Introduction

My love of reading bleeds into everything I do. Whether personally, academically, or professionally, there is always a little bit of literature injected into it. Literature has even found its way into the music I listen to. Because of this, some of my most listened-to songs are actually based on classic novels! These songs are more than just fun to listen to; they carry true importance in my life. As a writer, I feel drawn to listen to songs based on classic novels anytime I sit down to write. I love to listen to these songs whenever I am writing my blog posts or other creative works. These songs never fail to inspire me with their beautiful lyrics and charming melodies. Through listening to these songs, I have gained a new perspective on a novel that I love dearly. I have also secured a deeper understanding of the novel at its core by exploring it from a new angle that is not available on paper. Today, I am sharing some of my favorite songs that are based on classic novels in hopes that they inspire you to see these famous books in a new light. I also intend for you to find a new song or two to add to your playlists!

“tolerate it” + Rebecca

Yes, I do talk about Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier as much as I write about it on my blog! I will find any excuse in the world to fit it into a conversation or a blog post. Thankfully, it is very easy to chat about it here because Taylor Swift’s song “tolerate it” is based on Rebecca. Swift herself has explained in interviews the importance du Maurier’s novel had on her songwriting. While reading Rebecca, it can be easy to be swept away by the mystery of Rebecca’s death or Mrs. Danvers’ nasty trick played on the unnamed narrator. It can be easy to forget the pain caused by Maxim de Winters by purposefully keeping secrets from his new wife. His coldness is vicious. “tolerate it” reminds me that I cannot forget his cruelty. I truly believe that he loves the unnamed narrator, although that does not mitigate the pain he has caused. Swift’s song also highlights the way that Rebecca is truly at the center of the story. She is the main body paragraph of Maxim de Winters’ life, and our unnamed narrator is the footnote in the margins. Swift creates this powerful reminder of the main character’s outsider status while also humanizing her deep heartache at Manderley. I believe that “tolerate it” is a song that a true fan of the novel Rebecca would write because it honestly and gracefully depicts the raw heart and soul of the novel.

P.S. I also talk about Taylor Swift songs in my duology based on life lessons I have learned from every single album! You can read the first part here.

“Young Love and Old Money” + The Great Gatsby

While other readers are interested in Gatsby’s green light or Nick’s relationship with Jordan, I have always been interested in Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is an elusive character. We obtain only tiny glimpses into her mind, but it is like trying to make out the details of a flower while looking out the window of a train. I struggled to get a look at the true Daisy throughout The Great Gatsby because she keeps her cards (and her heart) close to her chest. I think this is why I love the song “Young Love and Old Money” because it gives us an inside look at a version of Daisy. A version of Daisy who lives in Gatsby’s past. A version of Daisy who is not strong enough to love Gatsby. A version of Daisy who is a beautiful little fool herself. We are stuck in this vicious cycle with Daisy, where, as the audience, we are caught between pity and anger. I have always felt sorry for her. While there is no denying that she can be cruel and vain, there is also no avenue for her that can result in her true happiness. Now, is this the true Daisy? I don’t know. However, I think that trying to discover the real Daisy is a part of what makes The Great Gatsby an amazing novel. We can only hope to capture a small snapshot of her, and “Young Love and Old Money” teaches us that this snapshot is all that we can get from Daisy. We can only hope that she finds peace in the end, even if we doubt that it is possible.

“Cassandra” + The Oresteia

As a child, I was obsessed with Greek mythology. However, I did not learn about the myth of Cassandra of Troy until I was older. It was never taught to me in school, so it was a myth that I read about in my personal education outside the walls of a classroom. Cassandra (whose name means “she who entangles men”) was a Trojan princess who was given the gift of prophecy from Apollo. She foresaw many of the events leading up to and during the Trojan War. However, she was cursed to never be believed after she rejected Apollo’s romantic advances. At the end of her life, she was taken as a captive by Agamemnon and killed by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Something I find interesting about ABBA’s song “Cassandra” is that they apologize to Cassandra for not believing her. As readers, we are so focused on the tragic irony of Cassandra’s story that we forget to humanize her. I cannot imagine seeing my own death. I cannot imagine seeing the deaths of my loved ones. I cannot imagine seeing all that and being unable to stop it because no one believes me. I wish that the myth of Cassandra was just that, a myth. Unfortunately, it is not ancient history; there has been a pattern of not believing women since the dawn of time. Right now, we cannot change the past, and we cannot change Cassandra’s fate. However, there are so many women’s fates that we can change right now if we have the courage to believe them and, when we are wrong, to apologize to them and devote ourselves to working for positive change by their side.

P.S. If you are disappointed I picked this song to write on instead of Epic: The Musical, I have a blog post in progress about the entire musical and its connection to The Odyssey by Homer! It will take me a while since it is a larger project, but it will be out later this year!

“Ophelia” + Hamlet

Of course, I have to talk about Shakespeare! There are countless songs that include at least a small snip-it of Shakespeare since he created many turns of phrases that we utilize today. However, I feel that “Ophelia” is the one example of a song that directly references a Shakespeare play. I have always found the character of Ophelia interesting. Ophelia is a character defined by both love and loss. She is a character that haunts the end of Hamlet as well as the character of Hamlet himself. Like Daisy, she is a character that we receive very little insight into. She is a fleeting character whose only flaw is falling in love. This song explores Ophelia’s love for Hamlet and talks about how her love is what captures her essence as a character. Ophelia’s madness and death have always stuck with me like a thorn in my side. There is something there that I cannot describe to others. Some sort of eerie and melancholy and tragic feeling. She is like a shadow that follows me from place to place, even a year after reading the play for the first time. For me, this chilling feeling is present in the background of this song. Maybe it is me reading too much into it. Maybe it is me hoping that someone else out there knows what I am describing. Ophelia dies off-stage. The audience never gets to see her final breath or hear her final words. So, maybe it is Ophelia’s ghost attempting to speak her mind from the muddy pond. Whatever it is, I hope you feel it too. 

“Wuthering Heights” + Wuthering Heights

The link that connects all these songs and novels to one another is grief and loss. And there is no grief like the one found in Wuthering Heights. Like most Gothic novels, Wuthering Heights is a haunted novel. Cathy is a figure that sticks around long after she dies on the page. When Cathy marries and must leave behind Wuthering Heights, she misses home more than anything. We can all relate to that feeling of homesickness. However, Cathy’s homesickness is not just for the physical manor but for the girl she once was: wild and unrestrained and free. Within Kate Bush’s song, we are reminded that what Cathy craves more than anything on her deathbed is that one last taste of freedom. And what does she do with that freedom? The one thing she was never allowed to do; she goes to Heathcliff with her heart full of love. While I have always struggled with Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship, I do feel deeply for this young girl who is cold and desires love more than anything else in this world. I see this song as Cathy’s confession from beyond the grave. I hypothesize that this is because grief (like music and novels) connects us all. It is something that we desire to share with each other. Cathy is attempting to share hers with us. She wants our attention and sympathy and love. She wants to be let into our hearts and minds. Maybe we have reservations about letting her in through the door, but the least we can do is open a window and give her a chance. All we have to do is listen.

Bonus Song

I have to write about this song because I listen to it religiously while I write, and I have gotten my brother, Gabe, hooked on this song. Please listen to “Annabel Lee” by Sarah Jarosz; it is the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe set to folk music! While it is not technically a song based on a book (because it is literally the poem put to music), it still deserves a mention.

Bibliography

Literary Music: Dissecting Music Based on Classic Novels (Spotify)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Oresteia by Aeschylus

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë