KISS THIS soundtrack
“Evil Angel” – Breaking Benjamin
“Broken” -
Lifehouse
“I Drive Your Truck” – Lee Brice
“Kiss This” – Aaron Tippin
“Howlin’ For You” – The Black Keys
“Between the Raindrops” – Lifehouse w/ Natasha
Bedingfield
“Madness” – Muse
“Never Stop” - Safetysuit
For
a detailed explanation of these song choices…
“Evil Angel”- When Teague became a victim to the wiles and lies of
other people, he did what a lot of people do when they’re hurting. He turned to
alcohol to numb and potentially bandage some of the damage. In this case,
Teague’s “Evil Angel” is indeed…alcohol. You can interpret songs any way you
see fit, but this particular comparison was automatic for me. Like Camryn, I
wished that I could have been there for Teague during this very horrific time
in his life. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and help bear the pain. Agony
is a very difficult thing to endure alone.
“Broken”- Lifehouse has been a part of my life for more than a
decade now. I can pick any one of their songs and literally apply it to an
aspect of my life easily. When we lose someone in our life, things are never
the same. Pieces of us change. We so badly wish we could rearrange things to
make it work out differently. Sometimes we can move on because we know we have
to, but it’s still hard as we hold on to things that cause pain or heartache.
When I think of Camryn losing her fiancée overseas, so many parts of me are
affected. I have a deep love for my country and the soldiers that protect it. I
imagine that Camryn’s loss almost broke her in half. I feel that it really
would take a couple of years to even feel put-together enough to look at
another man let alone give your heart to him.
When
I think of the anguish Teague suffered through because of the trials in his
life, I understand how helpless he probably felt. He lost a child. His life was
altered dramatically because of greedy, selfish people. What do you do? What can you do? He only wanted to protect
Chase’s future, but how do you do that and put yourself back together at the
same time? “I’m falling apart; I’m barely breathing; with a broken heart;
that’s still beating.” These words may only be powerful to those that have been
there…
“I Drive Your Truck”- Oh goodness sake, when I first heard this song…I cried.
I’d already written the storyline of Brandon driving Zach’s truck after he
died, and because Zach was a soldier…it all fit. This song was just an eerie
connection but in a good way. This song is for Brandon. He truly is a sweet
guy, and if you imagine what it was like to lose a brother, have parents that
didn’t handle it well, and also try to be supportive to your brother’s fiancée…
Brandon had a full plate. Camryn was there for him as well—they got through it
together—but the man deserves a hug from every reader that can empathize.
“Kiss This”- I honestly had never heard
this song before until after this book was complete. I was in my car when it
came on and I really had to laugh out loud. It was Camryn all the way. I like
feisty female characters. Even more, I like feisty girls that are witty. Even
more than that, I like witty, feisty girls that can be really sweet. Camryn was
sometimes angry but she had good reason. No way did she want any man to easily
win her over. She knew the pain and heartache she harbored sometimes came out a
bit aggressively, and sometimes she’d even catch herself being a little too
unfair in that aspect. Oftentimes it’s hard to find a fair balance when it
comes to protecting our hearts, but when you combine that with intolerance to
disrespectful men, you have Camryn “Kiss This” Jacobs.
“Howlin’ For You”- Ahh,
when a guy finds that girl that he can’t stop thinking about, sometimes it’s a
pitiful howling of sorts to be with her. Teague was not the type to make an ass
of him self over a girl, but once Camryn stepped into his life, things shifted
a little. He was enamored with her from the start, but after a deception of the
worst kind, he was a little more than cautious. Things in his personal life
were revealed gradually. His family and his past with Kate weren’t things he
was able to bring up in the first week or two of knowing Camryn. The
information started to unfold rather naturally and he chose to let it be that
way. He didn’t trust Camryn, or any female for that matter, but she’d made such
an impression on him so quickly, he couldn’t stand to be without her.
“Between
The Raindrops”- Yum, yes I picture the scene in the rain between Teague and
Camryn. Sexy and passionate, and full of love and forgiveness. But beyond that,
this song is so much more in an everlasting sense. The ups and downs.
Endurance. Living life. Sharing the pain and the joy together. What I love about Teague and Camryn is that they both
give and take. That is such an
essential part of a lasting relationship. When you are able to accept help,
enjoy compliments, and most of all, love unconditionally… You’re ready to face
anything life throws at you. It becomes a journey together, not just a companionship for survival.
“Madness”- I think I could listen to this song a dozen times a day
and never get tired of it. It makes me think of Teague when Camryn told him she
knew about Chase. He pretty much freaked out without even realizing it. He
feared that the things that almost killed him once before would now threaten
his happiness with Camryn. He was still torn in two when it came to the
situation with Chase. Sometimes you can’t resolve an issue in your life when
you don’t even know what needs to be
resolved. But once he confronted his father and the panic wore off, Teague
finally realized that Camryn was more important to him that anything else in
his life. Perhaps he already knew this, but when he was finally forced to share
a part of him he’d spent a year trying to bury, the love he shared with Camryn
prevailed, and Teague knew that letting her in all the way was the only form of healing he would ever need.
“Never Stop”- Whether you’ve heard of Safetysuit or not, this band is
one of my absolute favorites. It doesn’t matter where I’ve seen them perform—if
I see them live, on a video, or hear them on my stereo—they put so much heart
into everything they do. These guys are fun. They are sweet. They are honest.
This song is actually my favorite love song ever.
It is simple in the best way. It is passionate. There is no confusion, it’s
blatant. It’s beautiful. There is nothing better than an honest declaration of
love. I crush over Safetysuit. I’ve even heard them perform this song acoustic
and it was so damn moving I cried. But enough about me and my fondness for bold
affirmations… This time I dedicate this song to Teague and Camryn. They deserve
it.
*
*
“True Love”- P!nk,
Lily Allen
“Headstrong”- Trapt
“Still Swingin’ “-
Papa Roach
“Run”- Matt
Nathanson/Sugarland
“I’m on Fire”- Bruce
Springfield
“Spin”- Lifehouse
“When the World
Breaks Your Heart”- Goo Goo Dolls
“Better Than Me”-
Hinder
“Sorry”- Buckcherry
“Anywhere But Here”-
SafetySuit
For a detailed
description of these songs and their relevance to Tame This:
“True Love”- I love this song because it shows the extremities of a
relationship when it comes to ups and downs. When it comes to Jay and Melanie,
they know each other well. From the very beginning, they never held back their
true personalities. Melanie is an open book, and Jay is just as blunt as they
come. I feel that sometimes we conceal a lot about ourselves when we first meet
someone. It’s natural and pretty obvious why, but oftentimes there are
qualities we are altering that will make a difference a little further down the
road. If you can’t be yourself around someone, they are not the right person
for you. Jay and Melanie accepted each other’s flaws from the beginning. They
were honest and open, which is what allowed them to create the bond that they
had with one another. And they are feisty as hell with each other, which is why
I love this song for them!
“Headstrong”- You think you can corner Jay McCallan??? Think again.
Alpha all the way, he will not let anyone
get the best of him. He grew up in a famous family that used their name to get
places. But that’s not Jay. He’d much rather cut through the bullshit and beat
you his own way, which generally includes a bit of wit and smart mouth and a whole lot of badass. Jay is not only
tough and confident, but he’s also stubborn. Don’t tell him what to do and
don’t play games with him. He’ll not only see right through you, but it will
piss him off. And what comes out of his mouth will definitely not be filtered…
“Still Swingin’”- This is a bold song that states very clearly what
you’re made of. It’s a song that says “Do what you want to me, you’ll never
bring me down.” It is, in fact, very Jay McCallan. It is confidence mixed with
the perfect amount of arrogance; it is an anthem of encouragement but also a
warning to back the hell off. Jay knows who he is and what he stands for and
doesn’t allow anyone to take that away from him. He’s a fighter, a survivor,
and he’s not afraid to show it.
“Run”-
Ohhh this song is so romantic and sexy! Matt Nathanson is a master at creating
such a song! “Run” makes me thing of Jay and Melanie’s physical attraction to
each other, but because Jay is so closed off to relationships, he resists at
first because he feels it is wrong. “Turning me on like a slow fire burn, I
know that it’s wrong still I run, run, run…run right into you.” Despite the
gorgeous description in this song of the physical effects such an attraction
does to a person, my favorite line is “I’m amazing…when you’re beside me…I am
so much more.” I feel that is a turning point in a relationship…when you know
without a doubt that the person you’re with is what makes your life better.
When Jay is willing to admit that…his entire life changes.
“I’m On Fire”-
Hmm, kind of the first truly emotional scene between Jay and Melanie and this
song just happened to be on the radio in Jay’s garage. It’s a pretty simple
song, describing how physically affected someone can be by another human being.
“Sometimes it’s like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull, and cut a
six-inch valley through the middle of my soul. At night I wake up with the
sheets soaking wet and a freight train running through the middle of my head,
only you…can cool my desire… Oh oh oh I’m on fire...” Physical reactions to
someone can be pretty intense. It can magnify our feelings for someone
instantly. Yay for the lovers that can get our hearts racing and blood pumping!
“Spin”-
Another staple band of mine, Lifehouse has some of the most amazing songs. This
song is an earlier one, but one of my favorites. “When the world keeps spinning
‘round, my world’s upside down, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve got nothing
else to lose, I lost it all when I found you, and I wouldn’t change a thing.
No, you and I wouldn’t change a thing.”
I like the thought of having stability when everything around us can be
the complete opposite. I see love like that. Life can change in an instant,
things can overwhelm or confuse us, and sometimes circumstances around us can
turn pretty ugly. But then there is that one person that completely turns your
world upside down, and even though it may be one more thing that is so
unexpected, for once it just feels right to say, “I’m okay with that.” So go
ahead and let the world spin around you… You really don’t have any control over
it. Trust me, I know this with all my heart. But embrace the things that make
you happy and focus on those while the mess around you takes care of itself.
“When the World Breaks Your Heart”- We all have moments in our
lives that were obvious turning points. Some of those memories are good ones
and some are bad, but even though those footprints behind us sometimes get
washed away one way or another, the evidence of existence just imprints on our
hearts instead. We’ve all been broken in some way. We are all scarred and
imperfect. There are just some things about us that might not be understood by
others. But… there is also that one person that thinks you are perfectly
imperfect and needs you just the way you are. When the world breaks your heart,
they want to be there to make it better. They want to love you because of where you’ve come from and
everything you are.
“Better Than
Me”- For me, this song represents regret. Sometimes we have something
amazing in our life and we screw it up somehow. There are many factors that
play a part in this, but we’ve all examined our actions in hindsight and end up
questioning ourselves. Maybe we realize a loss was for the best, or maybe we
wish we could go back and change how things played out. Whatever regret we
have, there are conversations we play over and over in our heads, memories that
we can’t seem to shake, or just a face that we can’t stop picturing in our
minds. Jay has a difficult time making sense of his relationship with Melanie.
He doesn’t want it, he wants it, he doesn’t want it… And it all boils down to
the fact that he feels unfit to be that kind of guy for someone. I feel like
this song suits the emotions he went through during this time, even the physical
suffering of loss.
“Sorry”-
This song is not just about an apology in this case. It runs deeper, more along
the lines of begging for forgiveness. Does it actually say that? No. Sometimes
we can’t say things perfectly the way we should, but we do express feelings to
the best of our abilities. Jay comes across as selfish and arrogant at the
beginning of this story, and sometimes he’s just an ass. He does have a heart,
but he just chooses to keep it locked away. But when he chooses to hand it
over, it speaks in volumes in unconventional ways. Melanie understands him and
sees past the abrasive qualities to the ones that are heavily guarded deep in
his heart. She realizes that actions speak louder than words, and when Jay
decides to break down some of the barrier for her…an apology goes a very, very
long way.
“Anywhere But
Here”- SafetySuit is one of my favorite bands. Their songs are so raw from
the heart, which creates an intensity that I can feel through every bit of my
soul. I love this song because of its heartfelt nature. When you love someone,
it’s hard to be away from them. It hurts to a point that you’d be anywhere except where you are at that
moment without them. Jay realizes this when Melanie leaves town. It was the one
thing that pretty much opened his eyes to the fact that he needed to be with
her. He has to ask himself if it’s “a love that will never be, or maybe be.” He
decides it’s time to swallow his pride and allow himself to admit how he really
feels, not only to himself, but out loud to her.
This is a first for him, and he does it completely in Jay McCallan fashion…
*
*
*
The Fighter's Block soundtrack
"“Only You’re the One” – Lifehouse
“300 Violin Orchestra” – Jorge Quintero
“No Matter What” – Papa Roach
“God’s Gonna Cut You Down” – Johnny Cash
“Gimme Shelter” – Rolling Stones
“Hurricane” – Bob Dylan
“All I Do Is Win” – DJ Khaled
“Lunatic Fringe” – Red Rider
No comments:
Post a Comment