I have a wide and eclectic selection of music. When I’m writing something, I’ll frequently find that a soundtrack is assembling itself in my head–songs that seem to refer or strike glints of meaning from what I’m working on. Recently I finished a story about marital abuse and the nature of haunting, a ghost story. Here is its soundtrack. (Oh, and I love cover tunes.)
1. Not All Right – Storm Large
2. Ghost in This House – Alison Krauss and Union Station
3. Cold as the Clay – Greg Graffin
4. Love Hurts – Nazareth
5. Whatever You Want – Vienna Teng
6. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) – Marilyn Manson
7. Prelude 12/21 – AFI
8. Where the Wild Roses Grow – Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue
9. A Recurring Dream Within a Dream – Alan Parsons Project
10. One More Hill – Greg Graffin
11. Brilliant Disguise – Bruce Springsteen
12. You Can Run – Alan Parsons Project
13. Null & Void – TATU
14. Aquarius – Within Temptation
15. Chiquitita – Sinead O’Connor
16. Beautiful Disaster – Kelly Clarkson
17. Luka – The Lemonheads
18. Taking Over Me – Evanescence
I did say it was eclectic, right? So when you’re writing, do you find that the same thing happens to you? Anyone care to post their soundtracks?
this is a most excellent idea. i hear soundtracks in my mind all the time…i thought it was just me.
Not at all! I’ve heard lots of people say they have this happen. I think it’s part of our culture today–we’re surrounded so much by media that the insides of our heads never hush up any more than the outsides do. Many people bewail this and say we should learn to have silence in our minds. I don’t deny that it’s a useful skill, but I like the stream of song running through the artistic architecture of my mind.