Songs For Stories: Music That Matches with the Stories That Resonate Part 2

Recently I made a list of Songs that match up with the books we read in a list titled Songs for Stories: Music That Matches with the Stories That Resonate. I made that list because books, movies & songs speak to us and evoke so many emotions whether its joy, happiness, sorrow, anger, nostalgia, and everything in between. Stories within books, movies and songs also remind us that we are not alone. Ever since doing the very first Songs for Stories blog post, the inspiration for a second one and many other ones and beyond have been dancing around in my head. Like last time, I’m going to list the songs and the books that match with them & explain why they are the perfect fit. I will also talk about how I heard the song and the memories of them.

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police is perfect for all sorts of books in my opinion. Especially for those of us who love books about magic, romance & the spontaneous moments that make up the best parts of life. One book that really came to life is Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry. Megs Davenport is a university student at Oxford and her younger brother, George, is sick and doesn’t have long to live. Meg reads him the story of The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. After that, her brother wants to know where Narnia comes from. Each week Meg visits C.S. Lewis & his brother Warren and C.S. Lewis doesn’t give a straight answer, but he gives pieces little by little of what created that magical world. Reading this book made me cry several times both sad as well as happy tears. The book is a reminder that the world can sometimes be a terrible, awful, ugly place but there is also beauty, hope & happiness as well. It’s also a reminder that stories tell some sort of truth whether it’s real or make believe & give us hope and it’s one reason why we read. The song Everything She Does Is Magic would be perfect for the scene where Meg, her love interest Padrain & George make a spontaneous trip to Dunluce Castle in Ireland which inspired the castle Cair Paravel Castle in The Narnia novels. In my mind I was with these wonderful characters laughing and crying along with them. While you know the outcome your heart is touched by the devotion Meg & every character has for George to making his final days an adventure. The very first time I heard Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic is believe it or not for a preview of the movie Nanny McPhee.

Island In the Sun by Weezer is perfect for summer reads out there, especially summer reads where there is romance. One perfect book that the song Island In The Sun would match with is the movie adaptation of the book The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. Why is this a perfect choice? It is because The Unhoneymooners is a romantic comedy. Olive always feels as though she is on the unlucky side of life, her twin sister Ami always has luck on her side. On Ami’s wedding day, Ami, her husband & almost the entire wedding party got food poisoning. Olive & Ethan are the only ones who don’t get sick, and they agree to a temporary truce to pose as the married couple, so the Hawaii trip doesn’t go to waste. The song would be perfect when their plane lands in Hawaii because Hawaii is literally beach, sun and of course romance & comedy that ensue. I heard this song various times throughout my life especially in the summer of 2001 when I was 9 years old.

Many songs by Faith Hill would be great matches for great books.

The first time I heard Faith Hill was the song This Kiss being played in the movie Practical Magic, and it was during the montage scene where we see how Sally Owens & Michael met, fell in love, married, and had two beautiful daughters. If it wasn’t for Practical Magic, I wouldn’t have become such a huge fan of Faith Hill.

This Kiss will also be perfect for every romance book out there, especially when the two lovers stop kidding themselves, acknowledge their feelings, embrace one another, and share a kiss. I like the sound of that! It’s romantic, isn’t it?

Roam by B-52 is perfect for those of us who love to adventure & have a sense of wanderlust. This song is perfect for books that take us to places both real and fictional when we can’t leave where we are. One book that goes with this song is Paris Is Always A Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay if and when it becomes a movie. Why is this a perfect choice? When Chelsea Martin’s father announces that he’s getting remarried, Chelsea is forced to come to terms with the fact that her life stopped after her mother died of cancer & that the last time, she was happy was when she had a college gap year traveling & falling in love in Ireland with Colin, Claude in France & Marcelino in Italy. The song Roam would be perfect for when Chelsea gets on that plane and reminisces about the past and then goes back to the present as she travels. The very first time I heard this song was believe it or not in Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen direct to video movie titled When in Rome in 2002. These were after their Full House Days. Their characters begin internships at a famous fashion house in Rome and of course they find romance along the way.

Kiss Me by Six Pence None The Richer is perfect for those of us who love romance and it brings nostalgia. This song would be perfect for any romance book in my opinion. Though it would also be great for Paris Is Always A Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay. Theres a scene where Chelsea and her coworker Jason Knightley are dancing on the Eiffel Tower and Chelsea feels like a princess. It’s such a magical scene. I know the song Lie Vie En Rose is playing in the scene when we read the book, but I feel as though Kiss Me By Six Pence None The Richer would be perfect for this scene. The very first time I heard Kiss Me was when I was seven in 1999. It takes me back to summers when I would visit my grandparents when at the time they lived in Piscataway New Jersey and my great grandmother was alive & we would swim in the pool and spend time with family.