An obvious fact of writing a book is that I was limited to only the words I could put on a page to tell the story. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t include what I consider a fundamental aspect of the story itself: music.
I’ve always been fascinated by how some movies are able to find just the right song for just the right scene: Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life” in Joker, The Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Huey Lewis and the News’ “Hip to Be Square” in American Psycho, and of course, the best of the best, The Crystals’ “Then He Kissed Me” from Goodfellas. All prime examples, at least to me, of the power of music to transmit meaning, add mood, and enhance the overall storytelling experience.
Given that Chasing the Unicorn started in my mind as, and largely remains, a movie, I’ve always had certain music floating around in my head for certain scenes (and yes…I call parts of the book that I wrote “scenes”). Below are the songs that I hear every time I think of certain parts of the story. Some of them were inspired by the scene, while some of them, perhaps more interestingly, inspired the creation of the scene itself.
***Spoilers ahead***
“Largo al factotum” – The Barber of Seville – Gioachino Rossini
As should be patently obvious if you’ve read the story, Chase Summers is not one to conform to the popular trends of the day, and his musical tastes are no exception. Naturally, then, he would undoubtedly be fascinated with classical music, and more specifically, opera.
I think that this is a sprightly song to start the story off with, particularly as Chase readies himself for work in the morning. I envision him conducting the music to himself as it blares through the shower speakers and continuing to do so as he walks through his closet, making his clothing selections from his formidable wardrobe. Its selection gives a sense that Chase is just a bit “different,” but is whimsical enough to keep the mood light.
Also, almost providentially, the word “factotum” means an employee who performs all kinds of work, which, of course, we will see borne out when Chase describes his jack-of-all-trades consulting job at Schwartz-Kenway.
“Best Friend” – Sofi Tukker featuring Nervo, The Knocks and Alisa Ueno
The next track stands in stark relief to opera, which seems appropriate given that this is the song playing in the strip club on the night when Chase and Max, near polar opposites, first meet. I hear the song blaring as Chase sits awkwardly alone amid the salacious spectacle while Max…well, shall we say…partakes in the club’s various “activities.”
An added bonus is the track’s title, which serves to foreshadow Chase and Max’s camaraderie throughout the rest of the story.
“Libiamo Ne’lieti Calici” – La traviata – Giuseppe Verdi
Another feel-good operatic selection, this is the song that Chase listens to in the shower on the morning after his first date with Gloria, and the one to which he erroneously attributes his strangely buoyant mood that day. While the song is undoubtedly a festive, swirling celebration of sound, leave it to the oblivious Chase to confuse a song with the obvious, profound impact that Gloria had on him, even after just a few hours together.
“Stay” – Cyndi Lauper
This is a perfect example of a song that single-handedly inspired an entire chapter. In early drafts of the story, Gloria and Chase’s second date was intended to be a meandering walk through The Metropolitan Museum of Art (one of my all-time favorite NYC things to do). However, after listening Cyndi Lauper’s seductive rendition of this classic, I knew I had to incorporate it somehow…and dancing was the first thing that came to mind.
I’ve always thought that a dance class would make a fantastic date idea (and still do, albeit maybe not a first date…). To me, this song creates a sublime tension between playfulness and sensuality, which is more than appropriate during the dance class scene. Also, the fact that it’s sung by a woman further emphasizes that Gloria is definitely the dominant force during the dancing, leading Chase through what is definitely an unknown situation for him.
“Shine a Little Love” – Electric Light Orchestra
ELO is one of my favorite bands, so I had to incorporate my favorite song of theirs somehow. While not explicitly in the book, I hear this song when I think about the wonderful impact that Gloria had on Chase’s life after things get a bit more serious. A montage of how he enjoys going out, how he enjoys being in someone else’s company, how he actually looks forward to waking up in the morning.
“Nessun Dorma” – Turandot – Giacomo Puccini
This is the last opera song, I promise. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, though, I think it’s hard to deny the spirit-rousing power of this triumphant song.
After waking up with a debilitating hangover from a fun night with Gloria, Chase tries to resuscitate himself by taking a hot shower and listening to this: one of the most popular opera solos of all time sung by one of the greatest voices of all time. The song itself is rather slow, but builds up over time with the tenor crying out the story of a young prince who is certain he will triumph over impending death.
However, just as Chase is about to experience the climactic payoff of one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written, the song is interrupted by…
“You Shook Me All Night Long” – AC/DC
A woman strutting around Chase’s apartment wearing little else but one of his dress shirts and playing air guitar? OK fine…I’m not (that) ashamed to admit that this scene may have its origins in a very pleasant dream that I had once.
From the opening guitar licks to the fantastic solo and all the way through its full runtime, this song just oozes sex appeal. Innuendo after innuendo…it never lets up. And…as Gloria just so happens to be an electric guitar virtuoso (by pure coincidence and most certainly not influenced by the author’s intentions to create such a scene in any way, shape, or form), I can’t think of a better song to match the scene.
Judging by his reaction, I think Chase would agree too.
“Sonnet” – Faces on Film
Fine…I’ll admit it. I wanted “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen for the scenes when Chase’s life starts to unravel. I really, really, really did. It’s an undoubtedly fantastic and eerie song, but I felt that it’s been overused in recent years.
However, after hearing this song, I truly think it’s perfect for the downfall: the tender but meaningful piano notes, the melancholy lyrics, all of it. I see the characters contemplating their circumstances: an angry Max leaving his friend behind in the office, a hurt Gloria packing up the empty studio and her life in NYC, a disappointed Al sitting on a moonlit bench, and the cause of it all, an uncertain Chase, sitting on the floor of his apartment as he comes to the realization that his life has fallen to pieces at his own hand.
“Gloria” – Laura Branigan
Far and away my favorite song of this list, it’s hard for me to overstate its impact on this story. Not only is it the sole reason why the character of Gloria is named as such, but it was upon researching the song further that I learned that the lyrics of the original Italian version by Umberto Tozzi refer to man who dreams about an imaginary woman named Gloria and vows to spend his life looking for her in reality. Coincidence? Maybe…
After hearing the Italian version during the manic yet comedic yacht scene in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, I thought that it would make a fantastic action set-piece song and knew that there was only one scene for it in my story: when Chase finally realizes that Gloria is the most important thing in his life and races Charles’ Porsche down the New Jersey Turnpike as he tries to reach her before her flight leaves.
“Stand On It” – Bruce Springsteen
Just a fun song, pure and simple. With a fast-paced, lively, Southern rockabilly rhythm, the song is about sometimes just having to put the pedal to the metal even when things feel out of control. What better song could there be for when the proud New Orleans-native Homer gives an uncharacteristically frantic Chase a ride on his fanboat through the Meadowlands waterways to Newark Airport?
“Fly Me to the Moon” – Sungha Jung
Growing up, there was seldom a time when one Frank Sinatra song or another wasn’t playing in the house. While I couldn’t stand to hear them during my early years, the older me still hasn’t forgiven myself for not appreciating the timelessness of his music, with “Fly Me to the Moon” being among my personal top five.
Whenever I hear that song, I picture a clear, starry New York City night, which to me made it a no-brainer as the background music playing at the art gala above Rockefeller Center at the end of the story. Eventually, given the Latin American theme of the art show, I thought that an acoustic, instrumental version worked best.
Anthony Altamura 