Musicians seem to find inspiration in all sorts of places, and especially books. We’ve found that songs often contain subtle (and sometimes even obvious) literary references—from beloved children’s classics to ancient mythology to short stories, and more. So, here are 10 of the best songs with literary allusions.
1. Brandi Carlile, “The Things I Regret”
Reference: Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Brandi Carlile has often talked about her admiration for the southern-gothic author. On her fifth studio album, The Firewatcher’s Daughter, his influence can be found. In “The Things I Regret,” Carlie sings, “When you’re wearing on your sleeve / all the things you regret / you can only remember what you want to forget.” In McCarthy’s most well known novel, The Road, he writes, “You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.”
2. Sleater-Kinney, “A New Wave”
Reference: James Baldwin, The Last Interview and Other Conversations
Although singer-guitarist Carrie Brownstein is a writer herself, it’s clear she knows poignant writers when she reads them. On her band Sleater-Kinney’s latest album, No Cities To Love, they give a shout out to James Baldwin. In “A New Wave,” Brownstein sings, “But I wanna gotta go the way my blood beats,” which refers to Baldwin’s famous Village Voice interview with Richard Goldstein. In the interview, he says, “You have to go the way your blood beats. If you don’t live the only life you have, you won’t live some other life, you won’t live any life at all.”
3. Regina Spektor, “Baobabs”
Reference: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
This entire song is an allusion to Exupéry’s The Little Prince. The song’s opening line is “You have tamed me / now you must take me,” which alludes to the tumultuous relationship between the prince and the flower. The song’s title also is a reference to the baobab tree, whose seeds the prince has to constantly pick before they grow and ruin his planet.
4. Indigo Girls, “Ghost”
Reference: Greek Mythology
The Indigo Girls are masterful lyricists, but what more would you expect from two English majors? The duo’s entire discography is embedded with literary allusions, but this one references to the downfall of Achilles, the Trojan warrior who was brought down by an arrow into his ankle. The duo describes the captivating power of passion, singing, “As I burn up in your presence / And I know now how it feels / to be weakened like Achilles / with you always at my heels.” Now that’s a metaphor.
5. Bruce Springsteen, “The Ghost of Tom Joad”
Reference: John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
The Boss’ music often provides commentary reflecting the political landscape of the country and this track from 1995 is no different. Springsteen eloquently compares the problems at the time to those of the Great Depression, using the classic Steinbeck novel The Grapes of Wrath as the setting. He talks about “patrol choppers” and “families sleeping in cars,” which are modern-day problems comparable to those experienced by the Joads.