'Soundtracks' for Writing?

[Serenity]

Ok, inspired by the orchestral thread started here...

I like to build my own 'soundtracks' for my writing. Songs that remind me of scenes, characters, places, etc. Sometimes it's a particular artist, but mostly it's a mix of various artists and songs. For my one WIP, here's my playlist:

Feelin' Way Too Damn Good- Nickleback
Wake Me Up When September Ends- Green Day
Time Enough For Tears- The Corrs
Speed of Sound- Coldplay
Borrowed Heaven- The Corrs
Silk Road- Yo Yo Ma (from 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Soundtrack)
A Love Before Time (Madarin Version)- 'Crouching Tiger' Soundtrack
Into the Darkness- Crosby, Stills and Nash
Breathe- Nickleback
Black Hole Sun- Soundgarden
Big Empty- Stone Temple Pilots
Lose Yourself- Eminem
The Night is Still Young- Billy Joel
Shameless- Billy Joel
To Make You Feel My Love- both Billy Joel and Garth Brooks version
Naked- Goo Goo Dolls
Name- Goo Goo Dolls
You and Me- Lifehouse
Jesus Walks- Kanye West
This is Your Life- Switchfoot
Right Here- Staind

As you can see, it's quite eclectic... anyone else?

[Zolah]

I make playlists for all my novels when I start work, and I also have 'universal' playlists named things like: 'Sadness', 'Love', 'Battle/Fight' and 'Exhilaration'. The playlist for my current WIP is:

Adiemus
Gravity (Embrace)
Adagio for Strings
Phat Planet
Open Heart Zoo
Conquest of Paradise (The Mission)
Flower Duet
Feeling Good (Nina Simone)
O Fortuna
Pie Jesu
Clocks (Coldplay)
Avaz-E Abouata Masnavi
Mavaraon'nahr, Avaz
On Earth as It Is in Heaven (The Mission)
Gabriel's Oboe (The Mission)
Don't Leave Home (Dido)
Vita Nostra (The Mission)
Fields of Gold (Eva Cassidy)
Ave Maria
Someone to Watch Over Me (Ella Fitzgerald)
Nocturne (Secret Garden)
L'Heure Exquise (R Hahn)
O Mio Babbino Caro (Puccini)
Largo (Dvorak)

[HourglassMemory]

Lol this is almost the same topic I did about music for inspiration. But I'm ok with it..Mine was just orchestral.
I use Harry Potter music and Lord of the Rings and Classical. Usually movie soundtracks.

[NeuroFizz]

Comfy chair, legs up on ottoman
laptop where its name suggests
television volume where it won't wake the kids
on one of the higher-numbered cable channels,
usually Discovery or National Geographic.

No background tunes needed for mood
my mind has the same wrap-around function
as the word processor program.
Background noise is blanked out until
I have to get up to pace, and think.

If the theme song from Cops comes on
it pulls my mind from the screen
my feet flopping to the rhythm
getting my mind in syncopation, and
I realize why I prefer the blandness of TV.

[three seven]

There are only three songs on my current soundtrack, but by soundtrack I mean they're actually featured in the story. They have varying degrees of significance, prominence and subtlety of reference but they're all there for a reason. The songs are, in order, Gimme Some More by Busta Rhymes, Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue by Crystal Gayle, and I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing by the New Seekers. And if you're one of the many who've only read the first two chapters... well, I'm saying nothing.

[TrickyFiction]

The Decemberists to get me pumped.
After that, each of my characters usually has a theme song that helps me shift my mood to theirs. The toughest character I ever had to write was saved by a song. It put my head in the right place to be writing him when I thought that would be near impossible for me.

[Sage]

Ooh, one of my favorite topics about writing! I love making soundtracks to my stories.

For Echoes of Silence:

Lifehouse - Cling and Clatter
Matchbox 20 - Bent
Green Day - Poprocks and Coke
Vertical Horizon - Echo
Nickelback - Just for
Lifehouse - Breathing
John Mayer - Love Song for No One
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
Avril Lavigne - Things I'll Never Say
Yellowcard - Gifts and Curses
Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down
Cherokee Rose/Sacred Spirit - The Cradlesong (Dawa)
Loreena McKennitt - Marrakesh Night Market
Ryan Cabrera - Let's Take Our Time
? - Emperor
Coldplay - Talk
? - Rhapsody in Blue
Delerium - Silence
Matchbox 20 - Mad Season
Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine - Betcha Say That
America - You Can Do Magic
Loreena McKennitt - Full Circle
Evanescence - Everybody's Fool
Sarah McLachlan - Sweet Surrender
Switchfoot - On Fire
Megumi Ogata - Can't Go Back My Mission
Evanescence - Whisper
Coldplay - X&Y
Darren Hayes - Strange Magic
Clay Aiken - Shine
Gloria Estefan - Tres Deseos
Shinedown - Burning Bright
Train - Something More
Breaking Benjamin - Forget It
Hoobastank - Lucky

For Euniq:

Coldplay - Speed of Sound
Stacie Orrico - (There's Gotta Be) More to Life
Lea Salong - Reflections
Rod Stewart - Forever Young
lostprophets - Lucky You
3 Doors Down - Never Will I Break
Vertical Horizon - Children's Lullabye
Shinedown - All I Ever Wanted
Hoobastank - Better
Delerium - Euphoria (Firefly)
Green Day - Welcome to Paradise
Garbage - #1 Crush
Loreena McKennitt - Lullaby
Nickelback - Savin' Me
Lifehouse - Trying
Midtown - Give It Up
Switchfoot - Redemption
Vertical Horizon - Prayer for an Innocent Man
Sarah McLauchlan - World Is on Fire
Billy Joel - The Longest Time

Obviously, EoS is two cds (also happens to be twice as long as Euniq)

[Sharon Mock]

My working playlists tend to be about 800 tracks long, but lucky for you I put together audio CDs for rental cars and the like...

For Kirizal:
Black Wings (Tom Waits)
Blacklisted (Neko Case)
Caxton Vs. The Fourth Estate (Dave Allen and the Elastic Purejoy)
Faded Flowers (Shriekback)
Last Secret of the Sea (Cousteau)
Licking Honey from a Razor (Barry Andrews)
Malediction (The Waterboys)
Ngankarrparni (Peter Gabriel, Rabbitproof Fence soundtrack)
Raven in the Storm (John Gorka)
steal compass/drive north/disappear (Set Fire to Flames)
Tears Of... (Silent Hill game soundtrack)
The Great Western Road (David Byrne, Young Adam soundtrack)
The Waiter No. 2 (The Black Heart Procession)
The Wind in the Wires (The Waterboys)
This Big Hush (Barry Andrews)
Time Flies Away (Ali soundtrack)
Vengeance (Garmarna)
Vivisection (Charles Olins, 12 Monkeys soundtrack)
We Don't Have to Think Like This (Solaris soundtrack)

For City of Ravens:
Ain't No Sunshine (Woven Hand)
Ben Heals Kerrigan (Carnivale soundtrack)
Between the Shadows (Loreena McKennitt)
Black Crows (Boiled in Lead)
Carry Me (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
Chuaigh Me "Na Rosann (Scartaglen)
Down the Coal-Hole (Barry Andrews)
Lullaby for Katharine (Marta Sebestyen, The English Patient soundtrack)
Evenstar (LOTR soundtrack)
Farewell 1 (House of Flying Daggers soundtrack)
Harar Et Les Gallas (Hector Zazou)
Helas and Reason (Ekova)
Idiot Fowl's Ballad (Serial Experiments Lain soundtrack)
Innocence Sleeping (Caroline Lavelle)
Last Secret of the Sea (Cousteau)
Musica Eternal (Dead Can Dance)
Passing Over (Brian Eno)
Sium Ni Dhuibhir (Relativity)
The Angelic Appearance (Vidna Obmana)
The Lament (Mediaeval Baebes)
The Sacrifice (The Piano soundtrack)
Venteles (Lisa Gerrard)
Vivisection (see above)


You did ask... ;)

[BuffStuff]

For the writing stage itself, I usually just listen to anything that is relaxing to me, mostly classical music and tracks of thunderstorms, oceans, rainforests, whales. For Free-Association work, and outlining then, anything including the above. I am generally a fan of metal music.

[Phouka]

I'm afraid to set up a playlist specifically to write -- I'd get lost for HOURS picking the music out of my mp3 collection and never actually get to the writing!

However, my current playlist seems to be all orchestral soundtracks. I'm particularly stuck in a loop with King Arthur. Horrible movie, great music!

[Serenity]

You did ask... ;)

:roll: :wag: Yes, I did. Now y'all know I'm going to have to check out these songs I don't know...

[ChaosTitan]

My current WIP playlist:

Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls
Some of Us - Starsailor
There's a Hero - Billy Gilman
Daylight Again - Crosby, Still & Nash
Deliver Me - Sarah Brightman
Hurt - Johnny Cash
All That I Need - Corrinne May
Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
Photograph - Nickelback
Right Here - Staind
Always - Saliva
Harder to Breathe - Maroon 5
Times Like These - Jack Johnson
The Fatal Wound - Switchfoot
Something Evil - Starflyer 59
The Sadness - Ryan Adams
Linger - The Cranberries
Haunted - Poe
Shatter - Meredith Brooks

[BlackCrowesChick]

I've found that Blue Oyster Cult works quite well for writing horror. Anything by them, but especially Don't Fear the Reaper.

[omega12596]

I just hit 'play' and what ever is in works. Although, I am partial to disturbed and arch enemy for general writing. ROFL, I tend to type three times as fast when I listen to metal of any flavor.

However, I really do just hit play so, and this isn't particular songs, but albums. And I'm just going to name the bands, or singers:

disturbed
staind
metallica
black sabbath
iron maiden
queen
bowie (in all his incarnations)
the new york dolls
the ramones
the dead kennedys
cadence- military
the crash test dummies
jars of clay
XTC
the drop kick murphys
blue oyster cult
simon and garfunkle
mike oldfield
soundtrack to the crow
score to the crow: graham revell
kodo
glenn miller band
henry mancini
frank sinatra
garth brooks
rascall flats
tim mcgraw
Paul revere and the raiders
the moody blues
ccr
WVU marching band
enya
evanesence
misc. techno
america -the band
eminem
irish and scottish folk music
beethoven
bach
chopin

And there is a crap load more, but I'm not going to keep going

[Sharon Mock]

:roll: :wag: Yes, I did. Now y'all know I'm going to have to check out these songs I don't know...
There's some actively obscure stuff in my playlists. Blame my husband. ;)

[TrickyFiction]

Oh, and Happy Rhodes. I can't believe I forgot to mention Happy.
That woman has AMAZING range and her subject matter is unique.
She makes me feel moody, creative, AND productive, which is a virtually impossible and invaluable combination.

[BlackCrowesChick]

Adding to my BOC pick - The Beatles White Album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Rubber Soul can also be great for writing for me. Most Black Crowes stuff is good for it, too, but I guess their Southern Harmony and Musical Companion album would be the best of them for it. I also play Eagles stuff sometimes when I write and I do well then, too.

[Phouka]

After spending two days listening to everyone else's WIP soundtrack on Rhapsody (fun!), I succumbed and did my own. It's actually suggested a new direction for my story -- what a fabulous idea!

Proud (heather small) Holding out for a Hero (FrouFrou)
The photograph kills (30OFG) Rodeo (Garth Brooks)
Adiemus (Adiemus) I Don't Wanna Be (Gavin deGraw)
My Heart's Tonight in Ireland (A Irvine)Give a Little Bit (Goo Goo Dolls)
Tae the Weavers Gin Ye Go (A Stewart) No Man's Land (June Tabor)
Life in Slow Motion (David Gray) Woad to Ruin (Hans Zimmer)
Breathe (Anna Nalick) Drive (Incubus)
Love Song for a Vampire (Annie Lennox) Cab (Train)
Mahatama (Barrage) YOu're Beautiful (James Blunt)
Beautiful Way (Beck) Black Horse and Cherry Tree (KT Tunstall)
Devil's Song (Big Pig) Cathain (Liam O Maonlai)
Miami 2017 (Billy Joel) ar nAthair (Liam O Maonlai)
Boy (Book of Love) Bonny Portmore (Loreena Mckennitt)
Defying gracity (Wicked sndtrk) Bright LIghts (Matchbox 20)
Fie on Goodness (Camelot) Ballad of Tam Lin (Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Orchestra)
Jedi Drinking Song (Brobdinagian Bards) Cry to Me
Ten Feet of Rope (Bryan Medium) Reel Beatrive (Natalie Macmaster)
All my Love (Buddy Holly) Beloved Wife (Natalie Merchant)
Take Her in your Arms (celtophile) Bye Bye Bye (N'Sync)
Are Ye Sleepin (Tannahil Weavers) True (Paddy Casey)
Mo Ghile Mear (Cheiftains) Biko (Peter Gabriel)
The Lady in Red (Chris deBurgh) On the Turning Away (Pink Floyd)
Speed of Sound (Coldplay) Chi Mi Na Morbheanna (Rankin Family)
The Ride (David Allan Coe) Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
The One I Love (David Gray) Send me on my Way (Rusted Root)
Sit Down (Don Henley) ClickClick Boom (Saliva)
Akua Tuta (Kashtin) Possession (Sarah Maclachlan)
Bone of Contention (spirit of the west) Take Your Mama (Scissor Sisters)
Oh, What a Feeling (junkhouse) DOnald McGillavry (Silly Wizard)
Henry Martin (Figgy Duff) Cecelia (Simon & Garfunkel)
Son of a Preacher Man ( Springfield) Colorful (Verve Pipe)
Oh, Industry (Bette Midler) Barrett's Privateeres (Stan Rogers)
Bend my Body Armor (Split Second) Gauduete (Steeleye Span)
A Little Less Conversation (DJ Mix) WHen the Tigers Broke Free (Pink Floyd)
Adamantine (Enya) Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)
My Immortal (Evanescence) For You I Will (Teddy Geieger)
Superman (Five for Fighting) Merrily Kissed the Quaker (Thomas Leeb)
Swallowed by the Night (Floating Men) Talula (TOri Amos)
Married Man (Floating Men) When I look to the Sky (Train)
Walk Alone at Night (Bryan Medium) Turkish Delight (David Crowder)
Cecilia (Frankie Perez) Waiting for the World (Jars of Clay)
Laura (Scissor Sisters) Stay with Me (Faces)

[alaskamatt17]

Everyone on here who likes metal and fantasy should really check out Blind Guardian. Their album Nightfall in Middle Earth is every bit as astounding as the title would suggest. What's better than a hardcore metal band laying down righteous chords whilst the singer belts out lyrics based on Tolkien's Silmarillion?

I also like to listen to movie soundtracks, and a lot of stuff from video games.

[KTC]

This is my soundtrack for my WIP called CHASING EMPTY...it's a novel set in 80s punk scene...autobiographical.


Killing An Arab by The Cure
Bela Lagosi's Dead by Bauhaus
Perfect Day by The The
Misty Circles by Dead or Alive
Never Say Never by Romeo Void
Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie and the Banshees
How Soon is Now by The Smiths
Man Inside My Mouth by The Cure
Throw Your Foot Away by The Cure
Cities In Dust by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Stephen by Gene Loves Jezebel
Immigrant by Gene Loves Jezebel
Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
I Love You by Yello
Blue Monday by New Order (The original!)
Public Image by Public Image Ltd.
Pocket Calculator by Kraftwerk
Joan of Arc by Orchestral Maneuvres in the Dark
Gentlemen Take Polaroids by Japan
Wonderland by Lene Lovich
Telegram Sam by Bauhaus (T Rex Cover)
The Cutter by Echo & the Bunnymen
SmackJack by Nina Hagen
Zara by Nina Hagen
Cosma Shiva by Nina Hagen
My Way by Sid Vicious
Love My Way by Psychedelic Furs


I have to stop...I'm slipping into the past!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chickenchargrill]

This is my soundtrack for my WIP called CHASING EMPTY...it's a novel set in 80s punk scene...autobiographical.


Killing An Arab by The Cure
Bela Lagosi's Dead by Bauhaus
Perfect Day by The The
Misty Circles by Dead or Alive
Never Say Never by Romeo Void
Hong Kong Garden by Siouxsie and the Banshees
How Soon is Now by The Smiths
Man Inside My Mouth by The Cure
Throw Your Foot Away by The Cure
Cities In Dust by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Stephen by Gene Loves Jezebel
Immigrant by Gene Loves Jezebel
Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
I Love You by Yello
Blue Monday by New Order (The original!)
Public Image by Public Image Ltd.
Pocket Calculator by Kraftwerk
Joan of Arc by Orchestral Maneuvres in the Dark
Gentlemen Take Polaroids by Japan
Wonderland by Lene Lovich
Telegram Sam by Bauhaus (T Rex Cover)
The Cutter by Echo & the Bunnymen
SmackJack by Nina Hagen
Zara by Nina Hagen
Cosma Shiva by Nina Hagen
My Way by Sid Vicious
Love My Way by Psychedelic Furs


I have to stop...I'm slipping into the past!!!!!!!!!!!

Cool soundtrack!:D

[Sage]

After spending two days listening to everyone else's WIP soundtrack on Rhapsody (fun!), I succumbed and did my own. It's actually suggested a new direction for my story -- what a fabulous idea!I love it when that happens! What I love best about making the soundtrack is listening to music with a whole new perspective. "Will this work for my novel?" "I love this song, but does it have a place on the soundtrack?" I've had songs that perfectly captured a feeling that a character has that have made me want to cry. I've been inspired to write scenes when hearing a song that made me think of my characters in a certain situation, leaving me wondering why I hadn't written that scene yet. Then once I make up the soundtrack (even in it's temporary form), I love listening to it while doing other things (writing, working, cleaning) & thinking of scenes in my novel. Sometimes if I'm feeling less than excited about writing a scene, listening to the song that corresponds to it can get me excited again. And don't even get me started on the joy of finding that perfect song for a scene (especially if it's not a scene having to do with romance. Romance is easy, the rest is the challenge).

[rallygirl]

Most of my stuff is based in the 1980s and in Australia with strong aussie themes so I choose aussie songs from the 80s with the occasional non-aussie song...:D

[s_whiticar]

I listen to a lot of Ennio Morricone (especially "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Once Upon A Time In The West"). Several scenes in my novel were inspired by certain pieces of music from these soundtracks.


Also, a lot of 1970's rock. Kansas, Led Zeppelin, and so on, since my novel is set during that time period.

[Lady Cat]

Mostly I listen to instrumental stuff when I'm writing - lyrics tend to distract me. But I listen to everything from Celtic to Classical, New Age to Tibetan monks chanting. However, I got the idea for my current WIP when I was driving too fast through the fog on the 401 listening to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Beethoven's Last Night full blast. Now whenever my energy flags I just crank it up to recapture the magic.

Lady Cat

[Annabella5780]

Yes! Finally! I am not alone!

I used to get the raised eyebrow, "What the hell is wrong with you?" looks from just about everyone I spoke with (writers and non-writers) because I had a soundtrack I made for me to listen to while writing. When I was having a particularly hard time, it was good to listen to it. That one had a wide variety of artists (I don't even recall it as the mix tape I made disappeared. :().

Great...now I'm paranoid they were giving me the weird looks because of something else...*sighs*

[TLHines]

Nice to see music is such a big part of the creation process for others, as well. I was actually an uber-geek, and created an iTunes iMix for my novel (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPublishedPlaylist?id=672949):

Tony's Theme - Pixies
A Beautiful Collision - David Crowder* Band
Hey, Johnny Park! - Foo Fighters
Daylight - Better Than Ezra
You Said - Hillsong
Come and Get Your Love - Redbone
Awesome God - Rich Mullins
Long Time Coming - Delays
Way over Yonder in the Minor Key - Billy Bragg and Wilco
Abel - The National
Love Takes Time - Bryan Duncan
Leave the Biker - Fountains of Wayne
Kissing Families - Silversun Pickups
Levon - Elton John
I Need Love - Sam Phillips