So I'm thinking of songs to open other meetings. At the risk of ruining the fun for the colleague or two who reads this blog, I'm thinking of these songs to get the attention at the start of our next few meetings:
- "My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" (Moxy Fruvous)
- "Wuthering Heights" (Kate Bush (video link)
- "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" (from Kiss Me Kate)
- "Lets Call the Whole Thing Off" (from Shall We Dance, the "you say tomayto, I say tomah to....one )
16 comments:
Monty Python's Philosopher's song would be a good start, as would the Edie Brukel song that starts "philosophy is a walk on slippery rocks"... and later says "philosophy is the talk on a cereal box"...
Also, Ben Folds "Philosophy"
I've never heard it, so I don't know what it sounds like, but I believe the Decemberists have a song called "Song for Myla Goldberg".
Fiyero's song from Wicked that starts, "The trouble with school is they always teach the wrong lessons."
I've always thought it would be fun to do a mix tape of songs inspired by literature!! How about Killing an Arab by The Cure and Cemetery Gates by The Smiths?
What about something by Tom Lehrer?
"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush is the first one that comes to mind, though it might not be the right mood with which to start off a meeting.
Will think further on this...
Oh, I know! Joni Mitchell's version of "Slouching Towards Bethlehem." Beloved of teachers and professors everywhere: "the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity." (she paraphrases a bit, but that line's still basically in there.)
Oh-- you already had "Wuthering Heights." D'oh! I was so eager to suggest it I didn't read your post carefully. So much for that English major...
There's a CD, I can't remember it, called Songs Inspired by LIterature. I had it, once upon a time, I think.
I really love brush up your shakespeare, though.
There's this great song out there now called "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend. Very catchy, and all about English. I completely recommend finding it and downloading a copy. It's pretty funny, too.
I agree with Bardiac on Tom Leherer. I suggest "Oedipus Rex" for starters.
Ooh, this is fun!
Here's the list that D and I came up with:
The Police, "Don't Stand So Close to Me," with its reference to "that book by Nabakov"
The Police, "Tea in the Sahara" about Paul Bowles
Peter Gabriel, "Mercy Street," for Anne Sexton (although it's not a very pointed reference)
U2, "Crumbs From Your Table," reference to Picture of Dorian Gray
The Waterboys, "The Stolen Child," another Yeats reference
Sting, "Moon Over Bourbon Street," a nod to the Anne Rice novels
Sting, "Sister Moon," includes the line "my mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun"
Sting seems especially useful here; I didn't know until D. told me that he'd been an English teacher.
Oh, and two more from D. (who now has something to obsess about all evening!):
Dire Straits, "Romeo and Juliet" (covered by Indigo Girls as well)
Michael Penn, "No Myth" -- "What if I were Romeo in black jeans? What if I were Heathcliff? It's no myth. Maybe she's just looking for someone to dance with."
Wish I'd thought of the "Romeo and Juliet"! I like the Indigo Girls' version best.
Some great suggestions here that I'll have to look for.
There are some nice settings of Shakespeare sonnets and bits from the plays. There's also Neruda poems set to music and sung by Luciana Souza.
I found an online searchable list of songs inspired by literature:
http://www.siblproject.org/display/famous.php
closer to fine by the indigo girls...
"I went to see the doctor of philosophy
with a poster of rasputin and a beard down to his knee
he never did marry, or see a b-grade movie
he graded my performance; he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
got my paper and I was free"
Indigo Girls have a song about Virginia Woolf
Tom Lehrer's LY and Silent E.
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