Sexy Songs

The other day, JoAnn and I went to the movies and she played a Tim McGraw song for me. I’d told her the other day I had never heard his stuff, and she said this song was going to be a great introduction for me. It was about a bad boy who could be a real good man, and she said she listens to it to fire her up before writing a love scene.

Now, I was a music teacher. I’m married to a guitar player and I’m raising another one. One of the best presents I ever got was a karaoke player. Music is a big part of our lives. When I was writing one of my stories, I listened to the soundtrack of Hope Floats, over and over to the point where it would get me right into the story. I stopped hearing the words. I tried the same thing with my last ms, listening to Phantom of the Opera. Sometimes, when I just need to drown out the TV that my dh and ds are listening to, I put on the soundtrack for Lord of the Rings or Hidalgo. As for listening to songs to fire me up, in my last ms, before the big black moment, I listened to an old Howard Jones song, “No One Is to Blame,” over and over again to get up the emotion. Another good one is Crowded House’s “You Better Be Home Soon.” As for sexy songs, there are no sexier songs than “Black” by Pearl Jam and “One” by U2. Just – oh.

And just FYI, Bo Bice’s single, “Inside Your Heaven” is on iTunes.

Here’s some inspiration for JoAnn.

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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Music is necessary to my writing, but I can't listen to music with songs. I do movie soundtracks. My current mix includes theme songs from Gladiator, Last of the Mohicans, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, and strangely, Little Women. Hey, it works for me!

Anonymous said...

While I love music...I don't listen to it while I'm writing :)

MJFredrick said...

When I listen to a song with words, the words start to blur away after a few times.

I didn't know there WAS a Little Women soundtrack!

Amie Stuart said...

It was about a bad boy who could be a real good man

Aw man I LOVE that song! I'm a HUGE music fan. I buy CD's like I buy books and movies *blush* and even took my kids to their first (and second) concert 2-3 years back. But like Michelle I can't listen to lyrics when I write. I'm just too easily distracted. =)

you have the BEST blog posts!

Elizabeth Kerri Mahon said...

I try to listen to music that my character would listen to or high energy songs unless I'm writing a love scene. I listen to Lorena McKennit, Sarah Mclachlan, ABBA, Kelly Clarkson, The Gipsy Kings, Last of the Mohicans, or Chopin.

MJFredrick said...

Did y'all see Empire last night? The music sounded like Lord of the Rings. I bought the Dear Frankie soundtrack to listen to, but it's too melancholy for me, though I liked it in the movie.

Elizabeth, that's a neat idea, to listen to what your characters would listen to.

Emily McKay listens to the music for Lord of the Dance and she says her fingers try to match the tempo - LOL!

Cece, I don't buy as many albums as I used to. We still have over 150 CDs, though, and all varieties. We took my son to the Foo Fighters concert a few years back. He loved it. I hated it. (Well, it was my birthday and it was supposed to be all about ME.) He's begging to go to U2 or the Queen tour, though. I must say, he has good taste.

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

Wow, I would LOVE to listen to music when I write. Unfortunately, I write mostly at night (when everyone sleeps), and short spurts during the day with the kids. I guess I could eventually invest in some headphones. ;D - Kel

Trish Milburn said...

I love soundtracks. The vast majority of my CDs are soundtracks. Love Last of the Mohicans, Gladiator, Titanic, Dirty Dancing, etc. My latest purchases are the soundtracks to House of Flying Daggers and Into the West. I also have a collection of Celtic music like Enya, Clannad, Seven Nations. But I typically don't listen to any music when I'm writing. I'm too easily distracted.

I didn't know Queen was touring. I wonder what they're like without Freddie Mercury. I like them, ABBA, and then, because I was a headbanger in high school and still lean that way, when I want to rock out I listen to Metallica or Nickelback. Duran Duran is touring, and they're coming to town the night I have to catch the train to Chicago!

Anonymous said...

I listen to music before I write, to get geared up...but when I actually write, I have to have silence, so I can hear what's going on in my head. LOL Mar, that Tim McGraw song...aiiieee...that's the one that gets me going. Certain lines just slay me, like "when it comes to lovin' you, I've got velvet hands." In the video for this song, Tim makes this movement with his hand when he sings that line, and...well, that's all it takes. Goddess, that man was born with a body to die for. Ahem. Where was I? I am all overheated from my current ms. LOLOL Mar, THANK YOU for that new pic of Gerard. (He's my "hurts so bad but feels so good" guy in my ms.) I had a love scene pop into my head for later in the book last night, and...whew, I MUST STOP! :) Anyway, right now while I am writing this book, I have the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack running in my head. The theme of the ms is that sometimes the worst thing than can happen is for your dream to come true. Every time I hear Gerard sing the part after "Point of No Return", which is a highly sexual song, and then switch to "Anywhere you go, let me go, too...Christine, that's all I ask of you." It's the SOUND in his voice when he sings that which helps fuel this story. I can't explain it better than that. I have no idea where I could sell an ms like this...I even wonder how far I can get in it. I don't care at this point. I'm just going for it! Mar, you are SO right about music being a part of our creativity. I probably couldn't have found what this book is about without that section from POTO.

JoAnn

MJFredrick said...

Kel, I definitely have headphones - very handy since the TV is about ten feet from the computer.

Trish, Queen is touring with Paul Rogers from Bad Company. Since Freddy died the year Josh was born (he says "A star dies, a star is born"), he never had a chance. My husband would die before letting me go to a Duran Duran concert. He freaks out when I buy Bananarama songs on iTunes. And he still hasn't forgiven me for going to see Journey. Of course, I haven't forgiven him for going to see Prince and The Thompson Twins without me.

Oh, Point of No Return. How could I have forgotten the sexiness of THAT song? That was another I'd listen to over and over while writing a love scene. Just the plaintiveness in his voice, the way he looks at her, cups her face. I watched that scene over and over when I bought the DVD. Go JoAnn!

Amie Stuart said...

Prince? GAAAAAAAA

LOL another mostly instrumental soundtrack that's great for writing is the one from Friday Night Lights.

I took the boys to see Sheryl Crow and Train (it was so COOL--sorry fan slobber). Then Travis Tritt--little did I know that Larry the Cable Guy was the opening ack. Luckily they didn't get most of his jokes.

QUEEN? Aw mary ya'll GOTTA GO!

MJFredrick said...

YES, Prince - the Purple Rain tour. God, I loved that album. There are very few albums where I love the whole album. That's one, Robbie Robertson, The Joshua Tree, Daniel Lanois, Pearl Jam's Ten, Midnight Oil Blue Sky Mine, Live Throwing Copper, Peter Gabriel's So, the soundtrack to POTO, Hope Floats and The Commitments.

If Queen comes close, we're going.

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I'm a mom, a wife, a teacher and a writer. I have five cats and a dog to keep me company. I love bookstores and libraries and Netflix - movies are my greatest weakness.
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