Weekend Playlist: Poetry in Motion

By Sophie Day in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 8, 2014 6:45PM

Photo via TempusVolat

Poetry, unlike most other forms of writing, suffers a unique image problem. From the time that poetry is first taught in schools, there's an innate sense that poetry is too confusing or rigid or useless, you name it. Great pieces of writing often miss the sort of reach they deserve, simply because we get scared off by poetry. For as long as poetry has been around, there have been a moves to try to increase accessibility.

One way we do this is by working poetry into film. A recent and notable example would be the use of Dylan Thomas' famous "Do not go gentle into that good night" in the new Christopher Nolan film Interstellar. (Skip to 1:44 and you'll hear Michael Caine recite it in all his glory.)

Thomas's poem has been so prevalent in Hollywood that Slate released a compilation video of it being recited in several pieces of film and television this week.

You may have seen another example on our site: the Haymarket Pub and Restaurant is hosting a live reading of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" this weekend.

This weekend's playlist adds to the mix as we share songs that are inspired by and directly quote works of poetry. We have provided a full track list where each song title links to the poem which inspired it. We encourage you to take some time this weekend, as the winter weather creeps closer, to enjoy these songs and read some poetry.

Tracks
"How Beautiful You Are"
"Dying is Fine"
"Apres Moi"
"Let's Not Shit Ourselves"/"Annabel Lee"
"Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes"
"Somebody to Die For"
"Albatross"
"I Should Be Allowed to Think"
"Ion Square"
"Sonnet 43"
"Sweet Afton"