11 Amazing Book-Song Pairings
When you love books and music pretty much equally and for many of the same reasons, it’s inevitable that the two will tie themselves together in your head, often subconsciously. I know this happens to me a lot. Sometimes it’s obvious: Kate Bush’s “The Sensual World,” for instance, is based on Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from Ulysses, so that connection is pre-made. She also has a song called “Wuthering Heights”: obvious.
Sometimes it happens song first, sometimes book. It usually works basically like word association, so some of these may only make sense to me. These are the favorites that popped into my head when I sat down to start writing.
“Sorrow’s Child” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds // The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
“Silent All These Years” by Tori Amos // Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohiRxoakhog[/youtube]
“The Sensual World” (retitled “Flower of the Mountain” and re-recorded) by Kate Bush // Ulysses by James Joyce
“Reasons to Be Beautiful” by Hole // Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUqAn_g8wJU[/youtube]
“Who the Fuck?” by PJ Harvey // Dare Me by Megan Abbott
“Apres Moi” by Regina Spektor // The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTm0D2uBigI[/youtube]
“Creator” by Santigold // Lexicon by Max Barry
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJkWoAhSiZ4[/youtube]
“Cruel” by Tori Amos // The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CehyXCDQv0[/youtube]
“Sex Bomb” by Tom Jones // Tampa by Alissa Nutting
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkFfK-mh1kQ[/youtube]
“Transylvanian Concubine” by Rasputina // every vampire novel ever
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kZzOq68uZ8[/youtube]
“Losing My Religion” by REM // The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-UzXIQ5vw[/youtube]
Got any, readers?
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