By Loud Atlas
Long long ago (well, last week) Song Bar welcomed a multitude of nominations on the subject of referencing fairytales. Both well-known and obscure, these tales have influenced the lists below.
“Take a bite of my gingerbread house,” urges Morgen in Welcome To The Void, a tune with several fairytale references. The second part of our psychedelic double comes from Captain Beefheart directing us to follow the Yellow Brick Road, that famous highway to the Emerald City in The Wizard of Oz.
The tale of Little Red Riding Hood is told through the eyes of she in the rouge capot, thanks to The Sham-Ettes in (Hey There) Big Bad Wolf. This song is an answer to another in the B List.
But what of the hopes and dreams that fairy tales promise? Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento has a reference or two (Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty et al.) in Fairy Tale Song (Cade) ('Where Is It').
Gecko gives a playful take on the Rapunzel fairytale, bringing his trademark wit to the long-haired damsel's plight. It certainly opens a hole in the logic of the traditional version!
Whilst on the subject of things needing a cut, XTC present Scissor Man, a take on the German fairytale character Struwwelpeter who severs thumb-sucking children's digits. Grim.
The reality is that Fairy Tales are too good to be true. Take pity on Anita Baker when she discovers what the real world's like. She should have told her mother to put those stories away, perhaps.
A dark and sinister version of Once Upon A Dream provides a different take on the original tune first released for the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty. Lana Del Rey provides the vocals for this song released for the Malificent film of 2014.
On to a lesser-known fairy tale from Africa with Le Reve De L'Oiseau Koto Djime ('The Bird's Dream') by Ba Cissoko. Koto Djime is a bird who adopts a girl who's become lost in the bush and perches her in a tree to keep her safe. Fearing for the girl's safety in the bird's hands (claws?), the villagers go to cut down the tree to save the girl. The tree rights itself as if it hasn't been touched. Curious, eh?
The next tale is perfect for us hip kids: Goldilox & The Three Bears as told by Al "Jazzbo" Collins, an alternate take on that classic fairytale. You'll learn the true meaning of 'après vous' and an important life lesson: always go for the cool bowl.
Based on the Estonian fairy tale The Child Who Came From An Egg, Dotterine tells the story of a child born from a bird's egg in a basket given to a lonely queen by an old woman. Emily Portman provides the a capella vocals.
The Emperor's New Clothes is given a jaunty stylish 90s makeover by Jellyfish in The King Is Half-Undressed. The characters here won't end their relationship for fear of appearing foolish.
Finally – and I really hope you are sitting comfortably for this – we come to the epic of Scheherazade by Renaissance. Scheherazade told stories, as noted in 1001 Nights, of Sinbad the Sailor, enchanted horses and lamp-dwelling genies in order to live another day. Her own tale is perhaps the most astonishing of all.
The Enchanted A-List Playlist:
Morgen - Welcome To The Void (uneasy listening)
Captain Beefheart - Yellow Brick Road (George Boyland)
The Sham-Ettes - (Hey There) Big Bad Wolf (uneasy listening)
Milton Nascimento - Fairy Tale Song (Cade) (Nicko)
Gecko - Rapunzel (ToffeeBoy)
XTC - Scissor Man (ParaMhor)
Anita Baker - Fairy Tales (SongBarLandlord)
Lana Del Rey - Once Upon A Dream (Shoegazer)
Ba Cissoko - Le Reve De L'Oiseau Koto Djime (Nicko)
Al "Jazzbo" Collins - Goldilox & The Three Bears (Nicko)
Emily Portman - Dotterine (Alaric)
Jellyfish - The King Is Half-Undressed (ShivSidecar)
Renaissance - Song of Scheherazade (ToffeeBoy)
The Beautiful and Beastly B-List Playlist:
Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs - Little Red Riding Hood (Suzi)
The Blue Hearts - Cinderella (TarquinSpodd)
John Holt - Ali Baba (ParaMhor)
James Taylor - Never Never Land (magicman)
Ruth B. - Lost Boy (Marconius7)
Miles Davis - Pinnochio (Nilpferd)
Shorty Rogers & Stan Freeburg - Three Little Bops (Isabelle Forshaw)
Danny Kaye - Thumbelina (severin)
Cursive - Dorothy At Forty (Shoegazer)
Jill Freeman - Walking On Glass (Alaric)
John Otway - Rumpelstiltskin (severin)
Sinéad O'Connor - Someday My Prince Will Come (severin)
Ariana Grande & John Legend - Beauty and the Beast (Marconius7)
Guru's Wildcard Picks:
Here are Three Little Tunes (all under three minutes) to end our tale.
The Bee Gees - When The Swallows Fly
Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince provides the inspiration.
Salem Ilese - Mad at Disney
Happy endings shown on screen aren't always attainable. Oh the betrayal!
Javier Navarette - Long, Long, Time Ago
From the 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth, a dark fairy tale set in the aftermath of the Spanish civil war.
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: Cruel to be kind: songs that reference fairytales. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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