10 Best Songs About Art and Artists

Visual arts in song

Life has become strange for many of us. Stuck at home with very little to do, reading and watching various things on the Internet has told me that many people are going back to basics. And, as such, I have seen a lot of columns and videos about people doing arts and crafts, teaching people how to do arts and crafts and telling people the histories of arts and crafts. Apparently, many stores are even running out of paint and craft glue, so people are clearly getting sick of watching Tiger King on Netflix.

Anyway, being the sort of person I am, when I found out about this (a friend had an online rant about paint becoming rare in her area — she is a professional artist — and that sent me down this particular rabbit hole) I wondered if there were any songs about art.

Well, yes. Yes there are. A lot of them. A real lot of them. Unfortunately, a real lot of this real lot are not good, clichéd or — worst of all — dull.

This did mean a lot of songs in my collection being skipped or having less than half of them listened to. So this did not take me as long as some previous columns have done to collate. Still, the songs here are very good. Oh, and unlike some lists, I did not rely only on songs I own or that were recommended to me by my online friends. I put this question up on Facebook (I don’t have a page, but a few friends do) to ask if I was missing any songs, which I then listened to on YouTube. Two of those tracks also made it to this list, of which one was brand new to me.

Oh, before I begin, by art, I mean visual arts. Not music, photography, acting, dancing or writing. The reason is that these could well become lists of their own one day. Possibly. Some songs use pictures as metaphors for other things as well. And, finally, I do not really ‘click’ with ‘Mona Lisa’ by Nat King Cole. Sorry, Cole fans.

So, 10 songs about arts and artists! (Please note: nothing from the 1980s. I know, I’m shocked, too.)

‘Painter Man’ The Creation (1966)

Probably better known for the Boney-M disco version (erk…), this song about a guy who went to college to become a painter man with limited results is a fun bit of 60s Britpop. I actually have the Boney-M version, and when I looked at the cassette, I noticed it wasn’t written by the normal songwriters of the time. A little bit of research, and — bang! — this is a really good song and I am glad I discovered it. The video clip shows the guitarist playing his guitar with a violin bow, which accounts for the unique sound of the track. This is really good.

‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ by The Beatles (1967)

Yes, from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, I will say what I said in that review — this is not a song about drugs. It is a song based on a surrealistic picture drawn by Julian Lennon, John’s son, concerning his friend Lucy quite literally flying in a sky filled with diamonds. Its psychedelic images are trippy, yes, but this is from a young school-boy’s illustration. Quite literally based on a piece of artwork. And, for what it’s worth, the picture can be found online if you do a Google search (but which I won’t put here because of that copyright thing).

‘Pictures Of Matchstick Men’ by Status Quo (1968)

Wow! Did Status Quo start off differently or what? Before they were a twelve-bar bar boogie band, Status Quo were a part of the psychedelic era, and this song about a strange image that reminds the singer of the girl he is singing about is strange and surreal and… weird. When I first heard it, I thought the album I originally had it on (The Sensational Sixties) had a misprint. How could this be the band that recorded ‘Down, Down’? Well, it is the same band. For what it’s worth, I do really enjoy this track.

‘Vincent’ by Don McLean (1971)

Come on, you knew this song had to be here! McLean’s classic track from the American Pie album about Vincent Van Gogh is almost as well-known as its title song. While it is more a biography about a tortured soul than a song about an artist, the fact that tortured soul was an artist makes this song qualify. More than that, it is a truly beautiful song. The song has an alternate name in some places — ‘Starry, Starry Night’. This comes from one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings: The Starry Night. So very wonderful.

vincent, van gogh, starry night

‘Every Picture Tells A Story’ by Rod Stewart (1971)

This is my very favourite Rod Stewart song. It basically tells the story of Stewart’s life meeting women. It is definitely not-PC in today’s world, but the music is simply awesome. And while some-one tried to tell me the picture is a photograph, the fact in the verse before he mentions a bunch of classic writers, I think the art motif is implicit. And the cover of the album that shares its name features a painting as well. To me, this is about art reflecting life, or maybe the other way around. No matter. Brilliant song.

‘Andy Warhol’ by David Bowie (1971)

Was 1971 a great year for songs about art or what? This David Bowie track is not one that is well known, coming from the Hunky Dory album, but it is about the artist Andy Warhol. It consists of strange electronic sounds going into the standard acoustic instrumentation of the time. It is certainly not one of Bowie’s best, but it is still a fine track and a nice biographical song encapsulating some of the weirdness of Warhol himself.

‘Art For Art’s Sake’ by 10cc (1976)

This is possibly a strange track to include here, because while this is most definitely about art in all forms, it is about the commercialisation of said art and the way money impacts upon artistic integrity. It could be just about the music industry, but it reads to me like it is about all facets of the art world. !0cc released so many great songs that art virtually forgotten nowadays, and this is just another fine example of their work. Some good guitar, some changes in tempo, some weird sound effects and incredibly intelligent lyrics. Just great.

‘Girl Friend’ The Modern Lovers (1978)

Ah, the peak of the original American punk scene. While I prefer UK punk, the Modern Lovers from the USA did release some fine punk tracks. This one, though, is much slower. It starts off in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where the singer bemoans the fact that he needs a girlfriend to understand the art before him. A strange sentiment, but it is right there. Now, I know this style of music is not to everyone’s taste, but I like it and, again, the lyrics are far better than much of its ilk.

‘The Night Watch’ by King Crimson (1997)

I don’t mind King Crimson. They’re certainly not one of my favourite bands or anything, though their debut album is very good. The album this comes from was released some thirty years after that stunning debut. The song is based completely on the painting of the same name by Rembrandt. This is one of the tracks recommended to me from Facebook, by the way, and I’d like to thank Julie for it. It is a really strong modern prog rock track. I get the feeling it is not only about the painting itself, but also the creation of said artwork. Some wonderful instrumentation and, yet again, intelligent lyrics. Once more, I am glad I found this song!

‘Viva La Vida’ by Coldplay (2008)

And the other Facebook track. Now, I did know the song, of course- it was everywhere in 2008. But I did not know it was named for a painting by Frida Kahlo, which is shocking of me because I like Kahlo’s work. This was one of the last paintings she completed before her death in 1954. (For those who have never seen it, it is the famous painting of all the watermelons. Google it. It’s amazing.) While not strictly about the painting, per se, it is about the sentiments behind it, facing up to death even when all hope appears lost. Kahlo painted the picture suffering from a broken spine, polio and years of chronic pain and, as I said, she died not long after its completion. Coldplay have taken the sentiments expressed and put them forth in their own way. Quite stunning, really.

One thing about all of these songs is how incredible the lyrics are. It is as though talking/singing about one of the so-called “finer arts” brings out the best in the other arts. And so many of these songs are just glorious compositions musically as well. While I might have struggled a little compiling this list, what I came up with is quite beautiful and really inspiring.

Source: weekendnotes