Songs that are about books

[Gwylan]

To continue the theme, songs that are about (or reference) books. I don't count bands who have taken their name from books (Doors, Steely Dan, Soft Machine etc) but actual songs

I offer ...

Don't Stand too close to Me - The Police and Baby Jump - Mungo Jerry, both of which mention Lolita

(Baby Jump also references Lady Chatterley's Lover)

White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane's take on Alice in Wonderland

Venus in Furs - Velvet Underground, which is about the eponymous Sacher-Masoch book

 

[Johnny Crumplin Football]

Eurythmics - 1984
Echo and the Bunnymen - My White Devil (The White Devil by John Webster)

 

[W.C.]

Wuthering Heights

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Queen - Brighton Rock

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The 'Stainless Style' and 'Praxis Makes Perfect' albums by Neon Neon were both a direct result of Gruff Rhys reading biographies about John Delorean and Giangiacomo Feltrinelli respectively.

Steve Harris of Iron Maiden had a habit of reading books and writing lengthy album tracks about them: Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, Alexander The Great and Mother Russia. The track Evil That Men Do is related to a Shakespeare quote and there is the track Phantom of The Opera as well.

One by Metallica is based on a book.

Xanadu by Rush is inspired by the Coleridge poem Kubla Khan, does this count?

 

[Lincolnshire Seagull]

Bob Marley's Exodus - 2nd book of the bible!

 

[Icy Gull]

Off To The Races by Lana del Rey also references Lolita

Turn Turn Turn by the Byrds takes lyrics from the Bible

 

[Norman Potting]

Paperback Writer by the Beatles?

 

[The Large One]

Dire Straits - Romeo & Juliet

 

[hans kraay fan club]

McCarthy. Should the bible be banned?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Mrs Beeton's Rifles - The Jam

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Tom Sawyer - Rush

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

McCarthy. Should the bible be banned?

Sticking with the bible theme Half Man Half Biscuit's Shit Arm Bad Tattoo references The Book Of Revelation....

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Autumn Almanac

 

[Pogue Mahone]

1984, We are the Dead, Big Brother...in fact just about all of Diamond Dogs by David Bowie is based on 1984 by George Orwell.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Elvis Costello - Every Day I write the book.

 

[The Modfather]

Maximo Park - Books from boxes

 

[Chicken Runner61]

Killing of an Arab - The Cure

 

[unklbrian]

Heptones - Book Of Rules
Maytals - 6th & 7th Book Of Moses

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

I think bits of Sympathy for the Devil take influence from Master and Margarita.