Top 5 Wednesday: Book Theme Songs

Top 5 Wednesday was created by Lainey from gingerreadslainey and is hosted by Sam from Thoughts on Tomes. You can find the Goodreads group here.

This week's topic is Book Theme Songs, which Sam described as songs that you associate with books for whatever reason (maybe the lyrics or the tone fits the story or you just listened to the song while reading the book). I don't listen to music while I read because I'm unable to concentrate on the words while listening to lyrics, and overall I usually don't associate music with books. But I was up to the challenge this week and I came up with five pairings that I actually really love. Here's my list!

1. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie & Lost Boy by Ruth B

I am a lost boy from Neverland

Usually hanging out with Peter Pan And when we're bored we play in the woods Always on the run from Captain Hook "Run, run, lost boy," they say to me, "Away from all of reality." Neverland is home to lost boys like me And lost boys like me are free He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe Believe in him and believe in me Together we will fly away in a cloud of green To your beautiful destiny

I have recently become obsessed with this song. It is just so pretty and wistful and catchy. It's obviously based on Peter Pan and I love the references to the different characters. I really enjoyed the original story by J.M Barrie, but if you aren't into children's classics the song also reminds of me Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell, which is a young adult Peter Pan retelling.

2. You by Caroline Kepnes & Every Breath You Take by The Police

Every breath you take Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I'll be watching you. Every single day Every word you say Every game you play Every night you stay I'll be watching you. Oh can't you see You belong to me? How my poor heart aches with every step you take.

If Joe Goldberg wrote a song, this would be it. The lyrics of this song are seriously stalkerish, just like Joe from You, and I even find that the tone is melodic and subtly creepy like the book. After meeting Guinevere Beck in a bookstore, Joe begins to stalk her relentlessly - watching her every move and falling into the delusion that the two are meant to be together. I can't believe how perfectly this entire song suits the book; I'm half-convinced the book was actually written first. Then again, stalkers are all pretty similar.

3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien & I See Fire by Ed Sheeran

Oh, misty eye of the mountain below Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke Keep watching over Durin's sons If this is to end in fire Then we should all burn together Watch the flames climb high into the night Calling out father oh Stand by and we will Watch the flames burn auburn on The mountain side

No surprise here - this song was written for The Hobbit film. The lyrics describe the dragon Smaug's destruction after he is awakened from the mountain. Every time I hear the song now I think of the movie and by association, the book. I do prefer the book over the movies though and I would definitely recommend it!

4. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green & Yellow by Coldplay

Your skin, Oh yeah your skin and bones, Turn into Something beautiful, Do you know, For you I'd bleed myself dry, For you I'd bleed myself dry. It's true, Look how they shine for you, Look how they shine for you, Look how they shine for, Look how they shine for you, Look how they shine for you, Look how they shine. Look at the stars, Look how they shine for you, And all the things that you do.

The Fault in Our Stars made me think of stars, and stars made me think of this song. But the lyrics also fit surprisingly well with the book. "Your skin and bones turn into something beautiful" made me think about the relationship between Hazel and Augustus; even though they are both sick with cancer, with their skin/bones/bodies destroying them from the inside out, they look at each other and see something beautiful. "For you I'd bleed myself dry" speaks to the sacrifices that both are willing to make for the other person. The song is also very lovely and melancholic just like the book.

5. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger & The Scientist by Coldplay

Nobody said it was easy It's such a shame for us to part Nobody said it was easy No one ever said it would be this hard Oh, take me back to the start I was just guessing At numbers and figures Pulling the puzzles apart Questions of science Science and progress Do not speak as loud as my heart Tell me you love me Come back and haunt me Oh, and I rush to the start

I won't deny it - this song makes me cry if I think too hard about it, just like the book. In The Time Traveler's Wife, Henry is afflicted with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel, causing a lot of problems in his relationship with Clare. It forces him to be apart from her, disappearing at unexpected times, even when he wants to stay with her. At one point, Henry sees a geneticist to try and fix his traveling, which reminds me of the "puzzles," "questions of science...and progress" in the lyrics. The music video also shows a transgression in time, showing it move backwards, like how Henry and Clare's time continuum is changed. Their love story certainly isn't easy, but it's nostalgic and beautiful just like this song.

Now that I've paired some of my favourite books with my favourite songs, I'll always be reminded when I hear/read one or the other. And I'm actually pretty pleased about that.

Do you associate any songs with books? If you do let me know in the comments and let me know what you think of my list!

Thanks for reading!