Songs, Books Inspired by Lord of the Flies
Source Site(s)
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2938
http://www.enotes.com/lord-of-the-flies/q-and-a/what-songs-represent-lord-flies-plot-themes-157805
Lord Of The Flies - Iron Maiden
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This was inspired by the novel Lord Of The Flies by William Golding, which was made into two
movies: one in 1963 and one in 1990 (neither were great critical successes). It's about a group of
boys who are shipwrecked and begin embracing their primal side. (thanks, Brett - Edmonton,
Canada)
Lord Of The Flies is the literal translation of the Greek word Beezelbub. In the Bible, Beezelbub is
the name given for Satan by Jesus (this occurs in the episode where he casts demons out of a
crazy man and into a pig. There's also a line in there from which Lincoln derived his phrase about
the Civil War- a house divided upon itself can not stand). While most songs dealing with Golding's
novel deal with the more good guy characters in the novel - Ralph and Piggy, or with the kinda
psychic kid (Simon) who actually talks to the beast, this song is unique in that it's told from the
point of view of the most savage boys - Jack and his crew. It's kind of like The Rolling Stones'
Sympathy For The Devil in that it's a sort of exoneration for evil behavior, and cautions that
everyone is called to be evil.
This is the most guitar-driven song on the album.
The artwork on the single depicted Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie as literally a lord of the flies. He
sits, dressed as a monarch, on an electric chair (serving as a throne) with a swarm of flies around
him.
The two songs on the B-side were a cover of the Who's "My Generation" and a cover of UFO's
"Doctor, Doctor." (thanks, Brett - Edmonton, Canada, for above 3)
Two songs were specifically written based upon the musical artist's reading of Lord of the Flies:
"Lord of the Flies" by Iron Maiden and "Shadows and Tall Trees" by U2.
You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring was inspired by Lord of the Flies
The 1961 novel The Butterfly Revolution, by William Butler, is described on its front cover as
being a "classic in the tradition of Lord of the Flies."[7]
Stephen King has stated that the Castle Rock in Lord of the Flies was the inspiration for the town
that has appeared in a number of his novels. The book itself also appears prominently in his
novels Hearts in Atlantis (1999), Misery (1987) and Cujo (1981).[8] King's fictional town, in turn,
inspired the name of Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment, which
produced the 1990 film.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies
Lord of the Flies borrows key elements from R.M. Ballantyne's The Coral Island (1857).
Ballantyne's book, a simple adventure without any deep social themes, portrays three boys,
Ralph, Peterkin and Jack, who land on an island. Golding used two of the names in his book, and
replaced Peterkin with Simon. Lord of the Flies has been regarded as Golding's response
showing what he believed would happen if children (or generally, people) were left to form a
society in isolation.[4]
Golding read 'The Coral Island' as he was growing up, and thought of Ballantyne as racist,
Influence (source: http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Lord_of_the_Flies
)
Many writers have borrowed plot elements from Lord of the Flies.
Printed works
Robert A. Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky, published in 1955, can be seen as a rebuttal to Lord of the
Flies as it concerns a group of teenagers stranded on an uninhabited planet who manage to
create a functional tribal society.[6]
Stephen King has stated that the Castle Rock in Lord of the Flies was the inspiration for the town
of the same name that has appeared in a number of his novels. The book itself also appears
prominently in his novels Hearts in Atlantis and Cujo.[7] King's fictional town in turn inspired the
name of Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment.
The DC Comics series Salvation Run is an adaptation of the "Lord of the flies" concept with all
the major DC Supervillains being marooned on an Alien planet
Television
Lord of the Flies inspired Sunrise Animation's classic anime series Infinite Ryvius, which follows
the lives of nearly 500 teenagers stranded aboard a space battleship.
Also the "Das Bus" episode of the Simpsons is based on this book.
The Club Spongebob episode of Spongebob Squarepants, in which he, Patrick and Squidward
are stranded in the woods and rely on the "magic conch" for guidance.
The ABC television show Lost has also shown loose similarities to the book.
Music
 The English heavy metal band Iron Maiden composed a song about the novel, with the
title "Lord of the Flies".
 The debut studio album, Boy, by Irish rock band U2 was loosely based on the novel's
theme of childhood corruption, and the final song on the album, "Shadows and Tall
Trees," takes its title from the novel's chapter of the same name. Additionally, some
printings of the book's cover are similar to the cover of the album.[8]
 American Punk Rock band Bad Religion wrote a song in their 1988 album "Suffer",
mentioning the novel, with the title "1000 more fools" : "I've seen the rapture in a starving
baby's eyes, Inchoate beatitude, the Lord of the Flies".
 Buck 65 makes a reference to Piggy's death in his song "Memory is Paralax" on the
album Vertex saying,"...backstage at the showcase, I want bouquets of flowers, a large
order of fries and I'm sort of surprised because the same thing happened in the Lord of
the Flies when Piggy lost his glasses and got crushed by a boulder."[citation needed]