Hamlet (or shakespeare) 's influence on music?

I just saw a Japanese band yesterday called Hamlet Machine, named after Botho Strauss's radical 60s reworking of Hamlet.

On Bowie's 1974 Philly soul tour he had a skull-kissing routine during 'Cracked Actor' which was a reference to the graveyard 'Yorrick' scene.

And a certain Momus did a song called 'Minty Fresh' on his 'Stars Forever' album which was based on the songs you find in such Shakespeare plays as 'As You Like It'.

In fact, my label American Patchwork is releasing 'Shakestation' by Super Madrigal Brothers in June, an album of Nintendo or Playstation version of the kind of madrigals Shakespeare would have known well.

Mark Knopfler basically was the Bard of the 80s.

This Mortal Coil

Loudon Wainwright III's "Suicide Song"

Surely Ophelia is name-checked by some goth-rocker or other. Or, god knows, the Smiths.

The dialogue during the fade-out of the Beatles'I Am the Walrus ("...a serviceable villain"): is this also from Richard III?

The Kinks' 20th Century Man: "You can keep all your smart modern writers -- give me William Shakespeare..."

Oswald: Slave, thou hast slain me. Villain, take my purse.
If ever thou wilt thrive, bury my body
And give the letters which you find'st about me
To Edmund, Earl of Gloucester. Seek him out
Upon the English party. O, untimely death!
Death! [He dies]

Edgar: I know thee well: a serviceable villain,
As duteous to the vices of thy mistress
As badness would desire.

Gloucester: What, is he dead?

Edgar: Sit you down, father. Rest you.

B.A. Robertson, "To Be Or Not To Be"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mAIRFXybyAw

The Reflections, "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet"

(The latter of which is directly quoted in "Don't Fear The Reaper," I just realized.)

Oops, here are the Reflections (who totally rock).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ycCZX-olchU

"Mark Knopfler basically was the Bard of the 80s."

haha

directly quoted in "Don't Fear The Reaper

Actually, that's a lie. But "Reaper" does still have a "Romeo and Juliet" reference, obviously.

And Cordelia's Dad's name is a "King Lear" reference

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UKhW-PZ9pcg

Listening to Eggstone's "Desdemona" now, which got me to thinking of L'arc-en-Ciel's "Ophelia" and if it'd be possible to make a cd Shakespeare mix. Those two, plus Paul Kelly and Rufus Wainwright now have albums based on his sonnets, would be a start.

Constantly creeping into my head no thanks to my jam band days:

God Street Wine, "Nightingale"

Hey Cordelia don't you frown
Though your daddy went crazy and your house burned down

Just remembered The Tragically Hip's "Cordelia", off _Road Apples_.

Rome just released an EP based on Coriolanus.

John Cale, "Macbeth"

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, "The Wreck of the 'Antoinette'"

"Full fathom five, on the seabed she lies"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCgqIYbGfcY

If you can't be a ham and do Hamlet
They will not give a damn or a damlet

"Brush Up Your Shakespeare"

"No More Heroes", the Stranglers:

Whatever happened to all of the heroes?
All the Shakespearoes?
They watched their Rome burn