Snapshots #312: A Top Ten Songs Named After Classic Novels

If you've Rushdie'd here this morning for the answers to yesterdays quiz, I hope it wasn't because you felt like a Salman swimming upstream, trying to work out the connection.

Here are ten songs named after famous novels, straight from your favourite English teacher. You might even call them "iconic", except you'd probably upset C. 

Prepare yourself for some Satantic Verses... and Heavenly choruses, of course.

10. Shot in Sarajevo. 

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in Sarajevo, sparking World War I.

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses

9. You're on your own in court.

You're about to face some Lone Justice!

Lone Justice - The Grapes Of Wrath

8. Clocking off time.

It used to be 5.30. These days, people seem to finish work at all kinds of different times.

5.30! - Catcher In The Rye

7. What time is it, Mr. McGoohan?

What time is it, Mr. Wolf? Patrick time!

Patrick Wolf - To The Lighthouse

6. Found confused in a nerd alley.

"A nerd alley" was an anagram...

Lana Del Rey - Lolita

5. A wee insect.

A midge is a wee insect. 

Midge Ure - Call Of The Wild

4. This is a fiery Topic.

A Topic is a chocolate bar. Fiery is hot.

Hot Chocolate - Emma

3. Stars of the small screen.

Television Personalities - A Picture Of Dorian Gray

2. Ask Rik when he's got himself back together.

"Ask Rik when", put back together in a different order, gives us...

Nik Kershaw - Don Quixote

We had an English teacher who insisted on pronouncing Quixote "kwik-oat". Obviously not a Nik Kershaw fan.

1. Hedge and Thicket.

Bush!

Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights

Let me in your window again next Saturday for more of the same...

The United Kingdom of Song #14: Penzance

We begin our tour around the UK again at the most westerly town in the country, though not (surprisingly) the most southerly. Penzance was the birthplace of actress Thandie Newton and scientist Sir Humphrey Davy, who I vaguely remember from Chemistry lessons. Musically, the only band I could find from Penzance were long-forgotten indie hopefuls Thirteen Senses.

There were, of course, some famous musical pirates from the town... and they crop up in one of the very best Beautiful South songs, The Lure of the Sea.

But Patrick Wolf takes the prize this week... a real class act.

"What a beautiful town!"

I shouted out

Oh, but what a terrifying view

You know I wrestled with my bruised hours

Just to lie there next to you

Deep in the dark heart of the south

Speeding into nowhere