Soundtracks

Some songs remind me of characters, some of plots. Some are the melodies I had on repeat while writing. Every book has a soundtrack...

Soundtrack for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

• “Hung Up” by Madonna

  This song might as well have been written for the book. Plus, I have listened to Confessions on the Dance Floor about three thousand times since my best friend and I hopped a plane and went to see Madonna when she played in LA. (We felt so decadent!)

• “Last Year’s Troubles” by Suzanne Vega

  “Here we have heroes of times that have passed now
  But nobody these days has that kind of chin
  Over there the petticoats of ladies of virtue
  You can hardly tell them from the petticoats of sin.”

  The lyrics to this song almost define historical romance. Or rather, they delve into the question of why we love it so much, why we can accept behavior and rules that today would make us balk. Check out the full lyrics–seriously!

• “Soul Meets Body” by Death Cab for Cutie

  One of my favorite songs to listen to while writing this book. Plus I love that they celebrate brown eyes.

• “Everyday I Write the Book” by Elvis Costello & the Attractions

  It’s what I keep telling myself. Now if I could only stick to my schedule…

Soundtrack for What Happens in London

• “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay

  I just love this song, and (according to iTunes) I listened to it 32 times while I was revising What Happens in London. Plus, it’s about Napoleon (or so I’m told), so it’s historically appropriate.

• “Nonagon” by They Might be Giants

  Harry would so totally know what a nonagon was. And he’d be able to identify it without having to count the sides.

• “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors

  Irresistibly catchy, and the lyrics do seem to fit the story.

• “Single Ladies” by Beyonce

  Because I LOVE the song. (And I wanna learn the dance…)

Soundtrack for Ten Things I Love About You

• “Say Hey (I Love You)” by Michael Franti & Spearhead (featuring Cherine Anderson)

  “I don’t want to write a love song for the world.
  I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl.”

  Everything about this song makes me think of Sebastian—the melody, the beat, the sheer fun of it. If he were going to write a pop song, this would be it.

• “Sunrise” by Norah Jones

  The light really is different in the morning. I never meant for this to become a theme in the book, but I love the way it turned out.

• “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” by Joe Jackson

  I have loved this song since I was a little kid, and I can totally hear Sebastian muttering the lyrics when he finds out his uncle wants to marry Annabel.

• “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira

  No, I’m not kidding. Read the book.

Soundtrack for The Lady Most Likely…

• “Her Morning Elegance” Oren Lavie

  I absolutely adore this song and listened to it hundreds of times while I was writing my section of The Lady Most Likely…. I listened to it quite a bit while writing What Happens in London, too, but the woman in the (amazing!) music video looks just like I imagine Gwendolyn, and since I almost never have a clear picture of my characters in my head, I thought I’d better save the song for The Lady Most Likely….

• “Starry Eyed Surprise” Paul Oakenfold

  I love how falling in love takes Alec and Gwendolyn completely by surprise.

• “You and the Mona Lisa” Shawn Colvin

  This isn’t my favorite song on Colvin’s wonderful album A Few Small Repairs, but Gwendolyn is always getting compared to pieces of art, and something about the melody seemed to fit her personality, too. (P.S. If you’re interested, my favorite song on the album is “New Thing Now.”).

• “Mysterious Ways” by U2

  Poor Alec seems constantly befuddled by the females in his life, whether it’s Gwendolyn or his sister. I think this song could be his anthem.

Soundtrack for The Lady Most Willing

• “Take Me Out” Franz Ferdinand

  First of all, Franz Ferdinand is a Scottish band. Secondly, they keep singing, “I know I won’t be leaving here,” which does seem appropriate for a snowed-in castle. (Yes, I know that they’re actually singing, “I know I won’t be leaving here with you,” but hey, it’s not like my hero and heroine thought they were going to fall in love when the story opened.)

• “Call Me Maybe” Carly Rae Jespen

  There was no escaping this song when it came out, which happened to coincide with the writing of The Lady Most Willing. Plus, the video is terrific (it features romance novels and has an awesome twist at the end), plus the Harvard baseball team did a great YouTube cover and I have to give props to my alma mater, plus come on: “Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy?” Pretty much sums up John and Catriona.

• “This Must Be the Place” Talking Heads

  Talking Heads aren’t really known for love songs, but “This Must Be the Place” is one of the sweetest, loveliest love songs around. According to David Byrne, it’s a collection of “non sequiturs, phrases that may have a strong emotional resonance but don’t have any narrative qualities.” Whatever the case, this is a song that never fails to make me smile, and the whole song, but especially the line “Home, it’s where I want to be, but I guess I’m already there” makes me think of John and Catriona.

Soundtrack for The Lost Duke of Wyndham

• “Industrial Disease” by Dire Straits

  This song came out when I was in high school, and I always loved the irony in the line: “Two men say they’re Jesus. One of them must be wrong.” From there it was only a quick hop to: “Two men say they’re the Duke of Something. One of them must be wrong.” The book proposal was actually called, “The Two Dukes of Something.” Eventually we came up with Wyndham as a good name.

• “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry

  I loved this song when it came out. It’s so catchy and fun without being bubble-gum. And it really seems to fit the scene at the inn with Jack and Grace.

• “Your Hands are Cold” by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, from the Pride and Prejudice (2005) Soundtrack

  I listened to the soundtrack to Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley/Matthew MacFadyen version) endlessly while writing The Lost Duke of Wyndham and Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. I’m not sure why I picked this song for the soundtrack, except that I had to pick something, and this scene in the movie (Dawn. Darcy walks out of the mist) is soooo romantic.

• “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush

  I go through Kate Bush phases. I’ll go years without listening to her music, and then all of a sudden I can’t turn it off. I started in on The Hounds of Love album again while I was writing this book, and I was stunned by how much the lyrics of the song fit Jack, especially the big scene at the end of the book.
  Note from JQ in 2023: PROOF that I loved Kate Bush before Stranger Things!

Soundtrack for Mr. Cavendish, I Presume

• “The Waiting is the Hardest Part” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

  The perfect song for this book. Everyone is waiting to see who is the real Duke of Wyndham, but we all know that Thomas is the one who has it the worst…

• “Steady as She Goes” by the Raconteurs

  Could this song be any cooler? I love how the lyrics make me think of Thomas before he falls in love, when Amelia is still his convenient (and ignored) fiancée.

• “I Feel it All” by Feist

  I do a lot of my writing at Starbucks, and Feist’s album The Reminder came into rotation on their playlist while I was writing The Lost Duke of Wyndham and Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. This song in particular caught my interest, and I eventually downloaded the whole album. I really like how “I Feel it All” seems to capture the emotions of Thomas and Amelia.

Soundtrack for Scottish Brides

• “Penny Lane” by the Beatles

  In honor of our fair heroine, Margaret Pennypacker.

• “500 Miles” by The Proclaimers

  A Scottish band that sings with a serious Scottish accent? How can I resist? Plus, can’t you just hear Angus singing this to Margaret? (I tend to think he’d be a bit off-key.)

• “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” by Pink

  Because Margaret is really not having a good day. (Until she meets Angus.)

• “Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)” by Squeeze

  Sometimes it’s not the lyrics that prompt me to put a song on a soundtrack. I’ve never known what this song is about (despite the fact that it’s been a favorite since high school) but the music just sounds like this story. I can’t really explain it, but it definitely belongs here.

Soundtrack for To Catch an Heiress

• “Nightswimming” by R.E.M.

  I know Michael Stipe says he doesn’t write love songs, but R.E.M. certainly writes love melodies. “Nightswimming” is beautiful and romantic, and so much of this book takes place at night on the beach.

• “Caroline” by David Gray

  Self-explanatory. A great song!

• “Games Without Frontiers” by Peter Gabriel (with Kate Bush)

  I’ve always loved this song. It’s so sly and slinky, and it is perfect for my only espionage book.
  Note from JQ in 2023: I have since written another espionage book: The Other Miss Bridgerton. And actually maybe What Happens in London qualifies, too.

• “I Got Six”” from Schoolhouse Rock

  I am a huge Schoolhouse Rock fan, and it seems appropriate to celebrate my sixth book with this jazzy number.

Soundtrack for How to Marry a Marquis

• “Rich Girl” by Gwen Stefani & Eve

  Of course, if Elizabeth had been a rich girl, it would have been an entirely different book.

• “Cruel to Be Kind” by Nick Lowe

  Surely Lady Danbury’s personal credo.

• “Steal My Kisses” by Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

  Fun and mischievous. This one just feels like the book.

• “Good Things” by BoDeans

  This song came out in the early 90s, but I only discovered it around the time I was writing this book.