The eNotes Blog 10 Popular Songs With LiteraryRoots

10 Popular Songs With LiteraryRoots Books, movies, music the media. They influence and mimic (and steal from) one another, resulting in a rich network of ideas and entertainment. At , we are unabashedly biased toward the written word (#BookNerdPride), and become  giddy when books are the source of motion pictures or other modern cultural benchmarks. While  bopping my head to some Lana Del Rey last week, hey, Lolita, heyyyy blasted through my headphones; I became  curious about other modern songs with bookish  Easter eggs. A bit of Wikipedia  studious research  later, and I was pleasantly surprised with all the hit  songs with literary inspirations. 1. Off to the Races by Lana Del Rey Ill start with another Lana Del Rey single because  Ive already spoiled her inclusion in this club. The lyrics of  Off to the Races  include the famous opening line  in  Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita: Light of my life, fire of my loins.  The aforementioned song Lolita also pays homage to  Nabokovs controversial, romantic narrative. 2. Poet by  Bastille Bastille has publicly stated this song is based on Shakespeares Sonnet 18. Poet is about eternalizing a lover by writing her into the pages of the song. One can speculate the crooners inspiration came directly from the sonnets closing lines: When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.   3. Holland 1945 by Neutral Milk Hotel A hybrid of literature and historical influence, Holland 1945 includes several references to  Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.  The opening lines of the song reference  Franks and her sisters deaths: The only girl Ive ever loved Was born with roses in her eyes But then they buried her alive One evening, 1945 With just her sister at her side 4. Jocasta by  Noah and the Whale UK-based indie band Noah and the Whale pays homage to the Greek tragedy  Oedipus Rex  by Sophocles with this tune. Jocasta is Oedipuss mother  and well we wont spoil anything if you havent read it yet (but try not to hit your head on the rock youre living under). The song follows her narrative  and her subsequent unavoidable doom. 5. Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits / The Killers An oldie but a goodie, and a relatively recent reworkie by The Killers, this ballad was originally introduced in the 80s by the rock band Dire Straits and directly references Shakespeares infamous star-crossed lovers in  Romeo and Juliet. 6. Who Wrote Holden Caulfield? by  Green Day I think the answer youre looking for is J.D. Salinger, Green Day, and the book is actually  The Catcher in the Rye. Green Days song is named  after Salingers phony-hating main character Holden Caulfield, and expresses the novels  themes: Theres a boy who fogs his world and now hes getting lazy Theres no motivation and frustration makes him crazy He makes a plan to take a stand but always ends up sitting Someone help him up or hes gonna end up quitting 7. Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons has direct  quotes from  Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing,  such as the songs opening line: Serve God, love me, and mend (spoken by Benedick in Act 5, Scene 2). 8. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen One of the greatest songs of all time, in my humblest opinion, is Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.  This ballad is biblically rooted, specifically intertwining the stories of David/Bathsheba and Samson/Delilah in one verse: Well your faith was strong but you needed proof You saw her bathing on the roof Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya She tied you to her kitchen chair And she broke your throne and she cut your hair And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah This song also has dozens of covers (Rufus Wainwrights and Jeff Buckleys are probably the most popular ones) and even has a book written about it. 9. The Resistance by Muse George Orwells  1984  influenced this song as well as the entire album. While the theme of totalitarian government is blatant  in the lyrics, the band was particularly influenced by the love story between Julia and Winston, as is evident in this verse: Love is our resistance They keep us apart and they wont stop breaking us down And hold me, our lips must always be sealed 10. Samson by Regina Spektor Another biblically influenced song, Samson is about a lover lamenting and musing over the ol  what could have been?  thought that plagues so many experiencing unrequited love.  The song mimics Delilahs love for Samson, which at times is unreturned, and the loss of Samsons power with losing his hair, possibly representing vulnerability in a relationship. Check out the full list on Wikipedia, and let us know your favorites in the comments!