Five Songs That Explain What My Next Novel Is About

The definition of ‘80s cool

So it’s been about half a year since I dropped hints about my next novel, and some people may feel I’ve been incredibly—maybe even frustratingly—vague: no title, no character names, not even giving a really vivid description of the plot. So to rectify this, I decided to post this blog to give everything away… Nah, I’m gonna be frustratingly vague again—but this time in musical form!

While writing this new book, I had these five songs swirling in my subconscious. A few tracks actually appear in the book (looking at you, “Must’ve Been Love”), and one in particular is mentioned multiple times (now I’m turning 2 U, “Nothing Compares 2 U”), but there’s a good reason for that. Again, to explain why would give too much away.

Why all the secrecy? I feel these days we’re living in an overexposed media landscape. We’re constantly getting barraged with information on a minute-by-minute basis, whether it’s blaring out of your radio, T.V., computer, or (more likely) your smartphone. Even if it’s something you like, it can get a bit overwhelming, at least for me. I miss the days of analyzing album covers to discover the secret meaning behind the songs, because I had no other information to go on. (I didn’t even have MTV.) This is one of the reasons why The J. Geils Band’s Freeze Frame is still my favorite album cover of all time.

Best. Cover. Ever.

Nowadays, a five-second Google search will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your favorite band—and maybe some things you wish you didn’t.

Another reason for the forced mystery? A purely selfish reason, I’m afraid. I don’t know how many more novels I’ve got in me. (This literally may be the last one, though I have another idea for a book.) I want to enjoy this moment while I can, so if that means stringing along my fans (both of them) with the drip-drip-drip of information, so be it. I guess I’m really a sadist at heart. I kid.

Anyway, as the immortal Casey Kasem used to say every Sunday morning on my radio back in the day: “Now on with the countdown!” Here, in no order, are five songs that explain what my new novel is about:

“The End of the Innocence” –Don Henley

Eagle-eyed readers may know that the Don Henley song “Boys of Summer” is the very first ‘80s—and pop culture—reference in Danger Peak (the beginning of Chapter One after the Prologue—look it up!), but for this next book, this is by far the most appropriate Henley song. The title says it all, I think.

“When Somebody Loved Me” –Sarah McLachlan

You might say my next book is basically the next video stretched out to novel length. I remember when I first heard this song in Toy Story 2, I felt bad for Jessie, the cowgirl toy, for being abandoned by her original owner. Now, as a father of two little girls (one of whom is not so little anymore), I connect much more deeply with this song’s themes of growing up and letting go—themes which tie into my new novel. (Are you sensing a pattern here?)

“Nothing Compares 2 U” –Sinead O’Connor

Here’s the first song that may not have an obvious connection to the themes of the first two songs, or my new book, but it’s the first song in this list that actually appears in my novel—many, many times. (Again, to explain why would give the game away.) When the ‘80s gave way to the ‘90s, my pop-culture antennae finally matured and was finely attuned to the zeitgeist, and I remember wondering what the first big radio hit of the ‘90s would be. Turns out it was a Prince-penned ballad sung by a bald, Irish lass. Who knew? This song holds a special meaning for me, not only for having identified it as a hit so early on but because of the radio’s shift in tone from poppy boy band music to mournful crooning. (Grunge was less than a year away.) Based on what I was going through at the time, it felt a little too on-the-nose.

“Must’ve Been Love” –Roxette

This song also appears in the book and is a little anachronistic. Although the song was written and recorded in the late ‘80s, it didn’t become a monster hit on the radio until its appearance on the Pretty Woman soundtrack. I actually fudged the timeline a little, because the song appears in the book during a time before the movie was released, but hey, if I point it out, it can’t be a mistake, right? Musically speaking, it’s another sad ballad that’s right in line with the feelings of the main character, who has yet to experience his first true love (or regret of that lost love, as the title reminisces). “Hey Mike, this book sounds like it’s gonna be a sad one!” Why, yes it is. But it’s also fun. I wouldn’t torture you; I promise.

“Childhood” –Michael Jackson

This last post might get me canceled. I realize, even after his death, that Michael Jackson remains a figure shrouded by extreme controversy, to say the least, but I couldn’t help myself. This song is just too fitting not to include in this list. Sure, it’s a little schmaltzy (okay, a LOT), but it’s still a beautiful video. (It was critically praised!) Michael is in full self-pitying mode here (I know what you’re thinking: “Are you talking about yourself, Mike?”), but it’s still a pretty song about missing your childhood—in Jackson’s case, almost literally since he basically didn’t have one. (For those not in the know, he spent his entire formative years performing live, including singing at strip clubs when he was only five years old.) One more odd point about the song: I can’t help but notice the chorus’ melody (“Have you seen my childhood?”) rips off Barbra Streisand’s “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” almost 20 years before Frozen did it with “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” I once wrote an article titled “Musical Déjà Vu” that listed songs that seemed to copy each other’s melody, including the guitar riff in Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” being a note-for-note duplicate of the riff in John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good.” Looks like I need to update my article; Jackson should get another inclusion on the list for being a repeat offender (and a smooth criminal).

MTP

P.S.: Next blog: Someone (or thing) is having a birthday! (No, it’s not me.)

P.P.S.: Danger Peak is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:

AmazonBarnes & Noble