Name of Song....

[Sara Prentis]

Cheers,
I'm trying to find out about a song title I have in a manucript.
Is that acceptable? Or am I breaking any rules?

The line goes like this:

Mille Lune Mille Onde began to play and he stood up and took her hand


Is that acceptable or should we just delete the name of the song and say their favorite song began....

Thank you.

[benbradley]

Yes, you can name a song. In fact, sometimes two unrelated songs have the same name. You can't get into trouble unless you start quoting lyrics.

[JoNightshade]

Personally, I would describe what type of song it is. Mille Lune Mille Onde means nothing to me. Slow? Fast? Romantic? Funny?

[Danger Jane]

Here's a thread you might find useful.

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8231&highlight=songs

[blacbird]

Ben and Jo are both correct in making different points. Titles can be cited freely, and are not protected by copyright. But Jo's point may be more apropos. If you're going to cite song title, it needs to be one your readers will recognize, otherwise you're point is entirely lost. I don't know the song you cite, either.

caw

[Danger Jane]

I tend to avoid naming songs if I can because well, a lot of what I listen to is relatively obscure, but even stuff that isn't, I don't want to put readers off by having my characters fall in love or something to a song the reader hates. So I describe instead the feel of the song and the effect it has on the characters. Maybe this puts them off more...

[Lindo]

I see no problem with that. "Writing class" type thinking tends to make you think that everything has to be perfectly understood or you've failed. In fact,t that is far from the case. An excellent example is "Naked Lunch", in which Burroughs repeatedly refers to things throughout the book that are unexplained (candiru is one I happen to recall), sometimes explaining them halfway through. What does the reader do? Thow up his hands and go back to Herman Wouk? Fall into a frothing fit of confusion? No, you sort of read over it unless you're hopelessly anal.
Another example I can think of is William Gibson using the word "chilango". No explanation. Small percentage of his readers are going to know that's a person from Mexico City...but so what? What if it meant pigmies or samurai?

I've read a lot of things that mentioned songs I don't know. Who cares? And who cares if it's peppy or gloomy or whatever? One possible effect of this is to convey a certain hipness...it can actually raise confidence in the writer or narrator. Ross Thomas, for one, often writes about Europe and never describes the buildings or monuments. He just sort of "assumes" you know what they look like. After all, we're men of the world here, non?
Plus, those who DO know the song or what the facade of St. Sofia look like, get a special feeling from this. And they know you're one of them.

Obviously I'm overstating slightly something that is a subtle thing. What is important is this: you don't sell books by sticking to the ABC's. Don't be afraid to screw around a little.
And in this specific case, if that's your song, call it out. Don't worry if every person in the world is aware of it.

[blacbird]

And in this specific case, if that's your song, call it out. Don't worry if every person in the world is aware of it.

I'd say context is important. If that song title works into the context in which it is used in a truly meaningful way, then use it. If, however, it's being used just for an atmospheric touch, or something minor, I'd question why you even mention it.

caw

[janetbellinger]

The thing I like most about this sentence is that I have never heard of Mille Lune Mille Onde. That means I get to use my detective skills and imagination about what type of song it is. I imagine it to be slow and romantic and that is the point - it lets the reader use her imagination. There are so few opportunities today in reading to use our imaginations as it is usually all laid out for us.

quote=Sara Prentis;1369970]Cheers,
I'm trying to find out about a song title I have in a manucript.
Is that acceptable? Or am I breaking any rules?

The line goes like this:

Mille Lune Mille Onde began to play and he stood up and took her hand


Is that acceptable or should we just delete the name of the song and say their favorite song began....

Thank you. [/quote]

[Sara Prentis]

You guys are great!!! Thank you so much!!

As for the song:
If anyone has seen the Barilla commercial with Andrea Bocelli singing in the background. I love that song and got a hold of it and have gone mad over it. Romantic.

http://www.abmusica.com/cieli_di_toscana.htm#Track%202


If anyone cares to read the lyrics in English. Again, thank you!!!!
Back to the drawing board. S

[Lindo]

I'd question why you even mention it.

You question why somebody would put atmospheric touches in their book? Are you sure?
I would say a sizeable percentage, if not majority, of readers prefer authors for their little touches, not their plot outlines. It's why people buy a Lena Horne album instead of Ella Fitzgerald...the little atmospheric touches.

How many books do you see that are always mentioning the brand of clothes and shoes people are wearing or the brands of coffee and icecream they're eating? (Not to mention the books that are about little else) Is the thinking there that everybody is going to immediately picture some exotic Italian shoe name, or even Prada? No, it adds atmosphere and authority, like I said. And people who DO worship brand names are pleased by it.

This is a good thing for writers to understand. That these things say much more, and at a subtler level than the dictionary does. It's very common, if you look for it. Not stuff like the Burroughs thing I mentioned or actually made up words: how many people really know off the bat what a 1946 Packard looks like? Or if there even was such a model? How many could identify a SIG Sauer P226 pistol looks like. But saying a character has one says something to the reader. You say she was reading Witold Gombrowitz or Witgenstein: does the reader immediately know what's going on her head? Or just that she's into some abstruse, brainy shit and the writer is obviously hip to and therefore to be trusted?

[blacbird]

You question why somebody would put atmospheric touches in their book?

I probably didn't express that as well as I wanted to. I certainly don't object to "atmospheric touches" per se. But in order for something to work as such, it needs to be clearly understood by the average reader. I simply question whether this particular example would be so. It doesn't do anything for me, as it was written (there may be other context not posted here that clarify).

caw

[Siddow]

You've already got your answer about titles being fine to mention, but I wanted to add, FWIW, I don't know the song either but that doesn't really matter to me. Just the title makes me think of something with an orchestra playing and someone crooning in a romantic language that I don't understand and don't need to. It puts me in a mood, and that's good enough for me.

[Devil Ledbetter]

Just the title makes me think of something with an orchestra playing and someone crooning in a romantic language that I don't understand and don't need to. It puts me in a mood, and that's good enough for me.
It worked that way for me, too. I figured it was probably something classical and melodic.

[Sara Prentis]

I have about four song titles here and there during certain scenes.
I only write the title of the song and go from there. I understand that that one Italian song would probably mean nothing to those who don't know it, but I'm sort of hoping the reader would look into it and once they hear it or read the lyrics, they'd smile and understand. Too much to hope for? Maybe. But anything is possible, right? Please say right.

Again, thank you.

[Zixi]

Can you include lyrics if you state what song they are from in the dialogue?

[Siddow]

Can you include lyrics if you state what song they are from in the dialogue?

Only with (sometimes expensive) permission. Lyrics are copyrighted. Titles are not.