The shambolic minstrel (or scoundrel some may say) is extra-ordinarily well-read. There are numerous cultural, geographical or literature references in the song titles, or it's pure coincidence, am i just thinking too much?
A Fool There Was - a film starring the mysterious Theda Bara, story of femme fatale, how a decent moral man got corrupted by a dangerous woman and err... took his road to ruin. The film was actually based on a play by Porter Emerson Browne.
A'Rebours - Against Nature, by J. K. Huysmans
Albion - Blake's painting of Albion
Albion as England - A Little Boy Lost, again, by William Blake, Curse of Minerva by Lord Byron and ... err England Is Mine: Pop Life In Albion from Wilde to Goldie by Michael Bracewell
Arbeit Macht Frei - Work is Freedom
Arcady - Eclogues by Virgil
Back From The Dead - it's a horror film! (well, you know it just by the name)
Boys In The Band - The Boys In the Band, gay film in 1970 (very indicative)
Killamangiro - kill a man for giro, well, everyone knows it, but why did he put the words together? I wonder if it's because of the highest mountain in Africa. Mountain Kilimanjaro, ha!
Lady Don't Fall Backwards - by Joan Le Mesurier. Joan Le Mesurier was the wife of actor John Le Mesurier, best friend of Tony Hancock and ... (very complicated) Joan and Hancock had an affair but John forgave them both ...
...err, actually, it first appeared in here:
a book written by Darcy Sarto? ha!
Love On The Dole - by Walter Greenwood
Lust Of The Libertines - by The Marquis de Sade
Mocking Bird - obviously, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
My Darling Clementine - a Western film starring Henry Fonda
Radio America - probably you'll never hear any The Libertines on this station
Road To Ruin - by Ramones
Sally Brown - no need to be introduced
Tell The King - "Tell the king the sky is falling!" well, two of my most favourite bands made reference to the old english fable
That Bowery Song - The Bowery of NYC (where he met the dealer, brought him to hotel room, being late to the gig and things started to turn sour)
The Boy Looked at Johnny - by Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons
The Ha Ha Wall - the hidden wall to divide places. These walls are invisible from the house to ensure a beautiful garden view. These walls are not funny, ha-ha is just the exclamation of people who discovered those walls.
The Man Who Would Be King - by Rudyard Kipling
Through The Looking Glass - by Lewis Carroll
Vertigo -
What Katie Did - What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge. The song of course has nothing to do with this children's book. I think the song has made more reference to There She Goes by The La's.
What Became Of The Likely Lads - Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads, that's The Likely Lads series in the 70's, you may still find it in hmv.
*Edit on 27 Mar 2007:
I've just read this week nme, oh, what a coincidence! It talks about reference behind songs, err, of course mine is more complete than that hype champion magazine (smug again^^) But yes, i have to add : The Narcissist - by ancient Greek myth and Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde
