Search Arts
Search Arts
go
On Radio
On Radio
POP
NPR
Love Words With Staying Power?
Love Words With Staying Power?
In May, we marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's sonnets by asking NPR listeners and readers to write in with modern love poems or songs that they think will be remembered 400 years from now. Here are a few of those suggestions. Morning Edition Play

Recently, we marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's sonnets on Morning Edition. It gave us an excuse to think about the next 400 years: Could any words of love from our time possibly last as long as Shakespeare's poetry?

We put the question to you, our listeners. We asked you to suggest a modern love poem or song that's good enough — enduring enough — to be remembered 400 years from now.

Several hundred people sent suggestions, and it turns out a lot of you are Bob Dylan fans. For great love music, you also recommended the Beatles' "In My Life," Janis Joplin's performance of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee," Leonard Cohen and Joan Baez.

You also voted for the love lyrics of Billy Idol, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam and 50 Cent.

Many of you suggested great romantic dialogue from the movies, though who knows if the movies will even exist in 400 years. There were the usual suspects, like Casablanca, but there were also some surprising choices, such as this line from Jerry Maguire: "You had me at 'hello.' "

And some of you waxed poetic about plain old poetry. Gwendolyn Brooks, E.E. Cummings and Pablo Neruda — below is a tiny sampling of some of the more literary suggestions submitted.

Read more listener responses here, and if you missed the chance to submit your ideas, you still can! Share them with us in the comments section below. Remember, we're looking for words of romance that might last the next 400 years.

Lasting Love Poems?

when you have forgotten Sunday: the love story, by Gwendolyn Brooks

Poem #20, by Pablo Neruda

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond, by E.E. Cummings



NEWS
WAMC News
Public Arts
Middday Magazine
Roundtable
Northeast Report
Commentators
WAMC Speakers Corner
Corrections
PROGRAMS
WAMC Programs
National Productions
WAMC Program Schedule
HD2 Program Schedule
Online Program Guide
Listen Live
Live Video
EVENTS
The Linda
Events Calendar

STATION INFO
Station Info
Contact Info
Coverage
Engineering News
Employment
EEO
Internships
Volunteer
Press
Staff Directory
Sitemap
SUPPORT US
Support WAMC
Pledge Online
Planned Giving
Donate Car
Privacy Policy

UNDERWRITING
Underwriters
Underwriters Spotlight
WAMC SITES
WAMC's "In Conversation with..."

Student Town Meetings

Women In Science

Academic Minute
SOCIAL
Facebook
WAMC
The Linda

Twitter
WAMC
WAMC News
Vox Pop
Roundtable
Alan Chartock
The Linda

YouTube
WAMC

Flickr
Roundtable

WAMC 90.3 FM - Albany, NY | WAMC 1400 AM - Albany, NY | WAMK 90.9 FM - Kingston, NY | WOSR 91.7 FM - Middletown, NY
WCEL 91.9 FM - Plattsburgh, NY | WCAN 93.3 FM - Canajoharie, NY | WANC 103.9 FM - Ticonderoga, NY
WRUN 90.3 FM - Remsen-Utica, NY | WAMQ 105.1 FM - Great Barrington, MA | WWES 88.9 FM - Mt. Kisco, NY | WANZ 90.1 FM - Stamford, NY

W280DJ 103.9 FM - Beacon, NY | W248AN 97.3 FM - Cooperstown, NY | W243BZ 96.5 FM - Ellenville, NY | W271BF 102.1 FM - Highland, NY
W246BJ 97.1 FM - Hudson, NY | W295AA 106.9FM - Middletown, NY | W215BG 90.9 FM - Milford, PA | W299AG 107.7 FM - Newburgh, NY
W257BL 99.3 FM - Oneonta, NY | W226AC 93.1 FM - Rensselaer-Troy, NY | W296BD 107.1FM - Warwick, NY

Copyright © 2011 WAMC Northeast Public Radio
318 Central Ave., Albany, NY 12206 | mail@wamc.org | 1-800-323-9262