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Songs Inspired By Books

Bob Dylan

First Posted: 13/02/2012 13:26 Updated: 13/02/2012 15:04

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Once upon a time, poets and writers were the rock stars of their day.

Women swooned at the feet of Lord Byron like he was Elvis. Men read about the exploits of Hemingway as eagerly as they devour the debauchery of the Rolling Stones. Oscar Wilde scandalised society far more than Ozzy Osbourne ever did.

Alas, those days are mostly gone.

But if the link between writers and musicians lives on, it is probably in the form of the literary homage.

Sometimes these are songs with subtle nods to existing novels or poems that reward the keen listener, other times they're great, lumbering references designed to scream: 'I might be a pop star but I read books too!'.

Either way, if you're a music and literature geek in one, they're a bit of treat.

Here's a round up of our 13 favourite songs inspired by literature. Think we've missed off some great ones? Let us know in the comments below and we'll add them.

'Raven' - MC Lars
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Canadian laptop rapper (and excellent HuffPost UK blogger) MC Lars not only incorporates literature into his lyrics but in some cases, bases entire songs on books or poems.

Raven is his excellent post-modern retelling of Edger Allen Poe's classic horror story, a song that gave the world an unforgettable rhyming couplet 'Milton' and 'Paris Hilton'. Poe would no doubt have approved.
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Once upon a time, poets and writers were the rock stars of their day. Women swooned at the feet of Lord Byron like he was Elvis. Men read about the exploits of Hemingway as eagerly as they devour t...
Once upon a time, poets and writers were the rock stars of their day. Women swooned at the feet of Lord Byron like he was Elvis. Men read about the exploits of Hemingway as eagerly as they devour t...
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moflard
199 Fans
09:52 PM on 03/05/2012
"Tales of Mystery and Imagination" by The Alan Parsons Project
"I Robot" by The Alan Parsons Project
"Journey to the Centre of the Earth" by Rick Wakeman
"War of the Worlds" by Jeff Wayne
"The Tain" by Horslips (inspiration - Táin Bó Cúailnge or Cattle Raid of Cooley)

And those were entire albums not just individual songs.

Then there's countless references to H.P. Lovecraft and his works and "Moon Over Bourbon Street" by Sting that's inspired by "Interview with a Vampire" by Anne Rice.
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georgerobo74
39 Fans
12:01 AM on 03/05/2012
The Call of Ktulu by Metallica? Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits?
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Arkleson
99 Fans
10:41 PM on 03/04/2012
What about "The ballad of Bilbo Baggins" by Leonard Nimoy? Come on! A classic!
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vividrick
I came, I saw...I had a cup of tea!
486 Fans
08:28 PM on 02/19/2012
'Venus In Furs', by The Velvet Underground, is inspired by the novella of the same title, written & published by Austrian author Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch in 1870.

& 'Pet Sematary', by The Ramones, again, same name by Stephen King.
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Arkleson
99 Fans
10:43 PM on 03/04/2012
Was "Pinhead" a song originating from Hellraiser, the Clive Barker book, and film, I wonder?
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Pigsty
0 Fans
10:53 PM on 02/16/2012
Magazine:'Song from under the Floorboards' - Dostoyevsky's 'Notes from Underground'
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Arkleson
99 Fans
10:49 PM on 03/04/2012
I have to say that both are classics in their own genres.
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EmsBaker
38 Fans
12:36 PM on 02/16/2012
Hey guys!

I just watched this talk about Bob Dylan as a philosopher! It is amazing! You can watch it for free here:
http://www.iai.tv/video/dylan-as-philosopher

Hope you enjoy it!
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KitsyM
1 Fans
 
03:46 PM on 02/13/2012
You forgot Misty Mountain Hop!
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