The Soundtracks Of Our Lines
Bec Says
Do some books evoke certain music for you? I’m a Stephen King fan and have always gotten a huge kick out of the way he incorporates snatches of song lyrics into his novels. To me, it adds another dimension to the text. In this article, Guardian writer Jon Wilde expresses his disdain for books that are inspired by music. But bestselling author, Dave Eggers, might disagree. He listened to Beth Orton’s ‘Sweetest Decline’ on a loop for days while he was writing his wildly successful ‘A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius’… The great poet, Baudelaire, was inspired by the work of Wagner. Listen to this and you might understand why. And, not forgetting fan fiction, here’s an interesting snippet about the influence of Sonic Youth. Sony BMG released a soundtrack to Brad Meltzer’s ‘The Book of Lies’. You can get an enhanced version of Nick Cave’s ‘The Death of Bunny Munro‘ at iTunes, featuring original music. Recently, wunderkind Jared Tinlin (really! he’s 8 years old!) published this book, inspired by the music of Johnny Cash. I wonder which composers/bands have inspired the most literature…
Goodreads has a group dedicated to this very topic over here. Amazon suggests some music to accompany assorted titles there.
So… Do you ‘hear’ soundtracks to the books you read? And does music inspire you to write?
Music: Lo-fi, background-type stuff….Perfect for writing!
Fever Ray – When I Grow Up Vijay Iyer Trio – Galang
The Dead Weather – I Cut Like a Buffalo Shivaree – Goodnight Moon
Grizzly Bear – Cheerleader The XX – Intro
Caribou – Niobe Calexico – Black Heart
Mark Lanegan – Hit the City Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
Women in Docs – Nashville PJ Harvey – A Place Called Home
Kosheen – All In My Head Ladytron – Destroy Everything You Touch
Death in Vegas – Dirge The Duke Spirit – The Step and the Walk
Massive Attack – Risingson Portishead – Glory Box
Lovage – Stroker Ace Tom Waits – God’s Away on Business Air – All I Need
