loyal for 2,000 years on the edge of heaven 鈥� the dog didn鈥檛 run around heaven looking for bones. He sat at his master鈥檚 feet. I thought that is true loyalty and used it as a fun metaphor for all the loyalty I鈥檝e experienced.
Harper Lee鈥檚 To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) explores the joys and fears of childhood while also taking a poignant look at race relations in Depression-era south. Atticus Finch, the father of two of the novel’s young protagonists, is a lawyer who takes on the case of a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman. Atticus offers strong proof of Tom鈥檚 innocence, but racist whites won鈥檛 hear of it and Tom is convicted.
In the song 鈥淎tticus,鈥� the London indie rock band Noisettes open with the lyrics 鈥淭o kill a mockingbird / Is to silence the song / That seduces you.鈥� As an apparent tribute to Atticus鈥檚 courage, humanity, and moral uprightness, Noisettes sing 鈥淐onstellations tonight / Are so fiercesomely [sic] bright, my love / I have no fear / I am Atticus now.鈥澨�
The title of Bruce Hornsby鈥檚 1998 jazz-inflected track 鈥淪neaking Up on Boo Radley鈥� refers to the mysterious recluse that Scout, the young female protagonist, first fears and then comes to respect.
The Brit pop group The Boo Radleys wrote a number of songs influenced by Harper鈥檚 novel, including their 1995 鈥淲ake Up Boo!鈥� The band read the book in school and said it was the only one that really had a lasting impact. Sometimes one is all it takes.
We began with George Orwell, so let’s end with Orwell.
Another of Orwell鈥檚 novels to have taken shape in song is the satire Animal Farm, an allegorical novel about class struggles and the corruption of communist Russia.
In 1977, Pink Floyd released Animals, an entire album influenced by Orwell鈥檚 novel. Following the narrative, songs on the album describe three different categories of people: conniving 鈥渄ogs鈥� who bully everyone, oppressive 鈥減igs鈥� who run society, and spineless 鈥渟heep鈥� who blindly follow everyone else.
In 2000, the hip-hop duo Dead Prez released 鈥�Animal in Man,鈥� creatively retelling the narrative in spitting rhyme. As they tell the story, in the beginning, 鈥渟*** was calm.鈥� The farmer was:
Acting like Mr. Magnificent
But the animals were thinking something different
The sentiment was tension in the barnyard …
And they all came to one conclusion
They argued there was no way they鈥檇 ever be free
If it was up to humans
Therefore the only course left was revolution 鈥�
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