playlists are great things

I always write to music. In fact, I pretty much do everything to music - the iPod is always playing. But depending on what I'm writing, the music can vary. Most of my stories have a kind of working playlist by the time I'm at least a few chapters in, but some of them I try a little harder at than others. Here's what I've got for Diamonds & Dust so far. Right now it's a mixture of songs that have general inspiration for the story or for a character, that fit the overall tone or feeling of the story, or that really nail a specific aspect of the plot or a person on the head. I've linked to the lyrics on a few songs that fall under that latter category, especially.

"Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez: The specific version I'm thinking of is the later one, I think, where the last line of the song is changed to "if you're offering me diamonds and rust / well, I'll take the diamonds" instead of "if you're offering me diamonds and rust / I've already paid." This song and the Bob Dylan one that follows were the two songs that really started everything. When I hear this one, I think of everybody, but it's Teddy and Marlene that come to mind the most.

"Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan: Between this song and the one above, I think it's easy to see where the title came from. The Diamonds as an organization took their name from the Baez song, but the idea for the group - and for a character like Teddy - came from the Jack of Hearts. I thought it would be fun to write a story about someone who just dropped in and out like that without warning; somebody who influences everything he touches and everything he doesn't touch. Teddy is very much like that to me, which I think has come across a little bit in the story so far.

"Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan: This is really one of the central questions to the story, and it's one Sara actually brought up in Ch. 11 Part 1.

"Pictures of Success" by Rilo Kiley: I vaguely think of Virginia.

"The Only Living Boy in New York" by Simon & Garfunkel: This is on here more for ambiance than anything, but I think it also kind of hints at what it might be like to be a Diamond.

"Today's the Day" by Aimee Mann: Another song that gets at one of the major themes. If this were RENT, we would be singing instead "no day but today" but this is the West and we really aren't that cuddly.

"Let It Ride" by Ryan Adams: Ryan Adams (along with Bob Dylan) is on my iTunes playlist a lot, even if I don't list him multiple times here, because his sound is perfect for the soundtrack. This song specifically though is Will's all the way - it's uncanny, actually, how well it fits him. Actually, a lot of Ryan Adams's songs work really well for Will (see "Wish You here," "Love is Hell," and "Trains" for examples), but this one is the best.

"I Will Keep the Bad Things from You" by the Damnwells: More ambiance. Mostly.

"All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan: Come on. You had to see this one coming.

"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan or Joan Baez: If you listen to the Bob Dylan version, it's Teddy. If you listen to the Joan Baez version, it's Marlene. ;D

"Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell: This is another song that is pretty much for everyone, and generally fits the story overall.

"Shelter from the Storm" by Bob Dylan: Teddy. So Teddy it's not even funny.

"Harmonica" from Cowboy Bebop: I have no idea what the actual name of this song is, but it's from the "Sympathy for the Devil" episode where the kid plays a mean harmonica. Whatever he's playing, it's totally D&D material.

"The Child Is Gone" by Fiona Apple: This is a little bit Marlene, with a touch of Virginia.

"Buckets of Rain" by Bob Dylan: Yeah, he's all over the soundtrack. But this is another one of those perfect songs... for various reasons.

"Always on my Mind" by Willie Nelson: Poor, stupid Teddy.

"Thicker Than Water" by Tod Hannigan: Ambiance! (I'm getting lazy.)

"Hard Headed Woman" by Cat Stevens: It's what everybody really needs.

"Extraordinary Machine" by Fiona Apple: This is a pretty good song for Virginia, though it's almost bizarrely happy compared to the rest of the soundtrack. But in that sense it's still pretty good because it mirrors Gin - she's kind of the outsider, after all.

"Miles from Nowhere" by Cat Stevens: General theme/story ambiance.

"Philosopher's Stone" by Van Morrison: A good song for James, but for the Diamonds in general.

"Indoor Fireworks" by Elvis Costello: This one's for Teddy and Marlene. It always makes me a little sad, but it's pretty perfect.

"Waiting for the Miracle" by Leonard Cohen: Mostly ambiance, but it has some weight to it, like most of the other songs. Random side note about this one - it always reminds me of Henry James's The Beast in the Jungle. Yeah, you can tell I'm an English major.

There are more songs, of course, but I think these are probably the ones that capture D&D the best. Naturally, the list is subject to change as things continue. Story's not done yet, after all. At any rate, I think my love of Bob Dylan at this point has become painfully obvious. ;p