Ancient Love Themes in Contemporary Music
(Ancient Text by Lucretius, translated by Martin Ferguson Smith) and Love Will Tear Us Apart (Contemporary Song by Joy Division) ParallelTextLyricsListen Joy Division’s song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” is bitter love song about how love will ruin a relationship. Read More …
(Ancient Text by Catullus, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Contemporary Song by Journey) ParallelTextLyricsListen Catullus and Journey give us a glimpse into the men who are waiting in the wings, just hoping to Read More …
(Ancient Text by Catallus, translated by Bing and Cohen) and Say Goodbye (Contemporary Song by The Dave Matthews Band) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both of these passages are about ephemeral amounts of time between two lovers. In ‘Say Goodbye,’ the time period is Read More …
(Ancient Text by Terrence, translated by Not Available in class text) and Snow Outside (Contemporary Song by The Dave Matthews Band) ParallelTextLyricsListen These two passages resonate with each other in the sense that they are both about a lover giving Read More …
(Ancient Text by Gaius Valerius Catullus, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Breathe Again (Contemporary Song by Sara Bareilles) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both Sara Bareilles and Catullus decide that the best way to escape love to is to leave it Read More …
(Ancient Text by Lucretius, translated by Martin Ferguson Smith) and Crazy (Contemporary Song by Aerosmith) ParallelTextLyricsListen Eoin Sansevero Musical Parallel #2 Lucretius – Aerosmith The explicit nature of Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura was initially surprising to me. I haven’t ever Read More …
(Ancient Text by Theognis of Megara, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and November Rain (Contemporary Song by Guns N’ Roses) ParallelTextLyricsListen Unrequited love is a theme that arises in many of the ancient texts, and honestly, is a Read More …
(Ancient Text by Plato, translated by Alexander Nehamas, Paul Woodruff) and I Melt with You (Contemporary Song by Modern English) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both Plato’s Symposium and “I Melt with You” use the verbiage “melt” to describe two lovers coming together physically, Read More …
(Ancient Text by Apollonius of Rhodes, translated by E.V. Rieu) and Tops (Contemporary Song by Rolling Stones) ParallelTextLyricsListen Both male narrators (Jason and the “I” in the Rolling Songs song) promise their female interlocutors fame, literally by “taking them to Read More …
(Ancient Text by Propertius II.8, translated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen) and Run for your Life (Contemporary Song by Beatles) ParallelTextLyricsListen In Propertius’ poem, the speaker complains about his girl’s infidelity and how awful it is to see her Read More …