[ellisk]

[ZeeDrippyVessel]

I had a DIFFICULT time writing scenes around orchestral pieces - whether it was Andreas Vollenweider's Birds of Tilmun or Smetana's The Moldau. I will say it was a CHALLENGE to attempt to convey Haldir's feelings of being swept downriver, fighting the tide, the undertow, literally being The Fish. (for those who don't know, The Moldau is a River in Bohemia and it is as DEAR to them as The Rhine is to the Germans. This gorgeous piece of music was BANNED by the Nazi's during their occupation of this country during WW2, due to it's stong, nationalistic feel.

Lyrics, on the other hand, I tend to treat as poetry. I listen to music as I write and I discovered that different types of music will influence me. Lyrics WILL pertain to what is going on, not just the feel of the music. I don't just stick to pop tunes - I have used lyrics from Catholic Masses as old as the 15th century. I don't expect anyone to KNOW these, but the mood the words convey are very real. And I left them in Latin because it just seemed more reverent and moved the mood more that way! I could not FATHOM Haldir and Bronwyn going through the Dead Marshes with Queen's guitars of 'All Dead, All dead blaring in the background. I used music from Princess Diana's Funeral, because it HURT to listen to. I remember vividly watching her funeral and the music they played as they carried her out - that was when I hit the floor in tears. On my recording, you can HEAR the pall bearers shuffling past the microphones. And the words are heartrending - they are direct FROM the Church of England funeral rites. Very Very Powerful. And they fit.

I'm sorry. I'm a musician. Music is air, it is what I breathe. To me, this is just as 'normal' as eating. I can't imagine doing without it.

[Yavanie]

Oakay Zee and Space,

if I could buy just one RunRig CD which would you recommend?

[JaneDoe]

I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with inserting song lyrics into the beginning and/or end of a chapter or story, but in most cases, the musical tastes of the authors that do so are rather...limited. I find most pop music simplistic and repetitive. I loathe it. So, if I read the lyrics in a fic, that loathing comes bubbling up to the surface. Even in the non-pop songs quoted in many fics, the authors generally limit themselves to what's popular today. It shows a lack of awareness about the depth and richness of music.

When quoting song lyrics, I like it when an author chooses something that has stood the test of time in the same way LotR has. I don't mean a song from 5 years ago people still remember hearing. I mean things people still listen to after 15, 20, 30 years. Blues and classic rock, early punk and goth, soul music, stuff like that.

I'm not saying that modern-day music is out of the question either, but consider other artists of the same genre you're thinking about quoting. Or better yet, take a genre you wouldn't expect to apply to the work and find things that support it or some of the characters. For instance, I was listening to LL Cool J's "I'm Bad" (off by burned copy of old school rap tunes), and I couldn't help thinking about Legolas. The confidence, the swagger- it's so Legolas. Hip-hop is a lot like Legolas. From the way the Mirkwood Elves and the Dwarves behaved in the Council of Elrond in the films, I could even make a case for gangsta rap. Blues and old school goth- very Elrond. I think Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" is eerily suitable for Aragorn. And so on and so forth.

Who knows? If you use something that's unfamiliar, you might inspire someone to expand their own horizons.