Do you use song lyrics as inspiration for adventures?

[Angel Tarragon]

Lately I find myself listening to some songs and getting inspired to write adventure for my players.

Examples:

Dancing in September
say do you remember
dancing in september
golden dreams were shiny days

I think of the golden days of my youth and equate that to a series of adventures that hint to a temple of youth.

When I listen to Hero from Nickelback I imagine a divine war that is on the verge of erupting. The characters get to act as the leader of the mercs for divine powers. Definetely an epic powered game.

St. Elmo's Fire
I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea
I can feel St. Elmo's Fire burnin' in me, burnin' in me
Just once in his life a man has his time, and my time is now, I'm coming alive

Remids of the Phoenix. I could use this to have the characters be touched (spiritually) by a fire elemental. Then they start having dreams telling them of the return of the god of world travelers, rebirth, creativity, inspiration and fire. The characters would then wake up and see a Phoenix flying overhead. If they decide to follow, it leads the to an iterplanar gate that is linked to the upper planes. When there they are told that a the god in their dream has been imprisoned in the lower planes by a trio of vile gods intent on casting an epic version of Morality Undone on the prime Material Plane, making everyone evil.


So what do you think of these? And are you inspired from songs to write adventures?

 

[Crothian]

Veteran of a 1000 Psychic Wars...but I nerver got to play or even make him

 

[VoiceOfReason?]

A number of Jethro Tull songs and lyrics have inspired D&D adventures for me, but Jethro Tull kinda lends itself to the genre ("Broadsword" in particular sparked a series of low-level adventures).
One of the "Space" interludes in the Greatful Dead's Aoxamaxoa inspired the focus of a session and important clue in a Wheel of Time game (designed a new weave to suit it too-did nothing but make a glowing cloud if singing colors. . .a magical acid trip of sorts)
HeD Planet Earth's "Fallen" has a bad-ass chorus that laid the framework for a pivotal moment in a friend's campaign (I didn't play, but helped him with maps and encounters) when an evil emperess was betrayed by her undead lover as the party confronted the pair for what they believed was a final showdown.
"The Hollow" by A Perfect Circle led to a Psion-driven cult in a ravenloft campaign I played in; the handful of psions forming a hive mind for the rest of the cultists to. . .inhabit.

 

[Samothdm]

Lately I've been thinking it would be interesting to have a series of encounters for my players. If I did it right, they probably wouldn't put it all together:

"There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out,
There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt,
There's a rich man sleeping on a golden bed,
There's a skeleton choking on a crust of bread."

They would necessarily be combats. Just interactions. I think that could be cool.

 

[rom90125]

Corpulent generals safe behind lines
History's lessons drowned in red wine
Poppies for young men, death's bitter trade
All of those young lives betrayed
All for a children's crusade

A pair of societies where the wars are waged by the children...very dark.

 

[Jondor_Battlehammer]

A Ravenloft adventure that I going to write someday, I swear, really...

These Dreams - Heart


Spare a little candle
Save some light for me
figures up ahead
Moving in the trees
White skin in linen
Perfume on my wrist
And the full moon that hangs over
these dreams in the mist
Darkness on the edge
Shadows where I stand
I search for the time
On a watch with no hands
I want to see you clearly
Come closer than this
But all I remember
Are the dreams in the mist
These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away

Is it cloak 'n dagger
Could it be spring or fall
I walk without a cut
Through a stained glass wall
Weaker in my eyesight
The candle in my grip
And words that have no form
Are falling from my lips

These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away

There's something out there
I can't resist
I need to hide away from the pain
There's something out there
I can't resist
The sweetest song is silence
That I've ever heard
Funny how your feet
In dreams never touch the earth
In a wood full of princes
Freedom is a kiss
But the prince hides his face
From dreams in the mist

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Some of the songs I've based adventures on. Lyrics can be found at http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/ , if interested.

"Sign of the Southern Cross"--Black Sabbath
"Sacred Heart"--Dio
"Still Life"--Iron Maiden
"Black Wind, Fire and Steel"--Manowar
"Keeper of the Seven Keys, Parts One and Two"--Helloween
"March For Revenge (By the Soldiers of Death)"--Manowar
"Light in the Black"--Blackmore's Rainbow
"Quick is the Beat of My Heart"--Styx
"Man on the Silver Mountain"--Rainbow
"The Temple of the King"--Rainbow
"Children of the Sea"--Black Sabbath
"Keepers of the Flame"--Virgin Steele

And in a related thread, I mentioned that just about the greatest one shot adventure I ever played in was in college, where my DM ran us on a game based on Manowar's "Dark Avenger". I swear that before I die, I will run that game myself.

 

[Nightcloak]

Some of the songs I've based adventures on. Lyrics can be found at http://lyrics.rockmagic.net/

Now that is a cool link!

I find great inspiration from music. Most recently I created an adventure based on a Death Knight who wanted to repent. This was inspired by the song "Painted Smile" from the Moody Blues. A little odd of a connection, but hay, you take inspiration when and where you get it

 

[Wombat]

Done this several times.

Most successful version was basing an entire Over the Edge campaign on Talking Heads songs. (reembowreembowreembowduhduhduhduuuuuh...)

 

[cybertalus]

The first verse of Neil Young's Thrasher begs to be made into an adventure:

They were hiding behind hay bales,
They were planting in the full moon,
They had given all they had for something new.
But the light of day was on them.
They could see the thrashers coming,
And the water shon like diamonds in the dew.

The same song has a line about "the motel of lost companions", which I've debated about using for something. There's also one about searching for companions that were lost in crystal canyons.


Though I'm actually wary of doing song-inspired adventures after the "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" incident from my teenage years.