I realized recently that I associate each of my characters with a color and because I am synesthetic (I see colors when I hear music) I thought it would be fun to do a post about what songs I feel match each of my main character's vibes. I've included quotes from my book when applicable, and linked each of the songs, if you click on the title of the song under the quote. Enjoy!
Avalon - The Phoenix, by Lindsey Stirling
I mean, come on. Avalon IS the phoenix. I'm obsessed with her, to say the least. This song is so perfect for her, not only because she plays the violin but because she is as intense and heated, and powerful as this utterly gorgeous piece by Lindsey Stirling, who is clearly my favorite musical artist to write to. I haven't written anything from Avalon's perspective for this book but I've been playing around with her perspective for book two (yes, there will be a book two!) and I thought I'd include this bit in her voice.
For years, I made myself smaller and cooled myself down. For my mother, who really only ever had eyes for my sister. For my father, who grieved the two of them while I burned and burned and burned.
Colin, who understands me more than anyone ever has, never figured out the crimson power racing through my veins until he pissed me off in the sword-fighting arena several years ago and I unintentionally put him on his ass and threatened him with a ball of fire. To him, it was a moment of shock followed by a moment of clarity.
Honorable Mention: Free, by Broods
Free is an awesome song that I feel is Avalon's anthem. Broods is kind of like a mix between Taylor Swift and Evanescence and I'm in love with it!
I have lived my life so perfectly Kept to all my lines so carefully I'd lose everything so I can sing Hallelujah, I'm free I'm free, I'm free I'm free, I'm free
“I want adventure,” she whispers in a broken voice. “I don’t want my whole life to be decided for me before I turn 30. I don’t want to be sold off to some prince from another kingdom, who will just use me for sex and I don’t want kids- I’ve never wanted kids, Colin.”
I nod. I've known this about her for years, and how unapologetic she is about that fact is one of the things I love most about her.
Astrid- Master of Tides, by Lindsey Stirling
Would you believe me if I told you I called Astrid a master of tides before I ever heard this song? It came up on my Spotify recommended a few weeks ago and I screamed when I saw the name. This song has the perfect vibes for Astrid, especially since I'm going to be writing about her past life in book two! I think she had a kind of pirate/assassin background while under the enemy's capture, and I'm really looking forward to digging into who she used to be! I'm already mapping things out (veeeeery loosely) and I think she's going to be so much fun to take a deeper dive into (no pun intended).
Anyways, this song has the EXACT pirate vibe that I'm looking for :)
Astrid slides her hand along the surface of the water, gazing at it intently. “Start angling us due north, Dalier.”
But before he can even do anything, I feel the current change, pushing our boat in a different direction, one I can only assume is due north. Like the ocean heard her command and is carrying it out for us. I whistle softly, impressed. “Princess Astrid Delacorte,” I murmur. “Master of Tides.”
Honorable Mention: Blue Blood, by Laurel
I heard this song several months ago and thought it was almost word for word the way Astrid felt right before her capture, and how she interacted with Colin immediately after.
You woke me up for your blue blood
Made me come undone,
Can't believe you've been here the whole time.
You made me feel again Made me dance circles 'round the pieces of your heart You made me feel again After the last time, didn't think that I could love
Living by the sea No one could set me free Before you came to me I was in the pretty darkness, praying for the end.
"I’ve never been scared of the ocean before. Never wanted to leave it, not even when I was trapped on the ship. The ocean was what kept me sane all those years, I don’t know if they ever realized that, that the only thing they needed to do to break me was to imprison me on dry land."
Azalea- Show Yourself, from Frozen 2
Not only is this song from a Disney movie that I know Azalea would love, but this song perfectly summarize the big emotions Azalea is experiencing throughout my book as she tries to understand her powers, what she means to the world. She is so much more important than she understands and I love when she starts to figure out just how cool she is! This song is sung in the movie by Elsa, a girl finally understanding the true extent of her powers and how special she is.
All my life, I've been torn But I'm here for a reason Could it be the reason I was born? I have always been so different Normal rules did not apply Is this the day? Are you the way I finally find out why?
Show yourself I'm no longer trembling Here I am I've come so far You are the answer I've waited for All of my life Show yourself Let me see who you are
Azalea’s eyes flare and a pale green flame erupts from her fingertips, dancing towards us. One look at her mutinous face tells me that she has no intention of stopping her fire from melting my face off. But Astrid flicks her hand and a splash of water puts the fire out. Anger erupts on Azalea’s little face- like she’s mad that Astrid stopped her from showing off. Azalea sends another flame towards us, and it comes faster. Astrid lets it get a little closer before dousing it again- I can feel heat prickling at my eyebrows. They go back and forth like this for several minutes- matching each other, power for power.
(power for power is another one of my favorite lines- it's definitely going on the TSOTS tattoo!)
Colin-Hips Don't Lie, by Shakira (kidding)
But am I though? As well as I know Colin, I don't know of a song that matches his vibe. He's intelligent and crazy and lethal, and I'm not sure any song can encapsulate that, so I'll just offer up a few songs from my "Songs Colin Would Know" playlist on Spotify, a collection of the raunchiest most ridiculous songs I could think of. Colin is a frequent visitor of my kingdom's local dive bar (every kingdom needs one) and I always envision that he's a beast at karaoke - or at least he thinks he is when he's drunk. The byline of this playlist is "the most absolutely chaotic vibes imaginable" so I guess that's really what I'm going for with Colin. He's a very "business in the front and party in the back" type of man. I'm linking the whole playlist under the quote!
Soulja Boy (it is cannon that most of the guards can do the Soulja Boy)
Toxic, by Britney Spears
Since U Been Gone, by Kelly Clarkson
Low, by Flo Rida(feat T. Pain)
Hollaback Girl, by Gwen Stefani
Hoedown Throwdown, by Miley Cyrus (Colin can also do this choreography perfectly and I will be taking no further questions at this time)
Bye Bye Bye, by NSYNC
Bootylicious by Destiny's Child
“Show up, Tanner. I want to see you get so hammered you line dance again.”
The guards roar with laughter as I wince at the memory of a particularly high-spirited night several years ago involving enough tequila to render me blackout drunk. According to the men I was with, I sang an incredibly enthusiastic rendition of Man! I Feel Like A Woman!, complete with misremembered lyrics and drunken jazz hands, and then tried to seduce several of them. I’m told that I didn’t go home with anyone, but I will have to take that on faith; to this day, I am not at all convinced that I wasn’t successful with Dallon since I woke up in his bathtub the following afternoon wearing one sock, my work pants and a flowered silk blouse that I’d never seen before or since.
(The paragraph above is the single best sequence of words that I've ever put on paper.)
Anthoni - To Lose Himself In Vengeance, by Steven Price
Maybe I just don't understand the vibes of my male characters because I can't really think of a song that encapsulates Anthoni's entire character either. But when I think about Anthoni and music, I think of "To Lose Himself In Vengeance" by Steven Price. I had this song on repeat when I was writing the scene when Anthoni realizes his daughter has been kidnapped. This song's lyrics admittedly don't make a ton of sense in the context of the scene, but they're sung on repeat to a really haunting disconnected melody that just reminds me of chilling fury and cold focus. And the title is perfect for that moment- Anthoni absolutely loses his mind in panic and fury. I looked the song up and it's from the movie Ophelia! The lyrics are a poem from the Shakespeare play, Hamlet. It is the words to a love letter Hamlet wrote to Ophelia. It actually makes a little bit more sense in context then, so that cemented my choice.
doubt thou the stars are fire
doubt that the sun doth move
doubt truth to be a liar
but never doubt i love.
Anthoni is very still. I see a muscle in his jaw working, likely containing a scream.
“You’re sure she was taken? That she’s not just hiding? She likes to hide.”
“It appears,” I say quietly, needing to clear my throat, “That she was taken by force. Your lock is broken. I did check under her bed and in her closet, just…in case.”
Anthoni’s eyes are dark with unbridled fury. If he had Avalon’s particular skill set, the castle would already be engulfed in flames.
“And…and…how did he make it down to Cloudcross? How?”
I answer honestly. “I don’t know.”
Anthoni slams his fist against the work table so hard that the dishes rattle, startling all of us. “What,” he breathes, “is the point of guards if our one enemy, who we knew was in our territory is able to walk through the front doors of the castle, sneak into our city, and kidnap my child?”
Colin and Astrid-Dandelions
My BABIES, I love them so much. I had to do a relationship vibe song for them and I am absolutely in love with this song, especially the first two lines. I wrote a scene where Astrid and Colin ride their horses to this field of wildflowers that Astrid and Avalon made wishes at when they were small. Colin closed his eyes and wished for Astrid. One night, he learns that she was wishing for him too.
.
I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine
'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions Wishing on every one that you'll be mine
And I see forever in your eyes I feel okay when I see you smile
"When we were at the wishing field, I was wishing for you. I’ve always been wishing for you.”
I close my eyes, my chest shuddering. I’ve just made a mistake. I’ve just made a terrible, awful-
There are small hands taking mine. “Colin,” she whispers. “Open your eyes.”
I slowly open my eyes. "Your shift ended hours ago, and I didn’t tell you. Because I didn’t want you to leave. I wanted to keep sitting on the opposite end of the couch and read books with you forever. I wanted to keep sneaking looks at you and catch you already looking at me.
“Anthoni rescued me,” she whispers. “But Colin, you saved me. I was wishing for you too.”
So, what do you guys think? Do you have songs for your characters? Let me know in the comments!
Xoxox- Emmabird
