World Poetry Day: How poetry and music are perfectly intertwined

The two artforms are closer than you think, and borrow a lot from each other to become cultural phenomena.  

World Poetry Day: How poetry and music are perfectly intertwined

Poetry and music have been connected for years, with poems often being sung in ancient Greece. The only thing that's changed drastically is the sound of the music that the poetry accompanies. From the modern sound of Yard Act to the nostalgia of Leonard Cohen, lyricism and poetry go hand in hand. Musicians such as David Keenan have also released poetry anthologies alongside their music. 

Arctic Monkeys reworked John Cooper Clarke’s poem ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ to create their smash hit of the same name. Fontaine’s D.C. credited their love of poetry for the creation of the band. On the other hand though, many poets take influence from popular culture to help reach a wider audience.

Songs are, in effect, musical poems. Both tell stories, and most rhyme in some way, so it's impossible for the two not to be connected. Generations of people are exposed to poetry in their everyday lives, making the established link all the more important. Being able to isolate the lyrics from the sound allows us to explore themes and narratives that relate to our own lives and the way we feel –much like poems do. The likes of Adele and Dave have an underlying knowledge of poetry simply because of their songwriting ability.

Poetry runs throughout all of pop culture, from Benjamin Zephaniah starring in Peaky Blinders, to films such as Hopscotch, that are based on poetry in order to create a story on screen. We are all exposed to poetry everyday in one form or another, with its link to music firmly entrenched. This world poetry day, let's celebrate the poems that make us think, and the songs that make us want to sing.

Header Image Credit: Teresa Grau Ros

Author

Faith Martin

Faith Martin Kickstart

Faith worked as a freelance journalist for a year after finishing her studies at Portsmouth College, writing for a number of esteemed publications as well as running her own music blog before joining Voice Magazine as a Kickstart Trainee Journalist. An avid vinyl collector and gig-goer, Faith also campaigns for disability rights and better disabled access at live music events.

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