The “Headshot” Mixtape
Let’s talk about music for a minute, okay? Hope you’re prepared for this conversation.
First things first, a little backstory: I grew up in a musical family. By that I don’t mean we were the Von Trapp family, but we all love music, and each of us has some kind of experience with it. My parents both sang in church for years. My siblings and I have all at least dabbled in one or more instruments, including the flute, violin, guitar, drums, and, of course, the piano. Every big homeschooled family needs one of them thangs. We all know it to be true. Don’t know why it’s a thing, it just is.
There has always been a piano in our house, for as long as I can remember. I played it regularly from eight years old to around age fourteen, before dropping my lessons, as my mid-level of interest didn’t warrant continuing to pay tuition. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it or that I don’t “feel it” sometimes when I play even now. I’ve been told I play emotionally–which seems pretty legit, since that’s also how I write–but I was never intent on becoming the next Beethoven. If anyone fits that description in our family, it’s my oldest sister, Ashley, who still plays like a boss and just recently started getting into playing jazz, something I wouldn’t even consider attempting at this point, though it is an awesome form of music (La La Land, anyone?). In any case, music has been an integral part of my life from the beginning, and so naturally, it’s influence has spread to my writing…increasingly so over the years.
Ask any writer or author–or really any kind of artist–out there, and they’ll probably tell you that listening to music is a way of life for them…a daily necessity nearly as essential as breathing. That’s some seriously hyperbolic wordage (as is “hyperbolic”), I know, but you get the point. Music and art go hand in hand…especially when it comes to stories.
Soundtracks exist to augment the emotion and tone of a movie, but the same concept applies for an author’s secret stash of inspirational story music. Sure, readers can’t hear the same music in their heads that the writer does (unless the song is named or mentioned in some way), but they will most likely feel the difference between scenes written under the influence of music, and those written without it. Hopefully, though…if it’s done right, they’ll see that as a good thing. Music is supposed to be a tool in a writer’s arsenal, not a trump card.
We writers gotta be careful with that “writing under the influence” thing. I personally don’t often write under the influence of music, because I’ve been guilty of allowing the oh-so-epic music to turn a scene that should be subtle and cool into a scene that screams “CAPES! SOLILOQUY! BETRAYAL! TRAGEDY! DRAMA! OH, THE HUMANITY!”
Yeah, been guilty of that a lot…so, if I do write ‘under the influence’, I’m always careful to go back and check over what I’ve written to see if I cranked the epicness or the melodrama up too high or not. I’ve gotten better at keeping my wits about me even when the music gets to that one part that sends chills down the spine, but it still pays to make sure I didn’t go overboard. Melodrama is a dire temptation in my writing life, which is why I have people like my youngest sister around to laugh at what I write and tell me to tone it down…like, a lot.
Thusly, the bulk of my music listening is done whenever I’m going about daily tasks. Sometimes specific tasks have specific songs or albums attached to them…for instance, when I mow the lawn, I’m almost always tuning into American Authors…it’s kind of a tradition now–dunno why. Most of the time, though, I listen to songs specific to my mood and imagine, in detail, potential story moments that could coincide with the music. I get ideas like that all the time, because that’s my intent. Listening to music without the intent of gleaning some kind of inspiration from it is just entertainment.
It’s for that reason that I have many music playlists dedicated solely to a certain story or even a specific character. “Headshot” was no exception. I collected a bunch of different songs while writing the book for varying reasons; some because of the lyrics, some for the melody, some for the lolz…but all of them were inspiring in some form or another, which is why, now that “Headshot” is available to the world, I wanted to go ahead and share this other behind-the-scenes aspect with everyone.
Beware: the road ahead is fraught with perilous spoilers. If you haven’t yet read “Headshot” (what the heck are you doing here?), stop now. Ye have been warned…
The playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/user/lk795bxsb3vz6uv1ec3hogrh9/playlist/2LX1YPQvAgaRmHuwp7hpIg
“Time To Pretend” (MGMT)
Like many other people, I’m sure, the first time I heard this song was from one of the trailers for Spiderman: Homecoming, so it’s a more recent addition to the mixtape. I don’t like the lyrics to the song at all, but from the first time I heard the music itself, I loved it. It just sounds so…dorky. Exactly the kind of thing I was looking for in a “Headshot” track. A story about three goofy high-school buddies? Yeah, it needs at least one awkward, dorky-sounding song to go with it.
“Free Fallin'” (Tom Petty)
I picked this one because it had that nostalgic feel to it that I was trying to emulate in “Headshot”. I mean, come on, the story revolves around a teenage skater dude’s first serious relationship with a girl…a girl who’s more mature than he is, and who causes him to change for the better before disappearing forever. The lyrics and tone of Free Fallin’ capture that young-adult summer romance feeling in a good way, to me. Plus, you know…it’s Tom Petty we’re talking about here…
“Back In Black” (AC/DC)
Nate’s signature song. Whenever I think of Nate, I think of skateboards, trucks, Troy Bolton hair, and an astounding obliviousness to many, many things. That combination, set against the hard rock of AC/DC, always makes me smile, because honestly, Nate may like to think of himself as a bad boy, but we all know that at the end of the day, he’s just a big softie…a good ol’ Georgia boy who likes to have fun with his friends. He inherited that last trait from his creator, as with his love for AC/DC.
“Somebody To You” (The Vamps, Demi Lovato)
This is a fun one. You can’t write a story about three teenage dudes without listening to at least one boy band for inspiration. Love how upbeat and light this song is…it goes well with the happier, summer portions of “Headshot”. The lyrics also pretty well capture Nate’s progression from being a guy who only cared about having fun to a guy who makes valiant attempts to become the best person he can be for the girl he cares about. I think a lot of dudes can relate to that transition period–those who can’t were either never carefree in the first place or never left that stage—hence my reason for betting that the first of said groups is in the majority.
“Beautiful” (Ben Rector)
This one actually still makes me sad. Whenever I listen to it, I always picture a grown-up Nate looking back on his teenage years, remembering the good times, the bad times, and especially the many summer days he spent daydreaming about a particular girl who died along with his childhood. Eesh. Hits me in the feels.
“Hey Princess” (Allstar Weekend)
Yikes! The cringe is strong with this song, but I love it! Again, nothing particularly inspirational about the lyrics, it’s just got that right sound of dorkiness to it that fits the bro trio of “Headshot” so well. I first heard the song from a definitely-not-cheesy-at-all Disney movie called Geek Charming, which is probably the main reason I find myself smiling and inwardly cringing every time it plays.
“One Thing” (One Direction)
More boy band inspiration. 1D is a guilty pleasure of mine. Some people love ’em way too much, some people hate ’em (several of my friends included)…me, I take the middle ground. I like some of their songs, but definitely not all of them…and I definitely feel that same inward cringe with some of their tracks. Nate is the kind of guy who I can see having a secret obsession with 1D that he would never tell anyone about. Who knows, he might even have a 1D poster tucked into his closet somewhere. Wouldn’t put it past him.
“Kiss You” (One Direction)
This song is made up of all the classic elements of every teenage guy’s first major crush: nervous energy, twitterpation, puppy eyes, and copious amounts of sheer stupidity. Dear female population: please forget our teenage years ever happened. Please.
“Live While We’re Young” (One Direction)
I connect this song to two things: one, the scene from “Headshot” where Nate and all his friends are driving the truck to his home near golden hour, and two, an actual memory that inspired it. The first time I remember hearing this song was on the way home from a fun day my siblings and I spent hanging out with our lifelong friends, the Johnsons, at their house. Twas a typically beautiful sunny day in Cumming, GA, and as we were driving across a bridge over Lake Lanier, my older sister had this song playing. I had my window open with my arm hanging out into the wind.
Upbeat, fun music playing, a great view of the lake while going home from a good time with friends…it was a good moment, one of many such moments in my life. I’m a man of simple pleasures. It’s the little things, like reaching an arm out an open car window on a bright summer day, that make me slow down and just enjoy living for a minute.
“My House” (Flo Rida)
The only song in this list that inspired an entire scene without me even trying to think about it. I must’ve been in a good mood at the time I got inspired by this one, because it resulted in me writing one of my favorite happy scenes in the book…the whole sequence where Nate and his friends just get to hang out and be kids for a minute…right before tragedy hits. This song was so perfect that I actually had Chase play the song in the scene, so that my readers would have a better chance of feeling the same fun atmosphere I felt, provided they’d heard the song before.
“Iris” (Goo Goo Dolls)
Anyone else get super nostalgic listening to late 90s-early 2000s music? Cuz I do. but then, I’m a 90s kid, so there’s that. This song is just one of many examples. Gah, every time it starts playing, I instantly get hit by a feels train. Not only does it take me back to my childhood, but it’s also a perfect fit for the section of “Headshot” taking place after Nate’s father dies. Grief can be an excuse to give up if you let it, and that’s exactly what Nate does in Chapter Six.
Of course, his initial grief is legitimate…he just suddenly lost his dad! On top of that, his mom goes into depression, leaving him to be not just the ‘man of the house’…but also the breadwinner for his family. And this right at the time when he was beginning to feel hopeful for his future and discover purposefulness in his life. It’s a rough time in Nate’s life, and of course, it makes sense that he would have difficulty regaining himself in it all…but giving up on one’s future…that’s a more serious matter than just trying to regain your equilibrium. Hence the struggle of Chapter Six. The sad lyrics and tone of “Iris” are just right for Nate’s dark period of self-isolation.
“Shattered” (Trading Yesterday)
Pretty much the same notes as “Iris” has…this song has the same nostalgic feeling to me personally, and the lyrics in places fit Nate’s hard times after his father’s death…particularly the part where it says “I’ve lost who I am”.
I’m twenty-one. I haven’t really been around all that long. But that part in “Headshot” where Nate says he feels like he’s trying to draw water from a dry well (in reference to his struggle to feel happy like he used to)? I’ve felt that. More than once. This song captures that feeling very well, in my opinion. Plus, it also makes me think of the bit where Janis confronts him on his quitting attitude toward life and his blaming it on his father’s death.
“The Fighter” (Gym Class Heroes)
This one is a bit of an extra, as it isn’t among my favorites for inspiration, but I don’t know…pieces of it fit “Headshot” well–particularly Nate’s story. I can see him looking back at his life much later on with this song playing as a montage for his memories. Even though the song artist seems to be going for an empowering song, the chorus is unique in that, even though it’s meant to be empowering, it sounds chill. It’s a different approach to an empowerment track, and I like that.
“History” (One Direction)
The last 1D song of the list. Just imagine the song is about a group of bros and boom, you get where I’m coming from. If “Headshot” were a movie, I like to think this would be one of the credits songs if not the main one that plays right at the end of the film. It’s a tossup between this one and the others below…
“Masterpiece” (Andy Grammer)
Another potential credits song. Definitely my favorite Andy Grammer song. The lyrics are so good–unlike several of his other songs, the words actually have some meaning. More importantly, that meaning matches up with one of “Headshot”‘s main themes…the theme of life having purpose and meaning…of having both fun and meaning in abundance for those who look for it. Put simply, this song makes me happy.
“Saturn” (Sleeping At Last)
If “Headshot” were a film, this would be the final song to play as the credits end, and the other two songs above would have to fight for first place in the song lineup. “Saturn” doesn’t even have lyrics until over two minutes into the song, but man, those lyrics pack a punch! Again, they align perfectly with the themes of “Headshot”…of not only finding purpose in life, but being grateful you have it at all. Though Nate would never think in eloquent lines like the lyrics sung here, I definitely can see him feeling these things toward Janis.
“With shortness of breath, you explained the infinite…how rare and beautiful it is to even exist.”
If that’s not masterful songwriting, I don’t know what is.
So, with that, I’ll go ahead and end this post. Hope you’ve enjoyed getting another peek into the making of “Headshot”. I enjoy sharing my creative process and will be continuing to do so as much as possible, so thanks for reading! Looking forward to sharing more soon.
Matthew
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