The Bard meets the Backstreet Boys in Pop Sonnets,
a collection of 100 classic pop songs reimagined as Shakespearean
sonnets. All of your favorite artists are represented in these
pages—from Bon Jovi and Green Day to Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, and beyond.
Already a smash sensation on the Internet—the Tumblr page has 20,000+
followers—Pop Sonnets has been featured by the A.V. Club, BuzzFeed, and Vanity Fair,
among many others. More than half of these pop sonnets are exclusive to
this collection and have never been published in any form.
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I haven't read a Shakespeare work to completion - it wasn't a requirement in school for me (yet) and it's not something I've chose to embark on myself. I have some of his stuff waiting to be read in the ever-huge TBR shelves, but I haven't quite mustered up the courage yet. I do know that these verses are likely simplified compared to some of Shakespeare's works, where I have seen lines and bits and pieces.
Reading this I think of rewording the lyrics into a poem written via Shakespeare style, omitting duplicate lyrics and chorus. The cover on the front is cute and eye catching, but it doesn't stick to humor through the whole thing. While the humorous songs are sort of fun, it was the serious variations that really spoke to me, turning the songs into beautiful poetry with heart.
From 'Sonnets of Love' I especially enjoyed Guns N' Roses Sweet Child of Mine (the song rocks too) and The Monkees "I'm a Believer." 'I thought of romance like a chest of gold, assuming what I gave would e'er be lost; thus I commanded that my heart grow cold so I might ne'er incur its heavy cost.'
Even if I liked the serious more, the funny ones were cute too, including The Weather Girls "It's Raining Men" and MC Hammer's "You Can't Touch This." Thought Vanilla Ice was kind of a failure though.
My favorite was probably Frank Sinatra's "My Way" - The first part: 'The curtain falls; my time draws near its end, but I'll not fear the bitter wrath of age. I'll say it clear: I have observ'd, sweet friend, within my life that all the world's a stage - and if the men and women players be, I've played my part and made myself the lead."
Great gift for Shakespeare addicts, poetry lovers, and music fans.
