Express Yourself: Playlist

It's time for another post for the Express Yourself Weekly Meme, brought to us by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.  This is a fun meme and I'm glad I decided to take part in it!

Nov 5-9: Share your playlist for your WIP or for your life.  Or mix and match if you like.

This sounded like fun the moment I read it, and I can tell you, I had a great time picking songs.  I decided to mix and match, because music is just as important to my everyday life as it is for my writing life.  First, I'll give you my life playlist and a little explanation of why each song is important to me.

"Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica

This song, for me anyway, is about being true to who you are and being close to that special someone who understands you more than anyone else.  That bond withstands no matter what anyone else might think of it.  I always loved this song, and it was the first song my husband and I danced to at our wedding. People thought we were crazy for having Metallica as our song, but we insisted on it, because this song means something to us.

"Time" by Pink Floyd

This song sounds amazing, and it's poetic.  I think we all know how easily time can slip by, and each year I feel more and more like I'm letting the years get away from me.  I want so much to make something of myself, and I worry that I might not.  This song is on my personal playlist to remind me not to get complacent and to keep striving for what I want most.

"Float On" by Modest Mouse

The lyrics to this song remind me that, even when you're being hit with wave after wave of bad news, life keeps going.  The good things will come again. Besides, the tune is catchy!

"Hey Jude" by The Beatles

This one is simple.  My husband and I love The Beatles, and we named our oldest son Jude after this song.  Now that he's 3, Jude sings along with this song when he hears it, and he seems to love the idea that they're singing a song about him!

"Pepper" by The Butthole Surfers

The reason for this song being on this list is slightly ridiculous, but also fun.  My father-in-law  gave our son Lyle a nickname before he was even born: Pepper. Apparently the name came from the title of this song.  I like the song, so I guess I can't complain, though I hope he doesn't start school and tell his teacher that his nickname was inspired by a Butthole Surfers song.  Who knows how that would turn out?

Now for my playlist for my WIP.  Technically this isn't the list for the piece I'm working on now, but is instead for my Terra Minor series.  I intend to go back and work on these books next year.  I'm using them for this post because the playlist for this series is the most developed I have.  And the list is indeed for the series as a whole.

"Heaven" by O.A.R.

These books deal, in part, with the issues associated with prejudice.  This song celebrates being okay with who you are.  If someone won't accept you for you, why would you want to fit into their mold anyway?  It's important to be genuine.

"The Scientist" by Coldplay

This song is about wishing you could go back and undo past mistakes.  One theme in my series is trying to right wrongs and ultimately do what's best for yourself and those around you.  And as the song says, "nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard."  Well, that's often how life is.

"The Inner Light" from Star Trek: The Next Generation

This is a beautiful instrumental piece, and it accompanied a wonderful episode of this series.  For some reason, I see montages of my characters interacting to this song.

"Misunderstood" by Dream Theater

"If I seem superhuman, I have been misunderstood."  My characters in this series have telepathic and telekinetic powers, which they ultimately develop beyond what is normally deemed possible, and they try to do heroic things with these abilities.  Yet, at the end of the day, they still have the same fears and hopes, and are not indestructible.

"The Answer Lies Within" by Dream Theater

I always felt that the answers to the most important questions concerning who we are and what our purpose might be lie within ourselves.  This is a theme in this series, because my characters have to make crucial decisions about what they want while taking into account how it will impact the rest of the world. Here's a small excerpt to show why I think this song rocks.

Don't let the day go byDon't let it endDon't let a day go by in doubtThe answer lies within

Life is shortSo learn from your mistakesAnd stand behindThe choices that you make

"Throw Me Away" by Korn (Acoustic version from MTV Unplugged)

I love Korn in general, but something about this acoustic version sounds haunting to me.  I can see this being the song for a character whose been down-trodden by for so long they don't know to expect anything else.  In this series, there are a couple of characters who fit this description.

"Everything Changes" by Staind (Acoustic Version)

This is my favorite version of the song.  It just sounds amazing.  I picked this song, because every relationship has its bad moments.  Some survive them, others don't.  Either way, in those bad moments, you think back on all the things you could have done differently.  In my books, even the most solid relationships waver after being subjected to the strains of war.

Anyway, I could go on forever with more music, but I think that's enough for now.