When Bands Love Books: a Romp through Literature in Music

Published on October 15, 2024

By Carrie S. 

While flailing around my living room to a particularly energetic rendition of The Smiths’ Cemetry Gates, a blog idea hit me harder than a double decker bus. Morrissey namedrops three literary giants in this one song: John Keats, W.B. Yeats, and Oscar Wilde. This got me thinking about other writers or their famous works that may have been mentioned in music.

I bet some immediately spring to mind. Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, anyone? How about a nod to Tolkien with Misty Mountain Hop by Led Zeppelin, or some Lovecraft love with Metallica’s The Call of Ktulu? Paul Westerberg devastates with reflections on the life of Sylvia Plath in Crackle and Drag, and Taylor Swift not only talks in interviews about her many literary influences—she drops a Dylan Thomas reference into the title track on The Tortured Poets Department. Iron Maiden takes us on a seafaring catastrophe by way of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and R.E.M. were keen to remind us they’d take a reading from Dr. Seuss in The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite.

I’m also starting to think Jack Kerouac may have infiltrated more songs than any other writer at this point. 10,000 maniacs gave us Hey Jack Kerouac while Morphine got straight to the point with Kerouac.  Neal and Jack and Me is King Crimson’s ode to two of the major figures of the Beat Generation and even the Beastie Boys couldn’t help themselves by referencing On the Road in the 3-Minute rule. Which brings me to a personal favorite of mine. Not content with a single song, Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt) and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) gave us a full album of Kerouac-inspired beauty with One Fast Move Or I’m Gone. What’s even better is you can check all of these out from hoopla with your library card!

This leads us to the absolute pinnacle of this musical journey: the concept album. Buckle up, here are some recommendations that are all available on Hoopla! This curated list is just a few examples of concept albums inspired by the written word. You could even double up and also check out the accompanying book for an artistic feast for the senses. Who says I don’t know how to have fun?

Muse – The Resistance: There are many references to Orwell in music, but let’s go with Muse and their 2009 album inspired by the events of 1984. Don’t forget to crank it up; Big Brother is watching.

The Decemberists – The Crane Wife: The fourth album from the Decemberists gives us more literary bang for our buck by featuring two song arcs. The first, derived from a Japanese folk tale and the second, a take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Kamelot – Epica: If power metal is your thing, then you definitely need to check out this rock opera in two parts inspired by Goethe’s Faust.

Lou Reed - The Raven: Halloween will soon be upon us. Celebrate by immersing yourself in the writings of Poe while listening to Lou Reed’s homage. 

The Oh Hellos - Dear Wormwood: This indie folk-rock duo penned an album that draws heavily from the C.S. Lewis classic, The Screwtape Letters.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this deep dive into the fantastic world of music inspired by the written word but as you can see, we’ve barely scratched the surface! I’m sure you’ve already been thinking of some of your own. Remember that every song and album referenced in this article is available on hoopla, so don’t forget to check it out. I hope you enjoy your journey as much as I did.