This April 23, Barcelona and Aragon are experiencing one of the most special days of the year. The celebration of Saint George (San Jorge in the case of Aragón) as the patron saint of the city of Barcelona and the Aragonese territory fills the streets with hundreds of book stalls, with thousands of people celebrating the occasion by buying and sharing Literature. In the rest of Spain and internationally, the book day.
It’s because of it We want to take the opportunity to unite the world of music and literature by reviewing 10 songs whose creation was inspired by literary works. (partially or completely). Do you dare to discover them with us?
1 – Wonderland – Taylor Swift
Yes OK Taylor Swift’s most famous song linked to a work of literature is Love storyinspired by William Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Julietreferences to literature are numerous throughout the career of our favorite blonde.
Among all, he stands out Wonderlandbelonging to the 1989 deluxe edition, where Taylor Swift uses multitude of references to Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll to talk about a relationship lived with great intensity but doomed to failure. “We took the wrong turn and fell down the rabbit hole”, “We found Wonderland and got lost there” or “Didn’t you calm my fears with the Cheshire Cat’s smile ?” are some of the verses that can be found in its chorus and verses.
2 – Wuthering Heights – Kate Bush
with permission from Run up that hill (A deal with God)which has undoubtedly become the most famous song of Kate Bush both at the time of its release and almost four decades later after being part of the soundtrack of stranger things, One of the American singer-songwriter’s best-known themes has to do with a novel: The Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
What is certain is that when composing The Wuthering Heights Kate Bush had not read the author’s bookbut managed to capture the general meaning of the book between its stanzas, as well as making constant references to its protagonists: “Heathcliff, it’s me, it’s Cathy, I’m home, I’m freezing, let me in through the window.”
3 – Peter Pan – The Fool’s Song
One of the great classics of El canto del loco has a lot to do with the protagonist of the play Peter Pan and Wendy written by Scotsman James Matthew Barrie, so much so that it gives its title to the song. The band’s theme, released in 2008 as the second single from their fifth and final album, addressed an epiphany for the band’s singer, they had grown up: “Could it be that I have aged? That something new hit that button to make Peter go. And maybe now I live better, more comfortable and calmer inside, that Tinker Bell will take care of you and keep you…”.
Peter Pan represented this little by little abandoned childhood, which refuses to disappear even if we have to fight elsewhere, take on other responsibilities and face adult life.
4 – 1984 – David Bowie
1984 by George Orwell has become an essential title in universal literature, referenced by many singers, writers and artists of all time over the years. Among the most important references found throughout history is theThe eponymous song published by David Bowie a decade earlier, in 1974. Initially, moreover, the singer intended to make a musical inspired by the novel, but the refusal of Orwell’s widow prevented this dream from coming true.
5 – Frankenstein – Lenny Kravitz
As in the previous case, the title of this Lenny Kravitz song is self explanatory again to be on this list. The song is inspired by Mary Shelley’s novel, considered one of the first works of science fiction. In her, Lenny Kravitz is compared to Frankenstein’s monster because deep down they are both looking for the same thing: to feel loved..
6 – Out of the Races – Lana del Rey
One of the greatest exponents of pop and alternative music internationally is Lana del Rey, who throughout her career has made multiple references to literature in her songs. One of his most cited works is lolitaby Vladimir Nabokov, to which the American dedicates an entire song of the same name. However, on this occasion, we wanted to highlight Out of the raceswhose lyrics include the beginning of the work: “Light of my life, fire of my loins“.
7 – Miki Núñez – No news from Gurb
our dear Miki Nunezformer competitor of the Operación Triunfo 2018 and representing Spain at Eurovision a year later with the sale, He publishes in his second album a song dedicated to one of the most read literary works in the schools of Catalonia: No news from gurb, by Eduardo Mendoza. A novel whose protagonist is an alien in search of Gurb (another alien lost in Barcelona after adopting the image of Marta Sánchez in full preparation for the 1992 Olympics). “I arrived without getting lost, objective: to be a person. I look for a mirror to see myself; eyes, hair and no tail. My mission is to find you” are the first words that can be heard in Catalan song.
8 – Malamente – Rosalia
Our most international artist, currently touring the most important music festivals in the world, presented in 2018 The bad willan experimental and conceptual album divided into chapters inspired by an anonymous 13th century novel, flamenco, to introduce us to the story of a toxic relationship. we choose Evil – Chapter 1: Omento reflect a record that showcased her to the world as one of the most important national voices.
9 – Ramble On – Led Zeppelin
One of the most important rock bands in history has repeatedly drawn inspiration from Tolkien’s work when composing their songs. Among all, he stands out Ramble On for his inspiration in the work of The Lord of the Rings. The title itself refers to “wandering”, at the start of a journey. Gollum and Mordor appear between his stanzas, but also ways of expressing themselves traced in the work of the writer to describe the fall of leaves by the wind or moonlight in autumn, for example.
10 – Roses – Ear of Van Gogh
We end this tour of the union between music and literature with one of the most important songs of the trajectory of Van Gogh’s ear: Roses. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the release of this third single from the album What I told you while you were sleepingwe decided to include it in the list for a reference that we find throughout the song: “From the moment I met you, hastily summing up Silent Time”, the title of the novel by Luis Martín-Santos.