Let the Music do the Talking

"Music is a World within Itself,

with a Language we All Understand"

                                                                                         ~ Stevie Wonder

You know the feeling you get when you are so consumed by a book that you're still thinking about it even when you aren't reading it? And you hear a song that suddenly whisks you away into the world you left behind in those pages, and it's almost like the song tells you the story of the characters or makes you envision a memorable scene from the book? Or sometimes, even when you are in the midst of the book—a line, a scene, anything—you immediately think of the perfect song that seems to fit the particular moment just right?

This is what happens to most of us Wenches, and it gives our favorite books that extra dash of... spice? zing? flair? No other series has done this to us more than the Fever series. 


Music plays a big role in Karen Marie Moning's life when writing her books. She often gets inspired by songs from various singers/bands when writing a character or a scene in her series, and her books inspired the artist Neil Dover to write music for them. Here's a little tidbit from our Wench Kathi, where she mentions Neil Dover in her post Sing to me, oh Muse, and through me tell the story: 

"Karen Marie Moning's husband at the time, Neil Dover, wrote music for the Fever books that helped her understand some of her own characters better."  

The lyrics from BloodRush, the official soundtrack for the Fever Series, and Shadowsong, the official soundtrack for Shadowfever, are written by Neil Dover. Here's a note from KMM,  from her site, about the Fever series and Bloodrush. 

"When Mac showed up on my doorstep, carrying a pink iPod, loaded with happy, mindless one-hit wonders, perfect for tanning by the pool or hanging out with her friends at the lake, I scanned her playlists and cringed. Where was Nine Inch Nails, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Nickelback? She had no music essentials, no pain, no depth. And I had no desire to write about her. 

"Four books-about-Mac later (my muse is nothing if not persistent) I find MacKayla Lane fascinating. Watching an untested, unformed young woman evolve into a force of nature is far more compelling to me than watching a perfectly competent person kick perfectly competent ass. Along the way, both our musical tastes have changed. Mac's gone dark and I've learned to appreciate the light gaiety of songs like What a Wonderful World, The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Tubthumping. 

"While I was busy writing about the Fever world, Neil was busy writing music for it. I had no idea how perfectly he was channeling Mac, until one night he sat down and played the songs he'd composed. He'd captured Mac's emotions during critical moments, from the pain and shame of Jericho Rain, to the anguish of I Am Not Afraid, the grief and emotional maturity of Rainbow, to the power and triumph of Taking Back the Night. But it wasn't only from Mac's point of view: BloodRush is a scene straight out of Chester's underground club from an Unseelie viewpoint, and Woman Child, well! I'll leave that one to you to decipher."

All the songs from these soundtracks really do capture the essence of the particular moments, feelings and characters from the series just perfectly, both the music and the lyrics, and make the story come to life before you. 

For us Wenches, there are also other songs out there, and especially lyrics, that were written long before, during or after KMM wrote her story about Mac, that have nothing to do with Mac's story but still manage to pull us right into the story and make us instantly connect them to a certain part of the books even months after having read them. Many of us have even created a personal Fever playlist that takes us back to Dublin in a flash whenever we listen to it. We wanted to share the love of our Fever music with you. Who knows, maybe you already feel the same way about some of the songs, and if not you might just discover another song to add to your Fever playlist, if you have one. 

Grab a drink and some snacks, put your feet up and get comfortable, and read on to check out the songs that make us think Fever-ish thoughts... 

And let the music begin

When most of us Wenches are reading or thinking about Fever, which is quite often, and we hear a song, we somehow manage to connect it to Mac and Barrons and their dynamic relationship, even if it's only a little tiny part of the lyrics, even as small as just one sentence. It's crazy, I know, but that's just how deeply we have caught the Fever. Some of you might think, "How in the world can just one sentence, in a random song, make you think of Fever?" but believe me, it's possible. You want proof? You got it! 

• This is a song called Iris, performed by the Goo Goo Dolls, and the line that makes us instantly think of Mac & Barrons, and Barrons' almost desperation for Mac to recognize who/what he truly is, without any definitions, is:

"I just want you to know who I am"  

And isn't that what Barrons really wants? Remember this swoon-worthy moment?

"Who am I?"
"Jericho."
"Who are you?" He kicks off his boots, steps out of his pants. He’s commando tonight. 
My breath whooshes out of me in a run-on word: "Whogivesafuck?"
"Finally" The word is soft. The man is not. 

• But it isn't just Mac & Barrons and their relationship we think about when we hear a song (although you'll be seeing a lot of those in here). We often think about a certain scene when we listen to specific lyrics or songs. Here's an example, from a song called Insatiable, performed by Darren Hayes. Whenever we listen to it, it takes us to the basement, to Barrons and Mac when she's Pri-ya. There is so much that could be said about that scene, about how far Barrons goes to bring Mac back from being Pri-ya. It is way out of his comfort zone, and it shows us just how authentic his feelings are for her—it's all there in his actions and even his words. When reading through the eyes of Pri-ya Mac, you can see how she really feels about him, without any judgement, just the inner Mac and what Barrons, her beast, is to her. This song describes them perfectly.

The moonlight plays upon your skin
A kiss that lingers takes me in
I fall asleep inside of you
There are no words
There's only truth
Breathe in Breathe out
There is no sound
We move together up and down
We levitate our bodies soar
Our feet don't even touch the floor
And nobody knows you like I do
The world doesn't understand 

But I grow stronger in your hands

• Closer by Nine Inch Nails definitely makes us think Pri-ya. It can't have been easy for Barrons to bring Mac back from that state. Not only must he be furious about what happened to Mac, but also about having to see her like this, being forced to sex her back, thinking that Mac would probably hate him for it. He has been wanting to fuck her for a long time, but NOT under these circumstances, not like this. But Barrons doesn't let it get to him, he just deals with this like he deals with everything else in his life. He even manages to see the purity in it as well. And it shows us just how well he knows Mac, what he sees in her, who she is. He just has to wait for quite some time until she realizes who she really is and embraces it. This man amazes me. 

You let me violate you, 
you let me desecrate you 
You let me penetrate you, 
you let me complicate you 
Help me I broke apart my insides, 
help me I’ve got no soul to sell 
Help me the only thing that works for me, 
help me get away from myself 

I want to fuck you like an animal 
I want to feel you from the inside 
I want to fuck you like an animal

 

• And speaking of the basement scene (yes... we speak of the basement scene a lot), here's another scene you'll definitely remember. And I have to quote it, it's just that good: 

He stopped at the door and glanced back at me. "How much longer will you dissemble?" 
"Who uses words like dissemble?" 
He leaned back against the door and folded his arms. "I won't wait much longer. You're on your last chance with me." 
"I don't know what you're talking about." What was he saying? Would Barrons walk away from me? Me? He never walked away from me. He was the one who would always keep me alive. And always want me. I'd come to count on those things like I counted on air and food. 
"During a blackout, people do what they've wanted to do all along but have repressed, afraid of the consequences. Worried what others might think of them. Afraid of what they'll see in themselves. Or simply unwilling to get punished by the society that governs them. You don't care what other people think anymore. Nobody's going to punish you. Which raises the question: Why are you still afraid of me? What haven’t you wrapped your head around yet?" 
I stared at him. 
"I want the woman I think you are. But the longer you dissemble, the more I think I made a mistake. Saw things in you that weren't there." 
I fisted my hands and bit down a protest. He made me feel so conflicted. I wanted to shout, You didn’t make a mistake. I am her! I wanted to cut my losses and run before the devil owned more of my soul. "There was purity in that basement. That's the way I live. There was a time I thought you did, too." 
I did, I wanted to say. I do. 
"Some things are sacred. Until you act like they're not. Then you lose them." 
The door swung silently shut. 

This scene popped up in my head when I heard a song called All You Ever, performed by Hunter Hayes, and I felt like it was written for Mac and her inner debate over what Barrons confronted her with:

You gave me chances and I let you down 
You waited for words that I couldn't get out 
I have no excuses for the way that I am 
I was clueless then, I couldn't understand 
All that you wanted 
All that you needed 
Was a side of me I never let you see

And I wish I could love you 
And make you believe it 
Because that all you ever wanted 
It's all you ever wanted, 
From me, from me

Could I be selfish, or lost in my pride 
Afraid to be forward or just too scared to try 
And now I'm without you, 
And it took distance to see 
That losing you, means losing everything

• Animals by Neon Trees is another perfect song that takes us right back to Fever. Doesn't this have Mac's name written all over it!? It's hard to imagine the bumpy road our innocent Pink Mac travels to become Black Mac. It starts out with her trying to find her sister's murderer, then escalates to her fighting to save the world. And even though she often wants to hide and run, she never does. She's that strong right from the beginning. And just like Barrons, I think she's epic. And in this scary world she is in, Barrons is the only one who can help her bring out the Epic Mac. 

Here we are again
I feel the chemicals kickin' in
It's getting heavy
And I wanna run
And hide
I wanna run and hide
I do it every time
You're killin' me now
And I won't be denied by you
The animal inside of you

• Shake It Out by Florence + the Machine is a really good song and, to quote our Wench Veronica, it "Makes me think of Mac as she's struggling to reconcile New Mac with the loss of old Mac, and which parts of Old Mac to hang on to." And one of the great things about Mac is that she doesn't lose her old self. New Mac holds on to all the right things from Old Mac, and everything that she was, and everything that she becomes, make her Awesome Mac.

Regrets collect like old friends 
Here to relive your darkest moments 
I can see no way, I can see no way 
And all of the ghouls come out to play 
And every demon wants his pound of flesh 
But I like to keep some things to myself 
I like to keep my issues drawn 
It's always darkest before the dawn  

• Give Me Novacaine is a song by Green Day and, like our Wench Anne says, there's something about it that reminds us of Christian. Poor Christian, it must have been so hard to go through the change in the Silvers and have to live with it.

Drain the pressure from the swelling,
The sensations overwhelming,
Give me a long kiss goodnight
and everything will be alright
Tell me that I won't feel a thing,
So give me Novacaine

 

• One of the most heart-wrenching scenes from Fever is when Mac realizes she has killed Barrons. Here's a quote from the song called One Thousand Apologies, performed by Demon Hunter, that could easily describe how Mac feels. I hadn't heard this song until our Wench Zee told me about it, and it really is spot on.

So now I reap what I have sewn, 
And any rapture I had shown has bled dry 
And I walked the streets alone, 
Accepting pain I'd never known, 
As you died, you died 
Then I hurt myself to see it too, 
To feel the knife I put in you 
My heart as broken as my ways 
I never should've let it pass, 
This fall was never meant to last 
The reason gone and damage stay

• Here is another song that makes us think about Mac and Barrons. I can hear Mac going through this after she kills Barrons. Heart-wrenching scene I tell ya, and it just breaks my heart every time I read it. KMM is magical with words. The song is called Something I Can Never Have, performed by Nine Inch Nails. 

I just want something
I just want something 
I can never have
You always were the one 
To show me how
Back then 
I couldn't do the things 
That I can do now
This thing 
Is slowly taking me apart
Grey would be the color 
If I had a heart

• Although Kate Perry isn't singing about Barrons, her song E.T. describes him pretty darn accurately. I know some of us don't think about JZB when we hear this song because it's already reserved for other characters, but for those of us who do, this screams Barrons. He truly is hypnotizing, magnetizing, from a whole 'nother world and has a different DNA, and he is the one who opens Mac's eyes. Mac even talks about his touch: "Barrons has strong hands with long, beautiful fingers, and I think he carries some kind of electrical charge because every time he touches me it shoots an unwelcome thrill through my body."

You're so hypnotizing
could you be the devil, could you be an angel
your touch magnetizing
feels like going floating, leave my body glowing

They say be afraid
you're not like the others, futuristic lovers
different DNA, they don't understand you

You're from a whole 'nother world
a different dimension
you open my eyes
and I'm ready to go, lead me into the light

• Barrons is a man of few words, and he constantly insists that Mac judge him by his actions alone. To quote Ryodan, when he's talking to Mac about JZB: 

"Words can be twisted into any shape. Promises can be made to lull the heart and seduce the soul. In the final analysis words mean nothing. They are labels we give things in an effort to wrap our puny little brains around their underlying natures, when ninety-nine percent of the time the totality of the reality is an entirely different beast. The wisest man is the silent one. Examine his actions. Judge him by them." 

Our next song is called Enjoy The Silence, performed by Anberlin (originally performed by Depeche Mode), and it might as well have been written by Barrons. (Be sure to enjoy the video while listening to it... especially that drool worthy bit around 0:57.... )

All I ever wanted 
All I ever needed 
Is here in my arms 
Words are very unnecessary 
They can only do harm 
Vows are spoken 
To be broken 

Feelings are intense 
Words are trivial 
Pleasures remain 
So does the pain 
Words are meaningless 
And forgettable

 

• I'm sorry if some of you are tired of listening to Adele, but when doing a music post about Fever this next song, One and Only, is too good to skip.

I dare you to let me be your one and only
Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms
So come on and give me a chance
To prove I am the one that who can
Walk that mile until the end starts

• Heartbreak Warfare, performed by John Mayer, describes Mac and Barrons perfectly. To quote our head Wench Barb, after hearing it on the radio, she "immediately thought of our two idiots," and I couldn't agree more.

I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight 
Let's just fix this whole thing now 
I swear to God we're gonna get it right 
If you lay your weapon down Red wine and ambient 
You're talking shit again, 
It's heartbreak warfare

• Here's a song some of us really love that's called In My Veins, performed by Andrew Belle. It is just so Mac and Barrons. Especially by the end of Shadowfever. They are deeply embedded in each other's hearts and souls.

Oh, you're in my veins, 
And I cannot get you out. 
Oh, you're all I taste 
At night inside of my mouth. 
Oh, you run away, 
Cause I am not what you found. 
Oh, you're in my veins, 
And I cannot get you out.

• I Melt With You,  by Modern English, is a song from the 80s. It is so perfect for Mac and Barrons, after they finally get together and are staying in his home, beneath BB&B, finally giving into their feelings and enjoying each other. It also makes us think about the time when they are in the basement. Plus we can just hear Barrons' words: "The world can wait. I can't."

(Let's stop the world) I'll stop the world and melt with you
(Let's stop the world) You've seen the difference and it's getting better all
The time
(Let's stop the world) There's nothing you and I won't do
(Let's stop the world) I'll stop the world and melt with you

• I could go on and on, there are so many songs out there that make us think Fever-ish thoughts, but here's the last one. And like I once told you, I'm a selfish Wench, so this is one of my favorite songs. It's called King and Lionheart, performed by the band Of Monsters And Men. When I listen to it, I remember Mac's thoughts about Barrons at the beginning of Shadowfever: 

"Unpredictable like a hungry lion, he might be feared by everyone else, but he never ripped out my throat, only licked me, and, if his tongue was a little rough sometimes, it was worth it to walk beside the king of the jungle." 

*fan self* And what better way to end our Fever-inspired song musings than listening to this beautiful song about the King and the lionheart?

Taking over this town, they should worry. But these problems aside I think I taught you well. That we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run. That we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run.
And in the winter night sky ships are sailing. Looking down on these bright blue city lights. And they won't wait, and they won't wait, and they won't wait. We're here to stay, we're here to stay, we're here to stay.
Howling ghosts they reappear. In mountains that are stacked with fear. But you're a king and I'm a lionheart. A lionheart.

So what did you think, did some of these songs take you back to Dublin? Did you enjoy them, and maybe even wiggle your hips a little bit, too? Or did you perhaps go like this...

Dance baby, dance...

Do you have a song you love and that makes you think about Fever every time you listen to it? If so we'd love to hear about it.