While I can’t share words or quotes or chapters or names or anything like that for the novel I’m writing now (hee hee – that’s the joy of writing under a contract for the first time! You gotta keep stuff under wraps), I CAN share the playlist I’m listening to.
I don’t listen to music when I am writing at home. That is, unless I need to drown out sounds of the heathens in my home. But I absolutely listen to music when I write in coffee shops and on airplanes because I find conversations totally distracting. And since I do some of my best writing in those two settings — up in the air and near the espresso machine — I like to have a playlist handy.
Here’s my “Now” playlist with explanations for some songs.
- “Crack the Shutters” and “Run” by Snow Patrol
- “People are Crazy” by Billy Currington
- “I Sing the Body Electric” from “Fame-The Musical” (I played this song over and over while waiting to hear from my agent the day my book went to acquisitions so this is and always will bring me warm fuzzies! It’s my Book Deal Anthem!)
- “Turn me On” by Union of Sound (From Love, Actually soundtrack and it’s just a good, sexy song)
- “Take me as I Am” by Wyclef Jean (Same as above)
- “Being Alive” by Raul Esparza from 2006 revival of “Company” (I love love love Raul’s version of this song)
- “Symphony No. 9 – Ode to Joy” by Beethoven from “Die Hard” soundtrack (because, really, there is no better song ever)
- “Just Breathe,” “Better Man” and “Love, Reign O’er Me” from Pearl Jam (Pearl Jam brings back my college days even though these are more recent tunes)
- “Always True to You in my Fashion” by Cole Porter from “Kiss me Kate.” (Because if a Paris pat means a Paris hat, OK)
- I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance” and “Someone to Watch Over Me” by Linda Ronstadt (reminds me of college, but not for same reason as Pearl Jam if you know what I mean)
- “King & Queen” (feat Shakira) by Wyclef Jean
- “Aquarius” from the new Broadway cast of “Hair” (give it a whirl – it doesn’t sound like the old “Aquarius” at all!)
- “The Best of Times” from La Cage Aux Folles (Bought versions from 1983 version and recent London one because I JUST COULDN’T PICK!)
- “Librarian” by Morning Jacket (that’s just a hot song!)
What are you listening to?
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I’ve got Pandora playing over my iPhone at the moment, set on a folk station that’s based around the song ‘Lone Pine Hill’
Great playlist, Daisy! Right now I’m listening to an audio book . When writing I listen to all sorts of music. Too many to list here. But, I do find that a little band by the name of Florence and the Machine inspires me a lot! I love them!!!
Happy Monday!
Florence and the Machine is great, Kimberly! Nice choice! I love ALL kinds of music… I can’t pick just one, but a front-runner over the last few years has to be Nickel Creek – amazing harmonies and relaxing bluegrassy-styles. More recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of undiscovered indie rock bands and singers for our music show “My Indie Life”… some great musicians so far are: Civalias, Sean Fournier, My Dear Disco, Still Time, Darwin Deez… the list goes on…
Anyone out there listening to unknown artists that they think are amazing? I’d love to hear!
My list is rather large and depends on the book I’m writing. I love movie soundtracks (Memoirs of a Geisha, The Young Victoria, Prince of Egypt and tons more).
Currently listening to the wistful tunes of The Celtic Women. Just type them in on YouTube; there’s tons of videos for them.
Give these a try, mostly from 2009 or 2010, but a couple from slightly earlier…
* “Oh No, Not You Again!,” “How You Like Me Now?,” “Short Change Hero” and “What You Want Me to Do” by The Heavy, from The House That Dirt Built (hell, listen to the whole album; it’s fantastic!)
* “The Weary Kind” and “I Don’t Know” by Ryan Bingham from the “Crazy Heart” soundtrack
* “Written in Reverse” and “I Saw the Light” by Spoon from Transference
* “The Fixer,” “Gonna See My Friend” and “Got Some” by Pearl Jam from Backspacer
* “Johnny Law,” “Old Devils” and “Who Stole the Soul” by William Elliott Whitmore from Animals in the Dark (the whole album’s fookin’ awesome, in a Steve Earle-meets-Billy-Bragg-thematically-but-sounds-like-Tom-Waits-and-Keb-Mo-had-a-kid sorta way)
* “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo” by Lucero from 1372 Overton Park and “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne from Gossip in the Grain. Like soulful horns with your toe-tapping grooves? Then don’t sleep on these two gems.
* “This Too Shall Pass” by OK Go from “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky”
* “My City of Ruins” (live Springsteen cover from Kennedy Center Honors) by Eddie Vedder (charity single for Haiti relief)
RP
Here are some that I use when writing:
The New World
The Painted Veil
The Sheltering Sky also live
Recently older songs have started popping in my head – late 90′s and influenced by La Femme Nikita. Kate Bush: This Woman’s Work, Running Up That Hill; Sara McLachlan: Possession, I Will Remember You, Building a Mystery; Coldplay: Spies; Mono: Life in Mono
Daisy:
What to add to your writing playlist? Seems to me a natural would be Dire Straits’ “Lady Writer .” (and not just because of the title — it has a relentless forward-moving shuffle that helps get the words out)
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