Last Updated on December 18, 2025 by Black Sunshine Media
Rock music is littered with songs and albums inspired by great literature. Some bands, like Iron Maiden, don’t have much to say if they’re not retelling “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. The Cure have consistently dropped tracks inspired by Robert Smith‘s reading habits. Radiohead is quite fond of books, too. Some of the greatest songs of all time, for example, “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, are based on biblical tales.1 Many musicians have a literary bent.
We’re not here to rehash all the obvious ringers like “Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin. Let’s consider the unusual or obscure songs inspired by books and literature.2
“Whip It!” by Devo (1979)
Written by bassist Gerald Casale and lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh. Casale wrote the lyrics, which were intended to satirize American optimism. He took inspiration from communist propaganda posters and satirical limericks about capitalist can-do clichés in Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (1973). Casale’s lyrics sound like motivational clichés if taken out of context.
“For Those About to Rock” by AC/DC (1981)
I’m pretty sure this is the only AC/DC song with a deliberate literary reference.
The song title is based on a phrase used by Roman gladiators to greet noblemen before entering the arena: “We who are about to die salute you.”
Guitarist Angus Young says Bon Scott gave him a book about the gladiator games in ancient Rome, Those About to Die: The Way of the Gladiator by Daniel Mannix (1958).
“Giving Up the Gun” by Vampire Weekend (2010)
Ezra Koenig explained to NME (February 16, 2010): “I got the idea for the song from a book my dad gave me called Giving Up The Gun [by Noel Perrin (1988)]. It’s a history book about the time when Japan expelled all foreigners from the country, closed off all trade, stopped using guns, and reverted to the sword. It seems unimaginable now that humanity could willingly go back to an older technology. It got me thinking about whether you could give up all the things that you have and go back to a simpler way of life.”
“Dear God” by XTC (1986)
One of XTC’s most enduring “hits” was inspired by a series of books with the same title, which lead singer Andy Partridge saw as an exploitation of children. The song is essentially a letter to God asking about his existence.
“So It Goes” by Nick Lowe (1978)
“So it goes” is a recurring line in Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 novel, The Slaughterhouse Five. It is used every time a death occurs.
“100,000 Years” by Kiss (1974)
Gene Simmons said, “I read a book called 100,000 Years, where 100,000 years ago we were visited by aliens. Also, Einstein’s theory of relativity. I was reading all kinds of space and time continuance stuff, and it was all swirling around my head.”3
Simmons was almost certainly talking about One Hundred Thousand Years of Man’s Unknown History by Robert Charroux (1963).
“Hypnotized” by Fleetwood Mac (1973)
Songwriter Bob Welch says, “I was (and still am) interested in the paranormal—UFOs, the Carlos Castaneda books about the Yaqui Indian ‘sorcerer’ Don Juan—so I incorporated a lot of these themes and references into the song.” The “place down in Mexico” refers to Castaneda’s Yaqui sorcerer, Don Juan, who is presumably traveling on the astral plane.
“London Beckoned Songs About Money Written by Machines” by Panic! At the Disco (2005)
The title is a quote from the Douglas Coupland book Shampoo Planet (1992): “Extremely torrid tunage from London beckoned songs about money written by machines.”
Shampoo Planet was Coupland’s follow-up to Generation X (1990).
“Mama” by Genesis (1983)
I was incredulous at first. This song is related to actor David Niven’s cheeky memoir, The Moon’s a Balloon (1971)?
Phil Collins confirms it. “It’s a bit like [British actor] David Niven in The Moon’s a Balloon. He’s very young, just come out of cadet college or whatever, and he meets this 45-year-old prostitute with whom he has a fantastic time. He’s special to her, but it definitely can’t go any further than what it is, and that’s really what the song is about, with sinister overtones.”
“Parklife” by Blur (1996)
Damon Albarn was heavily influenced by London Fields, a 1989 novel by Martin Amis. “London Fields inspired ‘Parklife.’ That book changed my outlook on life,” Albarn said.4
