Now, I actually hate listening to music when I write (unless it's total crap music, which is a lot easier to tune out). When it's something good, I'm too tempted to stop what I'm doing and sing along. (Also problematic is working while listening to music that Maureen Johnson likes, at least when she's around, because then she'll start dancing in her chair, and then I'll start dancing in my chair, and then it's just one big embarrassing chair dance party, which is not conducive to the whole words-on-the-page thing.)
But listening to music before starting to write, to get into the story and inside the heads of the characters, is a genius idea that I totally stole from some awesome writer whose name I have forgotten because lately I'm just a little bit losing my mind. But thanks, anonymous genius -- I value our friendship and look forward to stealing more excellent ideas from you in days to come.
Without further ado, the music of Crashed:
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“Die, Vampire Die!” from the [title of show] soundtrack has nothing whatsoever to do with Crashed . . . except for the fact that every time I got stuck, I would turn the speakers up to eleven, blast this song, dance around my apartment, and try to remember how the whole putting-words-together thing worked. Without this song, I suspect there would be no book.
Now, here's the issue. I'm writing the third book in this trilogy as we speak. (Well, not literally as we speak, since obviously I'm procrastinating and blogging instead of working on the book, because the former is slightly more delightful and significantly easier than the latter.)
Because I have really bad taste in music, like epically bad taste, I stopped picking it out for myself a long time ago, and now subsist almost entirely on the music recommended to me by much more cultured friends. So, friends...what should I listen to next? I need a new playlist for my new book.
So send me the name of a song that you think goes well with teenagers downloaded into mechanical bodies, religious fundamentalism, daredevil cliff-diving, love, lust, betrayal, explosions, redemption, and all that good stuff. (You can post it in the comments, email it to me, tweet me, whatever.)
On Friday I'll pick my favorite new song and whoever sent it will get a signed copy of Skinned.
(Everyone else will get my sincere gratitude, which I recognize won't be quite as satisfying. But I'll be very grateful!)
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Comments
"Shuffle Your Feet" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
"The Longest Day" by Laura Gibson
"Closer" by The Tiny
Beck's cover of "True Love Will Find You in the End"
Edited at 2009-07-08 11:09 pm (UTC)
I too have this thing about music. Love getting recs! Hope you get some good ones!
My Toys Like Me, "Sick Couple" (Where We Are)
The Epoxies, "My New World" (My New World)
"Fluorescent Adolescent" by Arctic Monkeys
Or
"The Science of Selling Yourself Short" by Less Than Jake
Alison Krauss - It Doesn't Matter
O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Down to the River to Pray (also by Alison Krauss, actually)
Angie Hart - Blue
Jakalope - Light After Night
Jakalope - Upside Down
The Birthday Massacre - Broken
The Birthday Massacre - I Think We're Alone Now
Charlottle Martin - Everytime it Rains
Leah Andreone - Lamentation
BlutEngel - No Eternity
P!nk - Waiting For Love
Olivia Lufkin - Into the Stars (English version) (sorry it's kinda bad quality)
t.A.T.u. - Sacrifice
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Song of Healing
Chumbawamba - Mary Mary
Powerman 5000 - Free (PM5K always makes me think of explosions, and a lot of their stuff is sci-fi inspired because Spider is awesome like that)
Some of the videos for the songs have nothing to do with them, I was just trying to find somewhere to listen to them. Sorry it's kind of long and a bit eclectic (or, er, repetitive.), but that's the way my mind goes for music these days. Hope you like some of them!
I checked out your list; nice Within Temptation songs! (though Memories will still always be my favourite)
Anyway. Back to my boys, MCS also fight against the stereotype that upbeat music can't be badass. (Also in this category are the Artic Monkeys but same deal as above.) Case in point: the songs 'Mary Without Sound', 'Capital H' and 'Fell in Love Without You'.
Okay, maybe you won't like it. But maybe you will! In any case I won't pretend to know anything eclectic and zany and underground; but their music makes me feel like I'm on a train, destination Brighter Future. :)
Also, I really want to see this chair dance party featuring you and Maureen now.
Lately I like Sia's Breathe Me & Buttons, Missy Higgins's Warm Whispers...
hmmm What else?
Red by Natalie Walker
Playground by Air
Nobody Likes You When You're Dead by Zombina & The Skeletones
Elephant by Damien Rice
Harrowdale by Thom Yorke
...I could keep going, but I'll stop here lol.
Thnks Fr Th Mmrs -- Fall Out Boy
Those Nights -- Skillet
How to Save a Life -- The Fray
Don't Stop Believin' -- Journey (*)
Does Your Mother Know? -- ABBA (*)
Point of Know Return -- Kansas (**)
In The Air Tonight -- Phil Collins
Cross The Line -- Superchick
Teardrops on My Guitar -- Taylor Swift
* This song will probably cause Maureen to dance wildly, thus ending any chance of writing for the next few minutes.
** Yes, that's spelled correctly. Point of Know Return.
Linkin Park Crawling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6DLXR5AGJU)
but really I think ANYTHING by them fits.
A good option to listen good music while writing without getting distracted with lyrics is to listen stuff in another language.
-Cristina
Thank you for sharing this excellent blog post.
My teenage daughter has Paparazzi by Lady Gaga on permanent repeat on max volume.
:)
Love From Canada
twitter.com/RKCharron
xoxo
as for other songs... um...
... hmm...
............
i have no idea.
ps: i (finally) added your blog/you to the author directory on WORD for Teens, which you can get to through the blog. :]
~Nicole
http://wordforteens.blogspot.com
Some artists I like are Evanescence, Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, t.A.T.u, and Within Temptation. But out of these what would I find comfort in and relate to if I were downloaded? “That goes well with teenagers downloaded into mechanical bodies, religious fundamentalism, daredevil cliff-diving, love, lust, betrayal, explosions, redemption, and all that good stuff.”
After reading your post I got to work but first I need a thought of what Lia was going to be going through and this is what I found- "Months have passed, and in that time, Lia has joined Jude and his roving gang of mechs, an eclectic collection of bored teenagers looking for trouble, and uniquely capable of finding it. It's a carefree life at first, but as the download process becomes more common, the opposition to the process becomes more vocal - and more hostile. Lia gets swept up in the idea of being a revolutionary and fighting for a cause, but as the plans escalate, she starts having second thoughts - especially when she figures out Jude's real agenda. Yes, he's loyal to his cause - fiercely, desperately, blindly loyal. But only to his cause. Not necessarily to his people. In the end, Lia must make a choice. How many people - mechanical and organic - is she willing to hurt to protect her freedom? How far is she willing to go to protect the people she loves? And, when she betrays Jude-as she eventually realizes she must-how will he take his revenge?"-- I tried to get every aspect of this covered by the music.
(**A lot of this music can be found on youtube, yahoo music, and Pandora**)
t.A.T.u
1. All About Us
2. Friend or Foe
3. We Shout (kind of reminds me of how relationships change and the life of a Skinner)
4. Perfect Enemy
5. Dangerous and Moving
Evanescence
1. All That I’m Living For (Reminds me more of book 1 Skinned)
2. Bring Me to Life
3. Going Under
4. Imaginary (Lia hoping for what she knows she’ll never have. Her life back, dreams, her true body and feelings)
Three Days Grace
1. Animal I Have Become
2. Get Out Alive (makes me think of mechs fighting for their freedom and the only chance out is to run.)
Within Temptation
1. A Dangerous Mind
2. Pale
Linkin Park- I don’t know if any of the songs truely fit but I had to put them on my list because they are an awesome band.
Thats 13 songs and one awesome band!
Thanks, I loved Skinned!!!!
---Mimi
-Keep listening to music and danceing because its working! Your books are great!
I actually just finished my first novel (in the process of querying agents... eeek!), and like you, I can't write with music, but I do brainstorm to music. And seven of your thirteen songs are in my brainstorming playlist. :)