Into the Forest discussion

I am starting this thread up just for fun!
The other day I had the classic rock station on in my car and and old song from the 60s group Cream ( with Eric Clapton) called "Tales of Brave Ulysses" started playing. It got me thinking about what other songs, be they rock, pop or that have mythic or fairy tale themes. I imagine there would also be many many more both in Classic and folk music.
Besides Tales of Brave Ulysses.
Off the top of my head I can also think of Led Zeppelin's
Battle of the Evermore.

Any thing else?

Carol King's "Tapestry" is definitely fairy tale themed.

I don't have any songs to add right now - my memory isn't as great with music (not much room left after all the movies and books lol) - but I think this is a great thread!

Love this thread. I listen to music all the time but I'm like Leah, I tend to forget the artists I like! So I'm always on the lookout for more music.

Ones that pop in my head immediately are The Decemberists' albums The Crane Wife and The Hazards of Love. Both of these are fairy tale albums.

One of my favorite albums is Rabbit Songs by Hem. These have a very fairy tale, southern mythic feel to them, to me. I really love these songs. Not clearly fairy tale, yet they feel that way.

There's also Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.

That's all I can think of right now. Oh, there's also Celtic bands--like Solas--which do a lot of celtic folklore music.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra wrote an entire album around the Faustian myth (Beethoven's Last Night)

Most of my favorites would be classified as Folk or celtic music. Celtic groups tend to do a lot of traditional songs which tie back into folklore or would qualify as tales/folklore themselves.

I love Solas as well.
Lorena McKennett (sp?) puts several old ballads and other random bits of poetry (including Shakespeare) to music.
Clandestine (a local Scottish group) did a version of Little Red Riding Hood that's fun.

I think I've mentioned S.J. Tucker before - she'd be classified as folk (I think).
She did a 3 part tale about Wendy from Peter Pan - what if she had gotten bored with keeping house for the Lost Boys and joined the pirates instead? (~20 min for the whole thing?)
And she did a couple of albums based around Catherynne Valente's Orphan Tales books.

Margaret wrote: "Love this thread. I listen to music all the time but I'm like Leah, I tend to forget the artists I like! So I'm always on the lookout for more music.

Ones that pop in my head immediately are The D..."

I'd heard of the Decemberists, but never actually heard their music that I know. I'll have to check them out.
Shomeret wrote: "Carol King's "Tapestry" is definitely fairy tale themed."

Until today I never noticed that was was fairy tale themed Shomeret!

It would make sense that a lot of folk music would be myth or fairy tale theme.
There is also Judy Collins The Great Selchkie https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NftvUbQ...
I think Joan Baez did a version of it too.
At the time Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil came out everyone assumed that the Stones must have been into the Devil but the song is inspired by The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The story goes that Marianne Faithful, then Mick Jaggers girlfriend gave them the book ( it's on the Mythic fiction list)

Nice thread.

Love Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Lorena McKennett, and Solas!

Here is an interesting list: http://www.songfacts.com/category-son...

And this one: http://www.swide.com/art-culture/top-...

And there are always the Disney songs to go with the animated films.

Kathy wrote: "Nice thread.

Love Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Lorena McKennett, and Solas!

Here is an interesting list: http://www.songfacts.com/category-son...

And this one: http://ww..."
Kathy that's a great list!

Melanti wrote: "Trans-Siberian Orchestra wrote an entire album around the Faustian myth (Beethoven's Last Night)
You know aside from the famous Christmas song they covered I don't think I've ever heard else from them. They actually played in Ottawa a few years ago. I did not see them, however I was reminded of how good they were.
I'll also have to check them out.

Another song is Donovan's Atlantis
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AUEjzVQwKo

Rush's Xanadu fits the bill. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rush/x...
You've named lots of good tunes here. Nice thread!

Loreena McKennit as others have mentioned does lots of folk and fairy tale themes, as does Blackmore's Night (Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple).

Lots of Rush has this sort of theme: By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Temple of Syrinx, The Trees (goes all the way back to Welsh/Celtic bardic tree battles),

Queen's second album Queen II is packed with fairy tale themes.

Metallica's "Enter Sandman" mentions "off to never never land".

"Rapunzel" by the Dave Matthews Band.

Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" of course :)

"Atlantis" by Donovan.

Tori Amos often uses fairy tale and mythic elements in her songs. Some are:

"Apollo's Frock" - tells the myth of Apollo & Daphne
"Flying Dutchman" - a reference the the ghost ship legend
"Humpty Dumpty" - of nursery rhyme fame
"Merman" - yup, a merman
"Siren" - yup, a siren
"Winter" - name-checks Sleeping Beauty
"Operation Peter Pan" - while actually about the Cuban children sent away from their homes in the early 1960s, it does reference the Peter Pan story
"Pandora's Aquarium" - also references Persephone
"Space Dog" - has a reference to Andromeda
"Yes, Anastasia" - touches on the Anastasia Romanov legend
"Dolphin Song" - mentions a melusine, and the Lady of the Fountain
"Jackie's Strength" - has a nod to Camelot (but is talking about the JFK era, not the Arthurian one)
"Carbon" - references Neil Gaiman's retelling of Snow White, Snow, Glass, Apples.

And there are so many others that have a fairy tale vibe, like "Maids of Elfen-mere," "Ode to Banana King," and "Ruby Through the Looking Glass." And, of course, "A Sorta Fairytale."

Her album "American Doll Posse" draws from Greek mythology and conceptualized around the point of views Artemis, Persephone, Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Dionysus as if they were in modern day.

Tori also draws on her Choctaw Nation heritage in her songwriting ("Wampum Prayer," "Tombigbee," "Home on the Range"). She was brought up a preacher's daughter, and also has lots of Judeo-Christian elements and influence in her songs ("God," "Mary," "Father Lucifer," "Muhammad My Friend," "Devils and Gods," "Mrs. Jesus" etc.)

And I'm sure I've missed a bunch.

Jenna wrote: "Tori Amos often uses fairy tale and mythic elements in her songs. Some are:

"Apollo's Frock" - tells the myth of Apollo & Daphne
"Flying Dutchman" - a reference the the ghost ship legend
"Humpty D..."

Wow that's a lot of songs! Although I know of her, I am not really familiar with her works, but I remember reading Tori Amos was friends with Neil Gaiman and that she often made references to characters from his novels in her songs.

Jalilah wrote: "I remember reading Tori Amos was friends with Neil Gaiman and that she often made references to characters from his novels in her songs."

It's true! Tori was a casual fan of "Sandman" back in 1990, and she referenced Neil on her first album, she sent him her demo, he showed up at one of her gigs, and they've been close friends ever since. He's also the godfather of her daughter - his picture book Blueberry Girl was written for her.

Here's a link to a list of Tori's references to Neil:
http://www.hereinmyhead.com/neil/lyri...

Thanks for pointing out the other Rush songs, Michelle. After listening to them so long, they'd morphed into pure Rush without context for me. So many great artists here... Led Zeppelin, Queen, Lorena McKennett, Dave Matthews Band, Judy Collins... I need to listen to Tori Amos more, every time she comes up she sounds so cool!

Michelle wrote: Lots of Rush has this sort of theme: By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Temple of Syrinx, The Trees (goes all the way back to Welsh/Celtic bardic tree battles),

My brother-n-law is a lifelong Rush fan. I only know their more well-known songs. So it looks like I'll be asking my bro for his CDs.

Leann wrote: I need to listen to Tori Amos more, every time she comes up she sounds so cool!"

Me, too. I don't know why I haven't already.

Gotta tip the hat to some low-brow entries:

Mister Sandman (especially the Chordettes' version)
Little Red Riding Hood (Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs)

And since country music isn't represented, I'll add a few from that genre:
"This Kiss" by Faith Hill has a verse about Cinderella and Snow White
"It's Midnight, Cinderella" by Garth Brooks

There is also Green Jello's/Green Jelly's "Three Little Pigs" song, which is NOT country. :p

Check out folk singers. Child ballads for instance, can be accurate historical accounts with only slight embellishment, but can also be straight fairy tales. "Young Bekie" for instance, is the same type as "The Master Maid."

A little late, but Anita Baker's "Fairy Tales" is a good song.

Kebra wrote: "A little late, but Anita Baker's "Fairy Tales" is a good song."

That was fun to listen to!

I've been listening to the British singer Sam Lee a lot lately; he sings folk ballads. Many of his albums are free on Amazon Prime, if you have it.

Here's one of his music videos on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDQMV...

I liked that video, song, and singer a lot. I'll check out more of his work.

I've just been listening to and enjoying Seanan McGuire's Wicked Girls (scroll down, it's the third CD listed). Most of the songs on there are based on, or derived from, fairy tales -- Red Riding Hood, the Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, the Summer King/Winter Queen, etc. The title track and "The True Story Here" are my favorites.

Keane's "Under The Iron Sea" is full of fairytale references. One of my favorites. :)

Maya wrote: "Keane's "Under The Iron Sea" is full of fairytale references. One of my favorites. :)"

I like that one too! Went through a Keane phase in undergrad.

Heather Dale is another folk singer in the same vein as Loreena McKinnett who writes a lot of songs with fairytale themes. Her earlier CD's are songs about King Arthur sung from different viewpoints. I believe Mordred's Lullaby became fairly popular on Youtube a few years back.

Alicia wrote: "Heather Dale is another folk singer in the same vein as Loreena McKinnett who writes a lot of songs with fairytale themes. Her earlier CD's are songs about King Arthur sung from different viewpoint..."

Thanks for the rec! Enjoying listening to it right now. :)

Wow, I had never heard of Heather Dale, but her music is lovely, and I love Arthurian stuff!! Looking forward to exploring more. Thank you!!

I ran across her a few years back and fell in love with her blend of storytelling and songs. I'm glad you guys like her too!

Hi to all of you. In case you're still interested in folk/rock music, Greek Mythology, Ireland Legends, Fairy Tales etc. you could have a look at my blog here: https://musicoversixcenturies.blogspo...
It's in my language but there's a lot of songs. Well i don't know if this is allowed, so forgive me if I did something wrong!

Bastille has a song called >Icarus. References the greek myth.

And Daniel in the Den by Bastille is an old Bible story.

Billy wrote: "Hi to all of you. In case you're still interested in folk/rock music, Greek Mythology, Ireland Legends, Fairy Tales etc. you could have a look at my blog here: https://musicoversixcenturies.blogspo..."

Thank you Billy! You are allowed to post links! Also, the threads stay open so it's never to late post here.
I think for most of us here, our interest is on going!

Thank you so much Lila! It's a very interesting and unusual thread indeed! I've devoted my life to the music, so my updates are uploaded in my new blog. Again thank you and greetings from Greece.

Billy wrote: "Thank you so much Lila! It's a very interesting and unusual thread indeed! I've devoted my life to the music, so my updates are uploaded in my new blog. Again thank you and greetings from Greece."

Greetings from Poland :)

You might find the songs below interesting (Links to youtube):

Swedish [subs are translated to English]:
Garmarna - Herr Mannelig [Troll girl proposes to a Christian man]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2kc5...
Garmarna - Herr Olof [The drowning knight meets a mermaid]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgg8r...
Garmarna - Varulven [Mediaval ballad in metal arrangement. What happens when you fall in love with a werewolf]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX0b3...

Polish:
Budka Suflera - Martwe Morze [Dead Sea - mentions Ouroboros]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqPwj...
Budka Suflera - Wieża Babel (The new Tower of Babel]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKkcz...
Anna German - Tańczące Eurydyki [Dancing Eurydices]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gymRA...

Edit: corrected typos, and swapped a single link for the one with better performance

Much appreciated Asaria! Thanks for share it!

Asaria wrote: "Billy wrote: "Thank you so much Lila! It's a very interesting and unusual thread indeed! I've devoted my life to the music, so my updates are uploaded in my new blog. Again thank you and greetings ..."

Billy wrote: "Thank you so much Lila! It's a very interesting and unusual thread indeed! I've devoted my life to the music, so my updates are uploaded in my new blog. Again thank you and greetings from Greece."


Wow! This is great! Thank you for your contributions Asaria and Billy!

Here's a thread I never knew I needed! Thank you everyone for posting such a wide variety. I love it!

I've got a few for now... back with more, I am sure. These are some of my favorite songs ever. I hope you enjoy them!

1) Witch of the Westmoreland - Stan Rogers
Original song by Archie Fisher, in the style of a medieval ballad. Stan Rogers' version is my favorite.

2) The Enchantment - Sheila Chandra
Based on the song, Reynardine, which is a traditional English ballad about a were-fox. Chandra's style is one of a kind.

3) The Kingdom - Jesca Hoop
A gorgeous and unusual song about ghosts and war.

4) Uncle Earl - Willie Taylor
Folk song about the surprisingly common story of a woman disguised as a man, going to sea.
See also:

5) In London So Fair - Susan McKeown
McKeown's entire album "Bushes & Briars" is just stellar. If you love smokey-voiced Celtic women, whom I do.

6) Dreadful Wind And Rain - Jerry Garcia & David Grisman
Folk song about a singing harp, made from a murder victim's bones.
See also:

7) The Bonny Swans - Loreena McKennitt

8) Woman King - Iron & Wine
An early song by Iron & Wine, similar theme to the King Arthur myths. In general, Iron & Wine songs have a biblical theme, and all of them are gorgeous.

9) Peter - Daughter
Heartbreaking song from Tiger Lily's point of view, about Peter Pan.

10) The Snake - Mediaeval Baebes
Multi-part harmony! Cautionary parable about kindness, the moral of which is "no good deed goes unpunished."

Bonus Round:
A modern ballad of a tragic romance:
1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson

A carefree sailor gets the last word:
Saucy Sailor - The Wailin Jennys

Thank you so much! All songs are awesome! Wow for Stan's music. A representative of Canada's culture. Guess you read Farley Mowat's
literature too. Again thanks!

Billy wrote: "Thank you so much! All songs are awesome! Wow for Stan's music. A representative of Canada's culture. Guess you read Farley Mowat's
literature too. Again thanks!"

Of course I've read Farley Mowat. I love him!

Lila wrote: "Wow! This is great! Thank you for your contributions Asaria and Billy! "

Billy wrote: "Much appreciated Asaria! Thanks for share it!"

You're welcome :)

Vaelkyrja wrote: "Here's a thread I never knew I needed! Thank you everyone for posting such a wide variety. I love it!

I've got a few for now... back with more, I am sure. These are some of my favorite songs ever...."

Folk music is one of the best things I ever discovered :). I just adore Loreena McKennitt. Oh, and celtic music is soo beautiful

France:
Alan Stivell -The king of fairies [instrumental]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTJ-5...
Cecile Corbel - La fille damnee [the dead girl turns herself into horse to reveal she was disgraced (raped?) by a knight to her father
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPCXF...

Perfection! Thanks for sharing Asaria! Alan Stivell was a pioneer, introducing or better reviving Celtic music to the world and did it so good. Check out these two songs in my best versions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2zIL...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6sdd...

Billy wrote: "Perfection! Thanks for sharing Asaria! Alan Stivell was a pioneer, introducing or better reviving Celtic music to the world and did it so good. Check out these two songs in my best versions:

https..."
Alan Stivell is well known to me, after all I was introduced to his work via "Tri martolod" and "Brian Boru".

Thanks for your recommendations.
Fear a Bhata is my pick :) . Charming voice and melancholic tone. Also a bit heartwrenching. I like the arrange in "Young Waters"

I'd love to share more from my corner of the world, sadly mythologic and fairy tale themes aren't very common here. Of course there are folk singing groups like Percival, Orkiestra św. Mikołaja or national ensembles like Śląsk and Mazowsze, just their sound isn't everyone's cup of tea (and lyrics have nothing in common with mythology)

But angelic voice of Bulgarian Nelie Andreeva is something to be heard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNk-B... [Sorry for venturing off topic]

Perfect voice indeed! Thank you, again Asaria! :-)

Here's a few I haven't seen in this discussion:

Kate Bush - The Red Shoes (great video on Youtube)

Pink Floyd - Matilda Mother from the Fairy Tale named album Piper at The Gates of Dawn

Adam Ant - Puss 'n Boots, Prince Charming

The Dagons - Changeling, Witches' Ball, Poison Comb, Las Sirenas, Circe's Island

Shocking Blue - Venus

Here are some of mine....

Lisa Hannigan- Song of the Sea

Nightwish- Storytime, Scaretale, Planet Hell, Amaranth, Nemo, Sleeping Sun, Ghost Love Score, Dark Chest of Wonder, Wishmaster, 10th Man Down, The Poet and the Pendulum, Bless the Child, Élan, Meadows of Heaven

Tarja- I Walk Alone

Priscilla, could you elaborate a bit on the Nightwish songs? I'm familiar with several of these and while they do have fantasy elements I don't remember fairy tale or mythic components. Would be curious to know what connections you see!

I mentioned Pink Floyd "Matilda Mother" - just wanted to share some lyrics from this song:

"Across the stream with wooden shoes
With bells to tell the king the news
A thousand misty riders climb up
Higher once upon a time
Wandering and dreaming
The words have different meaning

For all the time spent in that room
The doll's house, darkness, old perfume
And fairy stories held me high on
Clouds of sunlight floating by
Oh mother, tell me more
Tell me more"

John Barleycorn--Traffic
Moon Over Bourbon Street--Sting
Seven Chinese Brothers--REM
Swan, Swan H--REM
Year of The Cat--Al Stewart
Warewolves of London--Zevon

I've been listening to Rhiannon Giddens lately. She sings African American folk songs, and has an absolutely lovely voice. And it fits in with our theme this month!

One of her songs, Julie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYuqn...

Margaret wrote: "I've been listening to Rhiannon Giddens lately. She sings African American folk songs, and has an absolutely lovely voice. And it fits in with our theme this month!

One of her songs, Julie: https..."
Thanks for sharing. She seems to be a very gifted singer :)