Musicians Show Off Book Smarts in Song Lyrics

Listening to music, it's easy to get caught up in the beat or the overall feel of the song. Yet, if you stop and really listen to the lyrics of some songs, you might be surprised to discover some serious literary references being dropped.
 

The Rolling Stones performing in 1968.
Image via http://ashenlady-rhiannon.blogspot.com

Take, for instance, the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." It's pretty much common knowledge that the song, from the Stones' 1968 album Beggars Banquet, was inspired by The Master and the Margarita, a book by Mikhail Bulgakov that Mick Jagger had read. However, Jagger has also gone on record as saying he was influenced by the French poet Charles Baudelaire in writing "Sympathy for the Devil." Jagger told Rolling Stone magazine in a 1995 interview, "I think that was taken from an old idea of Baudelaire's, I think. But I could be wrong. Sometimes when I look at my Baudelaire books, I can't see it in there. But it was an idea I got from French writing. And I just took a couple of lines and expanded on it."

Including the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil," the people at ShortList Magazine have come up with "25 Songs That Reference Books." Another obvious choice comes from the music of Led Zeppelin. "Ramble On," from the 1969 album Led Zeppelin II, mentions names that will be familiar to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. Here is a lyric from the song: "'Twas in the darkest depths of Mordor/I met a girl so fair/But Gollum, and the evil one crept up/And slipped away with her." These references are from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books. (In the comments section of the ShortList article, readers suggested additional artists who were inspired by Tolkien, among them the German metal band Blind Guardian.)

ShortList also makes it known that David Bowie's 1974 album Diamond Dogs is chock-full of references to the George Orwell novel 1984. At least three songs on the album refer to 1984, including "We Are the Dead," and more obviously, "Big Brother" and "1984." Case in point, here are lyrics from the song "1984": "They'll split your pretty cranium and fill it full of air/And tell you that you're eighty, but brother, you won't care/Beware the savage jaw of 1984." (One commentor pointed out that, besides Bowie, Rage Against the Machine also repeatedly referenced 1984 in their 1999 album The Battle of Los Angeles, with three songs on the album - "Testify," "Sleep Now in the Fire," and "Voice of the Voiceless" - featuring mentions of Orwell's novel.)

Other musicians who've shown off book smarts in the lyrics of their songs are, according to ShortList: Radiohead ("Dollars & Cents"), The Strokes ("Soma"), Joy Division ("Atrocity Exhibition"), the Velvet Underground ("Venus in Furs"), Nirvana ("Scentless Apprentice"), the Pixies ("Dead"), Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds ("Red Right Hand"), Leonard Cohen ("Hallelujah"), and more. Readers of the article added: Jefferson Airplane ("White Rabbit"), the Mountain Goats ("Love Love Love"), MGMT ("The Handshake"), Noisettes ("Atticus"), Kate Bush ("Wuthering Heights"), Regina Spektor ("Baobabs"), Panic! At the Disco ("Time to Dance"), and lots more.

To see all "25 Songs That Reference Books," and the many more that music-loving commentors said were missed, go to the ShortList article at THIS LINK.

Bowie's Favorite Books

Despite all the crazy stories detailing his decadent past, David Bowie has always struck me as a highly erudite person. My opinion of Bowie was further solidified with the release, by the Art Gallery of Ontario, of a list of his favorite reads. 

David Bowie has some serious smarts.
Image via www.nme.com

To publicize its current "David Bowie Is" exhibit, the Toronto-based art gallery presented a list of 100 of the legendary entertainer's preferred novels, novellas, essays, poetry collections, and more. Going over the list, I see that he and I have a few favorites in common, including A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Other favorites on the list are books that I've been meaning to read, among them Kafka Was the Rage: A Greenwich Village Memoir by Anatole Broyard and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. However, I also see quite a few books that I wasn't aware of before and now want to read, such as Tales of Beatnik Glory by Ed Saunders and Before the Deluge: A Portrait of Berlin in the 1920s by Otto Friedrich. Who knew that I'd ever be getting book suggestions from David Bowie? (Well, technically via the Art Gallery of Ontario...)

If you're curious about the contents of the complete list, go to the article "Read a List of David Bowie's 100 Favourite Books" at THIS LINK. And play your copy of the Ziggy Stardust soundtrack album while you're at it.

The Typewriters of Well-Known Wordsmiths

 Image via http://www.theparisreview.org

Great Non-Book Gifts for the Book Lovers on Your List

I'm sure by now, the book lovers you're shopping for this holiday season have given you a list of the reads they want. But if you want to get creative - or if you can't get your hands on that obscure title they want by that author you've never heard of - consider getting them a book-themed gift. Any of the items highlighted by Flavorwire, in its "Christmas Gifts for the Book Nerd Who Reads Everything" post, should go over really well. Like, how cool is this crocheted Stark family? Even if you're not into Game of Thrones, you have to admit this is an awesome gift.



And how about this stacked paperback wallpaper? Doesn't it look great? I love the colors of the titles against the black background and that the paperbacks are classics. The price tag ($198 for one roll measuring 12 inches long by 18 inches wide and covering 18 square feet) is a bit hefty, but this wallpaper from Anthropologie would wonderfully accent any room in your house or apartment, giving it literary flavor that's both vibrant and unique.

If you've ever been to WORD, a cozy and well-curated independent bookstore in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Greenpoint, then you've seen this T-shirt. I want it, and I'm sure the book lover in your life will love it. They'll look great in this shirt that's a flattering shade of blue and features the eye-catching "I Read Books" design by Mike Fusco of M+E. And at $20, it'll be easy on your wallet.

For other book-themed gift ideas - including a vintage Mark Twain beer stein, an "I Would Prefer Not To" Bartleby the Scrivener tote bag, a George Orwell 1984 fleece shirt, and a classy-looking "Recommended Reading" drinking flask ("One size fits alcohol," according to its item description) - check out the Flavorwire article "Christmas Gifts for the Book Nerd Who Reads Everything" HERE.