Christina here. Authors sometimes have to write really emotional scenes, especially us romance writers, and we are often told to draw on our own experiences. It’s not always easy, though, and we might not be in the right mood. That’s when I turn to music for help.
I’ve been told I have weird taste in music, although I would prefer to call it ‘eclectic’. I like loud rock music, but also many other things – catchy pop songs, 1950s rock’n’roll, early 1920’s dixie jazz and famous opera arias among them. Some of my absolute favourites though are so-called power ballads. What is a power ballad? The Wikipedia definition is “a slow, emotional, and often loud rock song, typically featuring strong vocals … that explores themes of love and heartbreak … known for their dramatic build-ups and climaxes, aiming to evoke strong emotional responses from listeners.” And they do. They give you goosebumps, they’re songs you empathise with, music that expresses exactly what you’re feeling. Perfect for writing emotional scenes!
Here’s a little selection for those of you who don’t mind this kind of music:-
Longing – When writing romance, the characters are usually single to begin with and for some it can feel like everyone else has a partner except them. Nickelback’s Gotta Be Somebody expresses the despair of thinking there has to be someone for them too out there, but wondering where they are. Like the lyrics say, “Nobody wants to be the last one there”. Nobody wants to be alone – most of us want that special someone to share our life with. Queen’s Somebody to Love gives voice to the same longing.
Sometimes the character has a crush on someone and is feeling melancholy because they can’t find an opportunity to confess. Heart’s Alone shows this deep, almost painful, longing to tell the other person how much you love them.
Insecurity and Doubt – Love makes people feel insecure and if you don’t know whether your feelings are reciprocated or real, doubt creeps in. When you’re unsure about everything, and perhaps you’ve been burned before, you don’t know if you can face taking another chance, but you desperately want to. Foreigner’s I Want to Know What Love Is expresses this longing.
Confession – Expressing your love can be difficult, especially if you don’t think the other person feels the same. Romance novels often have characters who wrestle with that dilemma. Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do I Do It for You catches the essence of that feeling. When you really want to fight for that one special person, you’d do anything for them. All you have to do is tell them.
REO Speedwagon’s Can’t Fight This Feeling also wrestles with the struggle to admit one’s feelings. Perhaps friendship has turned into love but the person is scared to admit it, scared to give in to the feelings, but feels like they can’t hold on much longer if they don’t.
Some people might feel it’s preferable not to risk it and easier to be alone. Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams is an introspective song with the message that the only person you can trust is yourself. It perfectly illustrates having only yourself to rely on. I love the lyrics: “My shadow is the only one that walks beside me”. It speaks of broken dreams and extreme loneliness.
Aerosmith’s Dream On is another thought-provoking song with the message: live for today, you never know what tomorrow will bring. Also “dream until your dream comes true” – don’t give up. It’s advice the hero/heroine might be in dire need of.
Powerful Love – When the hero/heroine are falling in love, their chemistry is like electricity humming between them. Wet Wet Wet’s Love is All Around conveys how the other person can depend on their love, they can be trusted. “You gave your promise to me and I gave mine to you”.
Céline Dion’s The Power of Love is a woman expressing her love, saying she sometimes might have doubts but she’ll do all she can to stay with her man because she belongs only to him. She’s never had such intense feelings before and it’s frightening, but she’s ready to embrace them. I would use this music to inspire me once the hero and heroine have finally got together and they don’t want to ever let go of each other. (Jennifer Rush also did a brilliant version of this song).
Love isn’t always easy but according to Metallica Nothing Else Matters. I imagine the hero and heroine newly in love, fearful but hopeful. They’ve had many obstacles to overcome. And as the song says, they have never opened themselves this way before, but they need to trust in who they are and not care about what other people think.
Sometimes it’s almost too much. Nazareth’s Love Hurts shows the extreme pain love can cause. It burns you, it wounds you, and can result in immense heartache. “Love is like a flame that burns you when it’s hot”, and “love is just a lie made to make you blue” are just some of the lyrics. This might be exactly how my hero/heroine is feeling.
Of course, they might have fallen in love with the wrong person. When your partner is toxic but your love for them is like a drug, you’re caught and can’t escape as demonstrated by Alice Cooper’s Poison. You know he/she is heartless, but you’re hooked. I might listen to this if there is some misunderstanding and for example the heroine has heard that the hero is cruel and/or dangerous, but she is still incredibly attracted to him. Later it might transpire that the rumours about him were all wrong.
The hero/heroine can be in love but are aware their partner has been cheating or has not been entirely truthful, but prefer to bury their head in the sand. Fleetwood Mac’s Little Lies illustrates how they’d rather believe the lies even though they know they’d be better off apart. Breaking up would be very painful, but is it less painful to live with uncertainty?
Conflict/Disagreement – Things might escalate into full-blown conflict. Def Leppard’s When Love and Hate Collide is about a couple who have been fighting. Neither wants to give in, they are both stubborn, but there is a futility to it all when they could instead be happy and in love. They admit that they are crazy about each other, so will they admit that they are both at fault?
Green Day’s 21 Guns is another very poignant song which I associate with the futility of fighting and war. You need to know what is worth fighting for and what to walk away from. Should you give in to your feelings and allow yourself to lose control? It’s risky and potentially painful – “your faith walks on broken glass” – but you need to give up your pride, apologise and make up then all will be well.
Aftermath – After a break-up, it could be that the former partner is giving the hero/heroine the silent treatment. Cinderella’s Nobody’s Fool maintains that they are not going to fall for such tactics. They get the message but they are not foolish enough to react because the break-up wasn’t their fault.
Regret – Then they regret everything. Cher’s If I Could Turn Back Time is a heartfelt wish to rewind time. We all say and do things sometimes that we regret immensely and this song really captures the angst of knowing you’ve gone too far. The hurt you’ve inflicted – whether intentionally or not – by wounding someone else with your words. You’d give anything to be able to turn back time and have it unsaid or undone.
And in order NOT to get to that point and feel regret Roxette’s Listen To Your Heart urges the listener to think carefully before doing something you can’t undo. To not turn your back on something good because you might regret it forever. The advice is don’t give up, don’t walk away, but give love a chance.
Loss – There will be times of immense sadness for the characters. Céline Dion’s My Heart Will Go On is forever associated with the film Titanic, but it clearly expresses the terrible grief of loss. As an author you do have to cover that sometimes, but it can be a false alarm too – the character might THINK they’ve lost someone, then when that turns out to be wrong the euphoria and relief is incredible.
Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart also shows a person feeling very lonely. He/she is falling apart, missing someone who’s not there. “Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time” says Bonnie, and if she is reunited with her lover “forever’s gonna start tonight”. This song could be used to describe someone who is waiting (maybe in vain?) for their love to return.
After a Break-up – Boston’s More Than a Feeling is about nostalgia with an undertone of regret. It can be used when writing a scene where the hero/heroine might be sitting somewhere thinking back to what was and perhaps regretting walking away from a relationship.
And Roxette’s It Must Have Been Love captures the sorrow after a couple has gone their separate ways and they realise they have lost something precious, something that was good. With hindsight they know they didn’t appreciate it while they had it. But is it too late to do something about it?
Also Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – a ballad from the movie Armageddon – is perfect for when the hero or heroine have had to say goodbye to someone forever. They’re suffering from grief, missing that person unbearably. It could also illustrate a very tender moment with the hero/heroine looking at the other and wanting to stay like that forever. “Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure”.
Happy Ever After – Finally, when a couple has been together for many years but are still deeply in love I would listen to Bryan Adams’ Please Forgive Me. This song really expresses that he/she is the only one they’ll ever love and when they’re together it still feels like the first time; their feelings are just as strong.
And as the Backstreet Boys’ Drowning says, when the hero and heroine are so in love, forever doesn’t seem long enough. They are completely swept away by love.
Do you have a favourite? Which song best conveys emotion for you?
Music does bring out strong emotions. Many that you mention are favorites of mine also – Nazareth, Bryan Adams, Foreigner, and REO Speedwagon. When I feel like I need a good cry, almost anything by Roy Orbison will do it. And when I want to be happy inside I turn to ABBA. Even their sad songs make me feel good.
Interesting post Christina.
Oh yes, how could I have forgotten Roy Orbison and ABBA? Thank you for reminding me Mary! And glad you enjoyed the post.
My favorite (definitely always the 1st one that comes to mind) is Pave Maijanen: Lähtisitkö / Would you
In Finnish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAKIWMqKBrw&list=RDpAKIWMqKBrw&start_radio=1
In English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G7U73Hrpuw&list=RD5G7U73Hrpuw&start_radio=1
That’s a great song, Minna, thank you! (And many thanks to Anne for rescuing this comment from the ‘pending’ pile – no idea why it ended up there).
It’s because of those youtube links.
Oh, and there are at least 2 other The Power of Love songs that I can think of: one is by Frankie Goes To Hollywood and the other is by Huey Lewis and the News.
I guess we can never have too many versions of that wonderful song, Minna! Thank you for letting me know – I’ll look them up. Love it!
It looks like my other comment needs moderations!
I’ve approved it Minna. Should come through shortly. 🙂
Nope, those are two totally different songs with the same title. The original version of Céline Dion’s “The Power of Love” was recorded and co-written by Jennifer Rush.
Ah right, sorry! I answered before checking them out.
What a thought provoking post, Christina. I have a dozen tabs open so that I can listen to your song selections. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it Kareni! Hope you like the songs.
Great post, Christina, and with a lot of my faves there, as well as a few I don’t know. Bonnie Raitt recorded a number of emotional songs. For instance “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (if you don’t). And Angel From Montgomery is a heartbreaker, too. Not so much for jumping into a lovely warm emotional scene though, more about disillusion.
Thank you Anne, will add those to my list – always good to have new songs to listen to!
Angel From Montgomery is a wonderful song, written by John Prine. I’m also a big fan of Bonnie Raitt, and was lucky enough to see her perform live. She’s an amazing guitarist.
Thank you Karin, another one for the list!
I agree, Karin. She came to Australia many years ago and I saw her perform too. Wonderful — and a very generous performer. When her “set pieces” were done, the support musicians left the stage, and she played on, just her, sitting on a high stool with her guitar. Brilliant!
Enjoyed this post so much! Roy Orbison’s Crying and Meat Loaf’s I’d Do Anything For Love should make the list.
Yes, definitely Pat! I was going to include Meat Loaf but then realised I don’t know what it is he WON’T do – any idea?
Another love seeker song is Michael Bublé’s “I Just Haven’t Met You Yet.” It is an upbeat tune, but poignant, nevertheless. The official video version is charming, and Michael’s actual wife and he breeze by each other at the end of the song, and he gives her a backward glance.
How lovely Patricia! I will go and listen to that now. Upbeat is fine as long as there is strong emotion in it then it’s perfect!
What an interesring post, Christina. I have never been a fan of loud rock(i do like the Beatles and ABBA and a few others though). What really tugs at my heart strings are the old pop songs by Tony Bennet, Nat King Cole, johnny Mathis, etc. some my all time favorites are “”stardust” sung by Nat king Cole “and “that Sunday that Summer” nothing makes me sigh more. “A time for love”, “smile”, “my foolish Heart”. and others sung by Tony Bennet. Also “smoke gets in your eyes” and “long ago and far away” i could name dozens of others, but I will stop there. I know these are oldies…but definitely goodies and they still have the power to evoke strong emotion(at least in me 😊)
You’re right Jane, I shouldn’t have excluded older songs – there are some very poignant ones! Thank you for the suggestions!
What about Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive? At first it’s all “I could never live without you by my side,” and then you realize you are more than fine without! I recently heard this special -Canadian- version of this song.
And to continue the theme: Cry Me A River, this version by Susan Boyle:
https : //www .youtube. com /watch?v=XAjMEmG3m7Y&list=RDXAjMEmG3m7Y&start_radio=1
Cry me a River – definitely! However, I have to admit I’ve never liked the Gloria Gaynor song even though it absolutely fits in here. Just my preference and I’ve no idea why! Thank you for adding to my list though!
The Canadian version is called “We Will Survive.” It’s harsh…
To quote the Bard “If music be the food of love, play on”!
Afraid I’m not a fan of rock, jazz or other ‘popular’ music …. do you listen with headphones to protect other members of the household? but I do like operatic arias ( I have nearly all of Kiri Te Kanawa’s recordings). I also particularly like early religious music and when in need of rest or feeling emotional I might play some Palestrina for example. Curiously I find that this music seems to match any of my moods from sadness to joy. In a way it’s like impressionist paintings (Monet in particular) which , for me, also seem to resonate with different shades of emotion.
I really like your novels Christina, so if the rock music helps then play on!
Thank you Quantum! As I said, my music choices are eclectic and I too love operatic arias. I love the famous ones performed by Pavarotti and some of the more tragic ones in various operas. And the Triumphal March from Aida is amazing! (And I was lucky enough to hear it sung live once). I don’t usually need to listen to rock music with headphones on because the rest of my family like it too – lucky for me! I hadn’t thought of looking at paintings for inspiration but that’s a good idea!
I also like Palestrina. I love the Heinrich Shutz’s choral music especially sung by the Robert Shaw Choral. It’s like listening to a heavenly choir. I enjoy Kiri Te Kanawa’s singing . She also does wonderful renditions of jerome Kern, George Gershwin and others of that era. Shakespeare had it right!
He definitely did! And thank you for the suggestions – the more the better!
Quantum, re “early religious music ” if I write with music playing, it has to be something without words, otherwise I get distracted and sing along. So my music of choice to write to is Pergolesi, with Emma Kirkby and James Bowen, from the Academy of Ancient Music.
Oh, and just now I’m listening to Chapel Hart – “You Can Have Him Jolene” , a sort of continuation to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” To me, “Jolene” has always sounded so whiny -why are you begging this other woman to let you keep your (very likely) cheating guy?
Minna, I agree about Jolene. Love Dolly Parton, but have never been a fan of that song.
I do like “You Can Have Him Jolene,” though.
That’s a good point – if the guy doesn’t want you, why would you beg another woman to give him back? It would mean the heroine doesn’t have enough backbone or feeling of self-worth – definitely can’t have that!
Or if he is just a cheater and wants to have his cake and eat it, too.
A great post Christina and all the songs you’ve mentioned are ones I’ve loved for years. I listen to a wide variety of music too but have to confess the 70’s was the decade I loved best, probably because it was one of the happiest times of my life. If I could add my tuppence worth it would be You’ll Never Walk Alone by Gerry and The Pacemakers. I’m a huge Liverpool fan and it’s their anthem. But also the words are so inspiring. It sends shivers down my spine listening to it ( especially when Liverpool won the title last year).
Oh yes Teresa, that’s a great song! Thank you for reminding me!
All great songs!
I often have background music on when I read,it seems to enhance my pleasure.Heavy rock music distracts me ,though.
Two songs get me every time-both sad.
“Gone But Not Forgotten” by the Darkside Owls.(It’s evocative ,bringing to mind the isolation of the Hebrides islands)
And “The Dimming of the Day” written by Richard Thompson always makes me tear up. .Several artists have done it, but the Mary Black version captures the heartbreaking longing for love.
This was a fun post. So many songs that I have enjoyed in my passt!
Thank you Kathy – the list is getting longer and better!
I love your list. Many of my favorites are in it. I am so happy that you chose two from Roxette. Per Gessle is a genius songwriter and very underrated. I have several of their cds. Marie Fredriksson had a wonderful voice, unfortunately she passed away in 2019.
Aerosmith also great choice. Stephen Tyler wrote the words to Dream On as a poem when he was only 17. Amazing talents.
Thank you Jan! I love Roxette and not just because they’re Swedish. You’re right he is a great songwriter! It was very sad about Marie but I’ve heard that Per G is currently working with another fab singer called Lena so hopefully there will be more Roxette songs in the future.
I will be looking (hopefully) for more Roxette. Thanks for the info.
Puccini has a poignant intermezzo before Act III of Manon Lescaut. It’s enormously sad as it reflects the tragedy of the lovers at the end of the opera.
Yes there are some very moving arias and other pieces in operas – I haven’t listened to that type of music for a while but will definitely do so!