List of songs based on literary works

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This is a list of songs that retell, in whole or in part, a work of literature. Albums listed here consist entirely of songs retelling a work of literature.

Albums

More information Album, Musical artist ...
AlbumMusical artistLiterary workAuthorCommentsCitations
An Alien Heat, The Hollow Lands, and The End Of All Songs - Part 1Spirits Burning & Michael MoorcockThe Dancers at the End of TimeMichael MoorcockThree albums covering the three books of the trilogy.
The Black HaloKamelotFaustJohann Wolfgang von GoetheThe Black Halo is a concept album based on Faust, Part Two. It is a follow-up to Epica, which was based on Faust, Part One.[1]
CacophonyRudimentary PeniVarious works of H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftAll 30 tracks are related to Lovecraft or his work.[2]
The Chronicle of the Black SwordHawkwindVarious works of Michael MoorcockMichael MoorcockBased on aspects of the works of Moorcock, including Elric and Jerry Cornelius. Moorcock, who has appeared with the band on numerous occasions, does the narration on Live Chronicles.[3][4][5]
Dust and DreamsCamelThe Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck[6]
EpicaKamelotFaustJohann Wolfgang von GoetheEpica is a concept album based on Faust, Part One. It was followed by The Black Halo, which was based on Faust, Part Two.[1]
The House of Atreus Act I and The House of Atreus Act IIVirgin SteeleOresteiaAeschylusTwo-part concept album based loosely on the Oresteia of Aeschylus[7]
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the WorldsJeff WayneThe War of the WorldsH.G. Wells[8]
I RobotThe Alan Parsons ProjectI, RobotIsaac Asimov[9]
Journey to the Centre of the EarthRick WakemanJourney to the Centre of the EarthJules Verne[10]
LeviathanMastodonMoby-DickHerman Melville[11][12][13][14][15]
La Leyenda de la ManchaMägo de OzDon QuixoteMiguel de Cervantes[16]
The Machine StopsHawkwind"The Machine Stops"E. M. Forster[17][5]
Moby Dick or The WhaleCaleb HayashidaMoby-DickHerman MelvilleConcept album from written from the perspective of various characters in the novel[18][19]
Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of NarniaC. S. Lewis[20]
Seventh Son of a Seventh SonIron MaidenSeventh SonOrson Scott Card[21]
Shakespeare's Macbeth – A Tragedy in SteelRebellionMacbethWilliam Shakespeare[22]
Smallcreeps's DayMike RutherfordSmallcreep's DayPeter Currell Brown[23]
The Snow GooseCamelThe Snow Goose: A Story of DunkirkPaul Gallico[24]
The Songs of Distant EarthMike OldfieldThe Songs of Distant EarthArthur C. Clarke[25]
Tales of Mystery and ImaginationThe Alan Parsons ProjectVarious works of Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe[26][27]
A Tragedy in Steel Part II: Shakespeare's King LearRebellionKing LearWilliam Shakespeare[28]
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Songs

More information Song, Album ...
SongAlbumMusical artistLiterary workAuthorCommentsCitations
"7th Step"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter OneDeborah PardesAngela's AshesFrank McCourt[29]
"40"WarU2The 40th Psalm of the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament[30]
"1984"Diamond DogsDavid BowieNineteen Eighty-FourGeorge OrwellOne of several songs that Bowie wrote about Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four; Bowie had also hoped to produce a televised musical based on the book.[31]
"2112"2112RushAnthemAyn RandSong shares themes with the novel, such that Neil Peart recognized Rand in the album's liner notes.[32]
"Abigail"CreaturesMotionless in WhiteThe CrucibleArthur Miller[33]
"Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts"The Triumph of SteelManowarThe IliadHomerA retelling of the fight between Hector and Achilles[34]
"Adam's Apple"Toys in the AtticAerosmithThe Book of Genesis from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old TestamentRetells the biblical story of the Fall of man through the perspective of Adam and Eve's discovery of their own sexuality.[35]
"Afternoons and Coffeespoons"God Shuffled His FeetCrash Test Dummies"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"T.S. EliotAdapts elements of the T. S. Eliot poem.[36]
"Ahab"The GraduateMC LarsMoby-DickHerman MelvilleRetells the story of Moby-Dick from the perspective of Captain Ahab.[37]
"Alice"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsGo Ask AliceBeatrice Sparks[38][39]
"All I Wanna Do"Tuesday Night Music ClubSheryl Crow"Fun"Wyn Cooper[40]
"All Is Not Well"The Thing That FeelsHannah FuryWickedGregory Maguire[41]
"All Nightmare Long"Death MagneticMetallica"The Hounds of Tindalos"Frank Belknap Long[42][43]
"All Quiet On The Western Front"Jump Up!Elton JohnAll Quiet on the Western FrontErich Maria Remarque[44]
"Alone"Acoustic VersesGreen CarnationAloneEdgar Allan Poe[45]
"Among the Living"Among the LivingAnthraxThe StandStephen King[46][47]
"The Ancient Ones"Blessed Are the SickMorbid AngelThe Call of CthulhuH. P. LovecraftBased on The Call of Cthulhu, as well as the rest of the Cthulhu Mythos. An earlier version of this song, named "Azagthoth", appeared on the band's demo album, Abominations of Desolation.[43]
"And Your Little Dog Too"The Thing That FeelsHannah FuryWickedGregory Maguire[41]
"Animal in Man"Let's Get Freedead prezAnimal FarmGeorge Orwell[48]
"Anthem"Fly by NightRushAnthemAyn RandLoosely based on the Rand novel; The band would produce a fuller version in 2112.[32]
"The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"Two Sides of Leonard NimoyLeonard NimoyThe HobbitJ. R. R. Tolkien[49][50]
"The Ballad of Poker Alice"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter TwoLarry Kenneth PottsNothing Like It in the WorldStephen AmbroseRelates the story of "Poker" Alice Ivers[51]
"The Ballad of Skip Wiley"Barometer SoupJimmy BuffettTourist SeasonCarl HiaasenA song about the character Skip Wiley from Hiaasen's 1986 novel.[52]
"Banana Co."RadioheadOne Hundred Years of SolitudeGabriel García Márquez[53][54]
"Las Batallas"Café TacubaCafé TacubaLas batallas en el desiertoJosé Emilio Pacheco[55]
"The Battle of Evermore"Led Zeppelin IVLed ZeppelinThe Lord of the RingsJ. R. R. Tolkien[56][50]
"Behind the Wall of Sleep"Black SabbathBlack Sabbath"Beyond the Wall of Sleep"H. P. Lovecraft[57][58][43]
"Bernice Bobs Her Hair"LiberationThe Divine ComedyBernice Bobs Her HairF. Scott Fitzgerald[59]
"Big Brother"Diamond DogsDavid BowieNineteen Eighty-FourGeorge OrwellOne of several songs that Bowie wrote about Orwell.[31]
"Billy Liar"Her Majesty the DecemberistsThe DecemberistsBilly LiarKeith Waterhouse[60]
"Birthing Addicts" Unreleased Melanie Martinez Go Ask Alice Beatrice Sparks [61]
"Black Blade"Cultösaurus ErectusBlue Öyster CultElric of MelnibonéMichael Moorcock[62]
"Black Corridor"Space RitualHawkwindThe Black CorridorMichael Moorcock[63][4]
"Bloodbath & Beyond"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsDraculaBram Stoker[38][39]
"Bob's Country"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter TwoDeborah PardesDon't Let's Go to the Dogs TonightAlexandra Fuller[51]
"Brave New World"Brave New WorldIron MaidenBrave New WorldAldous Huxley[64]
"The Call of Ktulu"Ride the LightningMetallicaThe Call of CthulhuH. P. Lovecraft[57][58][42]
"Calypso"Solitude StandingSuzanne VegaThe OdysseyHomer"Written from the point of view of the sea nymph who helps Odysseus after he is shipwrecked."[65]
"The Cask Of Amontillado"Tales of Mystery and ImaginationThe Alan Parsons Project"The Cask of Amontillado"Edgar Allan Poe[26][27]
"Cassandra"ABBAThe IliadHomer[66]
"Catcher in the Rye"DistortlandThe Dandy WarholsThe Catcher in the RyeJ. D. Salinger[67]
"Cent'anni di solitudine"Terra e libertàModena City RamblersOne Hundred Years of SolitudeGabriel García Márquez[54]
"Chapter 24"The Piper at the Gates of DawnPink FloydI Ching[68]
"Chapter Four"Waking the FallenAvenged SevenfoldThe Book of Genesis from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old TestamentThe title refers to the fourth chapter of Genesis.[69]
"Charlotte Sometimes"FaithThe CureCharlotte SometimesPenelope Farmer[70][71][72][73][74][75]
"Child of the Jago"The Future Is MedievalKaiser ChiefsA Child of the JagoArthur Morrison[76]
"Children of the Damned"The Number of the BeastIron MaidenMidwich CuckoosJohn WyndhamAlso based on two of the film adaptations of that book: Village of the Damned and Children of the Damned[77][78]
"Christabel"No Kinda DancerRobert Earl KeenChristabelSamuel Taylor Coleridge[79]
"Cometh Down Hessian"Blessed Black WingsHigh on Fire"The Hound"H. P. Lovecraft[2]
"Communion of the Cursed"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsThe ExorcistWilliam Peter Blatty[38][39]
"Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)"Fully CompletelyThe Tragically HipThe Watch That Ends the NightHugh MacLennan[80]
"Crown of Creation"Crown of CreationJefferson AirplaneThe ChrysalidsJohn Wyndham[81]
"Curse of Athena"AtavismThe Lord Weird Slough FegThe OdysseyHomerAbout Odysseus's return to Ithaca.[82]
"Dalai Lama"Reise, ReiseRammsteinErlkönigJohann Wolfgang von Goethe[83]
"Damnation Alley"Quark, Strangeness and CharmHawkwindDamnation AlleyRoger Zelazny[63][5]
"Dante's Inferno"Burnt OfferingsIced EarthInfernoDante Alighieri[84]
"The Dark Eternal Night"Systematic ChaosDream Theater"Nyarlathotep"H. P. Lovecraft[58]
"The Dawn of a New Age"Nemesis DivinaSatyriconThe Book of Revelation from the Christian New Testament[85]
"Dead"DoolittlePixiesThe Book of Samuel from the Hebrew Bible; II Samuel from the Christian Old TestamentRefurbishes the biblical legend of David and Bathsheba.[86]
"Dixieland"The MountainSteve Earle & The Del McCoury BandThe Killer AngelsMichael Shaara[51]
"Don Quixote"Don QuixoteGordon LightfootDon QuixoteMiguel de Cervantes[87]
"Doublespeak"BeggarsThriceNineteen-Eighty-FourGeorge Orwell[88]
"The Drowning Man"FaithThe CureGormenghastMervyn Peake[89]
"Dunwich"Witchcult TodayElectric Wizard"The Dunwich Horror"H. P. Lovecraft[57]
"Edema Ruh"Endless Forms Most BeautifulNightwishThe Kingkiller ChroniclePatrick Rothfuss[90]
"Einstein's Brain"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter OneLynn HarrisonDriving Mr. AlbertMichael Paterniti[29]
"Elvenpath"Angels Fall FirstNightwishThe Lord of the RingsJ. R. R. Tolkien[91]
"End of the Night"The DoorsThe DoorsJourney to the End of the NightLouis-Ferdinand Céline[92]
"Envoi"Absynthe MindedAbsynthe Minded"Envoi"Hugo Claus[93]
"Eumaeus the Swineherd"AtavismThe Lord Weird Slough FegThe OdysseyHomer[82]
"Eveline"Why Should the Fire Die?Nickel CreekEvelineJames Joyce[94]
"Exit Music (For a Film)"OK ComputerRadioheadRomeo & JulietWilliam Shakespeare[95]
"Fable"VolcanoGatsbys American DreamLord of the FliesWilliam Golding[96]
"Flower of the Mountain"Director's CutKate BushUlyssesJames JoyceThe 1989 Kate Bush song The Sensual World was based on the closing paragraphs of Ulysses. However, the Joyce estate was unwilling to allow direct use of Joyce's words at that time, so she altered the lyrics. By 2011, the Joyce estate was open to licensing his work to her, so she re-worked that song as Flower of the Mountain, using Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Ulysses.[97][98][99]
"For Whom the Bell Tolls"Ride the LightningMetallicaFor Whom the Bell TollsErnest Hemingway[42]
"Frankenstein"Horror ShowIced EarthFrankensteinMary Shelley[100]
"Franz Kafka"ScäbThe MetamorphosisFranz KafkaA fictional rock opera by the fictional band Scäb from the cartoon series Home Movies.[101]
"From the Underworld"Paradise LostThe HerdMyth of Orpheus and EurydiceLoosely based on the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice[102]
"The Future Is Now"Days Go ByThe OffspringNineteen Eighty-FourGeorge Orwell[103]
"The Ghost of Tom Joad"The Ghost of Tom JoadBruce SpringsteenThe Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck[60][104]
"The Giant's Laughter"VansinnesvisorThyrfing"Jätten"Esaias Tegner[105]
"Golden Hair"The Madcap LaughsSyd Barrett"Golden Hair"James Joyce[98]
"Grandpa's Groove" Parov Stelar The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway [106][107]
"Grendel"MarillionGrendelJohn GardnerA retelling of John Gardner's 1971 novel Grendel, which is a retelling of Beowulf.[108]
"Hallelujah"Various PositionsLeonard CohenThe Book of Samuel from the Hebrew Bible; II Samuel from the Christian Old TestamentBased on the biblical story of David and Bathsheba. It also incorporates elements of the story of Samson and Delilah[86]
"Haunted"HauntedPoeHouse of LeavesMark Danielewski"Haunted" by Poe and the novel House of Leaves by her brother, Mark Danielewski, both draw heavily on their difficult experiences growing up with their father, Tad Danielewski.[109][110]
"He Can't Come Today"The Golden ScarabRay ManzarekWaiting for GodotSamuel Beckett[29][111]
"Hedda Gabler"Animal JusticeJohn CaleHedda GablerHenrik Ibsen[112]
"Hell in the Hallways"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsCarrieStephen King[113][38][39]
"Hey (rise of the robots)"Black and WhiteThe StranglersI, RobotIsaac Asimov[114]
"Hey Ahab"The UnionElton John & Leon RussellMoby-DickHerman MelvilleBased on the character Captain Ahab.[115]
"Hey There Ophelia"This Gigantic Robot KillsMC LarsHamletWilliam Shakespeare[116]
"High Rise"PXR5HawkwindHigh-RiseJ. G. Ballard[63][5]
"Home at Last"AjaSteely DanThe OdysseyHomerRetells Ulysses' encounter with the Sirens.[117]
"Horrorshow"ScarsA Clockwork OrangeAnthony Burgess[118]
"House at Pooh Corner"Uncle Charlie & His Dog TeddyNitty Gritty Dirt BandThe House at Pooh CornerA. A. MilneThis song, written by Kenny Loggins, was later performed by Loggins and Messina on their 1971 album Sittin' In. In 1994, Loggins added additional lyrics and re-recorded it with Amy Grant as Return to Pooh Corner for his album Return to Pooh Corner.[119][120]
"House of Leaves"JuturnaCirca SurviveHouse of LeavesMark Danielewski[121]
"How Beautiful You Are"Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss MeThe Cure"Les Yeux des Pauvres"Charles Baudelaire[122]
"Hug Me til You Drug Me"Here, Here and HereMeg & DiaBrave New WorldAldous Huxley[123]
"I Can't Let You In"The Thing That FeelsHannah FuryWickedGregory Maguire[41]
"I Robot"U.K. SubsI, RobotIsaac Asimov[118]
"In Every Dream Home a Heartache"For Your PleasureRoxy Music"Dead As They Come"Ian McEwan[124]
"In Like a Lion (Always Winter)"Apathetic EPRelient KThe Lion, The Witch, and The WardrobeC. S. Lewis[125]
"The Inner Light"The BeatlesTao Te Ching[126]
"The Insect God"The Insect GodMonks of DoomThe Insect GodEdward Gorey[127]
"The Iron Dream"Quark, Strangeness and CharmHawkwindThe Iron DreamNorman Spinrad[63]
"It Was Her House That Killed Nessarose"The Thing That FeelsHannah FuryWickedGregory Maguire[41]
"Jack of Shadows"HawkwindJack of ShadowsRoger Zelazny[63][5]
"Jamaica Inn"The BeekeeperTori AmosJamaica InnDaphne du Maurier[128]
"Jean Val Jean"Edison GlassLes MisérablesVictor Hugo[129]
"Killing an Arab"The CureThe StrangerAlbert Camus[130][60][75]
"Land"HorsesPatti SmithThe Wild BoysWilliam S. Burroughs[118][131]
"The Last Temptation of Odysseus"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter OneJustin WellsThe OdysseyHomer[29]
"Lay Down"Bursting at the SeamsStrawbsThe 23rd Psalm of the Book of Psalms from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament[132]
"The Legend of Enoch Arden"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter OneDiane Zeigler"The Legend of Enoch Arden"Alfred Lord Tennyson[29]
"Let it Show"The Thing That FeelsHannah FuryWickedGregory Maguire[41]
"Listen (The Silences)"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter TwoMichelle BloomRaids on the UnspeakableThomas Merton[51]
"Lolita"The Black Magic ShowElefantLolitaVladimir Nabokov[133]
"The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"Somewhere in TimeIron MaidenThe Loneliness of the Long Distance RunnerAlan Sillitoe[134]
"The Longest Day"A Matter of Life and DeathIron MaidenThe Longest DayCornelius Ryan[135]
"Lord of Light"Doremi Fasol LatidoHawkwindLord of LightRoger Zelazny[63][5]
"Lord of the Flies"The X FactorIron MaidenLord of the FliesWilliam Golding[136]
"Lost Boy"Ruth BPeter PanJ. M. Barrie[137]
"Love and Death"Dream HarderThe WaterboysLove and DeathWilliam Butler Yeats[138]
"Love and Destroy"Franz FerdinandThe Master and MargaritaMikhail Bulgakov[139]
"Lucy"LiberationThe Divine ComedyThe Lucy poemsWilliam Wordsworth[59][140]
"The Machine Stops"Standing in the LightLevel 42"The Machine Stops"E. M. Forster[5]
"Macondo"Óscar ChávezOne Hundred Years of SolitudeGabriel García MárquezBased on the fictional town Macondo, used by Marquez in One Hundred Years of Solitude and other of his works.[54]
"Martin Eden"Billie HughesMartin EdenJack London[141]
"Magnu"Warrior on the Edge of TimeHawkwind"Hymn of Apollo"Percy Bysshe Shelley[142]
"Matilda"Harry's HouseHarry StylesMatildaRoald Dahl[143]
"Me, Myself & Hyde"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsThe Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeRobert Louis Stevenson[38][39]
"The Melting Point of Wax"The Artist in the AmbulanceThriceMyth of IcarusRetells the story of The Fall of Icarus[144]
"Misery Loves Company"State of EuphoriaAnthraxMiseryStephen King[145]
"Moi... Lolita"GourmandisesAlizéeLolitaVladimir Nabokov[146]
"Moon over Bourbon Street"The Dream of the Blue TurtlesStingInterview with the VampireAnne RiceAbout the character Louis de Pointe du Lac.[147]
"Mr. Raven"MC Lars"The Raven"Edgar Allan Poe[148]
"The Mule"FireballDeep PurpleFoundation seriesIsaac AsimovBased on the character "The Mule" from the Foundation series.[149]
"Murders in the Rue Morgue"KillersIron Maiden"The Murders in the Rue Morgue"Edgar Allan Poe[150][78]
"My Antonia"Red Dirt GirlEmmylou Harris with Dave MatthewsMy AntoniaWilla CatherTold from the perspective of the character Jim Burden.[104]
"Narcissist"The LibertinesThe LibertinesThe Picture of Dorian GrayOscar WildeLoosely based on the character of Dorian Gray.[151]
"Narnia"Please Don't Touch!Steve HackettThe Chronicles of NarniaC. S. Lewis[152]
"The Nature of the Beast"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsAnimal FarmGeorge Orwell[153][38][39]
"The Necromancer"Caress of SteelRushThe HobbitJ. R. R. Tolkien[50]
"Nescio"OmskNitsDe uitvreterNescioSong is mainly inspired by the novella's ending, when protagonist Japi jumps off the Waalbrug. In the song, however, Japi does not drown but is implied to have ended up in Italy.[154]
"Nice, Nice, Very Nice"AmbrosiaAmbrosiaCat's CradleKurt VonnegutLyrics taken almost verbatim from the poem in chapter 2 (and the bridge from the one on chapter 58)[155]
"No Love Lost"An Ideal for LivingJoy DivisionThe House of DollsKa-tzetnik 135633[156]
"November Rain"Use Your Illusion IGuns N' Roses"Without You"Del JamesThe video for "November Rain" is loosely based on the short story "Without You". Axl Rose wrote the introduction to James's 1995 collection The Language of Fear, which included "Without You".[157][158]
"The Odyssey"The OdysseySymphony XThe OdysseyHomerA seven-part song based on Homer's The Odyssey[159]
"Of Unsound Mind"Blessing in DisguiseMetal Church"The Tell-Tale Heart"Edgar Allan Poe[150]
"Off to the Races"Born to DieLana Del ReyLolitaVladimir Nabokov[160]
"Ol' Evil Eye"Riddle BoxInsane Clown Posse"The Tell-Tale Heart"Edgar Allan Poe[161][48]
"One"...And Justice for AllMetallicaJohnny Got His GunDalton Trumbo[42]
"Oor Hamlet"The Words That I Used to KnowAdam McNaughtanHamletWilliam Shakespeare[162]
"Orestes"Mer de NomsA Perfect CircleThe Libation BearersAeschylus[163]
"Owen Meaney"Let's Talk About FeelingsLagwagonA Prayer For Owen MeanyJohn Irving[164]
"Ozymandias"Jean-Jacques Burnel"Ozymandias"Percy Bysshe Shelley[118]
"Pantagruel's Nativity"Acquiring the TasteGentle GiantGargantua and PantagruelFrançois Rabelais[165]
"Patrick Bateman"Manic Street PreachersAmerican PsychoBret Easton Ellis[166]
"Pattern Recognition"Sonic NurseSonic YouthPattern RecognitionWilliam Gibson[167]
"Paula Ausente (Absent Paula)"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter TwoMarta GomezPaulaIsabel Allende[51]
"Pennsylvania"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter TwoDee AdamsSongmasterOrson Scott Card[51]
"Pennywise"PennywisePennywiseItStephen KingAbout the character Pennywise.[118]
"The People in the Attic"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsThe Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank[38][39]
"Pet Sematary"Brain DrainRamonesPet SemataryStephen King[118]
"The Phantom of the Opera"Iron MaidenIron MaidenThe Phantom of the OperaGaston Leroux[168]
"A Pict Song"William BlokeBilly Bragg"A Pict Song"Rudyard Kipling[118]
"The Plot Sickens"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsAlive: The Story of the Andes SurvivorsPiers Paul Read[38][39]
"Popular"High/LowNada SurfPenny's Guide to Teen-Age Charm and PopularityGloria Winters[169]
"Prince Caspian"Billy BreathesPhishPrince CaspianC. S. Lewis[170]
"Quelque chose de Tennessee"Rock'n'Roll AttitudeJohnny HallydayCat on a Hot Tin RoofTennessee Williams[171]
"Ramble On"Led Zeppelin IILed ZeppelinThe Lord of the RingsJ. R. R. TolkienMentions characters and places from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, including "Mordor" and "Gollum".[53][104][50]
"Rebecca"Something RealMeg & DiaRebeccaDaphne du Maurier[172]
"ReJoyce"After Bathing at Baxter'sJefferson AirplaneUlyssesJames Joyce[98]
"Richard Cory"Sounds of SilencePaul Simon"Richard Cory"Edwin Arlington Robinson[173]
"Rime of the Ancient Mariner"PowerslaveIron MaidenThe Rime of the Ancient MarinerSamuel Taylor Coleridge[174][175]
"Rivendell"Fly by NightRushThe Lord of the RingsJ. R. R. TolkienThe song is about the fictional valley Rivendell from Tolkien's works.[176]
"The River"PJ HarveyThe RiverFlannery O'Connor[177]
"Robot"HawkwindThe Robot seriesIsaac AsimovRefers to the Three Laws of Robotics.[178]
"Romeo and Juliet"Making MoviesDire StraitsRomeo and JulietWilliam ShakespeareThe Dire Straits songs makes use of certain aspects of Shakespeare's play, as well as elements of some of the play's stage and screen adaptations. It also purposely diverges from the play's plot and characterizations in certain respects (such as Juliet's reaction to being approached by Romeo).[179]
"Rusty James"¡Uno!Green DayRumble FishS. E. HintonThe song is named for the protagonist of the novel.[118]
"Sailing to Philadelphia"Sailing to PhiladelphiaMark KnopflerMason & DixonThomas Pynchon[180]
"Saint Veronika"Billy Talent IIIBilly TalentVeronika Decides to DiePaulo Coelho[181]
"Samson"Songs
Begin to Hope		Regina SpektorThe Book of Judges from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old TestamentReferences the biblical story of Samson and Delilah.[182]
"Scentless Apprentice"In UteroNirvanaPerfume: The Story of a MurdererPatrick Süskind[104]
"The Sensual World"The Sensual WorldKate BushUlyssesJames JoyceThe 1989 Kate Bush song The Sensual World was based on the closing paragraphs of Ulysses. However, the Joyce estate was unwilling to allow direct use of Joyce's words at that time, so she altered the lyrics. By 2011, the Joyce estate was open to licensing his work to her, so she re-worked that song as Flower of the Mountain, using Molly Bloom's soliloquy from Ulysses.[97][98][99]
"Shadows and Tall Trees"BoyU2Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding[183]
"Sigh No More"Sigh No MoreMumford and SonsMuch Ado About NothingWilliam Shakespeare[184]
"Sirens of Titan"Modern TimesAl StewartThe Sirens of TitanKurt Vonnegut[185]
"A Skeleton in the Closet"Among the LivingAnthraxApt PupilStephen King[46]
"So Said Kay"CoastalThe Field MiceDesert of the HeartJane RuleThe song is based on Donna Deitch's 1985 film Desert Hearts, which is an adaptation of Rule's novel.[186]
"Soma"Is This ItThe StrokesBrave New WorldAldous HuxleyRefers to the fictional drug used in Brave New World.[187]
"Song For Clay"A Weekend in the CityBloc PartyLess than ZeroBret Easton Ellis[53]
"The Stand (Prophecy)"DeclarationThe AlarmThe StandStephen King[188]
"Star-Crossed Enemies"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsRomeo and JulietWilliam Shakespeare[38][39]
"Steppenwolf"Astounding Sounds, Amazing MusicHawkwindSteppenwolfHermann Hesse[63]
"Still Life"Piece of MindIron Maiden"The Inhabitant of the Lake"Ramsey Campbell[189]
"The Stranger"TuxedomoonThe StrangerAlbert Camus[190]
"Such a Shame"It's My LifeTalk TalkThe Dice ManLuke Rhinehart[191]
"Sweet Thursday"Songs We SingMatt CostaSweet ThursdayJohn Steinbeck[192]
"Sympathy for the Devil"Beggars BanquetThe Rolling StonesThe Master and MargaritaMikhail Bulgakov[53][139][104]
"The Tain"The TainThe Decemberists"Táin Bó Cúailnge"[193]
"Tales of Brave Ulysses"Disraeli GearsCreamThe OdysseyHomer[104]
"Tea in the Sahara"SynchronicityThe PoliceThe Sheltering SkyPaul BowlesKing Crimson also has an instrumental called "The Sheltering Sky", named for the same book.[194][195]
"Tell Your Story Walking"A Bird Flies OutDeb TalanMotherless BrooklynJonathan Lethem[196][197]
"Tess-Timony"Every Trick in the BookIce Nine KillsTess of the d'UrbervillesThomas Hardy[38][39]
"Thieves in the Night"Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black StarBlack StarThe Bluest EyeToni MorrisonTalib Kweli wrote in the album's liner notes that The Bluest Eye "...struck me as one of the truest critiques of our society, and I read that in high school when I was 15 years old. I think it is especially true in the world of hip-hop, because we get blinded by these illusions."[48]
"The Thing That Should Not Be"Master of PuppetsMetallicaThe Call of CthulhuH. P. Lovecraft[42]
"Three Sisters"LiberationThe Divine ComedyThree SistersAnton Chekhov[59]
"Time to Dance"Panic! at the DiscoInvisible MonstersChuck Palahniuk[198]
"To Tame a Land"Piece of MindIron MaidenDuneFrank Herbert[53]
"tolerate it"EvermoreTaylor SwiftRebeccaDaphne du Maurier[199]
"The Tomahawk Kid"Alex HarveyTreasure IslandRobert Louis Stevenson[200]
"Tread Softly"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter TwoEileen Laverty"He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven"W. B. Yeats[51]
"The Trooper"Piece of MindIron Maiden"The Charge of the Light Brigade"Alfred, Lord Tennyson[201][175]
"Turn! Turn! Turn!"Pete SeegerThe Book of Ecclesiastes from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old TestamentNotably covered by The Byrds; Takes its lyrics from chapter three of the Book of Ecclesiastes[202]
"T'Was Her Hunger Brought Me Down"Songs Inspired by Literature, Chapter OneAnny CelsiSister CarrieTheodore Dreiser[29]
"United States of Eurasia"The ResistanceMuseNineteen Eighty-FourGeorge Orwell[203]
"The Veldt"Album Title Goes HereDeadmau5The VeldtRay Bradbury[204]
"Venus in Furs"The Velvet Underground & NicoThe Velvet UndergroundVenus in FursLeopold von Sacher-Masoch[60]
"Walking on the Chinese Wall"Chinese WallPhilip BaileyDream of the Red ChamberCao Xueqin[205]
"We Are the Dead"Diamond DogsDavid BowieNineteen Eighty-FourGeorge OrwellOne of several songs Bowie wrote about Nineteen Eighty-Four[53][31]
"When the War Came"The DecemberistsHungerElise Blackwell[206]
"White Rabbit"Surrealistic PillowJefferson AirplaneAlice in WonderlandLewis Carroll[207]
"William, It Was Really Nothing"Hatful of HollowThe SmithsBilly LiarKeith Waterhouse[208][209]
"Willie Burke Sherwood"R.A.P. MusicKiller MikeLord of the FliesWilliam Golding[48]
"Windmills"DulcineaToad the Wet SprocketDon QuixoteMiguel de Cervantes[210]
"Winston Smith Takes It on the Jaw"OblivionUtopiaNineteen Eighty-FourGeorge Orwell[211]
"Wuthering Heights"The Kick InsideKate BushWuthering HeightsEmily Brontë[53][60]
"Wonderland"1989Taylor SwiftAlice's Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll[212]
"Xanadu"A Farewell to KingsRush"Kubla Khan"Samuel Taylor Coleridge[213]
"Yes!"NakedAmberUlyssesJames JoyceLyrics include part of Molly Bloom's soliloquy[214][97]
"Don Quixote" Face the Sun Seventeen Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
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