Music. I don’t talk about it too often to the general public but it’s a very personal thing to me. I remember events and feelings by songs. I could give pivotal moments in my life soundtracks. Music is what soothes my soul, makes me dance and gives words and a rhythm to things in life that I feel so deeply but can’t always explain. I’ve listened to it in the depths of my darkest days (when my mom passed) and I listen to it when I’m driving with my window down on a beautiful, sunny day and life just feels so magical. It lives within me deeply…so this Top Ten Tuesday is hard. It’s personal. I have very specific reasons why songs trigger feelings or remind me of something. Sometimes people don’t get my meaning. That being said…here it is
1. Ruby Tuesday by The Rolling Stones // Paper Towns by John Green
This has always been a favorite song of mine and it held new meaning after an ex-boyfriend told me that this song was the epitome of me. Don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing BUT I couldn’t stop thinking of this song when I read Paper Towns. It embodies her spirit and SO many of the lines were just spot on. I mean, throughout the book Quentin and us as readers just learned so much about her with every “day”…she just couldn’t be pinned down as to WHO Margo is.
Goodbye Ruby Tuesday, who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I’m gonna miss you
2. Boats and Birds by Gregory & The Hawk // If I Stay by Gayle Forman
3. Young Blood by The Naked and the Famous // Ten Things We Did And Shouldn’t Have by Sarah Mlynowski
This song just embodies the ups and downs of youth..just being young, in love, making mistakes, learning from them, having fun..etc. It’s a fabulous song (one of my favorite bands) and I feel that 10 Things We Did really did capture youth — even if it was a bit more crazy than most of our lives!
We’re only young and naive still
We require certain skills
The mood it changes like the wind
Hard to control when it begins
4. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel // Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepytus
5. Wake Up by Arcade Fire // The Beginning Of After by Jennifer Castle
While I didn’t love this one as much of others, on a personal level I really resonated with the grief portrayed in this book and I couldn’t stop thinking of this song. It’s easy, while you are grieving, to try and pretend everything is ok..because that’s what it seems like we are conditioned to..to just repress everything. Anytime I read about books with grief, I just relieve these moments of release and, as painful as it can be, it helps. Keeping things in never helps and we shouldn’t be afraid to let them out and be honest that we AREN’T ok. Burying these things is just living a lie and it does turn your heart a little hard. I guess the feel of this song just resonated with me while I watched her stumble and make the same mistakes of holding it all in and having to battle with yourself until you are ready to deal with it.
6. Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova // Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Ok, I do not want to give anything away with this book. But yeah…I’ve loved this song for years and when I read this book last year I just put this on and laid there because that’s how I felt when I finished it. It may sound strange but that’s where the ending left me. I don’t know what happens with Pandemonium (although I soon will!) but I remember bawling my eyes out to this song.
Sash and Em says
LOVE your choices. Especially Ruby Tuesday for Paper Towns 🙂
Julia says
Falling Slowly makes me have so many feelings… I just don't think I could express them into words at that moment. Another reason to read Delirium
Melissa says
Awesome list! I love Young Blood soooooo freakin' much that I think I need to read the book that it's paired with, just to see if I can hear that song playing in my head too =)
And Falling Slowly is SUCH a perfect song for Delirium. Darnit — now I want to redo MY list!
Here's mine: http://writergrrlreads.blogspot.com/2012/02/top-ten-bookish-theme-songs.html
Must Love Books says
That song is perfect for Paper Towns! I will probably always think of that song now every time I read PT.
Jordyn says
Ahhh I love the song you chose for Paper Towns! This despite the fact that it's impossible for me to hear Ruby Tuesday and think of anything except for the tent scene in The Royal Tenenbaums, but it totally fits for PT.
Kell says
You've picked some great tracks there! 🙂
My Tuesday Memes post
Jennifer says
Ruby Tuesday fits Paper Towns perfectly! I love Wake Up and Young Blood too so I'll need to read the books you paired them with now 😉
Lori says
Love Ruby Tuesday for Paper Towns! Great choices.
My Top Ten Tuesday
Deb Nance at Readerbuzz says
I thought this was a very challenging Top Ten prompt this week. You did a great job!
Here's my
Top Ten Books I'd Give a Theme Song To. I'd love to have you stop by.
And I hope you'll also enter the Readerbuzz February Giveaway! You could win All Kinds of Kisses or Paris to the Past or a $25 Amazon giftcard!
Karen says
Great choices! I can't believe we both used In The Aeroplane Over the Sea (albeit for two different books). 🙂
Ginger @ GReads! says
The Naked and the Famous! Holla! I'm going to see them in a few weeks 🙂 Awesome picks Jamie.
Jenna D. says
These are quite good choices! I also must say, I love what music says about a person and it appears that you have very good taste. 🙂
Jenna @ Making the Grade
http://mtgreviews.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/top-ten-books-id-give-a-theme-song-to/
Anna says
Darling, our taste in music = exactly the same. Love love love!
Jessica Secret says
Great picks!
Jen says
Sooooo many of these books are on my TBR! I think I need to look up some of these songs as well if they're as good as I've heard the books are!
Christina says
I'm not familiar with most of these books, but I LOVE most of the songs! I agree, this was a tough prompt.
Marmaladelibby (aka Ange) says
LOVE the little vids you attached! Great idea! PERFECT song for Delirium=wow! never thought of that one, but now I always will! Check out our Top 10 this week!
reutreads says
THE NAKED AND FAMOUS HOLY CRAP AMAZING SONG CHOICE!!! LIKE IMPECCABLE.
Daniela says
What a great idea to embed mini Youtube videos! Anyway, wow, I love the song you chose for Delirium. Perfect for wallowing in all the emotions caused by the book's ending.
Melissaa!?! says
The mini youtube vids are to cute! Nice list Btw way. Here's my Top Tenhttp://booknerdrambling.blogspot.com/
booktasty says
Quality song choices. This was a really hard theme, so hard that I did my own and not this theme. Oh well. This would take me months to figure out. 🙂
Jasmine Rose says
The pick for Delirium is absolutely perfect. I'm not really good with music association. I always feel like I'm kind of a weirdo because of this since everyone else seems to connect with music so well. Anyway, all the rambling to say you have fantastic music matching skills :]
FABR Steph says
Bahaha. This is so much fun. This is the first one that I have read this week that actually gave a theme song. Awesome post.
-FABR Steph@FiveAlarmBookReviews
Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books says
All the songs you picked are absolutely lovely. But my favorite is Falling Slowly. I absolutely love that one!
Wendi says
I loved to see you mention Arcade Fire. Whenever I’m reading something with a post-apocalyptic theme I also start listening to The Suburbs.
Jamie says
Love Arcade Fire so much! The Suburbs is amazing though I think Funeral is my fave album from them! NOW I’m going to have to listen to The Suburbs while reading something post apocalyptic!!