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The following is an exercise I worked on for my advanced fiction class spring semester 2015. We had to tell a story in an unorthodox, non-linear way, since stories usually are intensely linear and follow a distinct storytelling pattern. I chose to create a playlist using existing songs to tell the story, placing all the emphasis on the song titles as opposed to song meanings or real intentions. Ever since I discovered music and the capability of creating playlists, I've essentially captured stories and emotions with them, as I'm sure many other music fanatics have. It was only fitting to submit this as an exercise.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Ta~!

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Be Alone//Paramore

Anonymous//Three Days Grace

Close Your Eyes//Future Of Forestry

Daydreaming//Paramore

Think Of You//MS MR

You Have My Attention//Copeland

You Had Me At Hello//A Day To Remember

Looking Up//Paramore

Is This Love//Whitesnake

Fall For You//Secondhand Serenade

Start Of Something Good//Daughtry

Love Affair//Copeland

Made For You//OneRepublic

Adore//Paramore

Sweetness//Jimmy Eat World

Falling Into You//Mae

Hold Nothing Back//Copeland

D-I-E 4 Y-O-U//Family Force 5

Any Way You Want It//Journey
Love Addict//Family Force 5

Addicted//Saving Abel

My Hero//The Foo Fighters

Communication//Mae

I Belong To You//Muse

I Want You To…//Jem

Marry Me (Overture)//Hans Zimmer

Believe It Or Not//Nickelback

So I Thought//Flyleaf

The Awakening//Demon Hunter

Careful//Paramore

Careful Now//Copeland

Misguided Ghosts//Paramore

Secrets//Onerepublic

God, Drugs, & Sex//Anberlin

Love The Way You Lie//Eminem Ft. Rhianna

Dance With The Devil//Breaking Benjamin

Control Freak//Copeland

Toxic//Britney Spears

Decode//Paramore

Under Pressure//Queen

No Excuses//Alice In Chains

Had Enough//Breaking Benjamin

No More Love//Shinedown

Cry For Help//Shinedown

Dear Agony//Breaking Benjamin

Damn Regret//The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Forgive Me//Jars Of Clay

In Fate’s Hands//The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

All I Wanted//Paramore

You//Future Of Forestry

Never Again//Nickelback

Jar Of Hearts//Christina Perri

We’ve Got A Score To Settle (Red)//The Dear Hunter

I’m Sorry//Flyleaf
Hate Me//Blue October

It Ends Tonight//The All-American Rejects

The Grim Goodbye//The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Misery Business//Paramore

Are You Happy Now?//Michelle Branch

Hello Alone//Anberlin

Hello Cold World//Paramore

Someone, Anyone//Anberlin

Tell Me It’s Okay//Paramore

Running From You//Saving Abel

I Fade Away//Pillar

Where’s My Head//Copeland

Harder to Breathe//Maroon 5

Save Me//Jem

Save Me//Queen

Save Me//Shinedown

Seasons//Months Playlist

For some odd reason, for the longest time I have not just wanted, but craved creating a playlist compiled of songs that mention/allude to the months and seasons. (I like making playlists, okay? leave me alone.) I think this desire began with the song ‘Say Goodbye’ by Skillet because there’s a line that says, “do you remember in December…” and I thought, what other songs talk about the months? Do I know any? Do I own any? Adventure!

Strangely this idea has existed only in my mind for far too long and I just took advantage of the thought now, after all this time (I’ve know that Skillet song since about 2008, so…yeah).

Anyway! I figured since 1) I haven’t posted anything here in a bit (tsk, tsk, Vicks) and 2) this is a kind of fun thing I want to share with peoples, that that is exactly what I’ll do!

Here’s the lineup:

Dead Man (Carry Me) by Jars Of Clay

Valentine’s Day by Linkin Park

Winds of March by Journey

A Rose In April by Kate Rusby

When It Rains by Paramore

Set Your Sails by Future of Forestry

Green Eyes And A Heart Of Gold by The Lone Bellow

Paperthin Hymn by Anberlin

Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day

The City and the Ghost by Bedlight For Blue Eyes

Young Pilgrims by The Shins

Say Goodbye by Skillet

My Paper Heart by The All-American Rejects

The Memory by Mayday Parade

Sleep. When We Die. by Anchor & Braille
                       Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin

The only song I didn’t actually own in my iTunes library is ‘Winds of March' by Journey. You have no idea how difficult it is to search for songs with the word “march” in them and get everything but the month. Strangely it seems hardly anyone sings about anything to do with March. December, April, and November seem to be the most popular months to sing about, while January, March, and June were harder to search for. Definitely interesting. I’m so glad I owned nearly all of these songs in my personal library. My search feels so complete. *strokes playlist lovingly*

Well I certainly hope some of you find this playlist intriguing, because it took me a few hours to properly compile to my satisfaction. I was considering putting a list of songs that mentioned the same month (i.e. lots of songs mentioned “December” so I could have written down several), but I decided just to choose my favorite of the selection and use only one for each month, since there was only one option for some. A few of the songs toss out more than one month/season, so that made arranging fun for sure.

I was also considering jotting down the lyric line that mentioned whatever month/season for you all, but I think this could be interactive, so if you don’t know the song well enough to think of the line right off, then you can look the song up ;) Think of it as an extension of my adventure to come up with this list!

Well, that’s certainly it for now. I’ve only got two weeks, and lots do to!

Ta~

V

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Youtube playlist link, so you don't have to look them all up yourself: 
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVltk2gSW4BjNbhcSmB4dqXeFjetVS5OS

Song Questions

On the road trip to Norwalk, OH for the Pontiac Nationals this past weekend, I decided to put my entire iPod on shuffle (which is only 1,345 songs) and not skip any. The main rule of the game was to write down any questions the songs asked and answer them. I came up with this as I stared out the truck window at all the green mountains of Pennsylvania and figured I would give it a shot. Thus, below is the result of this little game.

“How do you feel about the ocean? How do you feel about the deep blue sea?” (Holiday by Future of Forestry)

It's pretty.

“Hey brother, do you remember when we used to play out doors till the light was absorbed by the night?” (Younglife by Anberlin)

First of all, I'm a female. Second, I do remember that. Kickball in the cul-de-sac till dark. 

“Hey lover, do you remember when we would dance in your apartment till neighbors would knock on your door?” (Younglife by Anberlin)

No, I don't remember that, actually.

“Do you remember when we had no money to speak of, nowhere else to eat but your floor?” (Younglife by Anberlin)

Yes, and we only ate on the floor because there were lots of people and not enough chairs. 

“Don't want to reach for me, do you?” (The Little Things Give You Away by Linkin Park)

Depends - who are you to me?

“Tell me Maria, why I see her dancing there - why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul?” (Hellfire - Hunchback of Notre Dame)

I dunno, Frollo, I think you just really like her body and it’s driving you insane. Also, my name isn't Maria. 

“Am I supposed to be happy when all I ever wanted - it comes with a price?” (Cat and Mouse by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)

Anything worth having never comes easy, or free. 

“Are we the same people as before this came to light?” (Cat and Mouse by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)

Perhaps, perhaps not. People do have the capacity to change.

“Can you hear the echoes fading?” (In The Mourning by Paramore)

Always. 

“How much pain has quaked your soul? How much love would make you whole?” (I Belong to You by Muse)

Those are some fairly personal questions, Mr. Bellamy. 

My soul is still pretty intact. As far as love, I'm already more than whole. 

“Will you help me find the right way out, or let me take the wrong way down? Will you straighten me out or make me take the long way around?” (The High Road by Three Days Grace)

I’ll try to lead you in the right direction and tell you when you're doing something you shouldn't be, but I promise I won't always be right. 

“Are you listening? Are you watching me? We have an emergency, so are you listening?” (Emergency by Paramore)

Yes; I wish; very intently. 

“Is this really happening?” (If It Means A Lot to You by A Day To Remember)

Yes. Yes it is.

Playlist Timeline

Tread lightly - musings roam these parts...

I suppose this is more for me than specifically anyone else, but I figure people might find it interesting. For me, the music I listen to almost betrays my state of mind/what I'm really feeling. It can sometimes be confusing, however, because in some instances, I'll listen to certain songs just because I think they're pretty, not necessarily that I feel like I can relate. (I.E., I really like "break up" songs, but obviously they don't apply. I just think they're pretty and sad.)
So, I've arranged this playlist timeline in tiers of pre-Peru, Peru, and post-Peru. The songs that I include are listed generally because they held some kind of significance (or I just liked how they sounded).
For those of you who care, pay attention to the type of music and how it changes and grows over time (although some tastes overall stay the same). I think it's intriguing. 

Pre-Peru (during the year of preparation leading up to moving on Oct 4, 2008): Paramore (All We Know is Falling; Riot!), Avril Lavigne (When You’re Gone; Innocence), Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Soundtrack, Pussycat Dolls (When I Grow Up), Apocalyptica (Worlds Collide), Cobra Starship (Viva La Cobra!), Evanescence (Fallen), Fall Out Boy (From Under The Cork Tree; Infinity On High; Folie A Deux), Family Force 5 (Business Up Front, Party in the Back), Lily Allen (Knock ‘Em Out), Matchbox Twenty (How Far We’ve Come), Nickelback (Savin’ Me; Far Away; Photograph; Rockstar; Someday), Skillet (Comatose), 3 Doors Down (When I’m Gone; Away From the Sun; Here Without You)

Peru (Oct 2008-May 2011): Angels & Airwaves (Breathe; Sirens; Secret Crowds),  Breaking Benjamin (Phobia; We Are Not Alone; Dear Agony), Christina Perri (Jar of Hearts), Coldplay (Parachutes; Viva La Vida; Prospekt’s March; A Rush of Blood to the Head; X & Y), Copeland (You Are My Sunshine; In Motion; Beneath Medicine Tree; Eat, Sleep, Repeat), Daughtry (Leave This Town), A Day To Remember (Homesick), Eluvium (Copia; When I Live By The Garden And Sea; An Accidental Memory In The Case of Death), Enur (Calabria ft. Natasja), Ferraby Lionheart (Ferraby Lionheart – EP), A Fine Frenzy (Almost Lover), Blue October (Into the Ocean), Flyleaf (Fully Alive; Cassie; There For You; Perfect; Breathe Today), Future of Forestry (Twilight; Travel I; Travel II; Travel III), Hans Zimmer (Marry Me (Overture)), Hinder (Better Than Me), Jars Of Clay (The Eleventh Hour; Furthermore – From the Studio, From the Stage; Good Monsters; If I Left the Zoo; Jars of Clay; The Long Fall Back to Earth; Much Afraid; Who We Are Instead; The Shelter), Jem (24), Jen Titus (O Death), John Mayer (Dreaming With a Broken Heart; Heartbreak Warfare), John Foreman (In My Arms), Kelly Clarkson (Beautiful Disaster), The Killers (Mr. Brightside), Lifehouse (From Where You Are), Lily Allen (Smile), Linkin Park (Hybrid Theory; Meteora; Minutes to Midnight), Mae ((a)fternoon; (e)vening), Maroon 5 (Won’t Go Home Without You), Mika (Happy Ending), Mindless Self Indulgence (Mastermind), Moloko (Sing It Back), Murray Gold (Doomsday), Muse (Time Is Running Out), The National (Fake Empire), Never Shout Never (Lovesick), Nickelback (Dark Horse; Into the Night), OneRepublic (Waking Up), OneRepublic & Sara Bareilles (Come Home), Papa Roach (Lifeline; Forever; Getting Away with Murder; Scars), Parachute (The Mess I Made), Paramore (Brand New Eyes; The B-Sides; The Summer Tic – EP; Other Unreleased Tracks), A Perfect Circle (Counting Bodies Like Sheep), Pillar (For the Love of the Game), Rains (Liar), The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (Don’t You Fake It), Regina Spektor (Begin to Hope), Rihanna (Disturbia; Breakin’ Dishes), A Rocket to the Moon (Like We Used To), Secondhand Serenade (Fall For You), Seether ft. Amy Lee (Broken), Shinedown (The Sound of Madness), Sick Puppies (You’re Going Down), Simple Plan (Perfect), Sixx A.M. (Life is Beautiful), Skillet (Awake; Collide), Snow Patrol (Chasing Cars; Open Your Eyes; You Could Be Happy; Run), Superchick (We Live; Stand in the Rain), Switchfoot (Oh! Gravity.; Awakening), Tenth Avenue North (Over and Underneath), Theory of a Deadman (Scars and Souvenirs), Three Days Grace (Riot; Pain; Never Too Late; I Hate Everything About You; Animal I Have Become; Home; Life Starts Now), Unkle (Burn My Shadow; With You In My Head), The Used (All That I’ve Got; The Bird and the Worm; Burning Down the House), Vanessa Carlton (Ordinary Day; A Thousand Miles; Twilight; White Houses), xi (Death Piano; Midnight), Yiruma (First Love), ZOEgirl (Scream; Dead Serious), 3 Doors Down (Your Arms Feel Like Home), 30 Seconds to Mars (The Kill)

Post-Peru: Angels Fall (Call On Me), Chevelle (Jars; The Fad; Send the Pain Below; The Red; I Get it), Copeland (The Last Time He Saw Dorie; Good Morning Fire Eater; Love Affair; The Day I lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song); Coffee; Chin Up; Should You Return), Counting Crows (Colorblind), Daughtry (Break the Spell), David Cook (Avalanche; The Last Goodbye), A Day to Remember (What Separates Me From You), Disturbed (The Animal), Cage the Elephant (Shake Me Down), Coldplay (Mylo Xyloto), Flyleaf (Red Sam), Foster the People (Pumped Up Kicks), Gotye (Somebody That I Used to Know), Jimmy Eat World (Bleed America*), Linkin Park (A Thousand Suns), Mae (Suspension), Mumford & Sons (The Cave; White Blank Page; Little Lion Man), Neon Trees (Animal), The Offspring (You’re Gonna Go Far Kid), Oh Land (Sun of a Gun), The Script (Breakeven (Falling to Pieces); For the First Time), Secondhand Serenade (Awake), Serianna (Lose Yourself), Shinedown (45; Simple Man; I Dare You), Snow Patrol (Crack the Shutters; Run), Story of the Year (The Ghost of You And I), These New Puritans (We Want War), Three Days Grace (Life Starts Now), The Ting Tings (That’s Not My Name), Train (Hey, Soul Sister; Marry Me), Woodkid (Iron), 30 Seconds to Mars (Kings and Queens; This is War; Closer to the Edge)

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* - From Bleed America, a specific song that really hit me was My Sundown

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Interesting? I hope so. 

For some of the artists, I put the entire albums (for example, for Copeland in "Peru" I listed four albums) because pretty much all the songs applied or I loved them all. That can be said for a lot of these artists. However, sometimes albums are named after a song in them, so that makes things a tad troublesome. Oh well. Determine what you will.

You know what would be even more challenging? Picking just one song or album to describe my entire time in Peru, and before and after. Yeesh. To be honest, I'm not even sure that would be possible. 

Over and out,

V