Best of 2011: Fifteen Writing Songs - Part Two

Here's the second part of my countdown of the best writing songs of 2011! You can read the first part here.

7. The Lonely - Christina Perri

Dancing slowly in an empty room/Can the lonely take the place of you?

I usually write to songs because of their lyrics, but it's the mood of this song that inspires me. It evokes this haunting type of sadness, which helps me get in the mood to write the more depressing scenes.

6. He About to Lose Me - Britney Spears

I feel it burning and I know I'm standing far too close.

And yet again, I hear a Britney Spears song as full of angst. Cheating, or even being with the wrong person at the wrong time, has been a common theme in what I've wrote this year, and this song captures the feeling of the cheater perfectly. They know that they're doing something wrong, but they "can't overcome this chemistry." And, as they cheat, they know that their partner, or the person they want to be with, is slipping away. It's hot and heart-breaking at the same time. 

5. Skin and Bones - David J. Roch

So don't try to save me, and please God forsake me/I'll suffer alone, I just want to be left.

I posted a dance for this one because it's where I first heard the song, and now I always associate the two. I cried the first time I watched this dance, because to me, it and the song are all about giving up, even (or especially) when there are people who will do anything to help you. It's the song I play in my characters' darkest moments.

4. Bird of Winter Prey - William Fitzsimmons

We're more than just the blood of what we've done.

This song is on the list because of the lyric I quoted. This CD came out when I was writing a part of my novel where my characters were just destroyed by guilt. The reassurance that they were more than their actions was exactly what they needed and, ultimately, what they gave each other. Guilt is almost always a theme in my work, so there's always a use for this song.

3. Someone Like You - Adele

We were born and raised in a summer haze/Bound by the surprise of our glory days.

Well, obviously. This is the angst anthem of 2011, so of course I wrote to it. Much like the other Adele song on this list, I wrote to it because I danced to it. My characters are really too young to relate to the lyrics, but they understand the emotion behind it, and when I danced to this song, I was able to put that emotion into my writing.

2. Poison and Wine - The Civil Wars

I don't love you, but I always will.

I wish I had the space to quote all the lyrics, because they're all perfect and poignant. Joy and John Paul didn't waste a single word when they wrote this song, which makes every line feel like a punch to the gut. The song is a messy love story, and those are what I strive to write. I could put this song on for almost every scene I write, and either the lyrics or music would be appropriate. It's beautiful in how it's both heart-healing and heart-breaking.

1. Falling - The Civil Wars

Tell me it's nothing/Try to convince me/That I'm not drowning/Oh let me tell you, I am.

This is, by far, the most scene-specific song on this list. But, it was such a significant scene, and the song was so important to it, that now whenever I think of that novel, this is the first song that comes to mind. My character, Callie, danced to this song, and it was her first real breakthrough, the first time she realized there was something seriously wrong with the way she'd been treated. And her boyfriend, Chase, guided her through it. While I never explicitly stated this was the song she danced to in the scene itself, I described it, and   danced to it as though I was Callie to know what she'd do. This song brought me closer to my characters, reminds me of the novel I spent most of the year working on, and is the one closest to my heart. 

And that's it! I'll post my 2012 songs closer to the new year. If you celebrate it, have a wonderful Christmas!