Grunge Songs Inspired By Books & Authors
‘‘Pilate’’ (1998) and Mikhail Bulgakov, "River of Deceit" (1995) and Kahlil Gibran & Superunknown (1994) and Sylvia Plath
‘‘Pilate’’ (1998) and Mikhail Bulgakov
‘‘Talk of circles and punching out
Looking in drawing circles down
Falling up the south marking ground
Talking out of turn drawing circles downStunned by my own reflection
It's looking back, sees me too clearly
And I swore I'd never go there again
Not unlike a friend that politely drags you down’’
This underrated Pearl Jam track is from Yield (1998) which was the first album in which Eddie Vedder loosened his control over the lyrics. The song was written by bassist Jeff Ament, who wrote it in Seward Park, Seattle taking inspiration from his favourite book of all time-Master and Margarita (1967) by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Bulgakov started the book in 1928 and finished it shortly before his death in 1940. However the manuscript was not published as a book until 1967, in Paris. The story centres around the Master who is writing his novel and his love - Margarita. Also, the Devil - Professor Woland who comes to Moscow and brings death along. This story involves biographical notes from Bulgakov’s life, like the burning of the manuscript (which he did himself in 1930) due to fears of authority and imprisonment. Most of his literary works include biographical stories which is the case with Black Snow, A Young Doctor's Notebook and Morphine.
Some view Woland as a parody of Josef Stalin and his regime. Bulgakov wrote to Stalin multiple times asking to be let out of Soviet Union as he had gained massive criticism from literature critics and was dreaming of being united with his brothers in France. Nikolai (1898-1966) was exiled to Paris and became a notorious bacteriologist, whilst Ivan (1900-1968) was a balalaika player and then taxi driver. However, for Bulgakov travel was constantly denied. If you are interested to find out more about his life and books from his perspective - Manuscripts Don't Burn: Mikhail Bulgakov A Life in Letters and Diaries (1991) tells it all.
On the other hand, some see Master and Margarita being concerned more about subverting atheism in Soviet Union when considering Bulgakov’s Russian Orthodox upbringing and beliefs.
The book was also the inspiration for The Rolling Stones ‘‘Sympathy For The Devil’’(1968). In the history of The Rolling Stones it was the first time that Mick Jagger without the help of Keith Richard wrote a song on his own. On the other hand, Patti Smith’s song ‘‘Banga’’(2012) was inspired by Master and Margarita and also Bulgakov’s other novels Heart of a Dog (1925) and The Fatal Eggs (1925) as the song opens with ‘‘Loyalty rests in the heart of a dog, Don't set all your eggs on the back of a frog’’. Whilst, later the song references the key character in Master and Margarita - Pontius Pilate in ‘‘Loneliness lifts when you open the night, Pilate awaits, as Jesus Christ’’.
Pearl Jam’s ‘‘Pilate’’ also references Pilate. The title of the song references Pontius Pilate- the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea. Not only that but the song repeats ‘‘Like Pilate I have a dog’’. Ament explains that he was inspired particularly by the final scene of Pilate in the book when he is all alone on a mountain with his dog. He confesses that he always had a recurring dream of the same nature and was hit hard by emotion :
“I think ‘Pilate’ was the question I was asking myself, and ‘Low Light’ was the answer, the realization. Have you ever read ‘The Master and Margarita’ [by Mikhail Bulgakov]? I just read that book, and at the end they talk about Pontius Pilate being all alone on a mountain with his dog. He couldn’t sleep and he couldn’t function. It really struck me hard, because at that point I was feeling very alone.
I’ve always had this recurring dream about being old and just me and my dog sitting on the porch. It wasn’t necessarily a sad dream or a premonition, but it did get me to thinking about why Pilate was so alone and freaked out. Then I realized he didn’t get to finish his conversation with Jesus—that’s why he can’t function, because he didn’t tie up the loose ends in his life. Later, I was playing the guitar, and I was hit so hard by this amazing, emotion. In that moment the words “low light” came out, and somehow those were the only words to explain what I was feeling.
It was a kind of gratefulness at finding that place of calm and peace at my center and getting a glimpse of the person I could choose to be. It was the purest happiness that I’ve experienced in a long time, that particular emotion. God, I thought I was going to explode. I feel very lucky to have been able to put it down on tape that morning and work thorough it until it became a song.’’ (Jeff Ament's Army, 1998)
Whilst, ‘‘Pilate’’ is the question, ‘‘Low Light’’ is the answer: ‘‘I’ll find my way from wrong’’.
‘‘Voice goes by
Two birds is what they'll see
Getting lost upon their way
Wind rolls by, low light
Eye sight, low light
I need the light
I'll find my way from wrong, what's real?
The dream I see’’
"River of Deceit" (1995) and Kahlil Gibran
‘‘My pain is self-chosen
At least, so the prophet says
I could either burn
Or cut off my pride and buy some time
A head full of lies is the weight, tied to my waist’’
Pearl Jam’s guitarist Mike McCready plays guitar also in Mad Season. Just as ‘‘Pilate’’ was inspired by a book which is centred around religion, the same situation is with the song "River of Deceit" by Mad Season which was inspired by The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. The book consists of 26 prose poetry fables and it is one of the most translated, and one of the best selling books in history. It has never been out of print. The story centres around the prophet Al Mustafa who is about to board a ship which will carry him home. He is stopped by a group of people and he discusses topics such as life, love, crime, pain, law and the human condition.
Layne Staley was reading it at the time of writing the song, prompting drummer Barret Martin to state that: "Layne Staley felt as though he was on a spiritual mission through his music. Not a rock mission, a spiritual mission." (The Grunge Bible, 2021). In this song, Staley explores his own struggles with addiction and depression and also reveals grunge music’s nihilism and atheism. Mad Season’s song remarks ‘‘My pain is self-chosen, At least, so the prophet says’’ referencing Gibran’s ‘‘On Pain’’ section in the book in which he states: ‘‘Much of your pain is self-chosen’’.
Staley recognizes his pain as a result of his own decisions and actions, however there is scepticism as he concludes ‘‘so the prophet says’’. Thus, not believing entirely in the truth of that statement. Staley’s fronted Alice in Chains use religious imagery in their music however the message always goes back to atheism. For example songs such as ‘‘God Am’’(1995). Thus, "River of Deceit" is not agreeing with The Prophet but just providing a response from Staley and his vision about spiritualism, God and his own life. The song also repeats that ‘‘the river of deceit pulls down, The only direction we flow is down’’. This is referencing Gibran's poem "Fear":
‘‘The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.’’‘‘it’s not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.’’
Whilst, ‘‘Fear’’ discusses the fear of the future and encourages to move forwards and become the ocean, "River of Deceit" does the opposite. It is a pessimistic proclamation of being doomed for death. Whilst also suggesting that religion is deceitful. The same melancholic helplessness expressed in this song common across grunge albums, especially Soundgarden’s Superunknown.
Superunknown (1994) and Sylvia Plath
When writing the songs on Superunknown (1994), Chris Cornell was highly influenced by the poetry and novels of the American author- Sylvia Plath. Plath’s work discusses melancholic themes like death, mental illness and depression. For example, in ‘‘Lazy Lazarus’’ (1965) she discusses her suicide attempts not as failures, but as successful resurrections: ‘‘Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well’’. Her first tragic poem ‘‘I Thought That I Could Not Be Hurt’’ was written when she was 14 years of age and it discusses deep pain.
‘‘I thought that I must surely be impervious to suffering– immune to mental pain or agony’’
‘‘Then, suddenly my world turned gray, and darkness wiped aside my joy. A dull and aching void was left where careless hands had reached out to destroy’’
Pain, suffering, depression and melancholy dominates throughout her work. In fact, "River of Deceit", Plath and Soundgarden’s work all express pain. Specifically, the need to open and extend old traumas and wounds as a coping mechanism and to find some sort of meaning and challenge in life. Likewise, to discuss and reveal the pain through art. For Men’s Health (2006) Cornell revealed that he was depressed for a long time and it had become a comforting state of mind. However, he is not the only one experiencing this and the biggest struggle for him was communicating his struggles:
“I was depressed for a long time,” he said. “If you’re depressed long enough, it’s almost a comfort, a state of mind that you’ve made peace with because you’ve been in it so long. It’s a very selfish world.
Most of the guys I grew up with ended up with the same struggles that I’ve had, which is you have every desire to communicate with your friends, family, with anyone, and absolutely no skill as to how to do it. And male-female relationships require that so much. My experience is you have to allow the expression to come and not be so eager to check it or critique it or be embarrassed by it or shut it down.
I realized that if I can reveal my emotions in the songwriting world, then I can do it in the real world ‘‘(Zimmermann, 2017)
Superunknown is an album which expresses depression as a comfortable state of the mind. For example, the song ‘‘The Day I Tried To Live’’ comments that ‘‘words you say never seem to live up to the ones inside your head’’ and ‘‘the lives we make never seem to ever get us anywhere but dead’’. In such way, questioning the meaning of life as the end result is the same for each of us. Later confessing, ‘‘I woke the same as any other day, you know I should have stayed in bed’’.
However, the root cause of the depressive state and the regret of not staying in bed is due to society. The song criticises the social and political order through sarcasm:
‘‘I woke the same
As any other day except a voice was in my head
It said, "Seize the day
Pull the trigger, drop the blade and watch the rolling heads"The day I tried to live
I stole a thousand beggar's change
And gave it to the rich,
The day I tried to win
I dangled from the power lines
And let the martyrs stretchThe day I tried to live
I wallowed in the blood and mud
With all the other pigs
And I learned that I was a liarThe day I tried to live,
Just like you’’
‘‘I should have stayed in bed’’ and ‘‘I learned that I was a liar’’ suggests that the narrator does not want to participate in this society and if this is the right way to live then he can’t pretend and lie to enjoy it. The whole premise of the album surrounds the criticism of society and humanity, and the inability to escape it. Sylvia Plath in a letter to Edward Cohen on 11 August 1950 expressed ‘‘I am pretty much disgusted with human behaviour most of the time’’. Something to think about the next time you are listening to ‘‘4th of July’’, ‘‘The Day I tried To Live’’ or any other song on Superunknown or any other Soundgarden album in fact.
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Thank you for this article, excellent work!
The Canadian power trio The Tea Party have a song on 2001’s The Interzone Mantras album literally called “The Master and/& Margarita”. It’s quite direct and sung in first person unreliable narrative. The album has never been officially released in the US due to EMI Canada, a then dying label.