Like the way Simon and Garfunkel's Scarborough Fair was originally an tradional English ballad and Steven Wilson's The Unquiet Grave was an old English folk song.
Any other examples?
2007-10-11 14:25:24 · 10 answers · asked by meep meep 7 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music ➔ Rock and Pop
Nandina: Haha... I just read the Highwayman yesterday in english class
2007-10-11 15:02:27 · update #1
Jeff Buckley - The Sky Is A Landfill
Jeff Buckley - Chorpus Christi Carol (based on Medieval Ballad written in 1500s)
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (actually based on a short story he wrote)
2007-10-11 14:57:44 · answer #1 · answered by Dani G 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
There is a song on the new Tangerine Dream album called "The Lakes Of Pontchartrain" which was an old Irish Trad. song. Really good.
"Whiskey In The Jar" started out as an Irish poem I believe also.
Check out Nick Cave's "Murder Ballads" album. Most of those are trad. songs he modernized. Pretty intense but very interesting.
2007-10-11 15:22:29 · answer #2 · answered by Next evolutionary step... 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Serj Tankian Poems
2016-12-14 14:30:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a few:
"As Tears Go By" - Marianne Faithfull. Mick Jagger & Keith Richards reworked an old English madrigal for this song. They also have their own version of it.
"Turn! Turn! Turn!" - The Byrds - The words for this song were taken right out of the Book Of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
"Guantanamera" - The Sandpipers. This was adapted from a poem by Cuban writer Jose Marti.
2007-10-11 14:42:46 · answer #4 · answered by RoVale 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey In the Jar" is a traditional Irish song.
The song "Dink's Song", which has been performed by Bob Dylan and Jeff Buckley (they're the only two I know who did it). Jeff's version is absolutely amazing, check it out if you haven't heard it, it's on the album "Live at Sin-e", which is a really great album.
2007-10-12 06:39:51 · answer #5 · answered by rukrym 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
While not a "rock song", Loreena McKennit took The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes and put it to music.
2007-10-11 14:58:26 · answer #6 · answered by Nandina (Bunny Slipper Goddess) 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Whiskey in the Jar covered by Jerry Garcia Band, Thin Lizzy, & Metallica
2007-10-11 16:01:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Golden Slumbers by the Beatles. It is based on a 17th century poem by Thomas Dekker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m-y6tJbxf0
I think the Beatles based some of their other songs on poems, can't think of any others off the top of my head though.
2007-10-11 15:26:54 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender" was an old tune called "Ora Lee"
2007-10-11 14:52:43 · answer #9 · answered by Experto Credo 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
a lot of the songs by System Of a Down were originally poems written by Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian.
2007-10-11 14:41:37 · answer #10 · answered by anm7902 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋