I'm not going to go off on one about losing another hero of my youth. Last year was a bad one, but I think we all have to accept now, this is going to happen with greater frequency as we count down to our own departures. Facts of life, and all that.
Never mind, here's ten songs in tribute to The Elephant Man, Kane, Winston Smith and The War Doctor...
There will be more references to The Elephant Man in this list than any of John Hurt's other films. I'll explain the main reason for that shortly, but there's another reason. The story of John Merrick touched a lot of songwriters and became a metaphor for loneliness, bravery and prejudice.
Released in 1985, Biff Bang Pow!'s song was obviously inspired by John Hurt's starring role in the 1980 film.
From the soundtrack of the movie Scandal, in which Hurt played Stephen Ward, the man who took the rap for the Profumo affair, and ended his own life as a consequence.
Another Elephant Man reference, though Ron and Russell turn it into an ode to teenage insecurity...
Turn out the light, yeah, the light And I might have a chance I guess I look slightly worse Than the Elephant Man Whoa, oh, oh, I wish I looked a little better
Paul Heaton does the same, for a slightly older man. Full of cruel jokes, masking a much deeper sadness. Which is a great metaphor for the pain we cause when we judge others by their outward deformities.
When you feel like London And you look like Hull You think Travolta pulled Newton-John Who did John Hurt pull?
As you might have guessed, The Elephant Man is my favourite John Hurt performance, and not just because it's directed by David Lynch. A lot of actors would have turned this role into caricature; he found real pathos. I cry every time I watch it.
I already did My Top Ten Elephant Songs though, which included two songs called Elephant Man. I skipped those this time for deeper lyrical references,
But Jimmy didn't like his place in this world of ours Where the elephant man broke strong men's necks when he'd had too many pours So sad to see the grieving and the people that I'm leaving And he took the road for god knows in the morning
1. Art Garfunkel - Bright Eyes
And if you don't fill up every time you hear this, you didn't grow up in the 70s.
There's a high wind in the trees A cold sound in the air And nobody ever knows when you go And where do you start? Oh, into the dark
