I always have a list of songs that I burn to a CD to play in my car while I’m working on a book. For Demon Moon, the soundtrack started out with a few songs from the Demon Angel soundtrack that I thought really carried over the *feel* of the series, like The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.”

But Colin and Savi — and the relationship between them — couldn’t be captured with the same music that I used for Hugh and Lilith. And another difference was that some of the songs weren’t about evoking a mood for me … I was trying to figure out what the hell Colin was listening to, and so his music made it on there. I knew that his music would reflect his mood (because he likes things that reflect him) and that he went through obsessive periods when a certain style would be all that he would play.

So, what was he going through in Demon Moon? One internal conflict that I really wanted to capture was his increasing awareness of a vampire’s position within the paranormal world — and his increasing dissatisfaction with it.

And he ended up listening to a lot of British punk (and a huge thanks to Megan Frampton for helping me make certain that the music actually fit what I was going for). And he has breaks from his obsession: after a fight with Savi, and as he’s about to go into The Room, he throws on Rage Against the Machine. And when he’s trying to cheer Savi up, he gives her his own version of The Beatles.

But at the beginning of the novel, he wasn’t quite there yet, and was listening to The Velvet Underground. Unlike a few of the other songs, these aren’t specifically mentioned in the book, but are more of “Meljean needs a mood” songs.

This one, “Pale Blue Eyes,” was one of two Velvet Underground songs on the soundtrack, the other being “Candy Says” (which is the song that was playing in the car when he quickly turned it on and off.) Colin would like those on the soundtrack well enough, but he’d prefer something with a bit more bite to it, like “Heroin” or “Venus in Furs.”

This is a fan-made-video that I only chose because the recording was the best one I found on YouTube — which means you should just close your eyes and pretend the video isn’t there.

The next one isn’t necessarily anything that either Colin or Savi might listen to, but something that I thought fit so freaking perfectly, I couldn’t resist. There are a few songs that, by the end of the book, I find that I’m hitting repeat on instead of playing all the way through the soundtrack — this was one of them. It’s Fiona Apple’s “Tymps (the sick in the head song)”.

This is a live version — alas, I couldn’t find the studio version, which I prefer (because that’s what I used) and I couldn’t use the MTV Live version, which has better production values than this but doesn’t embed — but it’s always fun to watch Fiona, cuz she’s crazy.

Fiona Apple – Tymps Live
Uploaded by tete313

Fiona had a couple of other songs on the soundtrack (it ended up being The Clash/Billy Idol/Fiona heavy), including “First Taste,” and “Not About Love”, which I just freaking love the video for anyway.

Now, Billy Idol I never really thought about adding until I was halfway through the book. But then — I can’t remember what I was doing — but I was thinking of his “Cradle of Love” video and I was like: Oh, man, that sound is perfect! (As an aside, did Spike steal Billy’s look … or was it the other way around?) The part where it slows down and gets all sexy, and then breaks out again? Love that.

I couldn’t find the original video (it’s the one where the chick knocks on the uptight dude’s door, and is like, “can I play my cassette tape in your stereo?” and he’s like, uhhhhhhhhhhh, but she comes in anyway and starts dancing all over his house, and pretty soon he’s sweating and trying to keep her from killing his goldfish and rolling all over his bed, and Billy is sneering on all of the TVs and in the picture frames (because he had a broken leg when they were filming the video.)) So, speak of the other blond British vampire, here’s a Spuffy fan-vid (so if you don’t like it, you can close your eyes once again.)

And then there’s “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, which is NOT WORK SAFE! But this captured exactly the raw, sexual mood that I was envisioning in a couple of places — especially the scene at the club in Chapter Four. It doesn’t exactly fit Polidori’s (NIN is too industrial for the club, which is more techno) or a waltz … but it does the escalating need that Colin is experiencing, and Savi’s fever-lust, too.

They have the original video on YouTube, but I’ll only link to it, because it might be disturbing for some viewers, and is definitely not pretty. And for fun, I’ll just put up the “Closer” Spock/Kirk slash video.

THE LYRICS ARE NOT WORK SAFE.

I’ll say it again: NOT WORK (OR KIDS AT HOME LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER) SAFE!!!!!

Okay, and for something a bit more fun: Colin sings this at one point: The Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four.” It was the opening song for the soundtrack, and often repeated.

Now, although I don’t mention the name of it, I know the album that Colin put in his player while driving from the Jaguar dealership to Special Investigations is Rage Against the Machine’s The Battle of Los Angeles (“Calm Like a Bomb” and “Testify” would have been particularly appropriate for him). But the Rage song I have on the soundtrack is “Wake Up” — which is most well-known for being the song at the ending credits of The Matrix.

Another fan-vid, with an unfortunately long intro.

And although I knew of The Clash, was familiar with their name and some of their hits that still play on local radio stations (“Rock the Casbah” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” for example), and liked them when I heard them, I wasn’t really a fan until I picked up a couple of albums so that I could get a feel for what I’d decided Colin was listening to. But now? Listening to them all the time.

By the time the soundtrack was finished and completely embedded in my head (I can’t listen to any of the songs without thinking of the story now) these ended up being songs that, not only was Colin listening to them at one point in the book, but they fit my mood as a writer, too, and just the general storyline.

The first is “London Calling”:

And the second is “Straight to Hell”, which is perfect on so many levels for Demon Moon:

Finally, I’ll leave with another oft-repeated Beatles’ tune from the soundtrack, “Yesterday.” Although, again, it was just for me — not necessarily something *in* the book. God, I love this song. So simple and sad and sweet.

(Okay, wait! I’m not done. Here’s one song that didn’t make it on the soundtrack, although I’d have loved to include it if it had fit the mood of the book better: Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.” But, alas, neither her voice or the song ended up working, although the title sure does):