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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 20 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Literature in Songs
| "It's no use, he sees her, he starts to shake and cough. Just like
the old man in that book by Nabokov."
Who sang these lyrics? | Literature in Lyrics
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The Police. "Don't Stand So Close To Me" from the album "Zenyatta Mondatta." The
lyric refers to the 1955 novel "Lolita" from Russian author Vladimir
Nabokov, the controversial story of an older man's persuit of a young
girl. It led some to speculate on Sting's career as a school teacher
before joining The Police. He has denied any personal experience from
his teaching days.
| "T'was in the darkest depths of Mordor, I met a girl so fair.
But Gollum, and the evil one crept up and slipped away with
her, her, her... yeah."
Who sang these lyrics? | Literature in Lyrics
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Led Zeppelin. "Ramble On" from "Led Zeppelin II" gives obvious reference to
"Gollem" and "Mordor" from J.R.R. Tolkien's epic, "The Lord Of
The Rings." More Tolkien references can be heard in "The Battle
Of Evermore" and "Misty Mountain Hop."
| "I'm alive, I'm dead. I'm the stranger. Killing an Arab."
Who sang these lyrics? | Literature in Lyrics
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The Cure. The Cure song "Killing An Arab" was inspired by the 1942 novel
"The Stranger" by Albert Camus. This song had critics of The Cure
screaming racism. However the books dealing in existentialism and
the title "Killing An Arab" is taken from a passage where the main
character "Meursault" is left to cope with his feelings after he
kills an Arab man on the beach.
| "A dreaded sunny day, so I meet you at the cemetry gates.
Keats and Yeats are on your side. While Wilde is on mine."
Who sang these lyrics? | Literature in Lyrics
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The Smiths. "Cemetry Gates" from The Smiths' 1986 album "The Queen Is Dead." An
avid reader of Oscar Wilde, Morrissey shows the world his admiration
with a wit and humor that only he can. The Smiths would pay homage
again to Wilde on the instrumental "Oscillate Wildly" from the
1986 album "Louder Than Bombs."
| "Realms of bliss, realms of light, some are born to sweet
delight. Some are born to sweet delight, some are born to
the endless night."
Who sang these lyrics? | Literature in Lyrics
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The Doors. Jim Morrison takes a little inspiration from a poem by William
Blake called "Auguries Of Innocence" to write the song "End Of
The Night." He also got even more help with the title from the
the 1932 novel "Journey To The End Of The Night" from Louis-Ferdinand Celine.
| Which book did Bono get his inspiration for the U2 song,
"Shadows And Tall Trees" from? | Literature in Lyrics
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Lord Of The Flies. Bono got his inspiration from Nobel Prize winning author William
Golding's 1954 novel "Lord Of The Flies." The fourth chapter of this
allegorical novel was titled "Shadows And Tall Trees."
| The Bryds' classic cover of Pete Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn!
(To Everything There Is A Season)" came from which book of
the Bible? | Literature in Lyrics
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Ecclesiastes. Inspired from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes. The Byrds put
great guitar lines and an unforgettable sound to a folk legend's
song.
| The Iron Maiden song "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" was based on
a 1797 poem by which Romantic poet? | Literature in Lyrics
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge. From their 1984 album "Powerslave" Iron Maiden used pieces from Coleridge's original poem of the same name to create this heavy metal masterpiece.
| "Hey Jack Kerouac, I think of your mother, and the tears she
cried. She cried for none other."
Who sang these lyrics? | Literature in Lyrics
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10,000 Maniacs. From 10,000 Maniacs 1987 debut album "In My Tribe." Natalie Merchant
and Robert Buck penned this tribute of sorts to "Beat Icon" and author
Jack Kerouac. The song also includes references to fellow Beat
writters, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs.
| "And you read your Emily Dickinson and I my Robert Frost and we note
our place with bookmarkers, that measure what we've lost. Like a poem
poorly written, we are verses out of rhythm, couplets out of rhyme in
syncopated time."
Who sang these lyrics? | Literature in Lyrics
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Simon And Garfunkel. "The Dangling Conversation" from Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 album
"Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme." With lyrics both poetic and
witty, this duo has penned some of the most memorable tunes in
music history.
| Which song has these lyrics?
"I get slandered, libeled,
I hear words I never heard
In the Bible" | Books in Songs
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Keep the Customer Satisfied. Written by Paul Simon, "Keep the Customer Satisfied" was originally released on the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album in 1970, and also featured on the "Tales From New York: The Best of Simon and Garfunkel" double CD released in 2000.
| Guns n Roses sang these lyrics in a song with the same title as a classic book; which song is it?
"When all is said and done
We're not the only ones who look at life this way
That's what the old folks say
But every time I see them makes me wish I had a gun"
| Books in Songs
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Catcher in the Rye. "Catcher in the Rye" featured on the "Chinese Democracy" album, released in November 2008. It was Guns n Roses' first album release since "The Spaghetti Incident?" in 1993, and sold over 5 million copies within six months of its release.
| Which band sang these lyrics in their song "Real Gone Kid"?
"And I'd tear out the pages
That I've got in these books
Just to find you some words
Just to get some reward" | Books in Songs
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Deacon Blue. "Real Gone Kid" was one of five singles to be released in the UK from Deacon Blue's 1989 album "When the World Knows Your Name". The album reached number one in the UK Album Chart, and "Real Gone Kid" was the highest placed single and also the band's first Top Ten hit, when it peaked at number eight in the UK Singles Chart in 1988.
| Which line completes these lyrics?
"When you were young
And your heart was an open book,
You used to say..." | Books in Songs
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Live and let live. "Live and Let Die" was originally written by Paul and Linda McCartney, as the theme tune for the 1973 James Bond film of the same name. On the soundtrack album of the film it was performed by Paul McCartney and Wings.
The song was nominated for an Oscar, but didn't win.
| "Read a book and write a letter
Mother, things are getting better
Watch the mirror count the lines
The battle scars of all the good times"
Which song by Soft Cell has these lyrics? | Books in Songs
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Bedsitter. "Bedsitter" reached number four in the UK Singles Charts when it was released in 1981. The song featured on the 1981 album "Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret", which also had the band's biggest hit "Tainted Love".
| Which band sang these lines?
"I can't believe you want to turn the page,
And move your life onto another stage,
You can change the chapter, you can change the book,
But the story remains the same if you'd take a look."
| Books in Songs
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Yazoo (Yaz). Yazoo, known as Yaz in the USA, comprised Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke.
They released two albums in the 1980s, "Upstairs at Eric's" in 82, and "You and Me Both" in 83.
The song in question, "Nobody's Diary", featured on "You and Me Both" and reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, and number one on the US Dance Chart, when it was released as a single.
| The song "(Who Wrote) The Book of Love" has been a hit several times over the years since it was written in the 1950s. It was performed at Woodstock, is referenced in the lyrics of "American Pie", and was even made into a rap version for a film soundtrack.
Can you remember the original artist, who reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958? | Books in Songs
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The Monotones. The Monotones also reached number three on the Billboard R&B Chart with the song, which was written by three of the members of the band.
The Monotones version was also a hit in Australia, whilst in the UK it was a cover by The Mudlarks which had the greatest success when it reached number eight in the Singles Chart in 1958.
The rap version, from the soundtrack of the 1990 film "Book of Love", was by Ben E. King, Bo Diddley and Doug Lazy.
| David Essex, Toyah, and New Model Army have all had UK hit singles with (different) songs with the same title.
Which classic dystopian novel provided the title in question? | Books in Songs
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Brave New World. Toyah had the biggest hit with her song "Brave New World" when it reached number 21 on the UK Singles Charts in 1982.
David Essex made it to number 55 in 1978, and New Model Army got to number 57 in 1985 with their respective "Brave New World" singles.
| The song called "Who Killed Bambi" featured on the album "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle" by the Sex Pistols.
Do you know who actually sang the lead vocal for the album recording? | Books in Songs
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Edward Tudor-Pole. The classic book "Bambi, A Life in the Woods" was written by Austrian Felix Salten in 1923. It was translated into English in 1928 and has never been out of print since.
By the time the record company wanted to release "The Great Rock n Roll Swindle", the Sex Pistols were breaking up, and Johnny Rotten refused to perform. The album was 'cobbled together' using demos and other people, and the singer on "Who Killed Bambi" was actually Ed Tudor-Pole, who later went on to have hits with Tenpole Tudor, and host the UK television show "The Crystal Maze".
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