Edgar Allan Poe vs. Rock Music
© 2009 Taryn Sullivan
One hundred seventy years have passed since the death of famed writer Edgar Allan Poe, and
still his poetry and short stories continue to influence individuals with a passion for the mysterious and
macabre. Those who value dark literature keep the chilling word uttered by the haunting raven alive, or
continue to wonder what it would be like to be buried alive, but they are not the only ones. It shouldn't
be surprising that musical artists use the 19th century writer to their full advantage. In the last decade
rock and roll music has shown quite an interest in Edgar Allan Poe; whether it be dedicating a song to
the legendary writer of darkness, or entwining the well known lines of poetry along with their own
lyrics. A few bands even have the same dark somber feeling surround them that is well associated with
Edgar Allan Poe. It is a well known fact he has interested many generations for over 150 years, yet the
time period he lived in heard classical music; even now poetry is categorized with the classical music
genre, not studded belts and eyeliner. There has to be a secret among these punk musicians as to why
they latched onto such a famous name in literature, and wove his work into their world of loud music
and mosh pits.
Music has definitely changed in the last century, but how could Edgar Allan Poe be such an
influence to rock and roll instead of a genre more fitting to his time period? Could it be rock stars hold
as much appreciation for the first Prince of Darkness as poets and writers? There is also the possibility
he's of no influence at all just a useful tool in the selling of an album or latest song. Something else to
consider is this question - do all rock and roll artists perceive Poe in the same way? In other words do
all bands who use him in their music see him as a literary genius or just another goth? The only way to
answer these questions is to look into some of these bands who at one time or another used Edgar Allan
Poe within their music.
It is best to begin the search by looking at one of the most popular bands in the world, The
Beatles, who in 1967 released an album titled Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. On the cover
of this particular album several famous figures are seen behind the band, among these figures is none
other than Edgar Allan Poe. When asked about the unusual choice in cover during an interview the
band stated they decided to place their heroes on the cover, many questions were asked about the
famous figures and it came they were asked about the famous writer the reply was his romantic and
melancholy attitude interested them. The Beatles were never shy in stating a reason in regards to their
music therefore it is clear even though Edgar Allan Poe was referenced at the end of only one song
titled I Am the Walrus which is centered around a villain in Lewis Carroll's tale Alice Through the
Looking Glass (upon learning The Walrus was the villain John Lennon regretted ever writing the song.
How many of Poe's characters regret their actions? An off note but one to think about) the famous
British band was indeed influenced by the writer.
It wasn't too long after the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band that another
musical group found interest in Edgar Allan Poe. In 1969 a group known as Glass Prism came up with
a project idea that consisted of placing the famous poetry of Edgar Allan Poe to music, something that
had never been done up to that time but along with that idea they had another. The music planned for
the project was called 'psychedelic rock' which had never been heard of before back then. Glass Prism
however, was confident the music idea would work even if there were skeptics, and there were plenty
to be had. After all, what could go wrong with a new form of music next to the poetry of Edgar Allan
Poe? If classical or even rock music had been stated, it might give those awaiting the release of the
album an idea what to expect. The album, titled Poe Through the Glass Prism, became a surprising
success upon release because the band took great care to portray each poem to the listener as Edgar
Allan Poe himself did to the reader. Mixing the sounds of jazz and classical music, along with the use
of a funeral organ; the dark, mysterious and chilling words that Poe wrote over a century earlier were
brought forth. In fact, The Raven made the Billboard top 100 hits. Such dedication to the verses of
Poe would cause one to conclude Glass Prism was greatly impacted by his works but if they were
dedicated fans is still a mystery. Is it possible they saw The Beatles interview with mention of Edgar
Allan Poe and that is the reason for only two years time between the two albums? Glass Prism made a
few more albums but none of them as big a hit as Poe Through the Glass Prism.
Like Glass Prism, many rock bands will come up with a new concept and use the name Edgar
Allan Poe because it will sell. If the name King Tut was placed on a rock and roll album it probably
wouldn't sell very well, or at all depending on how popular the artist is. If the artist is smart and want
to catch the attention of more than just the fan base, use a popular name like Edgar Allan Poe. Another
simple concept used frequently by musical artists is a subject will be used within the musical piece but
the listener is unaware until the artist reveals it, which is what Good Charlotte did when they wrote the
song Bloody Valentine, found on their second album Young and the Hopeless. The song itself deals
with a love triangle, a boy wants to be with a girl but there is an obstacle; the boyfriend that the boy
ends up killing to be with the girl he loves. The lead singer Benji Madden explained the band wanted
to step away from their usual sounding material and the result was a song with “an Edgar Allan Poe
kind of vibe”. Bloody Valentine is centered around the famous story Tell Tale Heart, the lyrics make it
clear as they state “and the headlines read 'a lover died', no tell-tale heart was left to find”. Other
bands like Good Charlotte tend to get tired of their usual sound and search for something different,
others tend to change their sound and subject matter completely, which is what Green Day did in 2004
when they released American Idiot. Unlike their earlier albums, this one told an entire story with
songs like Give Me Novacaine, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and Jesus of Suburbia. There is a
certain song on the album titled St. Jimmy that references Edgar Allan Poe as the lyrics state “...I'm the
patron saint of the denial with an angel face and a taste for suicidal cigarettes and ramen and a little
bag of dope. I am the son of a bitch and Edgar Allan Poe, raised in the city under a halo of lights... ”.
The song makes the point it's bad enough teens are killing themselves why send them overseas just to
get killed, “St. Jimmy” being the one killing off the young people, giving the song a very Edgar Allan
Poe feel. It's unclear if Poe deeply influenced the band in any sort of way; the fact he was referenced
could be just a comparison between his murderous writings to “St. Jimmy”, or the fact that Poe rhymes
with dope. This is just a theory since the band has never mentioned why the song speaks of the 19 th
century writer.
Something also to remember, there are rock bands that take certain elements from Edgar Allan
Poe but in truth he means nothing to the group, in fact it could be they never read any of his works or
have a clue that he is associated with The Raven and Tell Tale Heart. I stated before that the use of the
name Edgar Allan Poe is used as a selling tactic among several bands, one band that comes to mind is a
band from Seattle Washington named Nevermore; those who are avid readers of Poe literature would
immediately recognize the famed word spoken by the raven, causing a man to go mad. The musical
group sees it as just a name for their band. When I myself spoke to one of my brother's bandmates,
who actually attended a Nevermore concert, he explained to me the reason for their choosing of the
name, “They wanted a certain group of people to attend their concerts, that's all it is.”
What about musical artists that are very aware of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories and poetry?
There are quite a few that first studied literature then their interest turned toward music; it is possible
that in the duration of the musical career Edgar Allan Poe was the constant inspiration of the band. A
band which falls in this category is a band from Finland known as HIM (His Infernal Majesty) who has
centered themselves and their music around the writings of Poe with such song titles as Funeral of
Hearts and Join Me in Death. The lead singer, Ville Valo, stated in a 2008 interview that one year the
band found themselves in Finland during the dead of winter; he mentioned the experience as, “dark,
dreary, I grew up in Finland and was used to it...”, to coin the phrase of a well known 19 th century
writer. Fans of this particular band know of Villa Valo's strong interest in Edgar Allan Poe's writings,
and therefore expect to see when attending a HIM concert the famous tattoo upon his shoulder blades
of Edgar Allan Poe's eyes. Ville Valo doesn't talk much about his interest in the dark writer, when
interviewed he expects to talk mainly about the band and the music, not personal life or interests.
However, what is interesting to know is through the interviews he will use Poe references such as the
one above. AFI (A Fire Inside) is another band whose music is greatly influenced by Edgar Allan Poe
because of its dark and chilling tones. One album that is of great interest is Sing the Sorrow for of all
the albums the band has released, this is the one that shows Poe's influence. The haunting song titles
like Silver and Cold, Death of Seasons and The Great Disappointment. One thing to remember about
AFI is they are very secretive and try to stay out of the spotlight, therefore very little is said about their
interest in Edgar Allan Poe or his influence on their band, though they seem to make it clear by way of
their music.
Ville Valo may be greatly inspired beyond his music by the dark 19 th century writer but he is not
the first, a better statement would be the more recent. A well known name in rock and roll is Marilyn
Manson; from the heavy makeup to his unmatched set of eyes, one is left to wonder if possibly he were
trying to pass himself off as the victim in Tell Tale Heart. Through the years Manson has shown Poe's
influence on him by writing such songs as Long Hard Road Out of Hell, The Minute of Decay, Red
Carpet Grave but when he decided to take on another art form it became even more obvious just how
influential Edgar Allan Poe was to the unusual rock and roll artist. In 1997 Manson formed an interest
in watercolor painting though in 2006 during a showing of his artwork a certain piece captured
everyone's eye; Manson had painted a portrait of Edgar Allan Poe. He painted other celebrities but the
famed dark writer caught the attention of everyone at the art show and from then on he was asked in
several interviews how much of an impact Poe had on his life and music.
The dark aura brought forth by Edgar Allan Poe's writings has not only become an interest to
musicians they have gone as far as to surround themselves within that aura; HIM is one example yet
there is an American band from LA California with the same idea in mind. Creature Feature is a duo
that started on Halloween Night and of course with such a beginning it would seem obvious the band
would want their fans to see them as dark, macabre, and ghoulish. In 2007 they released their debut
album The Greatest Show Unearthed, on the album is a song titled Buried Alive; a tribute to Edgar
Allan Poe. The song itself deals with the idea of being buried alive while using several references to
the writings of Edgar Allan Poe within the lyrics that are so carefully placed I even had to read the
lyrics after listening to the song several times. For example they wrote “...Heart under the floorboards,
beats for, Lenore, Nevermore...”, an easy one to figure but there is also “...Well, I'm the man who's used
up, Washed up, Bricked up...”, that reference took me a while then it bothered me when I realized it was
my favorite story, The Cask of Amontillado. All together twenty references are used in the song and
the way they are weaved together, Buried Alive definitely shows how much Edgar Allan Poe means to
this band. Insane Clown Posse is another band who, like Creature Feature, took the writings of Edgar
Allan Poe and placed them within one of their songs; in 1995 the album The Riddle Box was released
with the song titled Ol' Evil Eye. Unlike Buried Alive, Ol' Evil Eye consists of the exact lines from
Edgar Allan Poe's Tell Tale Heart; along the lines of Poe Through the Glass Prism only that uses
poetry and this particular song is using a short story by Poe. When this song was released, Insane
Clown Posse gave full credit for the writing of the song to Edgar Allan Poe. There are many other
songs by this band that are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Ol' Evil Eye is the more popular because of
the fact they did give full credit to Edgar Allan Poe.
The list continues when it comes to bands and musicians who have in one way or another used
Edgar Allan Poe within a song or album, perhaps even centered their tour around him as Britney Spears
did for her 2001 tour Dream Within a Dream. The important thing to remember is not every band is
influenced by the famed writer as many would think; such as the band Nevermore just wanted a certain
group of people to frequent their concerts, thus the reason for using the most famous word penned by
Edgar Allan Poe. Others do embrace his writings and take great care when centering a song around his
works such as Creature Feature's Buried Alive by referencing one of Poe's short stories while
mentioning titles and phrases from his other works, or Poe Through the Glass Prism which took the
poetry of Edgar Allan Poe and carefully placed it with music that made it as chilling for the listener as
the reader.
There is really no answer as to why Edgar Allan Poe has impacted the world of studded belts,
eyeliner, guitars, and loud music. The only logical explanation for the sudden rise of his population
within the rock and roll scene would be the population of dark creatures; vampires, ghosts and other
hellish creatures that have been making a comeback in recent years. If a musical artist's fans demand
music centered around hell and death he is expected to give it, the best place to look is within the
writings of Edgar Allan Poe. It is clear through their music just how much respect these punk
musicians have for the 19th century writer of dark literature; writers and poets aren't the only ones who
can pay their respects to Edgar Allan Poe, after all lyrics are poems put to music. Many artists who
write about the Afterlife, such as Avenged Sevenfold or Aiden, don't seem interested in Edgar Allan Poe
though more than half their songs seem to have a Poe influence, it's possible he's inspired more bands
than we're aware of.