Soundtracks

I like listening to music. I also like how a song can take on a new meaning after I’ve experienced it in a movie. It’s not surprising then, that I also like adapting soundtracks with the stories I tell through my books.

My latest story, BREAKDOWN, features a variety of songs, and each one is a reflection of a particular scene or mood being experienced by the main character in the story. For example, an early scene features Chris Ryder dreading the start of another work week. So it was a natural fit to have him listening to “I Don’t Like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats during his drive to work.

Chris is a fan of Pearl Jam, and their songs are prominent at pivotal times throughout BREAKDOWN. “I Got Id” features during a scene of personal angst and tension; “The Long Road” relates to a scene involving loss; and “Faithful” centres around love.

If I were to release a soundtrack to BREAKDOWN, the listing would look like this:

I Don’t Like Mondays – Boomtown Rats

Dream Police – Cheap Trick

When The Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin

The Long Road – Pearl Jam

Friends In Low Places – Garth Brooks

I Got Id – Pearl Jam

Indifference – Pearl Jam

Faithful – Pearl Jam

When I hear these songs now, I am reminded of the scenes they represent in BREAKDOWN. Just as certain songs have become part of the soundtrack for my life, these songs have become the soundtrack to Chris Ryder’s life.