Apr 232013
I know you’ve been saving your celebrating until now. I feel embarrassed that it slipped my mind until NPR reminded me: Today is Shakespeare’s birthday!
In honor of Avonian Willie and his prolixity, let us celebrate with a Last Man Standing that features lyrics penned by The Bard.
Yes, Cliffs Notes are allowed, but no, you can not include broadcasts of Shakespeare productions, or movies and their soundtracks. Subtle paraphrasing is also permitted.
I start you off with Rush, “Limelight.”
I’ll take “Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Barry Adamson, by way of Macbeth.
“Cruel to Be Kind” — Nick Lowe (Hamlet)
Sting’s mistress’ eyes were nothing like the sun, apparently.
“Sleeping every chance to dream” Althea by the Grateful Dead
…from Hamlet.
Subtle paraphrasing from Elvis: “You know someone said that the world’s a stage, and each must play a part.”
The title and sung often throughout – “My Mind’s Eye” by the Pretty Things.
Piggybacking on cdm above, ELO drops “to sleep, perchance to dream” from Hamlet directly into “Mister Kingdom”.
Ophelia – the Band
“Tower of Strength” — Gene McDaniels
“Now the stage is set,
where’s my Juliet, baby?
Is this maybe
my midsummer night’s dream?”
What’s My Scene – Hoodoo Gurus
“Unfurled from this mortal coiled up world”. A riff on the line from Hamlet.
Jesus Gonna Be Here – Tom Waits
Wow, we have a bunch of Liberal Arts majors among us!
Although my degree is in English, I have a terrible memory for specific passages from works of literature. (OK, I simply have a terrible memory for many things.) I am browsing through some famous Shakespeare lines, and I came across this one, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “I’ll put a girdle round about the earth In forty minutes.”
Is that where XTC got “Roads Girdle the Globe”?
“I’m living for giving the Devil his due” Burning For You – Blue Oyster Cult.
“All the World’s a Stage,” by Rush.
Urrrrghhh, heave, strain… “ALEX LIFESONNN!”
Splash, flush.
“Off with his head (on with my pants)” When It Began – the Replacements
Who would have thunk that Rush was in to Shakespeare? Ayn Rand and The Bard of Avon = what’s the connection?
I’m guessing we can’t use the “King Lear” recording woven into “I Am the Walrus”, so I’ll throw in “Let It Come Down” by both Spiritualised and Macbeth.
The Passage, “XOYO” begins and ends with quotes from Twelfth Night, “If music be the food of love, play on” and “Enough, no more, ’tis not so sweet now as it was before.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpk2rFXZYi0
On a sidenote, I’m more than a little distressed that I can’t find my copy of the Pillows and Prayers LP I first heard “XOYO” on. I’ve had it for thirty years and it seems to have vanished….
I’m surprised no one’s mentioned “Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits
Good point.
Romeo and Julliet by Michael and the Messengers
Oh, SNAP!
“Nothing Like the Sun” by Broken Social Scene uses the R&J quote.
Wow! This posse is graduate school-level!
Sister Moon” – Sting
The lyric “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun” is from Sonnett 130
Yeah, did that already.
“When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose.” Bob Dylan
That’s a Shakespeare line? If so, that changes EVERYTHING! That’s one of my favorite lines in all of rock.
From Henry VI – Earl of Warwick: Henry now lives in Scotland at his ease, where having nothing, nothing can he lose.
http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkID=henry6p3&Act=3&Scene=3&Scope=scene