Music for Melinda Sordino

Hey there, guys.

This has to be one of those weeks when I turn off the Internet and beat my head on my WIP manuscript in the hopes that some words will leak out of my forehead and onto the page. In fact, the rest of the year is going to be that, with time off for good behavior on the holidays.

I want your help. I figure we can use my temporary absence from the Net for a fun project.

Help me develop playlists for my characters. Respond to this post here or comment on my MySpace with the names of songs (and the artists) that makes you think of one of my books. We’ll start this week with SPEAK. What is the best playlist for SPEAK. Why?

If you give me enough ideas, I’ll have Theo dream up a new website page for the playlists. Maybe I can figure out how to set them up over on iTunes, too.

(I am smelling a class project, teachers.)

While you give me tunes, I will write. Does anyone want to hear about the progress of that, word counts, etc.?

38 Replies to “Music for Melinda Sordino”

  1. Words have been leaking out of my head all weekend long.
    Andthere they lie, in a puddle, totally useless. As soon as I can find a big enough sponge, I’m gonna mop up this mess and try again… 🙂

  2. HER INNER SONG:
    A Playlist for Speak

    Lemon by Katy Rose (Melinda)

    They’ve clipped my wings again
    Tore them apart and then
    Left me
    No use to fly away to
    My yesterday
    Of freedom

    Rubbed Out by Duncan Sheik (Mr. Freeman’s version of Melinda)

    She rubs it out
    She covers it over
    She’s harder by far than a war-torn soldier

    Made of Gold by Jonatha Brooke (Melinda’s parents)

    What you want most will allude you
    What you want most will allude you
    Because everything before it changes
    Seems to be made of gold

    Rinse by Vanessa Carlton (Rachel)

    She’d do anything to sparkle in his eye
    She would suffer, she would fight, and compromise

    (and)

    But everything happens for reasons that she will never understand
    ‘Til she knows the heart of a woman will never be found in the arms of a man

    Fragile by Maria Mena (Melinda)

    I’ve been walking around all day thinking
    I think I have a problem
    I think I think too much
    I’ve been taught to hold back my tears and avoid them
    But you’ve made pain into something I could touch

    Come Rest Your Head by Tonic (David)

    Trust, I know, is not such a dirty word
    Trust is something that I have barely heard
    Honesty is not so far away
    Empty words are all you’ll have to say

    Pain by Jimmy Eat World (Melinda)

    I never thought I’d walk away from you
    I did

    Just a Little Girl by Amy Studt (Melinda)

    ‘Cause I’m just a little girl you see
    But there’s a h&77 of a lot more to me
    Don’t ever underestimate what I can do
    Don’t ever tell me how I’m meant to be

    Let me know if you’d like additional tracks.

  3. Off the top of my head, Speak reminds me of many of the songs from the band Snow Patrol. For some reason their two songs: Run (off self-titled album), and Chasing Cars (off latest album) come to mind.

    Also, some of the songs off of the latest Tracy Chapman (Where you Live) remind me of Speak too. And, of course, her old song “Fast Car.”

    Brett Dennen’s “The One Who Loves You The Most” (from his latest album).

    And these:

    Life’s A Bitch by Shooter
    Shimmer by Shawn Mullins
    Lose Your Way by Sophie B. Hawkins
    Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus

    I’ll think about this some more too . . .

  4. Yes, Tori was the first thing that leapt to mind, especially “Raspberry Swirl” off of From the Choirgirl Hotel, in which the first two lines are:

    “I am not your senorita
    I am not part of your tribe”

  5. I can’t think of any particular songs right now, but based on her temperment, age and when the book came out, I think Melinda would listen to some chick-rock, a lot of late 90s alternative rock and maybe a little grunge and a few classics.

    Albums I imagine she’d have:
    Jagged Little Pill by Alanis
    Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos
    A Boy Named Goo by Goo Goo Dolls
    Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind
    This Desert Life by Counting Crows
    Pieces of You by Jewel
    Californication by RHCP
    Lemon Parade by Tonic
    Surfacing by Sarah McLachlan
    Yourself or Someone Like You by Matchbox 20
    Pablo Honey by Radiohead
    Nevermind by Nirvana
    Train by Train
    The Honesty Room by Dar Williams
    Brave by Miranda Stone
    Nimrod by Green Day
    The Wall by Pink Floyd
    Stunt by Barenaked Ladies
    Abbey Road by The Beatles
    The Stranger by Billy Joel

  6. “Iris” – Goo Goo Dolls
    “Lemon” – Katy Rose
    “Field of Innocence” – Evanescence
    “Displaced” – Azure Ray
    “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” – Green Day
    “Full of Grace” – Sarah McLachlan
    “Hold On” – Good Charlotte
    “I Don’t Want To Be Me” – Amanda Clemens
    “Rooftop” – Melissa McClelland
    “Meant To Live” – Switchfoot
    “Pain” – Jimmy Eat World
    “Rinse” – Vanessa Carlton
    “Virgin State of Mind” – K’s Choice
    “Wreck of the Day” – Anna Nalick

  7. SPEAK Playlist

    “Last Goodbye” – Jeff Buckley
    “All Over Again” – B.B. King
    “Night Moves” – Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
    “Don’t Fear (The Reaper)” – Blue Oyster Cult
    “Sing” – The Dresden Dolls
    “Sullen Girl” – Fiona Apple
    “Little Lies” – Fleetwood Mac
    “Adia” – Sarah McLaughlin
    “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
    “Ave Verum Corpus” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    The bulk of these songs deal with either isolation or denial which, in my opinion, target a vital facet of what SPEAK deals with. “Night Moves” works well with the burgeoning, and often misguided, teenage hormones and the search for a proper outlet for them. The final three songs serve in as vehicles for hope.

    I hope this helps.

    -dennis

  8. Song for Melinda

    “Somewhere I belong” by Linkin Park

    It reminds me of Melinda every time I hear it, especially the chorus.

  9. The mood and lyrics of this fit with my idea of Melinda at the end of the story… or maybe even a little while after the novel ends:

    “Listen Up!” by The Gossip

    I warned you, you didn’t believe me!
    I warned you, you didn’t believe me!
    I warned you, you didn’t believe me!
    I warned you, and now you’re caught…

    There’s some people that you just cant trust
    Some people talk way too much.
    Take my advice, and listen up:
    Dont be a fool like the rest of us.
    Now listen up!

    (CHORUS)
    1, 2 ,3 take it from me,
    3, 4 so much trouble in store
    4, 5 get it right,
    The first time
    (o!) count it with me now!
    1, 2 ,3 take it from me,
    3, 4 so much trouble in store
    4, 5 get it right,
    The first time
    (o!) count it with me now!

  10. Angel – Sarah McLachlan
    Barely Listening – Pilot Speed
    Broken Wings – Clay Aiken
    Ghost Waltz – Jolie Holland
    Rescue Me – Wynonna Judd
    Stand Back Up – Sugarland

  11. two songs that totally makes me think of Speak:
    1) I’m Not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance (off their album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge)-it’s one of those songs that you can really just scream to and i can just imagine melinda doing so when she’s alone, at least in her head-the title is kinda obvious.
    2) Speak for Myself by Aly & A.J. (off their Into the Rush album-i can see this song at like the end of the book, when Melinda has finally talked about what happened-it’s a really positive song and again the title is kinda obvious.

    I definitely want to hear how your WIP is doing!

    ~Holly

  12. Oh yeah! That’s right. Thanks for the correction. My brain is all foggy from grading too many really long, poorly written, boring essays right now 🙂

  13. “Why Go” — Pearl Jam.
    And “Release,” too.
    “Bridge” — Queensryche.
    “Loser” — Third Eye Blind.
    “Calling All Stations” — Genesis (the post-Phil album — actually really good.)
    “Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues” — Buddy Guy
    “Long Cold Winter” — Cinderella (the song, not the album).
    “Snakes on a Plane” soundtrack — she’d probably dig it.

    Melinda. (That’s my name, really.) (But I always hated to be called Mel. My nickname was Mindy.)

  14. I agree with everyone that mentioned any and all songs off the Little Earthquakes album by Tori Amos…I also agree with Sullen Girl by Fiona…I believe all of these would likely be a party of Melinda’s soundtrack also, I think Cry Ophelia by Adam Cohen and maybe Mental Pollution by Jo Davidson

  15. i was thinking that melinda might listen to some music from the seventies or eighties. some songs in particular are by carole king: “a night this side of dying” (not sure what album) and “beautiful” (from tapestry). another song is “all fired up” by pat benatar. i’m not sure what other songs she might listen to yet. if i think of any more i’ll leave another comment.

  16. Songs For Malinda

    SMACK THAT:BY:AKON
    RIDIN:BY:CHAMILLIONAIRE
    SNAP YO FINGERS:BY:LIL JON
    PULLING ME BACK:BY:CHINGY
    DEAR MAMA:BY:2PAC
    WE BELONG TOGETHER:BY:MARIAH CAREY
    SUPERMAN:BY:BROWN BOY
    WELL HEY MELINDA I CHOOSE THESE SONGS FOR YOU. I THINK THAT THESE SONGS ARE GOOD FOR YOU. WELL I WANTED TO ASK YOU IF I COULD ALSO COMPARE SOME MOVIES. HOPE YOU LIKE THSES SONGS THAT I AM POSTING YOU.

  17. bonethugz-thug mentality
    led zepplin-stairway to heaven
    metallica-one
    metallica-fade to black
    metallica-master of puppets
    system of a down-lonely day
    last resort
    I really liked your book because what happened to u is no joke but u still shared it with all the world

  18. bonethugs-crossroads
    bonethugs-thugish ruggish
    bonethugs-1st of the month
    brenton woods-give me a kind a sign girl
    wu tang clan=cream


    I think these songs are alright for Melinda becuase these songs will cheer her up

  19. songs for melinda

    this quote is about the music melinda mihght lisen to i think she would probably lisen to the used because she sounds kind of emo-ish and stuff like that.

    Band name
    The Used

    Song
    ?

  20. Melinda’s theme song.

    settle for nothing, rage against the machine.
    under the bridge, red hot chili peppers.
    lonely day, system of a down.
    window shopper, 50 cent.
    fell on blackdays, soundgarden.
    moth, audioslave.

    most of these songs have to do with being lonely and alone, which relates to melinda alot.

  21. songs that go with melinda life

    lonely day – system of a down
    don’t push me – 50 cent
    cleaning out my closest- eminem
    under the bridges- red hot chilli peppers
    boulevard of broken dreams- green day

    i think these songs go with melinda because they all have the same problems as melinda

  22. songs of melinda

    i wanna fuck you by akon because she doesn’t have a boyfriend

    smack that by akon she don’t know how to dance

    what you know about me by ti because no one knows about her

    snap your fingers by lil john because she don’t want to snap her fingers but she wants to dance

    boulavard of broken dreasms by green day because her dream are always broken

  23. hellow there

    well i only found a 1 song that i thing Melinda would lisen in her room or whatever place she is.The song i foud is call where’d you go by (pussy cat dolls) i thought this might be a good song for her.

  24. Better late than never. I saw the post and decided to break out my iPod and jot down some songs from my Speak Playlist, which I make a point to listen to in the background everytime I reread Speak. Most of the songs on my list tend to focus more on the overall mood of the song rather than purely on lyrics alone.

    “We Never Change” – Coldplay
    “Barely Breathing” – Duncan Sheik
    “The Freshmen” – The Verve Pipe
    “Imperfectly” – Veruca Salt
    “Document” – Calamine
    “Dream On” – Aerosmith
    “Trampoline” – Calamine
    “The Last Remaining Light” – Audioslave
    “Misery” – The Moffatts
    “Take Me Away” – Lifehouse
    “Your Bruise” – Death Cab For Cutie
    “Sullen Girl” – Fiona Apple
    “Goodbye To You” – Michelle Branch
    “Paradise” – Vanessa Carlton

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