It's no real surprise that Wikipedia has a thorough list of these, but it's interesting to parse through the many, and find a neat collection of songs and albums that were based on, or influenced by books. Led Zeppelin has a scatological lyric library referencing JRR Tolkien, but let's see what else is out there. 13. Alan Parson's Project - The album is called Tales of Mystery and Imagination, and includes interpretations of Edgar Allen Poe's best, like "The Raven", "Dr. Tar and Professor Feather", and "The Cask of Amontillado." Here's the awesome "Dream Within A Dream" video. Also by Parsons: "I, Robot" (Isaac Asimov). 12. Rivendell (Rush) - A quiet, thematic representation of the Elf version of a Bed & Breakfast. (Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, of course.) 11. 2112 (Rush) - Side one* is loosely based on Anthem by Ayn Rand. 10. For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica) - Based on the classic by Ernest Hemingway. 9. The Thing That Should Not Be and The Call of Cthulu (Metallica) - These guys really let good classic fiction influence their songwriting. We get not one, but two songs in honor of H.P. Lovecraft's best character. Also by Metallica: "One", based on the book Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. 8. The Small Print (Muse) - "clearly alluding to Goethe's Faust, being sung from the point of view of the Devil to someone selling their soul to him in exchange for, presumably, musical prowess and fame..." source 7. Anthrax Loves Stephen King - As do a lot of bands like Pennywise (It). But Anthrax named one of their best albums Among the Living after King's character Randall Flagg in The Stand. They also penned a song called "Skeleton in the Closet" based on King's "Apt Pupil". 6. Tom Sawyer (Rush) - Wow, Rush. Even "Red Barchetta" is based on a vague book called A Nice Morning Drive by Richard S. Foster. At least Tom Sawyer is pretty well known both as a song and a book. Who can resist the urge to sing along when Geddy Lee croons, "The River!" 5. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Cream) - Psychedelically sums up all you need to know about all the ins and outs of Homer's The Odyssey. And I quote, "Tiny purple fishes run laughing through your fingers..." (This was actually a lyric inspired by lyricist Martin Sharp's travels in Ibiza.) But the Sirens are there, so that's cool. 4. The Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen) - Based on The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Henry Fonda and Bruce Springsteen would have had some cool conversations, I bet. 3. White Rabbit (Jefferson Airplane) -Based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Here's a nice rendition of that song.
YouTube Link 2. Animals (Pink Floyd) - It never actually occurred to me before, but an argument can be made that the Animals album, with it's corrupt pigs (be they on the wing, or three different ones), dogs and sheep, political overtones... Yeah, it's definitely based on George Orwell's Animal Farm. 1. Iron Maiden (Pretty much every song of theirs, ever) - At least a heavy handful. These Brit bad boys of metal must have had some scratched up library cards. Their adaptations include:
- Seventh Son, by Orson Scott Card (on the 7th Son of a 7th Son album, including all songs)
- Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
- Flight of Icarus (Mythology)
- The Lord of the Flies (William Golding)
- The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Alan Sillitoe)
- Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert A. Heinlen)
- To Tame a Land (Dune, Frank Herbert)
- The Trooper (The Charge of the Light Brigade, Alfred Tennyson)
- Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (Edgar Allen Poe)
On second thought, an honorable mention should be made for Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore", as it pretty much describes the Battle of Pellennor Fields in The Return of the King. (Iron Maiden illustration by Ado Cedric & Tio Julio.) *For help with determining what this means, ask a grownup.
Comments (46)
Quick corrections: the name is Edgar "Allan" Poe (middle name is spelled incorrectly twice) and the band is The Alan Parsons Project (no apostrophe). The Poe story mentioned is "The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether."
I actually came here to comment about Turkey Bacon! It sounds delicious, I love turkey and I love bacon - ergo turkey bacon must be food of the gods! I'm going to have to see if I can find any in the shops here.
As a group, they seem to exhibit a mind-numbing sameness in that photo, and I only counted 16 children there. I guess if they do run out of money, they'll always have a food source close at hand.
The telling thing about this photo is that neither mom nor dad is holding the baby, but one of the elder daughters is. I noticed the comment about people who send their kids off to daycare, but these people created their own daycare.
Thank you for helping to confirm what I already know: That liberalism is just as much a belief system as any religion, complete with its own brand of fundamentalism.
So for you idiots that are spouting off about Duggar carbon footprints and that other nonsense...just think. There is a one in ten chance that you would not be here today if the people on the mayflower had to live by the very guidelines you set for the Duggar family.
At least the kids aren't being told that they should run from the police or that they shouldn't trust another person based on their skin color, or that all of life's problems are due to racist attitudes of others.
As for the "carbon footprint" complaints. I would rather have hundreds of properly educated, well adjusted, respectful Duggars fill my world than even one "woe is me, I'm a victim of society, welfare sucking leach who was allowed to form their own beliefs due to bad parenting" child. If you really believe your carbon footprint nonsense, then please, do the right thing and don't have any children since they are obviously killing the planet and as for yourself, if your own lifestyle is not "carbon neutral" for the sake of mother gaia, you need to stand by your beliefs and take care of that.
The Duggars are happy, healthy, and decent people supporting themselves and raising happy, healthy, decent children and you have a problem with this why?
This may be an extreme model of family life in America but at least it IS a model and not a freak show, like the kardashians. The Kardashians make sex tapes, get married and divorced, and publicize their most intimate secrets and body parts all for fame and money. Now THAT's a great way of life to aspire to.
The Duggar children are clean, fed, educated, sheltered and their parents are self-sufficient. What a horror.
You know, feminism isn't about telling women to only have an ''acceptable'' number of children, it's about telling women that they can make their own choices. Give me the Duggars over octomom any day of the week.
That said, I still don't think 19 children is advisable, if only for everyone's health, both physical and mental. I hope that they all do receive the love and attention they need, whether from the parents or other, older children (male AND female). And I truly worry about Michelle's and Josie's health, and other children probably also have health issues that are less public.
"but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."
Hence the eagle in the middle of the shirt.
But what bugs me is the boy in the back row's T-shirt.
The one with bible verse Isaiah 10:31 on it.
"Madmenah is in flight;
the inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety"
WHat does that mean! Why is it on a T-Shirt?
Is this a fundy Christian's version of hipster?
This family makes enough money (thanks to reality TV) to feed them all. I wonder how other families in the cult are doing?
And she must have an iron uterus.
I'd rather have 20 of them than 1 kid on the taxpayer's dime.
And I hope each of those kids has 20 of their own. The gene pool needs more of their "chlorinating effect" and they would single-handedly be raising the collective IQ of this nation in the process.
*massive eyeroll*
Be happy that they are being raised in a moral home with responsible parents. They will grow up to be great people.
considering the great effect good morals in the home has on children when they grow up, im surprised more of the commenters here havent set down their personal anti-religious biases and applauded a job well done.
I feel bad for the kids, all of them for unique reasons. I can't imagine such a life nor being OK with granting it to my own offspring.
Seriously though I don't really have a problem with this . He wanted 19 kids and he can afford to pay for them so what is the problem? I personally like having a small family so that I can focus more of my attention and resources on a few kids to help them prosper instead of having my kids raising themselves or each other. His kids don't really have a childhood... the second they are out of the womb they have to help raise the next one.
Dion, I find it so cool you already know that this one family will be the destroyer of future generations. Practice what you preach. Please, for all of us, get sterilized. Anyone who speaks ill of this family for "overpopulation" who doesn't immediately sterilize themselves is a complete hypocrite.
Remember, suggesting that a family with the socioeconomic background like the Duggars should stop at one or two kids is "thinking of overcrowding and the future generations."
Suggesting that a single mother with an opposite socioeconomic background who started having kids at 13, with 8 or 9 or ten kids supported by the government dole(by the taxpayers folks) stop having kids after one or two is...racist....classist...a supporter of eugenics... cwhutididthur?! zomg!
What's it like in the future?
I find it so cool that you already know the end to the Duggar saga, where every kid is a success and their mission flawless. No problems ever.
EYE ROLL.
Overcrowding, people. It's no joke. Time to think about future generations.
Overbreeding is a sickness.
I don't see much of an improvement on the differently raised, my own kids included!
As for the fossil fuel argument - oh pulhleeze. Unless you are going to tell India and China to cool it with their fossil fuel use and deforestation programs, cool it with the Duggars. They plant trees. Lots of them, that they pay for.
I think maybe a lot of us really are afraid they might have something good that we don't and that pisses us off. I have had to examine my own motives for past criticism of them and I wasn't crazy about what I saw reflected there!
They raise their children how they see fit and without public assistance. They pay cash for nearly everything. They shop secondhand stores or make what they need themselves. Their kids seem to be intelligent and well adjusted despite being more sheltered than most of us. I'm not entirely sure where the animosity comes from, save the fact they've had 20 kids. They are giving birth to the future funders of those handout programs both political parties are so fond of...be gateful they have picked up the slack.
The Duggars are not only environmentally damaging, but are also damaging to their children.
They are uncaring and foolish in fundamental (and fundamentalist) ways. Too bad Neatorama is giving them publicity!
Not a terrible menu I guess. Seems fairly healthy.
Oops, sorry for posting an unclean comment. ;)