What 2000 Year Old Thing Do Taylor Swift, Adele and Imagine Dragons Have In Common?
Taylor Swift, Adele, Imagine Dragons - these are some of the 21st Century’s most famous pop stars. Each of these artists has a modern sound and sings about modern problems… so what are they doing referencing the myth of King Midas?
Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift, Easy On Me by Adele, and Gold by Imagine Dragons all make reference to the mythical King Midas whose story has captured our imagination for centuries. The story of King Midas has many different versions. Most of them go like this: King Midas finds the lost satyr, Silenus, and looks after him well until the god Dionysus, Silenus’ cherished student, finds him again. As a reward for his hospitality, Dionysus grants Midas a wish!
Midas wishes that everything he touches would turn to gold. At first, Midas is thrilled with his choice as he watches the contents of his palace turn to solid gold, but after he rejoices in his delight, he sits down for a meal. As Midas attempts to break his bread -oh no!- it turns to gold, inedible. He uses a golden fork to to place a piece of fruit in his mouth but as it touches his tongue - gold once more! Panicking now, he reaches for his goblet and drinks his wine only to find liquid gold trickling down his throat. In particularly gnarly versions of the story he accidentally turns his own daughter to gold, too.
King Midas quickly realizes that his wish is actually a curse and he will starve to death if he can’t eat any food. Midas runs back to Dionysus and begs him to lift the curse; Dionysus, gracious, tells Midas that if he washes himself in the nearby river Pactolus he would lose his powers. Midas hastens to the river, plunges his hands into it and gold flecks form in the river as he returns to normal.
Gold by Imagine Dragons uses the myth quite literally. Gold is about the negative side of being rich and famous: who are your real friends, and who is just using you for your resources? Gold refers to Midas’ discovery that wealth initially seems like a boon but may in fact be a curse.
Excerpt from Gold by Imagine Dragons
First comes the blessing of all that you've dreamed
But then comes the curses of diamonds and rings
Only at first did it have its appeal
But now you can't tell the false from the real
Who can you trust? (Who can you trust?)
When everything, everything, everything
You touch turns to gold, gold, gold
Everything, everything, everything
You touch turns to gold, gold
Ooh, gold, ooh, gold, ooh, gold, ooh, gold
In Easy On Me, Adele sings about decisions she made when she was younger, presumably the decision to focus on her fame and career. She uses imagery from the myth of King Midas to suggest that it is a decision that came with unforseen harm to her life and loved ones. However, Adele subverts the myth by implying that she can’t lift the curse!
Excerpt from Easy On Me by Adele
There ain't no gold in this river
That I've been washin' my hands in forever
I know there is hope in these waters
But I can't bring myself to swim
When I am drowning in this silence
Baby, let me in
Go easy on me, baby
I was still a child
Didn't get the chance to
Feel the world around me
I had no time to choose
What I chose to do
So go easy on me
Finally, Taylor Swift’s reference to King Midas in Champagne Problems is little more than a name drop. The song is about realizing that she didn’t want to marry her lover, and many aspects of him are discussed: both good and bad. The accusation that he is like Midas furthers her argument that while he might have seemed like an ideal partner, there was an imperfect side as well.
Excerpt from Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift
You had a speech, you're speechless
Love slipped beyond your reaches
And I couldn't give a reason
Champagne problemsYour Midas touch on the Chevy door
November flush and your flannel cure
"This dorm was once a madhouse"
I made a joke, "Well, it's made for me"
Even though we often feel like our culture is a long way away from the Ancient Greeks and Romans their mythology continues to enrich many works of English literature from Shakespere to Swift!
PS: other songs that reference the myth of King Midas include Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence and the Machine.