Edgar Allan Poe and Music - Popular Music

Popular Music

• Frankie Laine recorded a version of Annabel Lee in 1957, which was adapted from Poe's poem by Vic Corpora and Albert Lerner.

• Jim Reeves recorded "Annabel Lee" in 1963 for an album of poems called Talkin' To Your Heart.

• The American folk and protest singer Phil Ochs set Poe's poem "The Bells" to music on his debut album, All the News That's Fit to Sing, in 1964.

• Bob Dylan's 1965 song "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" makes reference to "Rue Morgue Avenue".

• Poe's final poem "Annabel Lee" was set to music by composer Don Dilworth, and was recorded by Joan Baez as part of her 1967 album Joan, as well as by Spanish pop band Radio Futura, and Israeli singer Shlomo Artzi in 1972.

• When the Beatles compiled images of their heroes for the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967, one of the most recognizable faces was that of Poe, in the center of the top row. In the same year, John Lennon wrote his famous nonsensical work "I Am the Walrus", which contained the lines, "Elementary penguin singing Hari Krishna/Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe."

• In 1969, RCA records released "Poe Through the Glass Prism", a concept album in which all the songs featured the words of Edgar Allan Poe set to psychedelic rock. The Glass Prism, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, had a Billboard top 100 hit with "The Raven".

• In 1976, the British art rock group the Alan Parsons Project released a full album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, based on Poe's stories and poems. Opening with an instrumental named for Poe's poem "A Dream Within a Dream", the album features songs based on "The Raven", "The Cask of Amontillado", "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" (which was a Top 40 hit) and "To One in Paradise", as well as a five-part rock symphony called "The Fall of the House of Usher". Producer and engineer Alan Parsons released a remixed version of the album in 1987, featuring narration by Orson Welles; executive producer Eric Woolfson revisited the concept in a 2003 stage musical .
  Also, in their 1980 album The Turn of a Friendly Card, there is an instrumental song called "The Gold Bug".

• The Deathrock band Voodoo Church wrote a song for their eponymous 1982 EP called "Second Death", which incorporates several lines from "The Black Cat" into the lyrics.

• The song "Allan" by French singer Mylène Farmer from her album Ainsi Soit Je... (1988) is dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe.

• The American rock band the Smithereens released a song called "William Wilson", based on the Poe story of the same name, on their 1989 album 11.

• American ska punk band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies released a song called "Teenage Brainsurgeon" which referenced A Descent into the Maelström and The Imp of the Perverse among other works of horror on their 1990 album Ferociously Stoned.

• Peter Hammill of Van der Graaf Generator released an operatic version of "The Fall of the House of Usher" in 1991. A remixed and re-recorded version was released in 1999.

• Tool featured the lyrics "seems like I'm slipping into a dream within a dream" in the song "Sweat" on their 1992 album Opiate.

• Blues Traveler featured the lyrics, "Once upon a midnight dreary", (from "The Raven") in their 1994 hit "Run-Around".

• Cuban musician Silvio Rodríguez has several songs on Poe, including "Trova de Edgardo" (1992), on the album Silvio.

• A Québécois artist Jean Leloup (Jean Leclerc) has a song Edgar depicting humorously Edgar Allan Poe on the album Le Dôme (1996).

• The tribute album Closed on Account of Rabies was released in 1997, with musicians and actors such as Jeff Buckley and Christopher Walken reading Poe's works with background music.

• Avant-garde Metal band Arcturus have a song on the album La Masquerade Infernale (1997) called "Alone" incorporating the full, unaltered text of Poe's poem "Alone".P

• Pop-punk band, then known as, A New Found Glory featured a song named "Tell-Tale Heart" on their 1999 album Nothing Gold Can Stay.

• The band Odes Of Ecstasy on their second album Deceitful Melody (2000) incorporates the full text of "The Conqueror Worm" under the title of "Abstract Thoughts."

• Pop singer Britney Spears named her 2001-2002 concert tour Dream Within a Dream, incorporating lines from that poem (and other Poe works) into her show.

• The post-hardcore band Thrice has a song "The Red Death" on their album The Illusion of Safety (2002) which in style and plot refers to the short story "The Masque of the Red Death".

• The band Cinema Strange perform a song called "Legs and Tarpaulin" on their 2002 album The Astonished Eyes of Evening, dramatizing the plot of Poe's "King Pest"

• Lou Reed released a double CD concept album called The Raven in 2003 that featured a number of musical and spoken-word interpretations of Poe, with guest appearances from various actors, including Steve Buscemi and Willem Dafoe.

• Five Iron Frenzy's song "That's How The Story Ends" has several quotes from "The Raven" incorporated into it. It was released on their album The End Is Near (2003).

• He was mentioned in the song "St. Jimmy" by Green Day on the album American Idiot (2004). The lyric says, "I am the son of a bitch and Edgar Allan Poe, raised in the city in the halo of lights."

• MC Lars heavily refers to "The Raven" in his song "Mr. Raven" on his album The Laptop EP (2004). The song includes the words, "We got EAP in the house tonight, Edgar Allan Poe. America's favorite anti-transcendentalist." He continues to refer to "The Raven" throughout.

• The song "The Casket of Roderick Usher" by Finch references the character from "The Fall of the House of Usher" on the album Say Hello to Sunshine (2005) and the song "Reduced to Teeth" would appear to be a reference to "Berenice."

• Scarlet's Well's fifth album Black Tulip Wings (2006) features musical settings of "To One In Paradise" and "Evening Star".

• The Electronic Alternative Rock solo music project Latent Anxiety by Ilja Rosendahl based the song Red Death from the album Sensation (2007) upon Poe's " The Masque of the Red Death".

• The L.A. Goth Rock duo Creature Feature wrote the song "Buried Alive" about Poe, released in 2007. The song contains over 20 references to Poe's work and life. Works named include "A Dream Within a Dream", "The City in the Sea", "The Valley of Unrest", "Loss of Breath", "The Premature Burial", "The Oblong Box", "Never Bet the Devil Your Head", and many others.

• The White Stripes, a Garage Rock duo from Detroit, references Poe's short story, "The Masque of the Red Death", with their single titled "Red Death at 6:14".

• Finnish goth-metal singer Ville Valo of the band HIM frequently cites Poe's work as the inspiration for many of his lyrics, even sporting a tattoo of Poe's eyes on his back.

• The Raveness An English Poet and composer Siân Húlme takes her name from the poet and gave it a feminine term, She has stated Poe to be her greatest influence alongside Baudelaire his contemporary counterpart and She dedicates her style to Poe, whom she feels she can relate through event's in her life and her debut album Of Blood and Absinthe (2012) Features two Poe readings; "The Valley of unrest" and "A dream within a dream" bought to life through poetic song. The album also features a "Letter" to Poe and Baudelaire written in poetic verse. Another song on the album written by the young poet about serial killer Vera Renczi was also inspired by Edgar's "The Tell Tale Heart". In dedication to the poet; The artwork to the album also features Poe above a poets quill pen. A Tale of bedlam one of The Raveness most popular songs also concludes with Poe's infamous "Quoth the raven, Nevermore".

• Marilyn Manson has been quoted saying that some of his inspiration for his music and art comes from Edgar Allan Poe's works, and has even painted a portrait of Poe.

• Nox Arcana, an American gothic instrumental duo, pays homage to all of Poe's literary works with their 2007 album Shadow of the Raven.

• Several heavy metal bands have made reference to Poe in their recordings. Iron Maiden recorded a song titled "Murders in the Rue Morgue" for their second album, 1981's Killers. Grave Digger's 2001 album The Grave Digger is dedicated to Poe, and some of Poe's works, including "The Raven" and "Fall of the House of Usher" are the basis of a number of songs. Progressive/thrash metal band Nevermore takes its name from "The Raven". Other Metal bands that wrote songs inspired by Poe are: Agathodaimon, Annihilator, Crimson Glory, Ra's Dawn, Manilla Road, Donor, Hawaii, Rage, Metal Church and Stormwitch

• Gothic Metal band Tristania have a song called "My Lost Lenore." The song refers to "her raven eyes" and ends similarly to the poem "The Raven", still mourning his lost Lenore.

• The neocelt band Omnia has set "The Raven" to music on their 2007 CD Alive!.

• Swedish neo-glam rock band The Ark's album Prayer for the Weekend's fourth track, "Little Disfunk You," claims the singer will be the "Murder in the Rue Morgue you're trying to solve," among other auspicious roles, including "mother" and "savior," that he hopes to play for the song's apparently emotionally repressed and sexually confused target.

• The song "The Poet and the Pendulum" by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish is partly inspired by Poe's short story "The Pit and the Pendulum." Poe is one of the favorite writers of the band's leader, Tuomas Holopainen.

• Voltaire's song "Graveyard Picnic" is dedicated to Poe, and includes in the lyrics references to Poe's works, such as The Conqueror Worm, Lenore, Annabel Lee, and The Tell-Tale Heart, as well as mentioning Poe by name.

• The post-hardcore band Chiodos cites Poe as one of their inspirations for lyrics from their third CD, entitled Bone Pallace Ballet.

• Michael Romeo from Symphony X recorded an instrumental album called The Dark Chapter where has several songs inspired from Edgar Allan Poe including "The Cask of Amontillado", "The Premature Burial", and "The Masque of the Red Death". Symphony X would later include a reference to Poe's A Dream Within A Dream in the song "Through the Looking Glass" from the album Twilight in Olympus.

• Italian rocknoir band Belladonna regards Poe as their main inspiration and have included a line from Ligeia in the booklet of their debut album, entitled Metaphysical Attraction.

• The Christian heavy metal band Tourniquet wrote their song "Tell-Tale Heart" entirely as a tribute to Poe and have said that his works have inspired them throughout their tenure. The band also used a line from the story, "The Masque of the Red Death" in their song "Vanishing Lessons", from the album of the same title.

• The thrash metal band Annihilator dedicated one song to Poe's short tale "Ligeia" in their debut album Alice in Hell (1989)
• Utada Hikaru in her early career wrote her song "Kremlin Dusk" about Poe's poem "The Raven".
• German Ambient Doomrock band The Ocean used "The City in the Sea" as lyrics, only swapping a few lines to fit rhythmical patterns of the song. It was used both due to the band's love of Poe, and the themes common to both poem and band.
• The indie rock band Draught did a version of "Annabel Lee"

• The blues/rock band, The Yardbirds, adapted The second stanza (and a portion of the first) of Poe's "Dream within a Dream" to music.

• The steampunk band Abney Park refer briefly to Poe in "The Secret Life of Dr. Calgori" on their 2008 album Lost Horizons.

• Musician Jered Gallagher released the CD Outis in 2009 in which the words from eight of Poe's poems are sung over eight of Beethoven's works arranged and performed with modern instruments.

• The Argentinian band Soda Stereo made a song called "Corazón Delator" from Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart".

• Greek-Cypriot songwriter and singer Alkinoos Ioannidis has written a song entitled "Edgar Allan Poe", recorded in the album O Dromos, O Hronos Kai O Ponos.

• Buddy Morrow and His Orchestra recorded an album of songs based on Poe's work. The album, Poe for Moderns, was recorded by the jazz ensemble at Webster Hall in New York in 1960 and includes the following tracks: "The Murders In The Rue Morgue", "Annabel Lee", "The Gold Bug", "A Descent Into The Maelstrom", "The Bells", "The Fall Of The House Of Usher", "The Pit And The Pendulum", "Ulalume", "The Black Cat", "The Raven", and "Quoth The Raven/The Tell-Tale Heart."

• In the West End musical, Snoopy!!! The Musical, a musical number in act one is titled "Edgar Allan Poe". In the song, some characters are worried that their teacher is going to ask them something about Edgar Allan Poe, who they know nothing about, while other characters list facts and titles by Poe.

• Other bands or musicians that have recorded songs inspired by Poe or using lyrics by Poe include Belladonna, Blues Traveler, Bright Eyes, Green Carnation (in the song "Alone"), Good Charlotte, Tourniquet, Mr. Bungle, The Crüxshadows, Roses Never Fade, Cradle of Filth, Team Sleep, Utada Hikaru, Elysian Fields, The Smithereens, Symphony X, Rozz Williams, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Tiger Army, Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows, Overlord, Insane Clown Posse, Antony and the Johnsons, Marissa Nadler, Lloyd Cole, Panic at the Disco, Propaganda, Michael Hurley, AFI, Dredg, and MC Lars.

• The album The Emptiness by Alesana is heavily influenced by the poem "Annabel Lee". In the album, the lead character had a lover named Annabel Lee, who was murdered before the first track starts, and the track name "In Her Tomb by the Sounding Sea" is the last line of the poem.

• The Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan, in his song, "Lord Helpy My Poor Soul", sings the lines "Lord help my poor soul, I'm down like Edgar Poe".

• The British extreme metal band, Cradle of Filth released an album in 2004, named Nymphetamine. It is heavily influenced and based upon Edgar Allan Poe and his works.

• The 2010 concept album Poe by Spanish power metal band Opera Magna revolves entirely around some of the most famous of Poe's works.

• The band Glass Wave included a song on their 2010 album entitled Annabel Lee, in reference to Poe's last complete poem.

• The album Dying Is Your Latest Fashion by Escape the Fate makes many references to Poe's short stories, specifically in the song "When I Go Out I Want to Go Out in a Chariot of Fire" the singer, Ronnie Radke, says "your heart beats under the floor" in reference to Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart".

• The video for the 30 Seconds to Mars song "Hurricane" ends with the lines from Poe's poem "Raven": "Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before".

• A production of Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart, and The Bells, using Poe's complete text, with music and additional songs by Christopher Reiner, was performed off-Broadway by Zombie Joe's Underground Theatre Group at St. Luke's Theatre in August and September 2008.

• In late 2010, electronic group Tangerine Dream recorded an album titled Edgar Allan Poe's The Island of the Fay, which was released via online shops on March 18, 2011. The album was recorded by Edgar Froese and Thorsten Quaeschning, and introduces a guest electric violinist. The short story which the album is based upon, "The Island of the Fay", will be included in the album's liner notes.

• The American death metal band Conducting from the Grave based the lyrics to its song "Nevermore" off of Poe's poem "The Raven".

• Trevor Tanner, via Emperor Penguin Recordings, released an Apple iTunes, Digital 45, entitled "The Ballad Of Edgar Allan Poe" on July 13, 2011.

• In 1984, the group Propaganda recited the poem A Dream Within A Dream as the designated lyrics for a song by the same name.

• Classically trained American organist/composer/vocalist Kristen Lawrence created a musical setting to mirror Poe's rhythm and mood for the 18 verses of "The Raven" in her 2012 album, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven." This music was used during the National Endowment for the Arts THE BIG READ: Shades of Poe in San Diego, California, a program designed to encourage and inspire the community through stories, music, authors, art, poetry, film, actors and dance to read the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

• The song "From Childhood's Hour" from Norwegian progressive metal band Circus Maximus is based on Poe's poem "Alone". Most parts of the lyrics are nearly identical to the poem itself.

• Stevie Nicks recorded Annabel Lee on her 2011 album In Your Dreams

• The Raveness An English Poet and composer Siân Húlme takes her name from the poet and gave it a feminine term, She has stated Poe to be her greatest influence alongside Baudelaire his contemporary counterpart and She dedicates her style to Poe, whom she feels she can relate through event's in her life and her debut album Of Blood and Absinthe (2012) Features two Poe readings; "The Valley of unrest" and "A dream within a dream" bought to life through poetic song. The album also features a "Letter" to Poe and Baudelaire written in poetic verse. Another song on the album written by the young poet about serial killer Vera Renczi was also inspired by Edgar's "The Tell Tale Heart". In dedication to the poet; The artwork to the album also features Poe above a poets quill pen.