When imagining what type of music Edgar Allan Poe or Olaudah Equiano would enjoy listening to, it is important to identify the feelings evoked by the writings of these two gentlemen. The mood of their writing can be seen as a window into the innermost musings of their souls. These thoughts and feelings allude to the subject matter upon which their minds often dwell.  

            Some of the poetry written by Edgar Allan Poe arouses feelings of deep longing, sorrow, love, and beauty in nature. In “The Raven”, Poe writes of a lost love named Lenore whose memory and spirit still haunt the subject of the poem. Poe writes from the perspective of a sorrowful man, ““Respite- respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore! / Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!" / Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."” (Poe ll. 82-84)  The song “Green Grass” by Tom Waits brings about a strange mixture of comforting feelings and while also making your heart twinge with the pain that accompanies the loss of a loved one. Tom Waits sings in his dark gravelly low voice, “Lay your head where my heart used to be” (Waits l. 1), and it almost feels as though the tortured soul of a long lost lover is whispering in your ear as you dream, and telling you to remember him. Both Poe and Waits, while alluding to a deeper more supernatural theme, make use of the sometimes overwhelming feelings evoked by the mysterious beauty found in nature in a manner that intensifies the listener’s feelings of sorrow, terror, or nostalgia.  Waits likens his spirit to a tree singing, “Stand in the shade of me / Things are now made of me” (Waits ll. 13-14), later explaining further by saying, “You’ll never be free of me / He’ll make a tree from me” (Waits ll. 19-20) Tom Waits, like the Raven, is the voice of one who is gone who refuses to allow the person who has been left behind to move on and forget them. The voice of Poe in "The Raven" speaks for those left behind while the voice of Waits speaks for the souls who have passed on. Both pieces of poetry ignite a thrill of terrible sadness in the heart and soul, and I would tend to believe Edgar Allan Poe would easily identify with the words of Tom Waits and take pleasure in his husky voice which compliments the intended sentiments so wonderfully.

            Tom Waits also wrote and sang a song called “Dead And Lovely” that I think Poe would approve of in its romantic portrayal of a tragic story ending in the death of a lovely woman. As Ritty Samreth noted in one of our class discussions, “many of Poe’s literary works exude an element of dark mystery” (Samreth), and this Tom Waits song also incorporates mysterious elements. Waits never actually says that her lover was responsible for her death or explains how this woman died, though he makes it clear that her lover was, “not the kind of wheel you fall asleep at” (Waits ll. 22-23) and the rest is left up to the imagination. I think Poe would have liked this song because the woman's loveliness is immortalized in her death. Waits sings, "And now she's dead / Forever dead / Forever dead and lovely now" (Waits ll. 58-60) Poe often wrote about the souls of the dead living on after their death which allows be to believe he enjoyed this concept. Poe's writing is full of thrilling and positively spine tingling tales of death, spirits, and tragedy, which forces me to believe that he himself took pleasure in imagining these chilling scenarios. I think the combination of Tom Waits' creepy voice and the deathly themes in these two songs would definitely be agreeable to Edgar Allan Poe.

     The autobiography of Olaudah Equiano brings forth many difficult emotions to my heart, partly because of the horrors he speaks of, but for the most part because I know that his story is true.

        I think Olaudah Equiano would have liked to listen to a song by Taj Mahal called “Slave Driver”. In Equiano’s autobiography he says in a rather poetic manner,

                         “No peace is given
                          To us enslav'd, but custody severe;
                          And stripes and arbitrary punishment
                          Inflicted--What peace can we return?
                          But to our power, hostility and hate;
                          Untam'd reluctance, and revenge, though slow,
                          Yet ever plotting how the conqueror least
                          May reap his conquest, and may least rejoice
                          In doing what we most in suffering feel." (Equiano 226)

He speaks of his and other slaves’ desire to get some measure of satisfaction in allowing their tormentors to receive as little of whatever they wish to obtain through the suffering of their slaves as possible. He understandably wishes for retribution. In the song “Slave Driver”, Taj Mahal sings, “Ev'rytime I hear the crack of a whip / My blood runs cold / I do remember on the slave ship / How they brutalized my very soul” (Taj Mahal ll. 3-6) This type of experience is one that Equiano speaks of himself and can identify with. The chorus of “Slave Driver” says, “Slave driver, the tables are turning / Catch a fire, your going to get burned, now” (Taj Mahal ll. 1-2) This describes changing circumstances where the slave owner is forced to feel some of the suffering that he had inflicted upon his slaves for so long. From the sentiments expressed in the passage I quoted from Equiano’s narrative, it is clear that this possibility of role reversal would be a pleasing notion to him. I think he would have definitely put this song on his IPod if he could have.

         Another song I think Equiano would have put on his playlist, is a song by Mississippi John Hurt called “Trouble Blues (I’ve Had It All My Days)”.

Blues songs are a lamentation of lifelong suffering, and while some may view it as simply wallowing in the sadness a person has experienced in their life, it is also a means by which a person can cope, mourn and connect with others who have had similar experiences. Sorrow, pain and suffering were something that was shared among all of the slaves. It was their common bond. One of Equiano’s most painful experiences was when he was separated from his sister and Equiano remarked on the commonality of this occurrence saying, “In this manner, without scruple, are relations and friends separated, most of them never to see each other again” (Equiano 87). This level upon which slaves could identify with each other’s hardships was transferred into songs. Mississippi John Hurt sang, “Trouble, had it all my days / Trouble, had it all my days / Seems trouble, carry me to my grave” (Hurt ll. 1-3) Similar to a common characteristic attributed to slave narratives, this song also arouses sympathy in the hearts of those who may hear it. Rachael Seeley pointed out in one of her discussions, “The separation of Equiano and his sister is meant to invoke not only sympathy but a sense of relatedness from his readers.” So it is not only slaves who can identify with Equiano and Mississippi John Hurt, but others who have the ability to imagine how these circumstances would make them feel can also relate in some way. These similarities lead me to believe that Olaudah Equiano would have liked this song in his playlist.

     Edgar Allan Poe and Olaudah Equiano were drastically dissimilar indeviduals, therefore it makes sense that their playlists would differ drastically as well. The two Tom Waits songs in Poe’s imaginary playlist provide the listener with an excitingly creepy and sorrowful mood. The imaginary subject matter of Waits’ songs allows the listener to take pleasure in hearing topics that would otherwise truly horrify us. The bluesy style found in the songs of Taj Mahal and Mississippi John Hurt reflects a kind of sorrow that is much more real and believable. These songs remind us of the history of Black people in this country and the adversity they experienced. Both playlists raise strong emotional reactions, but for very different reasons.