- List of songs that retell a work of literature
This is a list of songs which retell, in whole or in part, a work of
literature . Albums listed here consist entirely of songs retelling a work of literature.0-9
* "1984" by
David Bowie is one of many songs he wrote aboutGeorge Orwell 's "1984", meant to be a song in a 1984 musical.
* "2+2=5 " byRadiohead is also about "1984".
* "20 000 ljööd vee all" byVennaskond about "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea "
* "2112" by Rush, is loosely based on the novel "Anthem" byAyn Rand
* "40" byU2 is based on the 40thPsalm .A
* "Ahab" by
MC Lars retells the story of "Moby-Dick " byHerman Melville from the perspective of Captain Ahab.
* "Alone" byGreen Carnation is based on the poem byEdgar Allan Poe of the same title.
* "Alone" by Arcturus is based on the poem byEdgar Allan Poe of the same title.
* "Altair-4" byBlind Guardian is about "The Tommyknockers " byStephen King .
* "All is Not Well" byHannah Fury is based on the romance of Elphaba and Fiyero from "Wicked" byGregory Maguire .
* "Among the Living" by Anthrax is about Stephen King's "The Stand ".
* "And Then There Was Silence " byBlind Guardian is based onHomer 's "Iliad ".
* "And Your Little Dog Too" byHannah Fury is told from the point of view of Wicked Witch of the West fromL. Frank Baum 's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ".
* "A Man for All Seasons" byAl Stewart was based onRobert Bolt 's play "A Man for All Seasons ".
* "A Picture of Dorian Gray" byThe Television Personalities is aboutOscar Wilde 's "The Picture of Dorian Gray ".
* "Animal in Man" bydead prez from is a retelling ofGeorge Orwell 's "Animal Farm ".
* "Animals" is an album byPink Floyd which is very loosely based onGeorge Orwell 's "Animal Farm ".
* "Animal Farm" byHazel O'Connor also re-tellsGeorge Orwell 's "Animal Farm ".
* "Annabel Lee" byTiger Army is based on the poem byEdgar Allan Poe of the same title.
* "A Rose for Emily" byThe Zombies took its title fromWilliam Faulkner 's short story.
* "Arctic Death" byVirginia Astley is inspired by theWilliam Butler Yeats poem "An Airman Forecasts His Own Death"B
* "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" by
Leonard Nimoy retellsJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Hobbit ".
* "The Ballad of Skip Wiley" byJimmy Buffett is a song about the character fromCarl Hiaasen 's novel "Tourist Season ".
* "Banana Co." byRadiohead is based on the novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude " byGabriel García Márquez .
* "The Bard's Song (The Hobbit)" byBlind Guardian retellsJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Hobbit ".
* "Barefoot Children in the Rain" byJimmy Buffett partially retells "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn " byMark Twain .
* "Las Batallas" byCafé Tacuba retellsJose Emilio Pacheco 'sLas batallas en el desierto .
* "Battle of Evermore " byLed Zeppelin mentions terms fromJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Lord of the Rings " by name.
* "Beans" by Nirvana retellsJack Kerouac 's "The Dharma Bums ".
* "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" by The Divine Comedy is based on the short story of the same title byF. Scott Fitzgerald .
* "Big Brother" byDavid Bowie is one of many songs he wrote aboutGeorge Orwell 's "1984", meant to be a song in a 1984 musical.
* "Billy Liar" byThe Decemberists refers to and relates some of the adventures of the title character ofKeith Waterhouse 's novel of the same name.
*"Black Blade " byBlue Öyster Cult is based onElric of Melniboné stories byMichael Moorcock .
* "Bowling in the Hills" byEddie From Ohio retellsWashington Irving 's short story "Rip Van Winkle ".
* "Brave New World" byIron Maiden retells the story of "Brave New World " byAldous Huxley , as does the song "Brave New World" byReagan Youth .C
* "Calypso" by
Suzanne Vega is based on one of the scenes in theOdyssey byHomer .
* "Cassandra" byABBA is based on the character in theIliad byHomer .
* "Catch-22" by Pink is based on the novel "Catch-22" byJoseph Heller .
* "Chapter 24 " byPink Floyd is about theI Ching
* "Charlotte Sometimes" byThe Cure is about Penelope Farmer's novel of the same name.
* "China In Your Hand " byT'Pau is based onMary Shelley 's "Frankenstein ".
* "The Clairvoyant" byIron Maiden is based on "Seventh Son " byOrson Scott Card .D
* "Dalai Lama" by
Rammstein is loosely based on "Der Erlkönig " byJohann Wolfgang von Goethe .
* "Dante's Inferno" byIced Earth , retells the "" of Dante's "The Divine Comedy ".
* "The Dawn of a New Age" by Satyricon is based on theBook of Revelation .
* "Dead" byPixies refurbishes the biblical legend ofDavid andBathsheba .
* "Dracula"Iced Earth is about "Dracula " byBram Stoker
* "Don't Stand So Close to Me" byThe Police is based on and references "Lolita " byVladimir Nabokov .E
* "Elvenpath" by
Nightwish refers to the basic premise ofThe Lord of the Rings byJ. R. R. Tolkien .
* "The End of The Universe" byS.P.O.C.K refers to the second book of the Hitchhiker's Trilogy byDouglas Adams , titled "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe ".
* "Eveline" byNickel Creek is based on theJames Joyce short story of the same name.F
* "Fable" by
Gatsbys American Dream is based onWilliam Golding 's novel "Lord of the Flies ."
* "The Face of Dorian Gray" byRobert Marlow is based onOscar Wilde 's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray ".
* "Flight of Icarus " by Iron Maiden is loosely based on the Greek myth ofIcarus .
* "Footprints" byHalf Man Half Biscuit is aparody of "Footprints" by Mary Stevenson, in itself adapted fromPsalm 77.19.
* "For Whom the Bell Tolls" byMetallica is based onErnest Hemingway 's novel of the same title "For Whom the Bell Tolls "
* "Frankenstein" byIced Earth is about "Frankenstein " byMary Shelley
* "Franz Kafka! Intro", "Turnin' To A Bug", "Livin' Like A Bug Ain't Easy" and "Franz Kafka! Finale" by the fictional band Scäb (from the cartoon series "Home Movies") are aboutFranz Kafka 's "The Metamorphosis "
* "From the Underworld" by The Herd is based on the Greek legend ofOrpheus andEurydice G
* "The Giant's Laughter" by
Thyrfing is inspired by the poem "Jätten" byEsaias Tegner
* "Grendel" byMarillion is a retelling of John Gardner's novel "Grendel ", which is a retelling ofBeowulf
* "Green Eggs and Hamlet" byMary Prankster is aboutWilliam Shakespeare 's play "Hamlet "
* "The Ghost of Tom Joad" byBruce Springsteen is about "The Grapes of Wrath " byJohn Steinbeck
* "Goodbye Sky Harbor" byJimmy Eat World is about the bookA Prayer for Owen Meany byJohn Irving .
* "Guardian of the Blind" byBlind Guardian is based on "It" byStephen King
* "Get it Right" byThe Offspring mentionsHolden Caulfield , the hero ofThe Catcher in the Rye byJ.D. Salinger .
* "The Gunslinger" byDemons & Wizards is based onStephen King 's "The Dark Tower" series.H
* "Haunted" by Poe is based on "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski.
* "Highway 61 Revisited" byBob Dylan retells the story ofAbraham and his son from "Genesis ", Chapter 22
* "The Highwayman" is aLoreena McKennitt song which recounts a poem byAlfred Noyes .Phil Ochs also performed a different musical interpretation of the poem.
* "Home at Last" bySteely Dan retells Ulysses' encounter with theSirens from the "Odyssey "
* "Home", byBreaking Benjamin , is based on The Wizard of Oz
* "Home By the Sea", by Genesis, also is based onHomer 'sOdyssey .
* "Horrorshow", by the Scars, is based on theAnthony Burgess novel "A Clockwork Orange".
* "House of Atreus - Act I" and "House of Atreus - Act II" form a two-partconcept album byVirgin Steele based loosely on theOresteia ofAeschylus .
*"Hallelujah", by Leonard Cohen, is based on the biblical story ofDavid andBathsheba . It also incorporates elements of the story ofSamson andDelilah .
* "House at Pooh Corner" and "Return to Pooh Corner" byKenny Loggins are about "The House at Pooh Corner " byA.A. Milne .
* "How Beautiful You Are" byThe Cure is a retelling of "Les Yeux du Pauvre" a poem byCharles Baudelaire from "Le Spleen de Paris"I
* "I Can't Let You In" by
Hannah Fury is about Fiyero's tragic affair with Elphaba (told from her point of view) from Gregory Maguire'sWicked (novel) .
* "I Robot" is an LP byThe Alan Parsons Project which retells severalIsaac Asimov stories
* "I Robot" by theUK Subs is based on "I, Robot " byIsaac Asimov .
* "I'm That Type of Guy" byLL Cool J interpolates some movie quotes from "The Wizard of Oz" which is a movie based on the storybook "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ".
* "In Like a Lion (Always Winter)" byRelient K is about "" byC. S. Lewis .
* "Insener Garini Hüperboloid" byVennaskond is about "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin " byAleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy .
* "Into the West" byAnnie Lennox is about "The Lord of the Rings
* "Iron Dream" by KAOS is about "The Iron Dream " byNorman Spinrad
* "Invisible Monsters" byMotion City Soundtrack is about "Invisible Monsters " byChuck Palahniuk .
* "Time To Dance" byPanic! At The Disco is based onInvisible Monsters " byChuck Palahniuk .
* "It Was Her House That Killed Nessarose" byHannah Fury is about Elphaba's perception of Dorothy from Gregory Maguire'sWicked (novel) .J
* "Jamaica Inn" by
Tori Amos is about "Jamaica Inn" byDaphne du Maurier .
* "Jekyll & Hyde" byIced Earth is about "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde " byRobert Louis Stevenson
* "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" byRick Wakeman is an LP which retells "Journey to the Centre of the Earth " byJules Verne K
* "
Killing an Arab " byThe Cure is closely related toAlbert Camus 's "The Stranger"L
* "
La Leyenda de la Mancha " is an album byMago de Oz which is based on "Don Quixote "
* "Lay Down" byStrawbs is based onPsalm 23
* "The Lady of Shallott" byLoreena McKennitt is a poem byAlfred Lord Tennyson
* "The Lady of Shallott" by Momus is based upon the poem of the same name byAlfred Lord Tennyson
* "Legend of Xanadu" byDave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich based onSamuel Taylor Coleridge 's poem
* "Let it Show" byHannah Fury is based on Gregory Maguire's "Wicked".
* "Lolita" byElefant is aboutVladimir Nabokov 's "Lolita "
* "The Longest Day" by Iron Maiden is about "The Longest Day" by Cornelius Ryan, which is about D-Day.
* "Lord of the Flies" by Iron Maiden retells "Lord of the Flies " byWilliam Golding .
* "Lord of the Rings" byBlind Guardian is about "The Lord of the Rings " byJ.R.R. Tolkien .
* "Love and Destroy" by Franz Ferdinand is based on "The Master and Margarita " byMikhail Bulgakov .
* "Love Song for a Vampire" byAnnie Lennox is about "Bram Stoker's Dracula ".
* "Lucy" by The Divine Comedy is a setting of three poems byWilliam Wordsworth
* "Lullaby" byLagwagon is based on "Lullaby" byChuck Palahniuk .
*The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner byIron Maiden , based on the short story of the same name byAlan Sillitoe M
* "Memory" from the musical Cats is based on lines from a poem by
T. S. Eliot .
* "Misery Loves Company" by Anthrax is about "Misery" byStephen King .
* "Moon over Bourbon Street" by Sting is describing a character fromAnne Rice 's "Interview with a Vampire "
* "Mr. Raven" byMC Lars retells "The Raven ", a poem byEdgar Allan Poe .
* "My Name Is Macbeth" byMitch Benn is Shakespeare's "Macbeth" reworked in the style ofEminem
* "The Melting Point of wax" byThrice retells the story ofThe Fall of Icarus .
* "Murders in the Rue Morgue" byIron Maiden is based on the short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue " by Edgar Allan Poe.
* "My Antonia" byEmmylou Harris withDave Matthews is about "My Antonia " byWilla Cather .N
* "Narnia" by
Steve Hackett is based on "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe " byC. S. Lewis
* "Narcissist" byThe Libertines is loosely based on the character of Dorian Gray fromOscar Wilde 's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (and refers to him)
* "Nescio" byThe Nits is based on "De Uitvreter" byNescio .
* "Never Come Down Again" byHannah Fury is based on Gregory Maguire'sWicked (novel) , told from Elphaba's point of view.
*"Nice, Nice, Very Nice" inspired by theKurt Vonnegut novelCat's Cradle byAmbrosia (band)
* "Nightfall in Middle-Earth " is an album byBlind Guardian that retellsJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Silmarillion".
* "November Rain " byGuns N' Roses is loosely based on the short story "Without You" byDel James .
* "No Quarter " byLed Zeppelin is based on the final battle in the Fantasy Novel "The Hobbit " byJ. R. R. Tolkien
* "Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy) " byRob Zombie is based on "A Clockwork Orange " byAnthony Burgess .O
* "One" by
Metallica is based on the novel/movie "Johnny Got His Gun " byDalton Trumbo .
* "Oor Hamlet" by Adam McNaughtan retells "Hamlet " byWilliam Shakespeare .
* "Out of the Silent Planet" byIron Maiden is based on the movie "Forbidden Planet ", not the science-fiction novel byC. S. Lewis
* "Oedipus" byRegina Spektor refers to the tragedy of Oedipus Rex bySophocles .
* "Oedipus Rex" byTom Lehrer also refers to the tragedy of Oedipus Rex bySophocles .
* "The Odyssey" bySymphony X is based onHomer 's epic of the same name.P
* "Patrick Bateman" by the
Manic Street Preachers is about the lead character in "American Psycho " byBret Easton Ellis .
* "Pennywise" by Pennywise is about the character Pennywise from the novel "It" by Stephen King.
* "Pet Sematary" byThe Ramones is about "Pet Sematary " by Stephen King.
* "The Phantom of the Opera" byIron Maiden is about "The Phantom of the Opera " byGaston Leroux
* "The Phantom of the Opera Ghost" byIced Earth is about "The Phantom of the Opera " byGaston Leroux
* "A Pict Song" byBilly Bragg is based on a poem of the same name byRudyard Kipling
* "Prince Caspian" byPhish is aboutC. S. Lewis ' "Prince Caspian ", one of theChronicles of Narnia
* "The Prophecy" byIron Maiden is based on the bookSeventh Son byOrson Scott Card , and appears on theconcept album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son .
*"Pull Me Under " byDream Theater , is told fromPrince Hamlet 's point of view, from Shakespeare's play that shares his name.
* "Popular" byNada Surf is based upon the book Penny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and Popularity byGloria Winters (1964).Q
R
* "Raistlin and the Rose" by
Lake of Tears is based on "Dragonlance Legends " trilogy byMargaret Weis andTracy Hickman .
* "Ramble On " byLed Zeppelin mentions characters fromJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Lord of the Rings ", including "Mordor " and "Gollum " by name.
* "Red Barchetta " by Rush is based on the short story "A Nice Morning Drive " byRichard S. Foster
* "ReJoyce" byJefferson Airplane offersGrace Slick 's own psychedelic version ofJames Joyce s "Ulysses".
* "Richard Cory" byPaul Simon is about theEdwin Arlington Robinson poem "Richard Cory".
* "Ride A White Swan" by T.Rex refers to plot details fromJ. R. R. Tolkien 's "The Hobbit "
* "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" byIron Maiden is a retelling ofSamuel Taylor Coleridge 's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner "
* "Roderigo" bySeven Mary Three is based on the book "One Hundred Years of Solitude ".
* "Rivendell " by Rush is about the fictional place of the same name from "The Lord of the Rings "
* "Ruled by Secrecy " by Muse is about the book byJim Marrs "Rule By Secrecy "
* "Romeo and Juliet " byDire Straits is based onWilliam Shakespeare 's "Romeo and Juliet ".S
* "Sahara" by
Eddie From Ohio retellsJon Krakauer 's nonfiction book "Into the Wild ".
* "Scentless Apprentice " by Nirvana retells "Perfume" byPatrick Süskind .
* "The Season of Divorce" byThe Shots of Perspective borrows its plot fromJohn Cheever 's short story of the same name.
* "The Sensual World" byKate Bush is based on the closing paragraphs ofJames Joyce 's "Ulysses" (Bush wanted to simply set them to music but Joyce's grandson refused permission).
* "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" byPink Floyd is based on the "I Ching ".
* "The Seventh Seal" by Scott Walker is a retelling ofIngmar Bergman 's movie "The Seventh Seal "
* "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son " byIron Maiden is based on the book "Seventh Son " byOrson Scott Card .
* "Sexcrime (1984)" by theEurythmics , from the film "1984", is based on theGeorge Orwell novel.
* "Sirens of Titan" byAl Stewart is based on theKurt Vonnegut novel "The Sirens of Titan "
* "Skeletons in the Closet" by Anthrax is about "Apt Pupil " byStephen King
* "The Small Print" by Muse describes the story ofFaust from the point of view of theDevil .
* "The Snow Goose" by Camel is an instrumental album retelling the same title novel byPaul Gallico .
* "So Said Kay" byThe Field Mice is based on "Desert of the Heart" byJane Rule .
* "Someone Speaks Softly" byHannah Fury is based on "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire.
* "Somewhere Far Beyond" byBlind Guardian is based on "The Dark Tower"-series byStephen King .
*"Song For Clay" ByBloc Party is inspired byLess Then Zero byBret Easton Ellis
* "The Songs of Distant Earth (album) " byMike Oldfield about "Songs of Distant Earth "
* "The Stranger" by Tuxedomoon quotesAlbert Camus ' novel "L'etranger ".
* "The Stand" byThe Alarm is about "The Stand " byStephen King
* "Stormbringer" byDeep Purple is about "Elric of Melniboné "
* "Strange Little Girl" by Sad Café retells the story of the film "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane " that featuredJodie Foster and was based on a book of the same name
* "Sympathy for the Devil " byThe Rolling Stones is about "The Master and Margarita " byMikhail Bulgakov T
* "The Tain" is a song/
concept EP byThe Decemberists that retells the Irish epic "Táin Bó Cúailnge "
*"Tales of Brave Ulysses " is a single by Cream that retells Homer's "The Odyssey".
* "Tales of Mystery and Imagination " is an LP byThe Alan Parsons Project which retells severalEdgar Allan Poe stories
* "Tea in the Sahara" byThe Police is about "The Sheltering Sky " byPaul Bowles .King Crimson also has a song called "The Sheltering Sky" about the same book, although it is an instrumental work.
* "Terror Train" byDemons & Wizards is sung from the perspective of Blaine the Mono, a character inStephen King 's "The Dark Tower" series, and recalls part of the plot of the books.
* "The Thing That Should Not Be " byMetallica is based onH. P. Lovecraft 's "The Call of Cthulhu "
* "Thumbelina" byNightmare of You is based on "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues " byTom Robbins .
* "Time to Dance " byPanic! at the Disco has several indirect and direct references toChuck Palahniuk 's novel "Invisible Monsters" ("Boys will be boys/hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine Dreams...")
* "Timeless Skies" byAl Stewart is about "The Silmarillion "
*"The Tomahawk Kid" byAlex Harvey (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band ), is based on characters fromRobert Louis Stevenson 's "Treasure Island "
* "To Be Or Not to Be" byB. A. Robertson is based onWilliam Shakespeare 's plays
* "To Tame a Land" byIron Maiden tells the story of "Dune" byFrank Herbert
* "To The End" byMy Chemical Romance retells the gothic horror storyA Rose for Emily
* "Tom Joad, Parts 1 and 2" byWoody Guthrie retells "The Grapes of Wrath " byJohn Steinbeck
* "Tom Sawyer" by Rush is about "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer " byMark Twain
* "Tommyknockers" byBlind Guardian is about "The Tommyknockers " byStephen King
* "Traveler in Time" byBlind Guardian is about "Dune " byFrank Herbert
* "A Trick of the Tail" by Genesis is based upon "The Inheritors" byWilliam Golding
* "The Trooper " byIron Maiden was inspired from "The Charge of the Light Brigade" byAlfred Tennyson .
* "Turn a Blind Eye" byHalf Man Half Biscuit is aparody of "Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten" ("First they came... ") byMartin Niemoller
* "Turn, Turn, Turn", byPete Seeger , notably covered byThe Byrds , takes its lyrics from chapter three of theBook of Ecclesiastes in the Holy Bible ("There is a time for everything...)V
* "Venus in Furs" by
The Velvet Underground is about the two main characters fromLeopold von Sacher-Masoch 's novel of the same name.W
* "
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds " is a 1978 big-budget retelling of thenovel byH. G. Wells in music anddramatization
* "We Are the Dead" byDavid Bowie is one of many songs he wrote aboutGeorge Orwell 's "1984", meant to be a song in a 1984 musical.
* "When Two Worlds Collide" byIron Maiden tells the same story as "When Worlds Collide " byPhilip Gordon Wylie andEdwin Balmer .
* "White Rabbit" byJefferson Airplane partially recalls "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland " byLewis Carroll
* "Who Wrote Holden Caulfield" byGreen Day is based on "Catcher in the Rye " byJ.D. Salinger
* "Wild Boys" byDuran Duran was supposed to be utilized as the theme song for aRussell Mulcahy film adaptation of theWilliam S. Burroughs novel "The Wild Boys" that never materialized; the song itself is sung from the viewpoint of one of Burroughs's "wild boys".
* "William, It Was Really Nothing" byThe Smiths is heavily based onBilly Liar : 'How can you stay with a fat girl who'll say/Would you like to marry me/And if you like you can buy the ring/ She doesn't care about anything"
*"Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police is based on the legend of Faustus, a man who sells his soul to the devil, recorded by Christopher Marlowe in his play "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" and by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his drama "Faust".
* "Wuthering Heights" byKate Bush is a re-telling ofEmily Brontë 's novel.X
* "Xanadu" by Rush is based on
Samuel Taylor Coleridge 's poem "Kubla Khan ".Y
* "Yes" by Amber is based on the final chapter of
James Joyce 's novel "Ulysses".
* "You Got A Death Wish, Johnny Truant?" byThe Fall of Troy takes its title from "House of Leaves " byMark Z. Danielewski .Z
ee also
*
List of songs based on a film
*Wizard Rock External links
* [http://www.siblproject.org The Sibl Project] has a similar goal that is more inclusive, creating a list of songs which simply refer to a work of literature
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