What song old or new do you think could have been written about you and why?
I love this prompt. I’ve mentioned before how I’m very musically inclined because I was raised by a musician. Music is wonderful because it speaks the things we hold in our hearts when we can’t find the words ourselves. We relate to the lyrics that sing our pain, our hope, our joy. How many times have you listened to a song and made up a music video for it in your head featuring yourself? Just me? Ok then.
I didn’t have as much time to spend ruminating over my favorite songs to come up with an answer for this as I wanted to. That’s largely due to the fact that my favorite songs are harder alternative rock or metal that just feel good to sing along to rather than actually relating to. For the most part, I don’t hear those songs and think “oh man, that is SO me.”
Luckily for me, for the prompt, there are a few songs out there with my name on them. Fleetwood Mac has one. The legendary Bob Dylan has one. And of course, the one a former coworker would sing to me every day we worked together, the Jefferson Starship “Sara.” (Sara, Sara, storms are brewin’ in your eyes! Of course they are, Joe. You sing that line at me once a day!)
Honestly, given that they were all written before I was born, I’m amused by how well each of them fits me to one degree or another. Surely I am as unforgettable a woman as the Sara’s in the songs. If I didn’t know I was named after my great aunt, I’d almost suspect my parents named me after one of those songs.
This is also an interesting exercise for thinking about your characters. Some writers like to make aesthetic boards for their stories. Others make playlists. I’ve always wanted to try both, though I of course lean towards the music side here, too. A lot of times when I’m listening to my music, I’ll focus in on a verse or a chorus and realize how well it fits one of my characters.
Lara’s whole story is heavily influenced by Breaking Benjamin’s fifth album, Dark Before Dawn. Specifically the track “Ashes of Eden.” I’d had that in my head for the title of her story long before I remembered a song existed of the same name, and when I realized it was off one of my favorite albums I knew why it had been stuck in my head. The song fit her character well, too, especially as an anthem for when she hits her crisis point. The whole album is really a good aesthetic for that story as a whole.
Ali has always had a hard rock vibe to me, but there came a time while writing the sequel to her tale when I was heavily into Bullet For My Valentine. Their third album, Fever, came out in 2010 and the first track was called “Your Betrayal” and it was kind of perfect on multiple levels given the events roughly halfway through that story. Much like Lara and Dark Before Dawn, the the whole Fever album works as an aesthetic for Ali in Betrayal.
This prompt has renewed in me a desire to create actual playlists for my stories and characters. I wonder what sort of music would really capture the feel of Kita and Leo’s story or the Price Bros or heck, even the twins.
Well this post is rife with links to other posts and music. I love it. Now it’s your turn. What song do you feel is really about you? Do you have songs for your characters too? Maybe consider exploring that! I know I sure have fun with it.
That’s all the rambling I have for tonight. Have a great Friday! I’ll see you in the evening!
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Closet Full of Notebooks 