Here you’ll find discussions of the classical connections in songs and other pieces of music. You can join in by sending your own ideas to me via the Contact form!
List of tracks discussed on this page:
Big Brother by David Bowie
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush
The Flight of Icarus by Iron Maiden
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by The Smiths
Don’t Look Back by She and Him
Romeo by Chairlift
I’m the Girl by Heather Nova
Cassiopeia by Joanna Newsom
Siren Song by Bat For Lashes
Trojan Curfew by Stephen Malkmus
Alexander the Great by Iron Maiden
Aphrodite by Thurston Moore
The Ides of March by Iron Maiden
The End by The Doors
Siren by Roxy Music
Big Brother by David Bowie
Reference: Apollo
Level: Overt
Description: David Bowie’s 1974 album Diamond Dogs was inspired by the dystopian fiction of George Orwell’s 1984(as well as Big Brother, discussed here, there is another track on the album called 1984). As the album draws to a close, the penultimate track of the original release has Bowie’s persona begging for ‘steel’, more unreality and less personal freedom. It seems as though Bowie is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome brought on by too many William Gibson novels. It is in the chorus where we are confronted by the anachronistic cry of “someone to claim us, someone to follow, someone to shame us, some brave Apollo…”. In a vision of the future it seems odd to see a Classical god being called upon. However there is some sense in Apollo’s inclusion. Perhaps most obviously, a dystopian future would be a morally corrupt one. A simple way to help a listener imagine this society is to start calling on Pagan gods which automatically creates echoes of un-Christian (and therefore dystopian) behaviour. But the use of Apollo makes this specific deity’s inclusion in the lyrics more interesting. Firstly, Apollo had his own oracle at Delphi where there were two famous inscriptions: “know thyself” and “nothing in excess”. Is Bowie suggesting that such advice is what the future needs? They are certainly sage pieces of advice when dealing with issues today, especially in regards to technology. Perhaps Bowie is also thinking that Apollo could provide the cryptic clues needed for a better life; many who journeyed to Delphi thought he would reveal the guidance that they needed to make life-changing decisions. Secondly, and perhaps most interestingly in the context of Bowie’s chorus plea, is Apollo’s link to the Lydian king Croesus. Croesus tried to invade Persia and was captured by King Cyrus. He was about to be burnt to death until he managed to pique Cyrus’ interest in Solon’s advice. Cyrus decides to free Croesus, inspired by Solon’s wisdom, but it is too late – his pyre is already lit. Croesus then calls out to Apollo, begging him to save him – and miraculously he does! Is Bowie suggesting that we are standing on a fire created by our own hubris and now we need the power of Apollo to save us?
Contributor: David Hogg
Hounds of Love by Kate Bush
Reference: Actaeon
Level: Inferred
Description: Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love seems to be about the fear of falling in love and having to find the strength to handle such an all-consuming emotion. However, the imagery of the hounds chasing the narrator through the forest echoes the myth of Actaeon so strongly that it is impossible to look at the lyrics and not see his presence there and, therefore, what the myth might add to the meaning of the song. In mythology, Actaeon is a huntsman who unwittingly stumbles across the goddess Artemis bathing and is punished for this accidental transgression by being turned into a stag – he is then hunted by his own dogs and is torn to pieces by them in front of his friends. Actaeon is unable to vocalise that it is he, their friend and master who is dying by the jaws of his loyal dogs and in front of their eyes. Kate Bush’s song starts with the line, “It’s in the trees, its coming” and we are immediately made to feel that the singer is under threat; something is pursuing her from within the trees. For Actaeon it was Artemis, who turned the hunter into the hunted; for the narrator of this song, love hunts you and takes away your strength as you become dependent on the love of someone else. Bush sings “Now the hounds of love are hunting” and for Actaeon it must have been a mixture of heartbreak and fear as he was pursued by his own ‘hounds of love’. He would have known their killing capabilities, yet he would have been doubly distraught that they could not recognise their master. Someone who opens their heart to love can expect this same fear as there is always the potential for heartbreak at the hands of the person that you trust the most. The scene set in the song becomes very visceral as the narrator seems to step out of her body and watch herself in real-time with the phrase “Here I go” – an out of body experience which again echoes Actaeon. His human thoughts were still there, but his animal form prevented him from communicating; he would surely have felt disconnected from the body he was in whilst at the same time feeling like a prisoner within and bound to it. When Bush sing “Help me someone, help me please”, it is impossible not to hear Actaeon’s desperate cries that would have been heard as animalistic screams. There is also the idea in this song that Actaeon’s experience taught him empathy. In the line “I found a fox, Caught by dogs, He let me take him in my hands, His little heart, It beats so fast, And I’m ashamed of running away” Bush seems to be suggesting that there have been braver people than her, prepared to face the fate of the hounds and Actaeon too must have had a moment when he realised what it had been like for the animals he had pursued. But perhaps the most telling line in the song is “I’ve always been a coward and never know what’s good for me”; Actaeon has become a symbol for human curiosity – an innate desire to peak through the trees and to see what’s there – even if it is no good for us. It is a conundrum that scientists deal with all the time – just because I can do something, should I? – and Actaeon, if he had his chance again, would still look through those trees. Kate Bush sings at the end of the song, “Do you know what I really need? I need love” and it is clear that despite the dangers and her reservations, she will let the hounds of love chase her, because it is in these moments when we are most worried about pain that we realise just how alive we are. For Actaeon, his life was always about the chase, but it was not until his final moments that he perhaps realised how precious life was, an insight that makes the suffering worthwhile – much like allowing the hounds of love to catch you. After all, it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all… isn’t it?
Contributor: David Hogg
The Flight of Icarus by Iron Maiden
Reference: Icarus
Level: Overt
Description: The Flight of Icarus was the first ever single released by Iron Maiden in the USA and remains their highest charting single in that country. It also did reasonably well in the UK charts, reaching #11. The myth of the Icarus mixed with heavy metal sensibilities is a match made in allegorical heaven. In mythology, Icarus and his father Daedalus are being held as prisoners on the island of Crete. Daedalus is a brilliant inventor (who had previously designed the Labyrinth of the Minotaur) and manages to make a pair of wings for both himself and his son out of wax and feathers so that they can fly away and escape. Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to the sun as the wax will melt and he will plummet to his death, but Icarus does not listen – he flies too close to the sun and plummets to his death. The myth seems to be a warning to all arrogant youths that the older heads are wiser and need to be listened to. However, this is not a message that appeals to teenage fans of heavy metal bands and it appears Icarus has been appropriated by Iron Maiden as a symbol of teenage rebellion encouraged by the vocals to “fly as high as the sun”. The messages in the song are, of course, ambiguous. In the song, Icarus adamantly declares, “In the name of god my father I fly” and seems to be telling the watching crowd that he will do what he wants when he wants. However, we later hear that, “Now his wings turn to ashes to ashes his grave” and his rebellion is brought to an abrupt end by his untimely death. There is also a less ‘rock n roll’ interpretation that this is an anti-drugs song. The symbolism of Icarus within the song allegorically ‘getting high’ is an obvious metaphor. Add to this the story within the lyrics of a young man refusing to listen to the advice of people who may well know what is best for him, leading to his death, and it seems that this song has a definite ‘just say no’ undertone. The songwriter (Bruce Dickinson) has never been a drug user, so rather than being a call to arms to all of his teenage fans to rebel, it is not unthinkable to believe that he was perhaps suggesting a more moderate lifestyle would be better for them.
Contributor: David Hogg
Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by The Smiths
Reference: Caligula
Level: Overt
Description: In Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by The Smiths, Morrissey is clearly unhappy! He seems to chase what he thinks will get him out of the doldrums and when he finds himself sailing along again, he wants to return to his inertia. He wants a job, he finds a job, but he’s still unhappy. He wants to get drunk, he gets drunk, but the hangover makes him unhappy. He’s nice to people that he doesn’t really like thinking this will bring him happiness and it does not. One of the most intriguing lyrics in the song though is, “What she asked of me at the end of the day, Caligula would have blushed”. Caligula has gone down in history as a deeply unpleasant human being. He was meant to have had imperial family rivals killed, tried to make his horse a consul and had intimate relations with his own sister. So when Morrissey sings about Caligula blushing, we begin to wonder what this woman could have suggested; what could possibly make a vile human-being like Caligula feel embarrassment? If Morrissey’s persona in this song followed the pattern of the previous lines, he probably through with whatever it was that would have made Caligula blush and then felt unhappy afterwards. It is worth remembering though that what we know about Caligula is almost entirely written by non-contemporaneous sources – often by sources that would have been actively seeking a debauched angle for their writing because of some personal or political reason. Even the name that we remember Caligula by is a derogatory retro-fit. Caligula roughly translates as ‘little boots’ and was a nickname given to him when he was a child by the Roman soldiers who he was on campaign with. How many people remember that his actual name is Gaius? By comparing himself to Caligula, it could be argued that Morrissey unwittingly foreshadowed his own current tumultuous relationship with his ‘history writers’ (the press). Morrissey has recently stated that he will no longer be giving press interviews after controversial statements about Brexit and #metoo have found him on the end of strong backlashes from the press and the public. Whether Morrissey speaks to the press again or not will ultimately make no difference to what is written and what is remembered about him; Caligula’s salacious story has shown that in the future, somebody’s past always belongs to the person writing about it in the present – and there’s nothing that you can do about it, whether you’re a Roman Emperor or one of the biggest musical icons alive. That is perhaps what could be making Morrissey miserable now.
Contributor: David Hogg
Don’t Look Back by She and Him
Reference: Orpheus and Eurydice
Level: Overt
Description: This song from the 2010 album Volume 2 makes a very beautiful, poignant and sad reference to the myth of the talented poet and musician, Orpheus, and his success in persuading Persephone (Queen of the Underworld) to allow him to bring Eurydice (his wife), back from the dead and its unhappy conclusion.
Orpheus’ wife Eurydice dies at their wedding after being set upon by a satyr and falling into a nest of vipers, suffering a fatal bite. Orpheus discovers her body and in his grief for her plays such sad, mournful songs that all the nymphs and Gods weep. On their advice, Orpheus travels to the Underworld to retrieve his lover. Orpheus’ music softens the hearts of Hades and Persephone and they allow Eurydice to return to Earth with Orpheus – on one condition – Orpheus needs to walk in front of Eurydice and not look back at her until they have both reached the surface. Orpheus sets off with Eurydice following, and, in his anxiety, as soon as he nears the upper world he turns to look at Eurydice, momentarily forgetting the conditions placed on her return. Eurydice vanishes into the Underworld for a second time, but now it is forever.
In She & Him’s song, Zooey Deschanel opens with:
“Orpheus melted the heart of Persephone
But I never had yours
I followed you back to the end of the path
But I never found the door.”
The song essentially seems to be about looking back on the past and trying to move on, even though it will be hard. The singer is perhaps holding onto a love that is not quite there anymore. Perhaps the lovers are in different places, one with their back to the other, but neither are quite prepared to say it is over. The song becomes even more poignant when you consider in the myth that Eurydice did not know Orpheus was not allowed to look back at her. She would have been calling out to him, desperate to see him, hold him and kiss him. Yet, inexplicably, he just keeps moving away. She would have been wondering why he had come back if this was how things were going to be. Anyone who has been in a malfunctioning or dying relationship will know the break-up/make-up pattern that can often prolong the pain until the relationship is eventually put out of its misery. This sentiment can be seen in the song when the lyrics finish with the lines:
“Don’t look back all you’ll ever get
Is the dust from the steps before.”
Check it out if you have not already… beautiful, haunting.
Contributor: Keeley Hickin
Romeo by Chairlift
Reference: Atalanta
Level: Implied
Description: Something of a tomboy, Atalanta grows up in the wilderness after being left to die on a mountaintop by her father, who had hoped for a boy. It is said that she was bear-suckled and became a fierce huntress. She was loved by the hero Meleager who, although he was married, allowed her to join the Calydonian boar hunt (to kill a beast Artemis had sent to trash the land because she was angry at being forgotten during a sacrifice). The inclusion of a female on the hunt raises many objections from other male hunters. It is however Atalanta who draws first blood when she hits the boar with an arrow, whilst many of the male heroes perish trying to kill the beast. Meleager finishes the job and gives the boar’s hide to Atalanta, an act which greatly angers his uncles; in fact, they try to take the hide from her. Meleager then takes revenge on his uncles, which in turn angers his mother, who (in a final turn) kills him.
Chairlift’s song follows Atalanta’s journey after the hunt when she is reunited with her father who wishes for her to be married. She is unwilling, but agrees on the condition that her suitors must compete with her in footraces; they must win the race to win her hand in marriage and if they lose, they die. The suitors all lose until Hippomenes arrives on the scene and with the help of Aphrodite and some golden apples (which he drops on the floor to attract Atalanta, thus slowing her down), he manages to snare her. It is said that Zeus (or his mother) turns Atalanta and Hippomenes into lions when the couple make love in a temple; they are thereafter forbidden to be together. Atalanta had one son but it is not clear whether Meleager or Hippomenes is the father. The lyrics of Chairlift’s song contain clear references to this myth when Caroline Polachek sings “If I win, you’re done with, but if you win, you win my heart”. Other lyrics that point to the myth are, “The only way he can catch me up is to cheat” and “I’m gonna run ‘til you give me a reason to stop, to fall on my knees”, both of which also seem to echo the melancholy of Atlanta’s life. She is an independent woman, outside of the confines of her patriarchal society, yet destined to never be free. Men chase her and push her away in equal measure. They want her, but only on their terms, which is a sentiment also echoed in the allure/repel conundrum of Medusa. Atalanta may not have gotten away in the end, but she started a race which is now ours to finish.
Contributor: Keeley Hickin
I’m the Girl by Heather Nova
Reference: Medusa
Level: Overt
Description: This song by folk singer and songwriter Heather Nova from her 1998 album Siren references Greek mythology’s gorgon monster Medusa in the verse:
And I’m a siren; I’ll wreck you on my shores
And I’m Godiva; I’ll call you back for more
And I’m Medusa; and I’m your favourite doll
And I’m a Georgia O’Keefe
Hanging on your wall
A strong theme of infamous female figures runs through the entire song (Joan of Arc also gets a nod along with heralded/controversial female figures such as Georgia O’Keefe and the mythological sirens), as well as intoning that allwomen are of importance with the mention of the “girl next door”.
The song could simply be a homage to women throughout the ages (“I have a memory a thousand years old”) or it could be an illustration of what ‘woman’ is, has been and continues to be; with the battles they face, how they are persecuted for their beliefs and values, or how they are portrayed in a negative fashion for committing an act that a man would be championed for.
These multi-faceted complications for women are all the more pertinent in today’s culture, and can be traced back to Medusa (who is mentioned several times in this song). Medusa was once a beautiful maiden who was wooed by Poseidon, who she then married. This angered Athena, who cursed her by tinging her skin green, making her eyes bloodshot and giving her snakes for hair. Medusa would turn people to stone by looking at them; she went to dwell in a cave out of sight but Perseus sought her out and beheaded her. Why this happened is another story but what is interesting is that Athena chose to punish Medusa rather than Poseidon! It is also interesting that despite her powers, she was reduced in mythology to a trophy for men to fight over – a difficult woman that needed to be conquered.
The song ends:
“Every ruby-lipped girl baby, old lady, squaw junkie,
Girl after girl after girl, every muse, whore,
Good witch, princess, back arching, year after year after year”
The lyrics reference Medusa’s fate and therefore the lives of all women – women have strong depictions in history but the reasons for the depictions are not always positive; the hypocrisy is that the traits that make these women seem like villains, are the same traits for which men are commended.
Contributor: A Girl
Cassiopeia by Joanna Newsom
Reference: Cassiopeia
Level: Overt
Description: This harp song by Joanna Newsom is quite difficult to interpret, but seems to be linked to the bedroom and a relationship in some way. A simple interpretation of the lyrics appears to be that it is referencing the beauty of sleep (or perhaps insomnia). It possibly also explores the comfort of sleeping next to the one you love and not wishing to leave that haven. However, there are darker interpretations; does the song allude to an abused woman killing her abuser as he sleeps? The song ends with the words “hold your breath and clasp at Cassiopeia”, which seems to be about reaching for or holding onto the magical power of the stars. In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia is the mother of Andromeda and boasts so much about her daughter’s beauty and her own unrivalled beauty that she incurs the wrath of Poseidon. As a punishment, Poseidon sends her to the heavens, chained to her throne. It is from this vantage point that Cassiopeia has to watch the fate of her daughter (Andromeda) who is bound to the sea-rocks as prey for the monster Cetus. Andromeda is saved by Perseus, but Cassiopeia is forced spend the rest of her life circling the Earth, sitting upright for 6 months and upside-down for the other half of the year. The Cassiopeia star constellation imagines the shape of her sitting on this chair. It is interesting Newsom chooses this Greek myth because if the darker analysis of her song is true, it could draw parallels with a woman being persecuted by a man who is irritated by her beauty or womanliness (perhaps jealousy?) and she is at the mercy of his power. Is it not Poseidon who is vain and arrogant to feel he can punish Cassiopeia? If the song is about a destructive relationship, the Cassiopeia inclusion could refer to the person who knows that they with an abusive partner, but cannot leave – like Cassiopeia chained to her throne in the sky and unable to escape her fate. Or perhaps the Cassiopeia in this song deserves her punishment in some way for her vanity and arrogance, Dorian Gray style… Maybe Newsom just referred to Cassiopeia in its constellation context because of its resonance to the heavens and the stars. Whatever the case, please indulge in the sheer poetry of this sweet song!
Contributor: Keeley Hickin
Siren Song by Bat For Lashes
Reference: Sirens
Level: Overt
Description: This song from Bat for Lashes’ 2009 album Two Suns is definitely somewhat of an enigma. The first few verses certainly seem like a ‘modern siren song’ for a not-so-modern man. Natasha Khan sings that, “In the morning I’ll make you breakfast, In the evening I’ll warm the bed, And I’ll always be happy to kiss you, Promise I’ll never get sad” and we are being presented with the ‘ideal woman’, straight from a 50s commercial for soap powder. This is an appealing offer to a ‘modern Odysseus’ who is trying to steer his ship safely through the dangers of hedge-funds and high-cholesterol living. However, just as we think we know what point she is trying to make, the song takes somewhat of an unexpected turn when Khan sings, “Till the siren come calling, calling, It’s driving me evil, evil” and we start to realise that the singer’s persona in this song (named Pearl) is not the siren that lures men to her with promises of a pre-feminist household, but it is in fact she who is the victim of the sirens’ calls. The song challenges the listener’s gender expectations; some will happily go along with the idea that the woman can lure the man – such is his shallowness and slavishness to his base instincts, but Khan is perhaps telling us that women have exactly the same desires, are just as fallible as men and are therefore just as likely to be tempted from their ‘perfect path’. Khan’s lyrics are deliciously ambiguous as she sings at the end of the song, “It won’t be long until you’ll break” and we cannot know if she is talking about the man or the woman in the relationship inevitably succumbing to the temptation of the siren. She finishes with, “Cause I’m evil, ’cause I’m evil” and we are left to ponder what or who the “I” is. Is it the man/woman in the relationship? Desire? Jealousy? Addiction? The song remains poignantly unresolved and as a listener we are free to superimpose what reasoning we like onto the words. It is at this point when we tend to layer our own fears onto the lyrics. And this is what the Siren’s Song does – it lures you towards your own insecurities and therefore, a definite oblivion.
Contributor: David Hogg
Trojan Curfew by Stephen Malkmus
Reference: Troy
Level: Overt
Description: This track appears on the eponymous Stephen Malkmus debut solo album. It was a bittersweet release for me at the time as it signalled the end of my beloved Pavement, but was good enough to assure me that all was not lost. The lyrics to this somewhat puzzling song seem to imagine an ancient time when “Greek gods are communing, Beneath the Doric arch, And they talk how small we humans are”. The Classical references continue with mentions of Agamemnon, a ‘Pyrrhic march’ and sacrifices. This image of Hellenistic gods mulling over life is juxtaposed with the shepherds in the next verse who “herd in real time”; the listener is reminded that there are an infinite number of voices from the Classical world who never had the time to contemplate the insignificance of humans, let alone write down what they thought. The lyrical passing of ‘real slow’ time mirrors the languid music perfectly and when Malkmus states “Troy will prevail”, I almost accept this because I want his world to exist as it seems so relaxed and peaceful. The final verse brings the listener into modern times and the ‘drinking gods’ have been replaced by drunken humans and it seems time may pass, but the pastimes stay the same around the “Doric arch”. People will always have simple conversations about difficult topics over a glass of wine while the the “converging waves” continue to roll, in the same way that they have always done. Perhaps when Malkmus reminds us again that “Trojan curfews prevail”, he’s referring to a Troy that still has a chance to grow out of the infinite time that is still available to history.
Contributor: David Hogg
Alexander the Great by Iron Maiden
Reference: Alexander the Great
Level: Overt
Description: This track from Iron Maiden’s sixth album is essentially a chronological description of Alexander’s empire building. The lyrics come straight from a history text book as we are told his father is called Philip of Macedon, he became king at nineteen, in 334 BC he utterly beat the Persian army and so on. The verses manage to squeeze in references to Darius, Scythians, Egypt, Alexandria, Jaxartes, Arbela, Babylon, Susa, Persepolis, the Gordian knot and the fact that his army would not follow him into India. Not content with summarising the history of Alexander’s military campaigns in just under 9 minutes, lyricist Steve Harris also manages to propose that, “Hellenism he spread far and wide, The Macedonian learned mind, Their culture was a western way of life, He paved the way for Christianity”. The ideas contained in these lines could certainly fill up a ‘Comments’ section (if I had one). Disappointingly there are no references in the song to Hephaestion, Bucephalus or Roxana, but it is still a comprehensive introduction to this historical figure and is a topic unlikely to be tackled by any other musical act so comprehensively any time soon.
Contributor: David Hogg
Aphrodite by Thurston Moore
Reference: Aphrodite
Level: Overt
Description: This is quite clearly a song written by a man in love to the woman that he is in love with; and what could be more complimentary to your loved one than calling her the Goddess of Love and Beauty. And at over 8 minutes, Moore is not embarrassed about highlighting his infatuation to his listeners. In the first verse, the words “pebble cast…” seem to make an reference to the beach where Aphrodite emerged from the sea-foam. The second verse seems to move the description onto the lover as opposed to Aphrodite and the lyrics hint at Hephaestus, “She first saw him there, Irons adorned the mystic sear”, but perhaps there is also an echo of her lover Ares in the line, “Blood and ink blots for you”. I have to admit that I had to try hard to find Classical references in the lyrics – perhaps it is enough to say that Moore has found a goddess for his muse.
Contributor: David Hogg
The Ides of March by Iron Maiden
Reference: Julius Caesar
Level: Overt
Description: There are no lyrics to this song, so my job here is to infer the significance of the title, by surmising why a band would name a track after the day of Julius Caesar’s assassination. This instrumental appeared on Iron Maiden’s second album Killers, a title that links overtly to Brutus and his co-conspirators’ actions. It is the shortest Iron Maiden track ever, which perhaps references the speed of the attack by the killers on the would-be emperorIt is also the last album to include original vocalist Paul Di’Anno before the band sacked him and he was replaced by long-term frontman Bruce Dickinson; perhaps the song is accidentally prophetic. Could the title presciently reference the future of the band’s lead vocalist and the upcoming changes to the line-up by recalling the assassination of Julius (who was followed by a long-term successor in the form of Augustus, just like Dickinson followed Di’Anno)? If so, what else do Iron Maiden’s song titles correctly predict?
Contributor: David Hogg
The End by The Doors
Reference: Oedipus
Level: Implied
Description: This brilliant song on the eponymous debut album from The Doors is an Oedipal nightmare that is anchored to this Sophoclean play so much more than simply “Father… I want to kill you. Mother I want to…”. The lyrics of this opus are steeped with the influence of this great tragedy throughout. At the start of The End Morrison states that he will “never look into your eyes again”, which opens a circle which is nicely closed in the final verse when he sings, “It hurts to set you free… you’ll never follow me…” as he wanders off into the world, blind. Tiresias may even get a nod in the final lines (and perhaps a portion of blame) when he states “the end of laughter and soft lies”. The theme of fate gets acknowledged when we the Lizard Kings states “No safety or surprise” and we are walked towards the location of the narrator’s doom in Thebes when the “desperate land” is mentioned and the singer takes the “strangers hand” (Jocasta?). And just in case you’re still not convinced by my proposal, we are told that “all the children are insane” and we all know what the children of Oedipus did next. Perhaps When the Music’s Over (turn out the lights) is an Antigone-themed sequel that references her sepulchral fate?
Contributor: David Hogg
Siren by Roxy Music
Reference: Sirens
Level: Overt
Description: This 70s classic features Jerry Hall on the album art as the eponymous siren. So the story goes, Hall and Bryan Ferry were not an item at the time of the photo-shoot, but got together during the photography session. It would be satisfying to say that Hall lured Ferry towards her, sirenesque. It would be particularly gratifying because of Ferry’s ‘nautical’ name, which would neatly complete the circle. However, Hall’s biography states that it was actually Ferry who took on the role of siren in this instance. Apparently, Hall struggled to remove the body-paint that she had been covered in for the photo-shoot and Ferry offered to help in its removal. The rest then becomes part of rock history. The opening track, Love is the Drug, suits the iconography of the album art because the allegory of the siren has been used throughout time to explain the inexplicable behaviour of those suffering from the narcotic effects of this stupefying emotion. Several years later, Roxy Music moved away from Classical references and found inspiration in British mythology with their final album, Avalon (the final resting place of King Arthur). There were also no supermodels on the artwork (a Roxy first) which perhaps shows that, as you get older, all you really want to do is stay at home and, when looking back at those bygone days, you realise that there is More Than This.
Contributor: David Hogg
Classical Studies Support 