Monday, August 1, 2011

It always gets away from me.

My friend stayed with us for a week and a half in the beginning of July. He's also a writer, and one night we were lying drunken on the floor of my office talking about one of my projects and listening to iTunes. I mentioned that this was the soundtrack for said project, and when he asked how many songs were on it, I told him.

64.

He says, "Dude. That's not a soundtrack."

I can't just pare it down to 15-20 songs, otherwise I'll get so sick of them I can never listen to them again. Right?

Anyway, I started working on a new project. It's fun and going well so far, and I've been listening to my A Perfect Circle station on Pandora, but I've been at my 40 hour limit for a few days and anyway, I like having a dedicated iTunes playlist, so...

51 songs. That's not so bad, right? And I made a conscientious effort to put some different ones on there, not the same ol' that always inspire me.

I won't share all 51, but here's a nice run down:



  • "Devils" - Say Hi to Your Mom
  • "Run Away" - Sarah Jarosz
  • "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" - AC/DC
  • "The Devils' Feet" - Azure Ray
  • "The Bad Touch" - The Bloodhound Gang
  • "Hang Me Up to Dry" - Cold War Kids
  • "A Siren" - Colour Revolt
  • "Euro-Trash Girl" - Cracker
  • "Passenger" - Deftones
  • "Until I Wake Up" - Dishwalla
  • "Feorah" - Downshallow
  • "Hotel California" - Eagles
  • "Shadowboxer" - Fiona Apple
  • "Bad Boyfriend" - Garbage
  • "Carry On Wayward Son" - Kansas
  • "Sick Cycle Carousel" - Lifehouse
  • "Waitress" - Live
  • "One Man Army" - Our Lady Peace
  • Rolling Stones Triumverate ("Honky Tonk Women, Sympathy for the Devil, Saint of Me")
  • "The Only Living Boy in New York" - Simon & Garfunkel 
  • "At the Bottom" - Brand New

Eclectic. Just like my new WIP. 

So whaddya think? Writing soundtracks are by default longer, or do you keep yours short? 

13 comments:

Old Kitty said...

Phew!! Now even I've heard of Simon and Garfunkel! Yay!!! LOL!!

I tend to listen to two or three fave tracks infinitum and ad nauseum! LOL! No, I won't say what they are cos I'll be showing my age! Ahem!!

Good luck with your WIP!

Take care
x

Old Kitty said...

p.s. and The Eagles too of course! LOL! :-) x

Liz Reinhardt said...

Mmm, Fiona is a perpetual fave!

I get a soundtrack going for each book, then sometimes make a Pandora station if I'm over-listening (ie, the book is getting hard to plot and I'm dragging!). When the Pandora station (based on the soundtrack) hits on a new song I really love, I add it to the soundtrack. It's a complicated system, but it works! It works especially well for dicking around when you should be typing...

Love your soundtrack! I think I'll go add some Garbage to my current novel mix...

blankenship.louise said...

Nah, 51 ain't bad. I make eclectic soundtracks too.

Off to look some of these tracks up on Spotify...

Stina said...

I don't have sound tracks, but there is one Avril Lavigne song that seems to work for all of them. Hmmm. Not sure that's a good thing. :P

Chris Phillips said...

I think your friend was referring to songs that go with the narrative. You def. need more than 12-15 songs to write to. Bloodhound gang really? Fire Water Burn was pretty good tho I guess.

Linda G. said...

Wow! I'm in awe of anyone who can even listen to music while writing. It totally distracts me -- I wind up just sitting and listening.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

What's wrong with fifty-one songs? So it's a double album! And should I ask what scenes are inspired by The Bad Touch?

Hannah said...

I think I had 20 for my last WIP. I don't care about mixing things up. I'll play whatever inspires me. Some days it's classical, some days new age, some ambient or soundtracks. Whatever works, right?

And once you're in a flow, you don't even hear it any more.

Unknown said...

You weren't kidding! You really do filter through songs!!! At work I'll go through the 40hr limit with Pandora so I bought Pandora One have been loving every minute of it.

Lola Sharp said...

I make playlists but mine are usually around 20-25 songs. Sometimes one or two of those songs get more play than the rest, because they're SO perfect for that particular WiP, yanno?

Also, those are perfect songs for your new WiP and your MC. I totally get why you chose the songs you did. Especially the classic rock stuff. Suits. :)

And, I love that Fiona Apple album...and that song. Still. After all these years. (and what ever happened to her?)

Love,
L

Talli Roland said...

I wish I had a writing soundtrack, but I don't write to music at all! Boooooo for me.

Kelley said...

Ditto Talli. I can't write with music playing. BUT, I'm like an MFA fighter or boxer or something, because I gear up with music (and I bounce around oddly before...okay, not really...).

I normally pick a couple of mood setting songs, but I completely get getting bored with a regular compilation worth.

Also, Carry on my wayward son, the bad touch, BRAND NEW WHO I LOVE MORE THAN ANY OTHER BAND IN EXISTENCE?!?!?--->I completely am unquestioning your music taste.

From your newest follower :)