Let’s build a story playlist.

So this title … may be a tad misleading, since I’m not building a NEW story playlist, but rather explaining the process which went into building an already-completed one … but semantics, semantics. *brushes them off grandly*

I’ve probably lost my audience in the swamps of confusion by now, so let’s start again. xD Simply put, I like making music playlists for my novels. Really, really like it. Swear by it, in fact. On Christmas Eve, I finished the first draft of my Western fantasy novel Dragon at 90361 words. I thought I’d show some love to the story playlist which got me all the way from “Chapter One” to “The End.”

A little background first, so you’re not sitting here wondering “what the heck is this novel even about??” Dragon is Book Two in a series about mythological monsters wreaking havoc in the Wild West. Dragon stars one (1) very confused Chinese dragon, one (1) cowboy with a gambling addiction, and one (1) masked vigilante girl who fights sex trafficking.

There are 25 songs on my Dragon playlist. I’m going to link to each song on YouTube and explain why I chose each one.

Are you ready? Let’s rock and roll!

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1. Coldplay, “Orphans”

The most crucial song on any of my story playlists is the first one. You see, the first song basically defines the whole book. It’s responsible not just for getting me into a writing mood, but getting me into the mood to write that particular story. And I couldn’t have asked for a better one than “Orphans.”

I wanna know,

Where I can go,

Back and get drunk with my friends,

Oh, I wanna know,

Where I can go,

Back and feel young again …

This isn’t a song about unbridled debauchery, so put down those tomatoes. 😉 “Orphans” is about young people in a brutal war zone, mourning the pleasures they’ve lost and the relationships they’ve never been able to start. It’s the perfect way to slide into my protagonists’ shoes. Jack Landry lost his family in a fire. Shufen saw her sister kidnapped into sex slavery. They’ve both been trying so, so hard … but I think they’d love to know where they can go “back and feel young again.”

2. Mulan, “Reflection” (trailer music)

My heroine is a cross-dressing, mask-wearing Chinese warrior. Did you really expect me to make a playlist WITHOUT any Mulan music? xD

3. Oliver & Company, “Once Upon a Time in New York City”

I’ve used “Once Upon a Time in New York City” for quite a few male protagonists. To me, it’s the quintessential anthem of the young-man-setting-out-in-the-world. The adventure, the freedom, the loneliness, the bewilderment: it’s all here, and it’s all fresh.

If it’s always once upon a time in New York City,

Why does nightfall find you feeling so alone?

How could anyone stay starry-eyed

When it’s raining cats and dogs outside,

And the rain is saying, “Now you’re on your own” …

*muffled sobs*

(Yes, I am completely aware this song came from a cartoon movie about talking animals, but iT iS dEeP sTuFf and I will stand by that statement.)

4. Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler”

“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run”–what can I say? It’s a classic. The sheer number of times I played this song while Jack squandered his last remaining dollars at the poker table would Quite Scandalize my readers, I am sure. So let us pass lightly over it. 😉

5. Mulan, “Reflection” (Jessie J)

Of all the versions of “Reflection” out there, Jessie J’s is my favorite. She brings a fury and a hunger to the familiar Disney lyrics which I venture to say has never been matched. C h i l l s.

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6. Maren Morris, “My Church”

Usually I’m pretty hostile towards modern country music (give me Johnny Cash & the Carter Family or give me death), but “My Church” is something special. “When this wonderful world gets heavy, and I need to find my escape …” Jack would understand those lines. So would Shufen. There’s a bone-deep weariness which finds its solace not in sitting still, but in moving forward.

7. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and friends, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

Remember what I said about Johnny Cash & the Carter Family? Yep! This is the song that Mother Maybelle Carter made famous back in the 1930s, performed by a star-studded lineup of country music talent. In this video, you can hear Johnny Cash, various other Cashes and Carters, Roy Acuff, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, and many, many more.

“Will the Circle Be Unbroken” speaks to loss, to darkness, and to hope. It expresses Jack and Shufen’s grief for the family members they’ve lost.

8. Sammy Hagar, “I Can’t Drive 55”

“Write me up for 125, post my face, wanted dead or alive”–I’m sorry, but my brothers got me hooked on hard rock years ago and there’s no going back. 😛 Honestly, could there be any more fitting theme song for Jack Landry? He’s the kind of guy who hurtles along the highway of life, speeding as fast as he can from the painful memories in his rear-view mirror … knowing he probably should slow down, but not quite knowing HOW.

9. Taylor Swift, “Getaway Car”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Nobody tells a story through lyrics quite like Taylor Swift. She establishes characters, plot, stakes, setting, mood, beginning, middle, and end, with just a few deft words. She’s one of the premiere songwriters of our time. Every story playlist I make includes at least one TSwift song. For Dragon, it was “Getaway Car.”

X marks the spot

Where we fell apart,

He poisoned the well,

I was lying to myself,

I knew it from the first,

Old-fashioned we were cursed,

We never had a shotgun shot in the dark!

No, this tale of fatal attraction between hardened criminals doesn’t really match Jack and Shufen’s romance. But it’s not the characters which drew me. It’s the atmosphere. The Vibe, if you will. *adjusts hipster glasses* The smoke, the mirrors, the high speed chases … the pounding adrenaline and the “shotgun shot in the dark.” It’s absolutely perfect.

10. Mulan, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (orchestral music)

My Dragon playlist includes multiple instrumental pieces, which is unusual. Generally speaking, I can’t listen to instrumental music while I write. I need lyrics! Words flowing in = words flowing out. But this orchestral piece really hits the spot. It’s epic and martial and angry in all the best ways. Plus, manhood / learning to be a man were key themes in the book, so it’s only natural I’d be jamming along to “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”

11. Mulan, “Short Hair”

If you’ve never seen the Disney animated movie, this is the scene where Mulan chops off her hair and rides off to war. WE. STAN. A. LEGEND.

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12. Sebastian Böhm, “Blue Monday” (Wonder Woman ’84 trailer music)

Another instrumental piece, weirdly enough, but it’s a bop and I like it. Ever since I heard it in the Wonder Woman trailers, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.

13. Kid Rock ft. Sheryl Crow, “Picture”

“I just called to say I want you to come back home …” This song has no business to kick me in the teeth as hard as it does. On the surface, it’s a simple, no frills, hard-luck story about a guy who can’t seem to shake his alcoholism–and a girl who can’t seem to do the sensible thing and dump him. Usually, that’s the exact formula I’m guaranteed to hate. But this one speaks to me, Jeeves. It Speaks To Me.

And it’s easy to see why I connected it with Dragon. After all, Jack himself is an addict, scouring the four corners of the earth for the courage to own his mistakes and “come back home.”

14. Nathan Carter and the High Kings, “May the Road Rise”

I genuinely don’t know how this song made the cut! My characters aren’t even Irish! I suppose it was the wandering, footloose vibe of the traditional Irish Blessing, here set to music: “May the road rise to meet you …”

15. The Pogues, “If I Should Fall From Grace With God”

A rousing, roustabout tune about living fast and dying young–okay, fine, let’s admit it. Jack Landry is an honorary Irishman. 😛

16. Poison, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”

I’ve never been a big Poison fan, but I heard “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” on my classic rock station late one night, and the line “every cowboy sings a sad, sad song” grabbed me. Ergo, here it is.

17. Hannah Rarity, “I Once Loved a Lass”

This soft, Celtic lament feels entirely out of place in this story about a Cajun cowboy and a Chinese vigilante. But “I Once Loved a Lass” wouldn’t let me go until I stuck it in my official playlist. To this day, I’m not sure what it’s doing here.

I sat down beside her and poured out the wine,

And drank to the lassie that should have been mine …

The only possible connection I can think of is Jack’s sister, who died in childhood, and Shufen’s sister, who died as a teenager. Maybe there’s something going on there with the “lassie who should’ve been mine” bit. Regret? Guilt? Grief? Fraternal love rather than romantic? GUYS, I DON’T KNOW.

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18. The Pirate Queen, “Woman”

“Must my dreams face scorn, held back and unseen?” One of the greatest Broadway “I want” songs, and indeed one of the greatest feminist power ballads of all time, there is no way I could’ve written Shufen’s character without this gem. It’s soaring. It’s fierce. It’s furious. It’s breathtakingly graceful. It’s the total package. Just go listen to it. xD

19. The Killers, “Caution”

The Killers are one of my favorite bands. Their music has a delightful mix of earthiness and whimsy. Very Western, very cowboyish. “Caution” describes the explosive energy of a young person beating at a world that feels too small. “If I don’t get out–get out of this town, I just might be the one who finally burns it down.”

(There’s a lot of fire in this book. Because, y’know, dragons. xD)

20. The Strokes, “Bad Decisions”

I think this song is fairly self-explanatory.

*eyes my idiot characters*

21. Arlo Guthrie, “The City of New Orleans”

Another traveling song! There’s a ton of them on this playlist, have you noticed? That’s because it’s a very travel-oriented, adventure-oriented story. And “City of New Orleans” has a nice classic feel to it.

22. The Killers, “Mr. Brightside” (live)

“Coming out of my cage, and I’ve been doing just fine”–the Killers’ greatest hit, dubbed “Britain’s unofficial national anthem” because it’s so WILDLY and viscerally adored in the U.K., this live performance holds a chaotic energy which is simply Unrivalled. It got me through many a rough patch and intractable scene. Gahh, I love the Killers so much. ❤

23. Come From Away, “Me and the Sky”

“Do things ever give you a thrill, Marilla?” Anne Shirley asked wistfully. Well, I don’t know about Marilla, but this song sure gives me a thrill! It’s impossible to describe its wild, rushing, headlong joyousness. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself.

Suddenly the wheels lift off,

The ground is falling

Backwards,

I am suddenly

Alive …

This is an unapologetic girl-power anthem (based on the life of the first female American Airlines pilot). So it’s certainly appropriate for a strong woman like Shufen. But as I pushed through the draft, “Me and the Sky” came to symbolize another female character, Jinjing, who *spoilers!!!* rides a flying dragon, even when nobody else believes she’ll be able to. “Suddenly there’s nobody saying ‘stay grounded,’ looking down, passing them by …”

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24. The Pogues, “Thousands Are Sailing”

Some kind of curse, some awful inevitabile force, dictates that as soon as I include ONE Irish song in a story playlist, I must include five or six more. Really quite dreadful.

25. The Escape Club, “Wild Wild West”

Once more, I think the title sums it up nicely. 😉

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There you have it, all twenty-five songs on my Dragon playlist! Do you recognize any of your own favorites? Did you discover any new pieces you enjoyed?

Chat with me!