Lisa's Blog: Music is Real Magic
Music is powerful. Just today, as I was writing I watched and listened to various live performances of some of my favorite artists on YouTube. The videos gave me goosebumps. And they made me think about how important music is in our lives.
If you’re interested in what I was watching, my YouTube playlist included Prince’s incomparable guitar performance during George Harrison’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony; Guns N’ Roses’s VMA performance of “November Rain” featuring Sir Elton John; the 12-minute album version of Meat Loaf’s “I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”; an entire Tina Turner 2009 concert in the Netherlands; David Bowie’s Reality Tour concert; Prince’s performance of “Purple Rain” during the Super Bowl halftime show; k.d. lang’s incomparable cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at the 2010 Logies; and the entire live Delicate Sound of Thunder concert by David Gilmour/Pink Floyd.
There were lots of other videos in there, since I had it running for hours in the background, but those are some highlights.
I got a lot of work done while I was listening to and watching these performances. Sometimes, however, I have to stop what I’m doing and marvel at the musicians with whom we are/were lucky enough to share the planet—and mourn the loss of those who left us far too soon.
The music gave me energy even after a long writing day and inspired me to write this post in response to a question I get a lot from other authors and readers: what part does music play in my writing?
Short answer: music is a HUGE part of my writing, both in the stories themselves and in my writing process. Music is my heart and soul.
As a kid, I took piano lessons and played the clarinet. I sang in choirs all through school and in college. At the same time, I also performed in community musical theater productions and regional choirs. I’ve always loved to sing. I’ll hop onstage and do karaoke whenever I get the chance. And I’m the featured soloist in my shower every morning and a virtuoso on the air drums while I drive.
If you’ve read any of the Alice Worth books, you know Alice and Sean (and other characters who come along later) love music—-particularly classic rock and especially on vinyl.
Their love of music (and their preferences) reflect mine to a large extent. I love to sing and I listen to music pretty much all day, every day, whether I’m writing, working on social media posts, grading, or preparing lecture materials for my classes.
While I generally prefer music without lyrics while I write (like EDM), my music tastes are pretty varied. I love classic rock, oldies, country (mainly 80s and 90s), blues, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, pop, hard rock and metal, hair bands…you name it, it’s probably a channel I listen to on Spotify or Apple Music.
So, here’s a fun true story. My hubby and I love to go to concerts. We go to as many as we can. In the fall of 2019, just before the pandemic kicked off, I got a chance to see one of my favorite bands, Mongolian metal band The Hu, live in Dallas at a venue called Trees.
Yes, you heard me right. Mongolian metal. Have a listen.
The Hu: ‘We’re building on a history and a sound that has been around for thousands of years.’ Photograph: E. Altankhuyag
Trees is a smallish venue that holds about 700 people, and it was freaking packed to the rafters that night. The audience was one of the most diverse I’d seen in a while, from 21-year-olds to 70+ O.G.s wearing faded, threadbare Judas Priest T-shirts. There was even a small contingent of Mongolian-Americans there, some in traditional clothing and waving Mongolian flags. Their pride was palpable.
The Canadian rock duo Crown Lands opened for The Hu that night. (BabyMetal opened for The Hu on other dates of the tour.) Crown Lands was awesome and I later bought two of their albums on vinyl.
Then The Hu took the stage. And I have never rocked harder than I did that night. I was sore for days from head-banging. Totally worth it.
The reason I wanted to tell you about this concert is that The Hu sing not only in Mongolian, but in the traditional throat singing style. They play traditional instruments. I’d venture to say that 99% of the audience did not speak Mongolian and had never seen instruments like that before. And you know the amazing thing was, that did not matter. Not one bit.
Because music brings us together. It doesn’t divide—it builds bridges.
We all rocked to the music, and it was awesome. One of my all-time favorite concert memories.
That concert really drove home the point that music is magic. We didn’t need subtitles to get what the band was singing about. There are several songs that The Hu has re-recorded with English-speaking singers, and I love those versions too, but there’s something just so epic and awesome about the original songs.
Seriously, listen to this and tell me it doesn’t rule. Side note: Mongolia is freaking gorgeous and I want to go there someday.
I have so much magic in my books, but I’d be the first to admit music is more magical than Alice’s earth or air magic or Malcolm’s water magic or even that weird rainbow magic that comes along later.
As I was writing Heart of Malice (HOM), I also compiled a soundtrack (or a playlist) that I feel is an essential part of the book. Some songs and artists are mentioned or discussed in the book, and others simply pair well with particular scenes.
The opening chapter of HOM, for example (no spoilers here!), works even better if you listen to Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walking” while you read it. (There are only two things Alice loves more than her music collection: coffee and good boots. I can definitely relate to that.)
The HOM soundtrack/playlist follows the book from the opening scene (“Wanna do something insane?” “Absolutely.”) to the final chapter and its ominous last words. Feast your ears on classic songs from Nancy Sinatra, Eddie Money, Prince, Juice Newton, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Pilot, Evanescence, the Rolling Stones, and more. I’ve even put the playlist together for you to listen for free on Spotify. Click here to listen.
Curious about the rest of the Alice Worth playlists? Most of them are available now. Some are undergoing revision and/or expansion, so those links will be coming soon. You can follow me on Spotify and find all the links to the playlists on my website here.
What music do you love most?
Do you have an awesome concert or music memory you can share? I’d love to read about them!