Ye Olde Stories & Songs | #Shakespeare400

This weekend the whole world celebrates 400 years of William Shakespeare, one of the world's greatest storytellers. I thought I'd celebrate the Bard in my own small way with a new instalment of Stories & Songs, pairing songs with some of Shakespeare's most famous couples.

Which songs would you pair with Shakespeare's characters?

Romeo and Juliet

from Romeo and Juliet

"C'est la Mort"

The Civil Wars

Let's walk down the road that has no end;

Steal away where only angels tread.

Heaven or hell or somewhere in between,

Cross your heart to take me when you leave,

Don't go.

Please don't go.

Don't go without me.

Desdemona and Othello

from Othello

"What Kind of Man"

Florence + the Machine

And with one kiss

You inspired a fire of devotion

That lasted for twenty years

What kind of man loves like this?

To let me dangle at a cruel angle

Oh my feet don't touch the floor

Sometimes you're half in and then you're half out

But you never close the door

What kind of man loves like this?

What kind of man?

What kind of man loves like this?

What kind of man?

Beatrice and Benedick

from Much Ado About Nothing

"True Love"

P!nk ft. Lily Allen

At the same time, I wanna hug you

I wanna wrap my hands around your neck

You're an asshole but I love you

And you make me so mad I ask myself

Why I'm still here, or where could I go

You're the only love I've ever known

But I hate you, I really hate you,

So much, I think it must be

True love, true love

It must be true love

Nothing else can break my heart like

True love, true love,

It must be true love

No one else can break my heart like you

Stories & Songs #7

I'm back today with another instalment of Stories & Songs - enjoy!

American Vampire, Vol.1

by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King

"Born in the USA"

Bruce Springsteen

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Got in a little hometown jam so they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the yellow man
Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

Ms. Marvel, Vol.1: No Normal

by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona

"Cartoon Heroes"

Aqua

We are what we're supposed to be
Illusions of your fantasy
All dots and lines that speak and say
What we do is what you wish to do

We are the color symphony
We do the things you wanna see
Frame by frame, to the extreme

Our friends are so unreasonable
They do the unpredictable
All dots and lines that speak and say
What we do is what you wish to do

It's all an orchestra of strings
Doin' unbelievable things
Frame by frame, to the extreme
One by one, we're makin' it fun

We are the Cartoon Heroes - oh-oh-oh
We are the ones who're gonna last forever
We came out of a crazy mind - oh-oh-oh
And walked out on a piece of paper

Rat Queens, Vol.1: Sass and Sorcery

by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch

"Bad Girls"

M.I.A.

Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well
Live fast, die young
Bad girls do it well

My chain hits my chest
When I’m banging on the dashboard
My chain hits my chest
When I’m banging on the radio

Get back, get down
Pull me closer if you think you can hang
Hands up, hands tied
Don’t go screaming if I blow you with a bang

Saga, Vol.1

by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

"Out of the Woods"

Taylor Swift

Looking at it now
It all seems so simple
We were lying on your couch
I remember
You took a Polaroid of us
Then discovered (then discovered)
The rest of the world was black and white
But we were in screaming color
And I remember thinking…

Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet?
Good

Stories & Songs #6

I'm back with another installment of Stories & Songs. As always, you can find all the songs mentioned in this playlist!

Where She Went

by Gayle Forman

"Polaroid"

Imagine Dragons

I am a head case
I am the colour of boom
That's never arriving
At you are the opera
Always on time and in tune
And I am the colour of boom

Signal to Noise

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

"Miss Missing You"

Fall Out Boy

Baby, you were my picket fence
I miss missing you now and then
Chlorine kissed summer skin
I miss missing you now and then
Sometimes before it gets better
The darkness gets bigger
The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger
Oh
We’re fading fast
I miss missing you now and then

The Raven Boys

by Maggie Stiefvater

"Don't Carry it All"

The Decemberists

There a wreath of trillium and ivy

Laid upon the body of a boy

Lazy will the loam come from its hiding

Return this quiet searcher to soil

So raise a glass to turnings of the season

And watch it as it arcs towards the sun

And you must bear your neighbour's burden within reason

And your labours will be born when all is done

And nobody, nobody knows

Let the yoke fall from our shoulders

Don't carry it all, don't carry it all

We are all our hands and holders

Beneath this bold and brilliant sun

And this I swear to all, and this I swear to all

Past Perfect

by Leila Sales

"Last Year's Troubles"

Suzanne Vega

Last year's troubles are so old fashioned
The robber on the highway, the pirate on the seas
Maybe it's the clothing that's so entertaining
The earrings and swashbuckling blouses that please

Here we have heroes of times that have passed now
but nobody these days has that kind of chin
Over there the petticoats of ladies of virtue
You can hardly tell them from the petticoats of sin 

American Gods

by Neil Gaiman

"Take Me to Church"

Hozier

If I'm a pagan of the good times
My lover's the sunlight
To keep the Goddess on my side
She demands a sacrifice

Drain the whole sea
Get something shiny
Something meaty for the main course
That's a fine-looking high horse
What you got in the stable?
We've a lot of starving faithful

That looks tasty
That looks plenty
This is hungry work

Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me my deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life

Stories & Songs #5

Today I'm here with another installment of Stories & Songs, and this one is made up entirely of classics and 21st century music!

Gone With the Wind

by Margaret Mitchell

"Blank Space"

Taylor Swift

Nice to meet you

Where you been?

I could show you incredible things:

Magic, madness, heaven, sin

Saw you there and I thought 'oh my god

Look at that face, you look like my next mistake

Love's a game, wanna play?'

New money, suit and tie

I can read you like a magazine

Ain't it funny rumours fly

And I know you heard about me

So hey, let's be friends

I'm dying to see how this one ends

Grab your passport and my hand

I can make the bad guys good for a weekend

So it's gonna be forever

Or it's gonna go down in flames

You can tell me when it's over

If the high was worth the pain

Got a long list of ex-lovers

They'll tell you I'm insane

'Cause you know I love the players

And you love the game

'Cause we're young and we're reckless

We'll take this way too far

It'll leave you breathless

Or with a nasty scar

Got a long list of ex-lovers

They'll tell you I'm insane

But I got a blank space baby

And I'll write your name

Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott

"Unwritten"

Natasha Bedingfield

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined

I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste it

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

Persuasion

by Jane Austen

"Just Give Me a Reason"

P!nk feat. Nate Ruess

I'm sorry I don't understand

Where all of this is coming from

I thought that we were fine

(Oh, we had everything)

Your head is running wild again

My dear we still have everything

And it's all in your mind

(Yeah, but this is happening)

You've been having real bad dreams, oh, oh

You used to lie so close to me, oh, oh

There's nothing more than empty sheets

Between our love, our love

Oh, our love, our love

Just give me a reason

Just a little bit's enough

Just a second we're not broken, just bent

And we can learn to love again

I never stopped

You're still written in the scars on my heart

You're not broken, just bent

And we can learn to love again

The Tenant of Wildfell Fall

by Anne Brontë

"Roar"

Katy Perry

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath

Scared to rock the boat and make a mess

So I sat quietly, agreed politely

I guess that I forgot I had a choice

I let you push me past the breaking point

I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

You held me down, but I got up

Already brushing off the dust

You hear my voice, you hear that sound?

Like thunder gonna shake the ground

You held me down, but I got up

Get ready 'cause I've had enough

I see it all, I see it now

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter

Dancing through the fire

'Cause I am a champion

And you're gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

'Cause I am a champion

And you're gonna hear me roar

Stories & Songs #5 | Twelve Days of Christmas!

I just couldn't let the opportunity for a Christmassy Stories & Songs pass me by! As always, you can find all the songs below in this playlist.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

"All I Want for Christmas is You"

Mariah Carey

Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas

I won't even wish for snow

I'm just gonna keep on waiting

Underneath the mistletoe

I won't make a list and send it

To the North Pole for Saint Nick

I won't even stay awake to

Hear those magic reindeer click

'Cause I just want you hear tonight

Holding on to me so tight

What more can I do?

Baby, all I want for Christmas is you

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

"God Bless Us Everyone"

Andrea Bocelli

To the voices no one hears

We have come to find you

With your laughter and your tears

Goodness, hope and virtue

Father, mother, daughter, son

Each a treasure be

One candle's light dispels the night

Now our eyes can see

Burning brighter than the sun

God bless us everyone

A miracle has just begun

God bless us everyone

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams

by Jenny Colgan

"Stop the Cavalry"

Jona Lewie

Bang, that's another bomb on another town

While Luzar and Jim have tea

If I get home, live to tell the tale

I'll run for all presidencies

If I get elected I'll stop-

I will stop the cavalry

Dub a dub a dum dum

Dub a dub a dum

Dub a dum dum dub a dub

Dub a dub a dum

Dub a dub a dum dum

Dub a dub a dum

Dub a dum dum dub a dub

Dub a dub a dum

Wish I was at home for Christmas

The Winter Witch

by Paula Brackston

"Nos Galan"

John Ceiriog Hughes

Oer yw'r gwr sy'n methu caru,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Hen fynyddoedd anwyl Cymru,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Iddo ef a'u car gynhesaf

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Gwyliau llawen flwydd nesaf,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

I'r helbulus oer yw'r biliau,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Sydd yn dyfod yn y Gwyliau,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Gwrando bregeth mewnun pennill,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Byth na waria fwy na'th ennill,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Oer yw'r eira ar Eryi,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Er fod gwrthban gwlanen arni,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Oer yw'r bobol na ofalan',

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Gwrdd a'u gilydd Ar Nos Galan,

Fa la la la la, la la la la

The Nutcracker

by E. T. A. Hoffman

"Toy Soldier"

Enya

One toy soldier stands alone
With his drum down by his side

One toy soldier on his own
With his drum to keep the time

He keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat so true
He's one small toy for one small boy
But his heart is oh so blue

Who can mend my broken drum
Will it be as good as new

I must play when morning comes
If I don't, what shall I do?

He keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat inside
While children sleep, in dreams so deep
There's a secret he must hide

For he keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat so true
He wants to sing and hopes to bring
Happy Christmas day to you

Da, Da, Da...

He keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat inside
Someone has come to mend his drum
Now his heart lights up with pride

So he keeps the beat of marching feet
He keeps the beat so true
When morning comes, he plays his drum

Happy Christmas Day to you!
Happy Christmas Day to you!
Happy Christmas Day to you!
Happy Christmas Day to you!

Stories & Songs #4 | Sci-Fi Month 2014

Sci-Fi Month continues, and today I thought I'd post a sci-fi only edition of Stories & Songs. As always, you can find all the songs mentioned here in this playlist!

Nineteen Eighty-Four

by George Orwell

"Mad World"

Gary Jules

All around me are familiar faces

Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races

Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses

No expression, no expression

Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow

No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny

I find it kinda sad

The dreams in which I'm dying

Are the best I've ever had

I find it hard to tell you

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It's a very, very mad world, mad world

Obsidian

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"E.T."

Katy Perry

You're so hypnotizing

Could you be the devil?

Could you be an angel?

Your touch magnetizing

Feels like I am floating

Leaves my body glowing

They say: be afraid,

You're not like the others

Futuristic lover

Different DNA

They don't understand you

You're from a whole 'nother world

A different dimension

You open my eyes

And I'm ready to go

Lead me into the light

Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me,

Infect me with your love and

Fill me with your poison

Take me, ta-ta-take me,

Wanna be a victim

Ready for abduction

Boy, you're an alien

Your touch so foreign

It's supernatural

Extraterrestrial

Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

"Make Me a Robot"

Tessa Violet

I don't want to be a human anymore,

I'm done

I don't want to make mistakes anymore,

He's won

I'm too old to change.

Take my heart and I'll restart; please just let me fall apart

You may say it's strange,

But I quit, guess that's it; for a human I'm unfit, so

Make me a robot.

Make me a robot.

Make, make me cold.

Make me a robot.

Make me a robot.

Take, take my soul.

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

"If I Die Young"

The Band Perry

If I die young, bury me in satin

Lay me down on a bed of roses

Sink me in a river at dawn

Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh, uh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother

She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colours, oh,

And life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no,

Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, oh well

I've had just enough time

The Host

by Stephenie Meyer

"Children of the Universe"

Molly Smitten-Downes

Something's stirring in the silence

And it reeks of passive violence

Hold on tight this opportunity we'll take,

Put an end to all this suffering

Before it gets too late

Hope's on the horizon

I'm not giving in

We're children of the universe, don't you know?

Dancing on the edge of time and it's ours to own

Just children of the universe

We're shining like diamonds

With love in our hearts,

They said it's the end but I've a feeling

It might just be the start

As I am awakened with fire in my bones

Standing beside you I've a feeling

That I'll never walk alone