10 authors who inspired rock musicians
For centuries, musicians have looked to literature for inspiration. Whether it be classical composers drawing on ancient myths and epics to create their finest works, or bards regaling audiences with romantic tales first recorded by scholars, these examples are numerous. Unsurprisingly, it’s a trend still very much alive today.
Contemporary music, in all its forms, has looked to the world of literature, from fiction to non-fiction and stories to poetry, for stimulation. This is particularly true in rock music, where prominent and influential artists have turned to their favourite authors to bring the embryo of an idea or a song to life.
This trend has taken many forms. For instance, classic rock heroes Led Zeppelin turned to J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy world of Middle Earth on numerous occasions, art-rock pioneers The Velvet Underground jumped into the sexual niches via Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and David Bowie pulled from the most significant work by George Orwell for a full album. Musicians looking to authors is a well-trodden path, and often, it’s a fruitful undertaking.
Without further ado, we’ve listed ten authors who inspired rock lyricists. See the collection below.
10 authors who inspired rock lyricists:
J.R.R. Tolkien – Robert Plant (‘Ramble On’)
There’s no better place to start than with one of the most famous examples of an author inspiring a rock lyricist. In ‘Ramble On’ from 1969’s Led Zeppelin II, both frontman Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page showed their love of J.R.R. Tolkien, with the pair avid readers of the writer and philosopher.
In the track, Plant describes a journey into “the darkest depths of Mordor”, where the narrator becomes bewitched by a woman with flowing fair hair. In fact, he is so taken that it becomes apparent to everyone listening that ‘Ramble On’ is less about Tolkien’s world of Middle Earth than it is the imaginary elven women the frontman imagines reside there. This would not be the first time Led Zeppelin would reference Tolkien’s work; they would do so again with ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ and ‘The Battles of Evermore’, both found on Led Zeppelin IV.
Ayn Rand – Neil Peart (‘2112’)
Whilst Neil Peart was distinctive for his dextrous drumming style that fused hard-rock, jazz and world music, which saw him lauded as one of the best to ever sit behind the kit, he also stands out for his position as Rush’s primary lyricist. An avid reader and writer, Peart covered many topics in his time, including political philosophy.
The Canadian faced criticism for what appeared to be his fandom of controversial Objectivist Ayn Rand following the release of the 1976 song ‘2112’, as it follows an individual’s struggle against a totalitarian state. Adding fuel to the fire, he credited Rand for inspiring him in the liner notes of the 2112 album.
“There was a remarkable backlash, especially from the English press, this being the late seventies, when collectivism was still in style, especially among journalists,” Peart said later. “They were calling us ‘Junior fascists’ and ‘Hitler lovers’. It was a total shock to me”. Reacting to the claims of his ideological devotion to Rand’s Objectivism, Peart maintained: “For a start, the extent of my influence by the writings of Ayn Rand should not be overstated. I am no one’s disciple.”
Lewis Carroll – Grace Slick (‘White Rabbit’)
‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane is one of the ultimate anthems of the counterculture. Written by frontwoman Grace Slick, it’s a paean to the widespread love of LSD that permeated hippiedom at the time, tinged with an ominous hint, denoting that not all is peace and love with the drug.
A frightfully trippy number, the song references two of the most hallucinogenic books in existence, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and its sequel, Through the Looking Glass. There are numerous nods to the narcotic prose of Carroll. These include the titular Rabbit, the “hookah-smoking caterpillar”, and the moment when the heroine is ten feet tall. Slick herself has explained that her interpretation of the white Rabbit was intended to embody “your curiosity”, presenting an apt narrative for an era driven by experimentation.
H.P. Lovecraft – Carl McCoy (‘Last Exit for the Lost’)
English goth rockers Fields of the Nephilim are considered one of the most influential outfits in the genre, blending goth, metal, industrial and psychedelic elements to create their atmospheric palette. They’ve also looked to a host of literature for inspiration, with the works of infamous occultist Aleister Crowley influencing some of their early efforts and the Bible even giving them their name.
One author that helped them conceive one of their greatest songs is horror pioneer H.P. Lovecraft. In the closing track of the band’s second album, The Nephilim – ‘Last Exit for the Lost’ – frontman Carl McCoy references Lovecraft’s most famous and terrifying creation, Cthulhu, the cosmic entity that influenced an entire mythos. He sings: “We’re getting closer, I can see the door / Closer and closer, Kthulhu calls”. This line might also reference the seminal first work Cthulhu appears in, the 1928 short The Call of Cthulhu.
George Orwell – David Bowie (‘1984’)
I don’t think anyone would be surprised to find popular culture’s ultimate magpie appear on this list. Bowie made a career out of cherrypicking from the art of others, with ‘1984’ from Diamond Dogs taking its name and themes from one of the most important works of the 20th century, George Orwell’s anti-authoritarian warning, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Written by Bowie in 1973, Orwell’s book greatly inspired the song and, as part of the album Diamond Dogs, it was initially intended to be a musical based on the text. However, the project was ultimately refused permission by Orwell’s widow, Sonia. Penned as the centrepiece of the original vinyl version of the album, ‘1984’ is taken as a representation of the book’s protagonist, Winston Smith’s imprisonment and interrogation by the primary antagonist, O’Brien, a member of the dastardly Thought Police.
John Steinbeck – Bruce Springsteen (‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’)
It makes sense that Bruce Springsteen, the musical champion of blue-collar America, should look to the works of John Steinbeck – the literary voice of the downtrodden 20th-century American – to bring one of his best-loved pieces to life. The song in question is ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’; its title and narrative mention Tom Joad, the protagonist from Steinbeck’s 1939 masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath.
As well as the book, ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’ also draws on ‘The Ballad of Tom Joad’ by protest songwriter Woody Guthrie. Interestingly, Guthrie’s piece was inspired by John Ford’s feature-length adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel. Springsteen was fully prepared before writing his song, as he had read the book, watched the film and listened to Guthrie’s track. He particularly identified with 1930s-style activism, seeking to give a voice to the unheard.
Although ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’ and the album of the same name are set in the time it was written, the contemporary era is compared to that of Steinbeck’s. Springsteen sings: “Men walkin’ ‘long the railroad tracks, / Goin’ someplace, there’s no goin’ back. / Highway patrol choppers comin’ up over the ridge — / Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge.”
Ernest Hemingway – James Hetfield (‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’)
Love or loathe them, thrash pioneers Metallica generally have more lyrical substance than many bands in their field. One of their most culturally significant songs, ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, takes its title and inspiration from the 1940 Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name. As is well known, the story is based on the author’s experiences during the Spanish Civil War as a reporter for the North American Newspaper Alliance.
The song draws heavily on Hemingway’s novel, discussing the brutal process of death in modern combat, the full extent of which was exhibited in the Spanish Civil War. There are also specific allusions to a scene in Chapter 27 when five soldiers are annihilated during an airstrike on a hill.
There’s more than meets the eye to James Hetfield and the group.
Mikhail Bulgakov – Patti Smith (‘Banga’)
The punk poet laureate, Patti Smith, has always been deeply ensconced in the world of literature and is one of the finest wordsmiths of her generation. She loves one book so much, Mikhail Bulgakov’s satire The Master and Margarita, that it gave her 2012 album, Banga, its title. The track of the same name even references Pontius Pilate and his dog, Banga, two characters in the book.
On CBS News Sunday Morning, Smith explained the album’s title: “For those who are curious, you can find what Banga is if you read The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov.” In the novel, Pilate constantly complains to his dog Banga about the hemicrania that plagued him.
In a post on her Instagram, Smith captioned a photo of Bulgakov on what would have been his birthday with: “This is Mikail Bulgakov, the great writer who gifted humanity with not only a masterful body of work but a true masterpiece – The Master and Margarita, which includes the immortal statement ‘Manuscripts don’t burn.'”
Leopold von Sacher-Masoch – Lou Reed (‘Venus in Furs’)
Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground were among the first groups to imbue their sounds with a tangible sense of darkness. Bringing the seedy underbelly of their native New York to the ears of millions of listeners, the band’s tales of sex, drugs and a rock ‘n’ roll approach to life were both the source of wonder and controversy. This mastery of both sides of the coin helped them establish themselves as one of the most pioneering acts of the era.
One of their most hypnotic and sinister cuts is ‘Venus in Furs’ from their 1967 debut, The Velvet Underground & Nico. To bring this ominous track to life, frontman and songwriter Lou Reed was inspired by the book of the same name by Austrian writer Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the man from whose name the word ‘masochism” is derived. The song includes the sexual themes of the novel, including sadomasochism, bondage and submission, and directly references the main character, Severin von Kusiemski. Reed sings at one point: “Severin, down on your bended knee”.
Patrick Süskind – Kurt Cobain (‘Scentless Apprentice’)
Late Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain was a lover of books, and from time to time, they would make their way into his art. The most iconic example comes from one of the band’s most punishing efforts, ‘Scentless Apprentice’, from 1993’s In Utero. The song’s lyrics are based on German writer Patrick Süskind’s novel Perfume, one of Cobain’s favourite books. The frontman didn’t originally intend to turn his reading of the text into music, but he needed strong lyrics when the band collaborated on the track. As is well known, drummer Dave Grohl wrote the riff.
Perfume is set in 18th-century France and tells the story of an orphan born with an extraordinary sense of smell, who also gives off no body odour. He is reluctantly cared for by the nurses at an orphanage who believe he is a hell-spawn and eventually becomes an apprentice to a master perfume-maker. Things take a darker turn when he commits a string of murders to make perfumes from the scents of his victims.
