Art in Music -- When Lyrics and Compositions are Inspired by the Visual

Ahhh... art and music -- the two go together so well! Musicians have always found ways to incorporate visual art with their music through disc covers, posters, videos, and merchandise. But what about art in music? Some musicians have more than a passing fancy towards fine art -- some are visual artists themselves, collectors of fine art, or art historians.

Presented today are the first in a series of reviews of music that references the field of visual art in some manner. Today's theme -- "Odes" -- shares a few of the songs that are an homage to specific artworks, artists, or art movements. This is only part one of this theme, and only the first of seven blog posts about the topic of art in music in general!

Nat King Cole -- Mona Lisa

"Do you smile to tempt the lover, Mona Lisa? Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?" coos Nat with his beautiful voice and classic style. This song is a short, but well-done ode to Leonardo da Vinci's mysterious painting of Mona Lisa and to the overall mysteriousness of women.

Peter Gabriel -- Fourteen Black Paintings

This dramatic ode to Mark Rothko's black paintings speaks of the political and internal struggle of humanity. The chilling musical composition, in addition to the simple poetic lyrics are very thought-provoking. "From the pain come the dream, From the dream come the vision, From the vision come the people, From the people come the power, From this power come the change."

The Nields -- Georgia O

With a "Lillith Fair" attitude and folk-rock style, The Nields sing about the songwriter's muse, Georgia O'Keefe. Speaking of a strong emotional connection to an artist long-dead before the songwriter's lifetime, this song reminds me how powerful art is.

King Crimson -- The Night Watch

Opening with a long instrumental intro, the lyrics then provide a detailed description of Rembrandt's style and ideology, perhaps even describing a specific painting (but I haven't yet figured out which one.) Boasting of beautiful violins and guitars, this ode to the artist also gives hopeful to the future through it's lyrics and melodic tune.

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Stay tuned for more "Art in Music" posts...

In researching the musings of various musicians about the topic of visual art, I found songs mentioning including art are somewhat limited in quantity, yet profoundly inspiring and memorable. I chose to sort my findings according to a few common themes and then present a review of each group on the following schedule:

• ODES (Part 1) to specific artworks, artists, or art movements -- June 8 (4 songs)
• LOVE songs, some hopeful and others confused, referencing art -- July 6 (6 songs)
• HUMOROUS songs about art or specific artists -- August 3 (5 songs)
• BIOGRAPHIES of specific artists' lives -- September 7 (3 songs)
• ODES (Part 2) to specific artworks, artists, or art movements -- October 5 (4 songs)
• BALLADS of heartbreak, using art as a metaphor -- November 2 (3 songs)
• REALISTIC narrations of pain, hope, struggle, and life, presented with references to art -- December 7 (5 songs)