Do you know any songs that are written from literatures?


EX: "Hey Juliet" by LMNT written from "Romeo and Juliet."

Well, if you consider The Bible to be literature:

Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is A Season)

Words adapted from The Bible, Book of Ecclesiastes

Recorded by many, but most famously by The Byrds.

There are two that I know of:

The Metallica Song "One" was based on a book by Dalton Trubmo called "Johnny Get your Gun".

and the song by Simon and Garfunkle called (it might have been just a Paul Simon im not sure) called "Richard Corey" was based on a poem called.....well Richard Corey.

Well erm I dunno if this counts but the musical "Cats" was based on a poem book.

Originally posted by Demi Lynn Winters
Well erm I dunno if this counts but the musical "Cats" was based on a poem book. LOL, how did I know you were gonna say that, Lynn-Marie? ;)

Originally posted by Jo's the bomb
LOL, how did I know you were gonna say that, Lynn-Marie? ;)

Well Gee I dunno...maybe your phsycic! :confused: :crazy:

The musical Les Miserables was based on the book of the same name written by Victor Hugo.

The song "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses was, I believe, inspired by a book (but the name of it escapes me now).

The musical West Side Story is an updated Romeo and Juliet story (though that's kind of a stretch).

"Jimmy Olsen Blues" by the Spin Doctors, "Kryptonite" by Three Doors Down, and "Superman" by Five for Fighting were all inspired by Superman (if you count comic books as literature...which of course I do)

"Hurricane" by Bob Dylan is, I know for a fact based on a true story, and I believe at some point in time the story was written in a book, but I am not absolutely sure about that....also, the song may have come first.....

Originally posted by Mysty Eyes
Well, if you consider The Bible to be literature:

Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is A Season)

Words adapted from The Bible, Book of Ecclesiastes

Recorded by many, but most famously by The Byrds.

thats what i was gonna say! :-)

Welsh band, the Manic Street Preachers wrote a song called 'Patrick Bateman'. This was obviously inspired by the character of the same name from the book 'American Psycho'.

The Manics also wrote 'R.P. McMurphy' about the character from 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.

Dire Straits wrote a beautiful song entitled 'Romeo & Juliet'

Originally posted by Mossopp
Welsh band, the Manic Street Preachers wrote a song called 'Patrick Bateman'. This was obviously inspired by the character of the same name from the book 'American Psycho'.

The Manics also wrote 'R.P. McMurphy' about the character from 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.



Glad you mentioned them, Mossopp. ;)

Led Zeppelin were greatly influenced by Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", so if you hear the word "Mordor" and the like in the middle of their songs, don't be surprised.

This is more of a joke, but there's a song called "Ode to Harry Potter" by punk band Switchblade Kittens. It's told in the point of view of Ginny Weasley. So if you're a Potter fan, i'm sure you'll get a kick out of it.

Originally posted by Cokies


Glad you mentioned them, Mossopp. ;)


Have you heard those tracks, Cokies? Both of them were B-sides so I wasn't sure if they'd ever been available in America.
James Bradfield says he hates 'Patrick Bateman' but it's one of my favorite Manics tracks.

Originally posted by Mossopp


Have you heard those tracks, Cokies? Both of them were B-sides so I wasn't sure if they'd ever been available in America.
James Bradfield says he hates 'Patrick Bateman' but it's one of my favorite Manics tracks.

Hey, what's the internet for? Surfing for information? Of course not! ;)
Hates it, does he? It's all right. Isn't as poor as anything on "Gold Against the Soul". :lol:

So you don't like 'Gold Against the Soul'? I always quite liked that album. There are a lot of strong tracks on it - Sleepflower, La Tristessa.., Despair to Where, Roses in the Hospital. I loved all these songs.
I'm sure I've asked you this before but what, in your opinion, is the best Manics album?

Originally posted by Mossopp
So you don't like 'Gold Against the Soul'? I always quite liked that album. There are a lot of strong tracks on it - Sleepflower, La Tristessa.., Despair to Where, Roses in the Hospital. I loved all these songs.
I'm sure I've asked you this before but what, in your opinion, is the best Manics album?

Actually, I do find myself listening to Gold more than The Holy Bible these days, even though I think the latter is much more powerful. I don't know, it's actually kind of hard to listen to The Holy Bible. Too depressing after awile.

My favorite? Generation Terrorists. Their most consistent(best, in a sense) album? Everything Must Go. The first one I heard? Believe it or not, This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours. It's totally different from their early Slash/Clash influenced stuff that I've now been taken with, but there was something about it I really dug...

Now, I know you hate "Know Your Enemy". Like you said about "Gold", it's got some solid, good tracks on it. (Year of Purfication, Dead Martys, etc...) But So Why So Sad? A good song... for The Beach Boys! :lol:

Originally posted by Demi Lynn Winters


Well Gee I dunno...maybe your phsycic! :confused: :crazy: Oooooof course. :)

Actually, "Cats" was based on "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by T.S. Eliot.

There are a lot of songs by Rush based on the writings of Ayn Rand, among other authors:
"Anthem"
"2112" (based on her book "Anthem" as well--in a futuristic society that provides comfort and security to all its citizens, an individual finds an ancient guitar that is condemned as a useless relic that destroyed the previous civilization before it--in spite of the individual's claim that the musical gift is beautiful and valuable.)
"Cinderella Man"
"Xanadu" is based on a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleredge.