What is the soundtrack to your favorite book?

Nicola here, dipping into the list of questions sent in to the Wenches. A little while ago, Kay Spears wrote in asking:

"I started wondering if the Wenches had songs that influenced their writing or got that little light bulb blinking.  And do they listen to music while writing or are they like me and find music distracting when trying to write?”

Well, for me the answer to the second question is no. I’m with you, Kay. I can’t listen to music with lyrics when I’m writing because it does distract me. It’s one of those rare occasions when I can’t multi-task; to listen and to write simultaneously is beyond me. Sometimes I can have classical or instrumental music playing as a backdrop to my writing. A bit of Beethoven or Tchaikovsky can be pretty romantic and inspiring at appropriate moments. But generally not, and I'd be interested to hear which of the other wenches can write with the music playing.

So back to the first question, to which the answer is yes! For years I have found inspiration for plot, setting and characters in the lyrics of certain songs and I know I’m not alone. I remember another historical author commenting once on why rock music inspired her when she was writing medieval romance. Her band of choice was Bon Jovi. She drew my attention to the parallels between the driving beat of the music and the way in which the story pushed forward. Her plots were full of the pulsating masculine energy you see in programmes like The Tudors and hear in songs like You Give Love a Bad Name.

I think that sharing the musical inspiration behind books can be quite revealing of an author (not least in admitting to a taste in music other might not share!) but I’m willing to risk it here amongst friends. So here are a few examples of where songs have inspired my own writing, and then I would love people to share their own favorites with me.

For me it all started a few years ago when I wrote a book for Harlequin Historicals called The Earl’s Prize. The theme of the book was gambling and the theme tune of the hero and his clique of gambling cronies was Ace of Spades by Motorhead. Sometimes I think a few lines of lyrics can completely encapsulate a theme or a character:

“If you like to gamble, I tell you I'm your man, You win some, lose some, it's all the same to me. The pleasure is to play…”

This seemed to me perfectly to sum up the gambling addiciton of such historical figures as Lord Foley, Lord Alvanley and Richard Barry, 7th Earl of Barrymore.

My second book for HQN was called Lord of Scandal and was about a hero, Ben Hawksmoor, who had created a “celebrity” persona for himself out of the ashes of a disastrous, poverty-stricken childhood. Despite his glittering lifestyle he was essentially a solitary figure and the lyrics of Robbie Williams’ song “Feel” were particularly appropriate for him, especially in his attitude towards women:

"Before I fall in love, I'm preparing to leave her. I scare myself to death. That's why I keep on running..."

There is a very melancholy tone in the song as well, which I felt was perfect for Ben's "real" life as opposed to the artificial one he had created.

Nowadays I'm so taken with the idea of a soundtrack for a book that with my Brides of Fortune series this summer I created an entire playlist, with themes tunes for the heroes and heroines including Sunday Girl by Blondie for Alice, the heroine of The Scandals of an Innocent (“cold as ice cream but still as sweet”) and Real Wild Child by Iggy Pop for Lizzie in The Undoing of a Lady (self-explanatory) plus an overall theme, which was A Little Less Conversation by Elvis Presley: “A little less conversation, a little more action, please.” That wasn't so much a complaint by either the heroes or the heroines on their love life, but more a reflection on my procrastination when it comes to sitting down and appying myself to writing!

But if song lyrics can sum up a character or an idea in a few words I think they are also very evocative for background and setting. My next book, Whisper of Scandal, is set in the Arctic and there are quite a few songs that capture the mood perfectly: Through the Dark, by KT Tunstall, Starlight by Muse, even Bones by The Killers. Then there is Northern Lights by Renaissance: "The Northern Lights are in my mind, they guide me back to you..." 

So now I’d like to ask: If you are a writer, what are the songs that inspire you? And if you are a reader do you ever read a book that suggests a particular song or piece of music to you? I’m looking forward to hearing your choices and I’m giving away a backlist book to one commenter today in celebration of the music!

Comments

[Cynthia Owens]

Great post, Nicola. I tend to listen to a lot of Irish/Celtic music whether I'm writing or not, but I think I was unconsciously inspired by a particular song. "The Fields of Athenry" is a song about the Irish Famine. An Irishman is transported to Australia for stealing corn to feed his family (by the English, of course). It's one of my favorite songs, and after I'd written my first book, In Sunshine or in Shadow, I realized I'd used that song for backstory, except my heroine's husband was hanged, rather than transported.

For my second story, Coming Home, releasing in 2010, my hero is a veteran of the Irish Brigade in the American Civil War, and I found myself inspired by a lot of the music from that time.

[Anne Gracie]

Interesting post, Nicola.

I don't usually write to music with words, but I often have one song that is the theme song, in a way, for the book. And for my current series, all the songs are from one singer, Katie Melua, who has a haunting evocative voice.

For my Stolen Princess, it was Katie Melua's Half Way up the Hindu Kush.
you can listen to the song here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2HjDIv2JQI

It wasn't quite my theme song for His Captive Lady, but a song that linked with the mood of parts of the story was Katie Melua's Piece by Piece. Beautiful, heartbreaking song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPgWFj-ZqIE

And the theme song of my most recent release To Catch a Bride is Melua's The Closest Thing to Crazy Listen to it here and feel the gorgeous goosebumps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DCacIEbAlM

[kay]

The song that always makes me want to write a romance is "If I were your woman" sung by Gladys Knight and the Pips. Every time I hear the following lyrics I think, how would I write that in a historical setting?

Life is so crazy
And love is unkind
Because she came first
Will she hang on your mind
You're a part of me
And you don't even know it
I'm what you need
But I'm too afraid to show it

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks for sharing your inspiration, Cynthia. I found it particularly interesting that The Fields of Athenry was a sort of unconscious inspiration to you. I wonder how many times we hear a piece of music and it catches at the back of our minds and then we use it even though we are unaware of it.

Irish and Celtic music is incredibly evocative, isn't it. I have a number of tracks I listen to when I am writing a Scottish-set book. North, by Paul Mounsey, is one of them. It's an instrumental piece that is haunting and beautiful and for me it conjures up the wild scenery of the Highlands.

[Nicola Cornick]

Oh Anne, those Katie Melua tracks are wonderful, aren't they. They really do raise the goosebumps and the lyrics are intriguing.

Kay, I agree that there's a whole host of questions raised by that Gladys Knight song. And that's another interesting thing - one song might inspire one person in quite a different way that it "speaks" to someone else. Thanks for raising the question in the first place!

[Linda Banche]

"Pulsating masculine energy"? What an image that conjures up! **grins**

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL Linda, maybe I should have phrased that differently!

[Cara Elliott/Andrea Penrose]

Nicola, I write for the most part in silence. No way could I listen to lyrics! Way too distracting. And while I very occasionally put on some Vivaldi flute concertos, I really prefer to write in silence.

As for songs that inspire . . . funny, I have lots of songs that very much remind me of places and people (I can never hear a certain Van Morrison album without thinking of a magazine photo shoot I was on in the south of Spain. Our crew has SUCH a good time and that album was our anthem . . . we played it every day on our bus going from location to location!) However, I haven't really thought about music and fictional characters much. Am I inspirationally challenged? Now that you bring it up, I'm sure I'll start compiling a playlist!

[Chelsea B.]

Great post! I've always been interested in knowing if authors listening to music while writing. I know that when I write-or read- I can't listen to anything with words because I get distracted LOL;-). So I have to listen to instrumental, usually piano. It seems to fit any mood, nomatter whats going on in the book :-)

[Annrei]

I have no problem listening to music with lyrics while writing. I find that it helps more than hinders, especially since I've recently started putting together playlists for my stories. Sometimes, though, the music will be on and I'll realize that I haven't really listened to any of it because I was too busy writing and typing.

[Patricia Barraclough]

I can see how the lyrics of a song could become an inspiration to an author. We expect a soundtrack with a movie, so why not with a book. I have heard many songs and either wished I knew the story behind them or thought what a good story could be made from it. The 60's and 70's had some wonderful songs to be made into books.
Off topic a little, but The Knight's Tale's use of music by Queen was perfect. When I first heard what they had done, I couldn't see a fit. However, the music works perfectly. There could be a good book or two taken from some of the songs. "The Boys Are Back In Town" certainly lends itself to stories no matter what the century.

[Nicola Cornick]

I certainly don't think you can be inspirationally challenged, Andrea! I'll look forward to hearing if you compile a playlist in future!

I think we're getting a balance of those who can write with music playing and those who can't. I like the idea of instrumental piano music in the background, Chelsea. That sounds very relaxing and inspiring.

[Nicola Cornick]

LOL Annrei, I've done that thing of putting on a piece of music and then realising that I've been typing away and got to the end of the CD without even noticing!

I enjoyed the way that they put modern music with the action in "A Knight's Tale" too, Pat. I thought it worked very well. They did the same thing with the soundtrack to "Plunkett and Maclaine" and again I think it suited the dark and dangerous highwayman theme.

[Maureen]

Hi Nicola,
I don't really think of music when I'm reading a good story but when I'm listening to music some songs will make me think of that person's story that goes with the song. I'm terrible with remembering lyrics but one song I could see the people involved was in a song by Faith Hill called, I think, "Stealing Kisses". Some of the lyrics are "Do you know who I am, take a look at who I am, I'm standing in your kitchen."

[Joanne Bozik]

When I am reading my books, I love to listen to Easy Listening music. Only instrumental, no voices.........it's calming......

[Patricia Rice]

Lyrics have often been inspiration for a story idea, but I cannot write to music with words or the Boys Are Back in Town will start taking over my book. "G" I do often use instrumentals to help focus when writing. I have everything from Vivaldi to the Chieftains in the PC. Oh, and I do have the Anonymous Four because their voices are instrumental to me. The lyrics pass right on by.

[Sherrie Holmes]

Sherrie here. Music is my life, from the moment I rise in the morning to the moment I go to bed at night. I love everything from classical to rock (no rap, please!) A song can inspire me to write an entire story. Even snatches of song can inspire me. When I write, I always have music playing--usually instrumentals, but sometimes pounding rock & roll, depending on what I'm writing. I also have a CD called Thundering Rainstorm, that is the sound of a thunderstorm, accompanied by the pitter of rain. I never listen to it except for writing. It is now my Pavlov's bell. When I put it on the stereo, I'm instantly transported to the Writing Zone.

I was stuck in a traffic jam years ago, and for two hours I sat in my car, unable to move forward or take an exit. I had only one cassette with me, an Elton John tape. I kept playing "I Never Knew Her Name," over and over. Here's the YouTube link: http://tinyurl.com/yfnluy7 . It's about a man who walks by a church where there's a wedding. He goes in and sits in the back and as he watches the bride go down the aisle, he falls in love with her, even though he doesn't know her name. Part of the lyrics:

"I was killing time with Jesus
When the wedding bells began
And I saw the most beautiful woman
Getting married to a handsome man
And she walked like a mystery
And she passed like summer rain
And she said "I do" like an angel
But I never knew her name
Oh the congregation gathered
But in darkness I remained
In love with the bride of a handsome man
But I never knew her name"

By the time I got home hours later, I had fleshed out an entire short story in my head. I sat down and wrote the whole thing in one sitting that night, and it's my best short story ever.

So yes. Music, every day, all day, all the time!

[Nicola Cornick]

Those are intriguing lyrics, Maureen. You could definitely write a book around that! And Joanne, I love the thought of sitting quietly with the music playing, reading a book. Just the idea calms me down (there's a big pile of ironing waiting for me and I know what I'd rather be doing!)

[Nicola Cornick]

Pat, I love the idea of some voices sounding instrumental. I haven't come across Anonymous Four but I've just checked them out!

And Sherrie, I would LOVE to have a Pavlov's Bell for the writing zone. I have a Pavlov's story when I want to sleep (actually that doesn't say much for my storytelling skills if it acts as a sleep aid!) so perhaps I could train myself to write when I hear a particular track. Am going to try it!

[Lyn S]

I am glad this came up. I heard a song on the radio and I thought of all the Regency books I have read of yours. My presets on my radio include Classic Rock (1960s to 1970s) and the Sinatra channel. A Sinatra song came on a few weeks ago and I so wanted to send the lyrics to you. It was written in the 20th century, but seemed to me to capture every Regency meet at the ballroom scene where they are not quite who they seem to be. They link is http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+sinatra/im+not+afraid_20056470.html The pertinent lyrics are:
“What is for real, what is false? All of us seem to be caught in a waltz.”

As for the sound track to a book, it seems to me to be a new phenomena. Stephanie Meyers published at the end of one of the Twilight books a list of what she listened to while writing. Those songs became very popular among her readers. I guess this could be taken to the level of product placement in a movie. Speaking of that the soundtrack for New Moon is also doing well. I have not seen the movies. My daughter was a very early fan, but after a while realized that the level of writing by Anne Rice, who she read first, was better so she is not a Twilight fan anymore.

As for finding appropriate lyrics to match literature, my daughter’s English teacher asked them to pick songs to go with Beowulf and Grendel which they just finished reading. Her choices are The Immigrant Song, by Led Zeppelin and Mommy Can I go out and Kill Tonight by the Misfits.

Now if anyone wants to help convert a short story about a girl on a search at the mall for a pair of Christian Louboutin’s into epic pentameter, she will help you create as many playlists as you would like.