The J.D. Salinger short stories that inspired PJ Harvey
In 1992, PJ Harvey released her debut album, Dry, a disorientating, confronting exploration of womanhood, sexuality and violence. The album was instantly applauded by critics and remains one of her finest works, although it soon paved the way for a string of equally brilliant albums during the decade, such as Rid of Me, To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire?
Harvey is not only renowned for her incredible vocals and multi-instrumentalism but also for her lyricism. From the intrinsically empowering nature of songs like ‘Sheela-na-gig’ and ‘50ft Queenie’ to the emotionally-charged personal lullaby ‘Horses in My Dreams’, Harvey has magnificent skill with her pen. The potency of Harvey’s lyrics, paired with the strength of her vocal abilities, has allowed her to become one of music’s most prominent voices.
To achieve such greatness, Harvey has looked to various musical inspirations, from Patti Smith and Bob Dylan to Howlin’ Wolf. Many of Harvey’s lyrics have evolved from the influence of literature, such as Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, which significantly inspired To Bring You My Love. Yet, there’s one author that Harvey has returned to multiple times for songwriting inspiration – J.D. Salinger.
The author is best known for his coming-of-age tale The Catcher in the Rye, an honest depiction of isolation, masculinity and adolescence that became a staple of high school curriculums upon its release in 1951. However, his short stories have been the sources of inspiration for two of Harvey’s songs: ‘A Perfect Day Elise’ and ‘Angelene’.
Both tracks appeared on 1998’s Is This Desire? and use two different Salinger shorts as thematic influences. The former, which became the lead single, takes elements of A Perfect Day For Bananafish, published in 1948. In Harvey’s song, a man enjoys a one-night stand with a woman, only for her to turn him away once the deed is done. Devastated, he returns to the room with a gun. Similarly, in Salinger’s story, a man shoots himself in a hotel room by the sea after spending time with a young girl.
Elsewhere, ‘Angelene’ borrows directly from Salinger’s story Pretty Mouth and Green My Eyes from 1951, which features a passage that reads: “I start thinking about this goddam poem I sent her when we first started goin’ around together. ‘Rose my colour is and white, Pretty mouth and green my eyes.’ Christ, it’s embarrassing – it used to remind me of her.”
In Harvey’s song, she sings from the perspective of Angelene, directly lifting the lines “Rose is my colour, and white/ Pretty mouth and green my eyes” to describe herself.
Listen to both tracks below.
