Icarus imagery in contemporary popular music

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Icarus imagery in contemporary popular music is the result of the use of Icarus as a readily-identifiable figure of Greek mythology, which is a commonplace vehicle for expressing artistic disengagement and isolation, or failed striving, in the general sense of anomie that are features of contemporary popular music.

  • In "The Squirming Coil" by Phish, there is the following reference to Icarus: "I'd like to lick the coil some day. Like Icarus, who had to pay. With melting wax and feathers brown, he tasted it on his way down."
  • The Iron Maiden album, Piece of Mind features a song entitled "Flight of Icarus," based on the myth with some significant differences. As they are upon a hill above a crowd of people. [1]
  • Joni Mitchell 1976 album Hejira describes the flight of Amelia Earhart "like Icarus ascending on beautiful foolish arms," in the song Amelia.
  • Rock band from Maryland by the name of Clutch mentions Daedalus and speaks of Icarus in their song Mercury. "Daedalus, your child is falling and the Labyrinth is calling."
  • Huntington, WV-based hardcore band Holden Caulfield has two tracks on their album "Can't Stop Now" that regard Icarus (Icarus and The Fall of Icarus).
  • Toronto-based Reggae group Jason Wilson and Tabarruk has a song on their CD "Dark Corners" called "Icarus' Lament (Don't Look Down)" It is entirely about the Icarus myth.
  • Enter the Haggis has a song called "Icarus", about the mythological figure and his fall.
  • U2 references Icarus in their song "Even Better Than the Real Thing" with this line: "We're free to fly the crimson sky; the sun won't melt our wings tonight."
  • Queen's song "No One But You" makes a reference to the myth of Icarus - especially in the chorus with the line "they're only flying too close to the sun"
  • The song "Cut The Curtains" by Billy Talent mentions Icarus's situation in the lyrics "Now here seems our wax wings have melted away;And we've only been here for one day;My faith fades away"
  • Welsh band mclusky wrote a song entitled "Icarus Smicarus" featured on their 2004 LP The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire, which also refers to the myth in question.
  • Savatage released the song "Alone You Breathe" on their 1994 release Handful of Rain. The song, a tribute to frontman Jon Oliva's brother (and Savatage guitarist) Criss, who died in a fatal car accident, mentions Icarus in one line, suggesting that Icarus was striving to reach his potential and met an unfair fate.
  • The song "Too Close To The Sun" from the 1996 Alan Parsons release On Air relates the escape of Daedalus and Icarus from the labyrinth of the minotaur.
  • The Paul Winter Consort recorded an instrumental song called Icarus, written by Ralph Towner, which appears on the album of the same name.
  • Rock band Thrice recorded a song called The Melting Point Of Wax alluding to Icarus, which can be found on their 2003 album The Artist In The Ambulance. It recasts Icarus' folly in an optimistic light: Icarus, a "parody of an angel," is "willing to find out what impossible means." The chorus, "I'll climb through the heavens on feathers and dreams / 'Cause the melting point of wax means nothing to me" is a similar retelling focusing on the benefits of recklessness.
  • The song Just a man by the band Faith No More features a reference to the myth of Icarus.
  • The rock band Kansas has recorded three songs referencing Icarus. Their 1975 album Masque contains a song "Icarus (Borne On Wings Of Steel)" which relates the story of the flight of Icarus to a desire to leave the world for good and "come down no more." In 2000 they recorded a song called "Icarus II" on their Somewhere to Elsewhere album; this song recounts the thoughts of a wartime pilot who is scrambled early one morning, and when the battle goes badly, ultimately he gives his life to save his friends in his bomber (probably a B-17). Their well-known song Carry On Wayward Son, is also about Icarus, told from both Daedalus' and Icarus' point of view.
  • In composer Adam Guettel's song cycle Myths and Hymns, there is a song about the rise and fall of Icarus, and references to it in other songs in the cycle.
  • Jazz/rock group Ohm, fronted by former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland recorded an instrumental song "Icarus Falls" for their 2005 album Amino Acid Flashback.
  • The Rush song "Bravado" mentions Icarus in the line "If we burn our wings flying too close to the sun"
  • The Hopesfall song "Icarus" on their 2004 release A Types describes this tale in the chorus, which goes "Oh Icarus tempting fate again, altitude sickness setting in. Tradewinds bury fire from broken wings, into arms below the ocean."
  • On the album 'Only Just Beginning' by Jason Webley, his song "Icarus" refers to this mythological story: "I bang my head for days against the walls inside this maze, I've never been too good at this kind of thing. I'm in here with my father, I'm just pacing but he's smarter; he's been building a fantastic set of wings. And like that I'm up and flying with the Labyrinth behind me, but I go too high, the sun is melting through the wax. It burns! It hurts! I tumble to the earth, and as I fall I feel myself relax."
  • On the album Evolve by Ani DiFranco, her song "Icarus" uses the mythological story in the line "just like Icarus ascending, never intending to look back, nature's law and your tragic flaw, are vying to send you flying into the arms of another Venus fly trap". This is used to exemplify the tragedy one could face if they try to escape their problems instead of finding the strength to face them.
  • Emperor's "An Elegy of Icaros," off of IX Equilibrium, is, as its title suggests, an elegy for Icarus.
  • Trance producer Flutlicht created a song called "The Fall," documenting the death of Icarus
  • The song Wax by The One AM Radio makes reference to the story of Icarus
  • The song "Lacrimosa" by Regina Spektor briefly references Icarus - "Hi I'm Icarus, I'm falling, from the dust of earth returning back for judgement."
  • The song "Austin to El Paso" by Ghost Mice has a stanza referencing the fall of Icarus
  • On Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force album, there was an instrumental track called "Icarus' Dream Suite"
  • In 1974 Led Zeppelin launched their own record label known as "Swan Song". The logo of the record label was based on a William Rimmer painting called Evening: Fall of Day (1869). The painting is a depiction of the ascension of Apollo, but in the context of the record label logo the image is often considered to be one of Icarus, as the theme of his myth mirrors the message of the band's name. Of course if this was an image of Icarus falling after flying too close to the sun, then the wings should be seen melting away or absent when they are clearly whole in both the original painting of Apollo and the record logo of arguable content.
  • Liam Lynch makes reference to Icarus in "Wax Wings" from his album "EEL"
  • "Blinded" by Third Eye Blind mentions Icarus in the last verse; "Icarus is a not a t-shirt, nor a swan song, no, he is born again..."
  • Goth Band "The Crüxshadows" has an unlyricised song "Daedelus Flight...Icarus Falls"
  • Jars Of Clay refers to Icarus in their song "Worlds Apart"-- "Soaring on the wings of selfish pride, I flew too high and like Icarus I collide with a world I try so hard to leave behind"
  • Argentine band Soda Stereo makes reference to Icarus in their song "En la ciudad de la furia"
  • The song "Icarus Decimated" by metal band Eyes of the Betrayer uses Icarus and his life as a metaphor pertaining to how modern-day teenagers rebel from their parents, and how it can tend to bring disastrous consequences.
  • The Perfect Machines have a song named after the Mythological Character "Icarus"
  • Angra have a song entitled "Metal Icarus", which seems to be based strongly upon the myth.
  • Marillion's "The Great Escape" a song off the 1994 album Brave refers to Icarus in the lyric "A bridge is not a high place, The fifty-second floor, Icarus would know, A mountain isn't far to fall."
  • Buffalo, NY band It Dies Today have a song entitled "A Romance by the Wings Of Icarus", which includes the lyrics "the silhouettes of a broken man crash to the floor/he rues the day he flew too close to the sun", "his wings melted and he descended to the depths below" and "perhaps then he would fly again. he will fly again". It can be found on their EP, Forever Scorned, track 6.
  • Nine Inch Nails alludes to this myth in the song "Somewhat Damaged" within the lyric "so impressed with all you do, tried so hard to be like you, flew too high and burnt the wing, lost my faith in everything."
  • In Hot Chip's 2006 single "Boy From School"'s video clip, an art project scene is created, appearing to have a Grecian/Roman mythological basis (including some kind of Titan or monster). Whilst the scene does not depict the Icarus story per se, it does contain a winged person flying towards the sun.
  • Rock band Alesana has released an album entitled On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax, referencing Icarus. The first track on the album is titled "Icarus". The only lyrics are as follows: "...black engulfs the dying light as he falls on frail wings of vanity and wax.."
  • Composer Eugene Kurtz wrote a solo flute work for Craig Goodman, "Icare", published by Les Editions Jobert, Paris.
  • Goth project Black Tape for a Blue Girl has a song entitled "For You Will Burn Your Wings upon the Sun" on their 1996 album Remnants of a Deeper Purity.
  • Japanese rock band Pierrot sings about the legend of Icarus in their song Ikarossu, released on the album Finale.
  • Last Plane Out, the first single from Kevin Gilbert's band and album entitled Toy Matinee, contains the lyrics, "I'm not the guy who sings the hymns, no bleeding heart to mend; but I like the part where Icarus hijacks the little red hen."
  • Long Island, NY hardcore band Fall Of Icarus - their band name alludes to the myth.
  • The song 'Only Ashes' by Something Corporate contains the lyrics "And the wings that you burn turn to ashes my dear, and ashes just fall to the ground," an obvious Icarus reference.
  • The Gov't Mule song "Blind Man in the Dark" on their album Dose references Icarus with the line "Fly too high the wax will melt, and you'll fall down to your knees."
  • Ralph McTell's album "Red Sky" features a song entitled "Icarus survived the fall"
  • The Indigo Girls song "Go" contains the lines "Did they tell you you would come undone / When you tried to touch the sun?".
  • The Mutton Birds song "The Heater" has the lines "Come close and listen while I sing / I won't melt your precious wings".
  • Race The Sun's song entitled "To Icarus With All Sincerity" aside from the name makes various references to flying too close to the sun.
  • New Model Army's song "Too Close to the Sun" contains a reference to Icarus in the lyrics "With melting wax and feathers falling / And far below the old world turning sad and slow."
  • Xandria's song Fire of Universe contains the lines "I'm an angel / Born from the breath of life / An Ikarus / Burning and falling down."
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../i/c/a/Icarus_imagery_in_contemporary_popular_music.html"