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Playlist for Yellow Tape and Coffee
Nov. 12th, 2020 04:56 pmWhen I began writing Yellow Tape and Coffee, I also began putting together a playlist of songs that would relate to it.
I did this because I knew how easy it would be for me to get distracted by some other project, and start to ignore the story I was writing, or just, you know, not write. So this was a way of focusing on the project when I wasn’t directly working on it. I’d listen to the playlist while cleaning or driving or doing any of the other tasks that music is appropriate for.
It worked wonderfully. The songs started sparking imagination for various scenes or characters or relationships. Some of the songs I adopted as theme songs for characters. It worked so well, I did it for my next project as well.
In case you’re curious, the songs from the Yellow Tape and Coffee playlist were:
Furr (Blitzen Trapper) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmBgxP56R1I
A lot of Carl was inspired by this song, and it’s the reason he’s 23 instead of his original 25. The arc with him and Toni doesn’t quite track, but it’s close enough. A bit of Veer’s backstory was inspired here as well.
Wolves (Christopher Beck) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ1jhFyLh6o
Just a background song, and appropriate for any chase scene.
Wolfen One (Heather Alexander) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JAwcL6vGlA
I think of this from Toni’s point of view, though it’s completely not her kind of song, or her style. An early subplot was inspired by it, though it was eventually abandoned.
Cry Wolf (A-Ha) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c53Ii4irZY
This is Michael’s theme song, describing his discovery of and descent into this world.
Blood on the Moon (American Werewolves) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki3ixfB_TYg
This is a Victor song from early days as a werewolf in post-war Germany, and his coming to terms with what he is now.
Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qae25976UgA
Because of course this one had to be there. This song inspired both Victor and Gregor’s days in London after the war, and Victor’s shared history with Veer and their in-jokes.
Curse of the Werewolf (Timeless Miracle) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usylpq-uZmo
Another song of Victor coming to terms with his new life, and the angst thereof.
Return of the Werewolf (Timeless Miracle) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX-pzBkL6Zg
Counterpoint to Curse of the Werewolf, this is Gregor’s theme song. Reveling in, instead of angsting over, this power.
Werewolves (Short Stack) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3mKrnFGSAE
This would have been one of Carl’s favorite songs. There was a comic subplot originally of him trying, and failing, to find a karaoke bar that had this song in it. In a later draft, he mentioned it and quoted a couple of the lyrics, but even that eventually got dropped.
Curse of the Werewolf (Schoolyard Heroes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0jwg7obq1w
Gordon’s song. It’s a more optimistic song than Timeless Miracle’s song by the same name. This song inspired his earliest views of becoming a werewolf as more of a superpower than as a curse, despite the song’s title.
No One Lives Forever (Oingo Boingo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx7ZS-3n_SY
This song was a huge part of Carl’s arc. I even quoted a few lines of it originally, until I learned that you really can’t do that in books and ended up writing my own lyrics. Both my lyrics and Oingo Boingo’s referred to the “Hour of the wolf”, which I first learned about from a Babylon 5 episode, but whose earliest reference I have found was in a New Mutants comic from the 1970s.
The Howl (Samhain) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlxyshLAxXI
Werewolves as menace. This song inspired some of the more horror-oriented bits of the novel.
Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJL-lCzEXgI
I love this song, so had to include it. This was a major inspiration behind the scene where Carl and Toni first visit the wolf preserve together. The laugh at the beginning could easily be Toni as she steps through the door of the changing room.
She Wolf (Shakira) https://youtu.be/booKP974B0k
This was Shelley’s song. Unfortunately, most of Shelly’s scenes had to be cut because the novel was too long as it was. Possibly some of that material will eventually resurface in the sequel.
I did this because I knew how easy it would be for me to get distracted by some other project, and start to ignore the story I was writing, or just, you know, not write. So this was a way of focusing on the project when I wasn’t directly working on it. I’d listen to the playlist while cleaning or driving or doing any of the other tasks that music is appropriate for.
It worked wonderfully. The songs started sparking imagination for various scenes or characters or relationships. Some of the songs I adopted as theme songs for characters. It worked so well, I did it for my next project as well.
In case you’re curious, the songs from the Yellow Tape and Coffee playlist were:
Furr (Blitzen Trapper) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmBgxP56R1I
A lot of Carl was inspired by this song, and it’s the reason he’s 23 instead of his original 25. The arc with him and Toni doesn’t quite track, but it’s close enough. A bit of Veer’s backstory was inspired here as well.
Wolves (Christopher Beck) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ1jhFyLh6o
Just a background song, and appropriate for any chase scene.
Wolfen One (Heather Alexander) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JAwcL6vGlA
I think of this from Toni’s point of view, though it’s completely not her kind of song, or her style. An early subplot was inspired by it, though it was eventually abandoned.
Cry Wolf (A-Ha) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c53Ii4irZY
This is Michael’s theme song, describing his discovery of and descent into this world.
Blood on the Moon (American Werewolves) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki3ixfB_TYg
This is a Victor song from early days as a werewolf in post-war Germany, and his coming to terms with what he is now.
Werewolves of London (Warren Zevon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qae25976UgA
Because of course this one had to be there. This song inspired both Victor and Gregor’s days in London after the war, and Victor’s shared history with Veer and their in-jokes.
Curse of the Werewolf (Timeless Miracle) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usylpq-uZmo
Another song of Victor coming to terms with his new life, and the angst thereof.
Return of the Werewolf (Timeless Miracle) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX-pzBkL6Zg
Counterpoint to Curse of the Werewolf, this is Gregor’s theme song. Reveling in, instead of angsting over, this power.
Werewolves (Short Stack) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3mKrnFGSAE
This would have been one of Carl’s favorite songs. There was a comic subplot originally of him trying, and failing, to find a karaoke bar that had this song in it. In a later draft, he mentioned it and quoted a couple of the lyrics, but even that eventually got dropped.
Curse of the Werewolf (Schoolyard Heroes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0jwg7obq1w
Gordon’s song. It’s a more optimistic song than Timeless Miracle’s song by the same name. This song inspired his earliest views of becoming a werewolf as more of a superpower than as a curse, despite the song’s title.
No One Lives Forever (Oingo Boingo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx7ZS-3n_SY
This song was a huge part of Carl’s arc. I even quoted a few lines of it originally, until I learned that you really can’t do that in books and ended up writing my own lyrics. Both my lyrics and Oingo Boingo’s referred to the “Hour of the wolf”, which I first learned about from a Babylon 5 episode, but whose earliest reference I have found was in a New Mutants comic from the 1970s.
The Howl (Samhain) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlxyshLAxXI
Werewolves as menace. This song inspired some of the more horror-oriented bits of the novel.
Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJL-lCzEXgI
I love this song, so had to include it. This was a major inspiration behind the scene where Carl and Toni first visit the wolf preserve together. The laugh at the beginning could easily be Toni as she steps through the door of the changing room.
She Wolf (Shakira) https://youtu.be/booKP974B0k
This was Shelley’s song. Unfortunately, most of Shelly’s scenes had to be cut because the novel was too long as it was. Possibly some of that material will eventually resurface in the sequel.
