Brief Synopsis
Please add a brief overview of Romeo and Juliet.
One of Shakespeare's most popular works, Romeo and Juliet presents the Montagues and the Capulets, two noble families that have been feuding in the city of Verona for generations. Young Romeo of the Montague family and Juliet, daughter of the Capulets, are determined to be joined in marriage, despite the feelings of their feuding families.
Allusions in Popular Music
Please add additional entries following the format modeled below.
from Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
The UK favorites provide an allusion to the loving relationship between Shakespeare's children of feuding families in this dance hit to serve as an antithesis to the relationships frequently forged on the dancefloor.
Oh there int no love no, Montague’s or Capulets / Just banging tunes in DJ sets and / Dirty dancefloors and dreams of naughtiness
from The Black Parade (2006)
The New Jersey-based band alludes to the love-struck couple from Shakespeare's tragedy, and specifically to the tragic fate of the young Montague, in the following lines:
Juliet loves the beat and the lust it commands / Drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, Romeo
from I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002)
In a song about a couple seemingly bound for a tragic fate, Gerard Way and company refer to Shakespeare's tragedy in the following lines from their debut album:
We could be perfect one last night / And die like star-crossed lovers when we fight
My Chemical Romance's use of the phrase "star-crossed lovers" alludes to the play's Prologue, where Shakespeare foreshadows the fate of the young lovers as he writes, "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life."
"Singing in my Sleep" by Semisonic
from Feeling Strangely Fine (1998)
The Minnesota-based band alludes to the famous balcony scene from the second act of Shakespeare's tragedy, writing:
I've been living in your cassette / It's the modern equivalent / Singing up to a Capulet / On a balcony in your mind
from Like a Prayer (1989)
In this single, which spent 15 weeks on the Hot 100 Singles Chart, Madonna alludes to the star-crossed lovers to emphasize the feelings between two lovers. She writes:
I can't hide my need for two hearts that bleed with burning love / That's the way it's got to be / Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way I bet
from Live 1975-1985 (1986)
In a song describing the relationship of a man and woman, Springsteen compares the two to other well-known, romantically linked couples, including Shakespeare's famous lovers. The Boss writes:
Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah / Baby you can bet their love they didn't deny / Your words say split but your words they lie / 'Cause when we kiss, Fire
Themes & Related Songs
Please add themes relevant to the literature and songs that address similar themes.
from Funeral (2004)
This song describes a secret meeting of two young lovers, reminiscent of the characters Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare's tragedy.
References
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Arcade Fire. "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)." Funeral. Merge Records, 2004.
Arctic Monkeys. "I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor." Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Domino, 2006.
Madonna. "Cherish." Like a Prayer. Sire, 1990.
My Chemical Romance. "Our Lady of Sorrows." I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. Eyeball Records, 2002.
---. "The Sharpest Lives." The Black Parade. Reprise, 2006.
Semisonic. "Singing in my Sleep." Feeling Strangely Fine. MCA, 1998.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo & Juliet. Cambridge: University Press, 1955.
Springsteen, Bruce. "Fire." Live 1975-1985. Sony, 1997.
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