Paperback Writer by the Beatles - Definitely not my favorite Beatles song, but it's catchy and about being a writer. Although listening to the lyrics, it seems like the Beatles are kind of making fun of the writer. Here's a video.
Book of Dreams by Suzanne Vega - I just love Suzanne Vega's voice. To some people she is probably considered a one or maybe two hit wonder, but I have all of her albums, and saw her a few years ago in concert at the Emelin Theater, which was fantastic. Here's the video.
Every Day I Write the Book by Elvis Costello - Love the lyrics to this song. Yeah it's a song about love, but great book-related lyrics too. "Chapter One: We didn't really get along. Chapter Two: I think I fell in love with you. You said you'd stand by me in the middle of Chapter Three. But you were up to your old tricks in Chapters Four Five and Six." Here's the video.
Romeo and Juliet by the Indigo Girls - Apparently this is a cover of a Dire Straits song, but I must confess that I didn't know that. Since it is at least partially inspired by Shakespeare, seems very appropriate for a literary playlist! Doesn't seem like there was an official video for this song, but here's the video that comes up when you google it which is just the audio over a still image.
Book of Days by Enya - Who knows what the lyrics to this song are about; I picked it because it has the word "book" in the title. Let's face it, Enya's songs are not about the lyrics, they're about music to chill out to and do yoga or take a nap or something. In college I literally would put Enya's greatest hits CD on if I wanted to lie down and take a nap. Here's the video, which actually shows Enya looking at a book.
Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush - Another song inspired by a literary work, this time "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte. Somehow I have actually never read "Wuthering Heights," but it is number one on my list of classics that I want to read, since I finally read "Pride and Prejudice" last year. This was apparently Kate Bush's first single when I was just a little kid, but I didn't get to know her music until I was much older. Her voice doesn't usually bother me but it is kind of extra annoying in this song. Here's the video.
Hey Jack Kerouac by 10,000 Maniacs - A somewhat obscure 10,000 Maniacs song, but it popped into my head when I was brainstorming ideas for this playlist since Jack Kerouac was obviously a writer. Here's a video from their MTV Unplugged performance.
Virginia Woolf by Indigo Girls - Not just another Indigo Girls song, but a song from the same album as Romeo and Juliet, "Rites of Passage." Apparently they were feeling very intellectual when they wrote that one. (There's also another song on that album called "Galileo," which is one of my all time favorites by them.) This one also doesn't seem to have an official video, but here's a video of the song playing over a picture of the album cover.
Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield - I love this song so much, so I will end my fictitious playlist with it. I liked the song back when it first came out, but when I first heard it again at spin class a few years ago it took on a whole new meaning for me and has become one of my favorite songs to spin to. The lyrics are pretty inspirational, but for me the most resonant, and the most book-related, is "Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten." Here's the video.
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