# Songs based on books/tv shows/movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417 "2013-03-08T19:30:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/1 "2013-03-08T19:30:16Z")
I’m putting together a trivia night game and I want to make one of the categories songs based on a Book, tv show, or a movie. (OR BTM from now on) I’m also looking for examples where a song has the same name of a BTM but isn’t related. (For example - Iron Maiden - Stranger In a Strange Land is not based on the Book) Also acceptable is if a song has a quote from a TM (no B), but isn’t related - (Example - Guns N Roses Civil War’s Cool Hand Luke Intro) Does anyone have any ideas so I can have a bunch of questions that have a bit of variety to them instead of just my areas I know best? Some quick examples of what I have: Books: Iron Maiden - The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner - based on the short story of the same name Iron Maiden - To Tame a Land - Based on the book Dune Iron Maiden - Murders in the Rue Morgue - Based on the story by Poe Iron Maiden - Rime Of the Ancient Mariner - Poem of the same name Anthrax - Among the Living - Based on The Stand by Stephen King Anthrax - A Skeleton in the Closet - Based on the short story Apt Pupil by Stephen King Anthrax - Misery Loves Company - Based on Misery by Stephen King (Theme here?) Movies: Iron Maiden - Where Eagles Dare (also book) Iron Maiden - Children of the Damned (movie of same name) TV Shows: Anthrax - Black Lodge - Based on Twin Peaks Anthrax - The Constant - Based on Lost (The Desmond/Penny storyline) Iron Maiden - The Prisoner - TV Show of the same name Iron Maiden - Back in the Village - also based on the Prisoner Thanks in advance… ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/2 "2013-03-08T19:41:40Z")
“1984” by Spirit, though it’s a reference to the year with a nod toward the book. Still, it’s not about the book. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/3 "2013-03-08T20:01:07Z")
“Debaser” by The Pixies strongly references the film _Un Chien Andalou_. Is it “about” the movie though? ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/4 "2013-03-08T20:19:30Z")
Misfits - Shining - based on the movie Poltergeist Misfits - This Island Earth - Movie of the same name Misfits - Return of the Fly - Movie of the same name Alice Cooper - Back to School - about the movie of the same name Vandals - Small Wonder - mocking the TV show ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/5 "2013-03-08T20:28:53Z")
Charlie Don’t Surf – The Clash – Movie: Apocalypse Now ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/6 "2013-03-08T20:58:09Z")
[Examples of ecphrasis](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=427612) ---
**Author:** ![FrigidLizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@FrigidLizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrigidLizard)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/7 "2013-03-08T20:59:15Z")
Counting Crows - “Rain King” - based on “Henderson the Rain King” by Saul Bellows they also reference it again in their song “Goodnight Elizabeth” ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/8 "2013-03-08T21:03:48Z")
There’s a song, “Brave” by Josh Groban. It doesn’t seem to be about the Pixar movie of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/9 "2013-03-08T21:12:51Z")
“Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin has all sorts of references to **Lord of the Rings.** They also refer to the trilogy in “Misty Mountain Hop” and “No Quarter.” “Brave New World” by the Steve Miller Band takes the title from the book, but little else. “Take the Money and Run” by Steve Miller has the same title as a Woody Allen film. The Four Seasons’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is based upon a line from the movie **Slightly Scarlet** ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/10 "2013-03-08T21:32:24Z")
> [@edwards\_beard](#): > > Iron Maiden - Murders in the Rue Morgue - Based on the story by Poe Also: everything on the Alan Parson Project’s [first album](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination) > [@](#): > > Anthrax - Among the Living - Based on The Stand by Stephen King Also, “The Stand” by The Alarm ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/11 "2013-03-08T21:46:05Z")
DJ Shadow - “What Does Your Soul Look Like, Part 1” contains, among a lot of other things, audio from John Carpenter’s _Prince of Darkness_ at [the very end](http://youtu.be/lG8zTww6h4U?t=6m11s). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/12 "2013-03-08T21:56:18Z")
[Weird Al has several songs about specific TV shows.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_TV_Album) ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/13 "2013-03-08T22:04:00Z")
[Isaac’s Lament](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKfnsDvaVfw) (Uncle Bonsai) is about someone who kills himself when he hears that _The Love Boat_ has been cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![Renifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/14 "2013-03-08T22:13:14Z")
One of my favorite CDs is Songs of Terror: A Gothic Tribute to Edgar Allan Poe. Each song is devoted to a different story or poem. There’s also a Wikipedia page of songs that refer to or are dedicated to EAP, listed chronologically (the above album isn’t on the list.): > **[Edgar Allan Poe and music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe_and_music)** > > The influence of Edgar Allan Poe on the art of music has been considerable and long-standing, with the works, life and image of the horror fiction writer and poet inspiring composers and musicians from diverse genres for more than a century. > In 1907, American composer Grace Chadbourne set Poe's text to music with her "Hymn for Solo Voice: At Morn, at Noon, at Twilight Dim." > André Caplet's Conte fantastique for harp and strings, published in 1924 but begun at least as early as 1909, is a music... ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/15 "2013-03-08T22:14:47Z")
Black Sabbath’s name AND their first song were inspired by an Italian horror anthology film starring Boris Karloff. Deep Blue Something had the song “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” which is really more about a romantic relationship that’s falling apart than about Truman Capote’s novel or Audrey Hepburn’s movie. U2 has a song called “Vertigo,” which has nothing to do with Hitchcock’s classic. Power Station (featuring Robert Palmer, Tony Thompson, and some refugees from Duran Duran) had a hit called “Some Like It Hot” that had no connection to the TOny Curtis/Jack Lemmon comedy. Metallica had a song called “Unforgiven,” but it had no connection to Clint Eastwood’s OScar-winning movie. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/16 "2013-03-08T22:17:22Z")
The Byrds had a song called “Space Odyssey” which was a musical retelling of the basic plotline of _ **2001: A Space Odyssey.** _ ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/17 "2013-03-08T22:18:54Z")
How about “Nightmare on My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince? It’s a comical rap song about Freddy Krueger. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/18 "2013-03-08T22:20:36Z")
Near the end of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister, you can hear singer Dee Snider shouting Niedermeyer’s lines from _ **National Lampoon’s Animal House** _. “You’re all worthless and weak! Now, drop and give me 20!” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/19 "2013-03-08T22:25:07Z")
Austin Roberts’ biggest hit was the tearjerker “Rocky,” which was not related to Sylvester Stallone’s Oscar-winning boxing movie. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417/20 "2013-03-08T22:26:09Z")
Rob Zombie’s song “Dragula” refers to the car from _The Munsters_. More Weird Al: Both _"Yoda_" and _"The Saga Begins_" are about specific Star Wars movies. “Banditos” by the Refreshments has a few lines about Jean-Luc Picard. Here’s [a whole bunch of other ideas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_based_on_a_film). “Bat Country” by Avenged Sevenfold is a good one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-based-on-books-tv-shows-movies/652417.md?page=2)