Music Lyrics for Characters Meme
Here's a meme I picked up from lost_spook.
Choose fifteen characters. Then put your playlist on shuffle. Your first song with lyrics is your first character, and so on. For each song, choose lyrics that resonate with the corresponding character.
I thought this was an intriguing concept because you have to work with shuffle gives you, so you could end up with lots of artists like Florence + the Machine that are often easy to apply to fandom, or you could end up with all sea shanties and novelty songs (or whatever oddness is in your music collection.) Let's see how it played out for me.
Character list:
1. Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)
2. John Watson (BBC Sherlock)
3. Joan Watson (Elementary)
4. Abbie Mills (Sleepy Hollow)
5. Eowyn (Lord of the Rings)
6. Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who/Torchwood)
7. Natasha/Black Widow (Avengers/Marvel Cinematic Universe)
8. Daenerys Targaryen (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones)
9. Molly Hooper (BBC Sherlock)
10. Sierra (Dollhouse)
11. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride & Prejudice)
12. Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)
13. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
14. Kaylee Frye (Firefly)
15. The TARDIS (Doctor Who)
Now, results!
1. Rose Tyler: "Point Hope" -Indigo Girls
This is a song about nuclear radiation affecting those who mine uranium and live with the testing, especially Native American communities…not much direct relevance to Rose, but there were some individual lines that could be stretched.
Out there the sky’s so big and there ain’t no mistaking it,
who’s got the winning hand?
2. John Watson: "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" -Cage the Elephant
I'm still walkin' down the street
When I saw the shadow of a man creep out of sight
And then he swept up from behind
He put a gun up to my head
3. Joan Watson: "Come All You Sailors" - The Wailin' Jennys
Sadly Joan is not part of an age of sail AU, so this modern imitation sea shanty was a challenge. I guess we can take these two lines to be about her developing her abilities as a detective?
Come all you seekers
Realize that you can see
4. Abbie Mills: "Zombie" - Jay Brannan (cover of the Cranberries)
Very promising title given the various monsters that appear on the show, but only sort of worked.
Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaking?
5. Eowyn: "Life On Mars" - David Bowie
This would have worked so much better for a character who lived in something closer to the "real" modern world.
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
6. Jack Harkness: "Some Good Thing" -The Wailin' Jennys
Finally, a whole song that fits the character at least somewhat.
Can you be sure
Will this be some good thing
Lucky stars to reckon appear again and again
Can you believe all that has brought you here
You say come on baby let’s go ahead and live
7. Natasha/Black Widow: "You Are My Flower" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
LOL, no. This song would make Natasha throw knives at the stereo. Umm, I guess she succeeds even under adversity, like a flower blooming in the mountains?
You are my flower
That's blooming in the mountain so high
8. Daenerys Targaryen: "Pixie" -Ani DiFranco
Sorry iTunes, Daenerys is really not the "color me happy girl," but I guess we can salvage something from these lyrics.
And when they're out for blood
I always give
9. Molly Hooper: "Wash My Hands" - Meredith Brooks
Let's use this for Molly after the Fall, trying to come to terms with the necessary but huge and hurtful lie she helped to tell.
Wash my hands of crime
Pour the water over my skin, my spine
Cleanse my soul and ease my mind
I've been fixed on all the damage done
Why do I always forget how far I've come
10. Sierra: "Too Drunk To Go Home" - The Dolly Ranchers
I cracked up when this song came on. It's a honky-tonk country song about being too drunk to get safely home from a party, but afraid of making an ass of oneself in front of a certain someone if you stay. As a whole this song is hilariously irrelevant to Sierra. Taken out of context the following few lines sorta work for Sierra/Priya coming back to the Dollhouse in "Belonging" in full awareness of what she's signing up for, but knowing *spoiler thing* means she's not safe outside and wanting to be with Victor even if it meant relinquishing her control of her mind.
I can't stay and I can't go
I don't know what to do,
Kick myself for going home or stay in here with you
11. Elizabeth Bennet: "San Andreas Fault" - Natalie Merchant
This is such a California song! It doesn't work! Maybe if we imagine a Hollywood AU where Elizabeth is an actress on a low-budget family sitcom and Mr. Darcy is a director of critically acclaimed dramas? It initially seems like Darcy can't stand her, but then he asks her to star in his upcoming period piece "Pemberly." Problem is, he's kind of a pompous jerk about how he asks, and she believes that Darcy has recently convinced fellow director Mr. Bingley to not cast Jane (Elizabeth's co-star in the low-budget sitcom) in a potentially star-making role in Bingley's next film. Elizabeth initially turns down Darcy's role. Then there's the matter of Mr. Wickham, who lures in Lydia with promises of money and stardom when really what he's planning on casting her in a trashy side project that's practically porn, only Darcy intervenes and pressures him to cast Lydia in a more respectable film instead.... I could go on with this AU, but I think instead I'll just take some song lyrics out of context for Elizabeth and move on with the meme.
Your future bright
Beyond compare
It's rags to riches
Over there
12. Samwise Gamgee: "Caroline" -Brandi Carlile
Days so long I couldn't speak
Roads so rocky I can't sleep
But I've seen things so beautiful
All around this broken world
13. Buffy Summers: "Do What You Have To Do" - Sarah McLachlan
Oh dear, finally a song that fits so well that it wallops me with feelings. Probably best for my emotional equilibrium that it wasn't "Full of Grace." Anyway, I see this as a Buffy/Angel song.
What ravages of spirit
conjured this tempestuous rage
created you a monster
broken by the rules of love
[…]
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
and I have sense to recognize that
I don't know how to let you go
14. Kaylee Frye: "River Valley" -Moxy Fruvous
This is the second environmental justice song of the meme (along with "Point Hope"), and it just doesn't work for a character who lives in space. This one probably gave me the most trouble.
Are you fine with your surroundings? Are they gonna crumble?
I'm living in the river valley, come and join me for a tumble
15. The TARDIS: "I Died" - Bif Naked
I knew when I chose the TARDIS as a character I was unlikely to get a good lyrics match. As a whole, I was right, but there is one fantastic line.
through this blinding hatred i see a lady on my right.
she winked at me and said, "run for your life!"
Well, that meme was fun, even if iTunes wasn't cooperating with appropriate songs very often. It could have been worse. Amusingly, the song that came on immediately after the TARDIS's designated song begins with the line "I'm not sexy but I really want to be."
Choose fifteen characters. Then put your playlist on shuffle. Your first song with lyrics is your first character, and so on. For each song, choose lyrics that resonate with the corresponding character.
I thought this was an intriguing concept because you have to work with shuffle gives you, so you could end up with lots of artists like Florence + the Machine that are often easy to apply to fandom, or you could end up with all sea shanties and novelty songs (or whatever oddness is in your music collection.) Let's see how it played out for me.
Character list:
1. Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)
2. John Watson (BBC Sherlock)
3. Joan Watson (Elementary)
4. Abbie Mills (Sleepy Hollow)
5. Eowyn (Lord of the Rings)
6. Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who/Torchwood)
7. Natasha/Black Widow (Avengers/Marvel Cinematic Universe)
8. Daenerys Targaryen (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones)
9. Molly Hooper (BBC Sherlock)
10. Sierra (Dollhouse)
11. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride & Prejudice)
12. Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)
13. Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
14. Kaylee Frye (Firefly)
15. The TARDIS (Doctor Who)
Now, results!
1. Rose Tyler: "Point Hope" -Indigo Girls
This is a song about nuclear radiation affecting those who mine uranium and live with the testing, especially Native American communities…not much direct relevance to Rose, but there were some individual lines that could be stretched.
Out there the sky’s so big and there ain’t no mistaking it,
who’s got the winning hand?
2. John Watson: "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" -Cage the Elephant
I'm still walkin' down the street
When I saw the shadow of a man creep out of sight
And then he swept up from behind
He put a gun up to my head
3. Joan Watson: "Come All You Sailors" - The Wailin' Jennys
Sadly Joan is not part of an age of sail AU, so this modern imitation sea shanty was a challenge. I guess we can take these two lines to be about her developing her abilities as a detective?
Come all you seekers
Realize that you can see
4. Abbie Mills: "Zombie" - Jay Brannan (cover of the Cranberries)
Very promising title given the various monsters that appear on the show, but only sort of worked.
Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaking?
5. Eowyn: "Life On Mars" - David Bowie
This would have worked so much better for a character who lived in something closer to the "real" modern world.
But her friend is nowhere to be seen
Now she walks through her sunken dream
6. Jack Harkness: "Some Good Thing" -The Wailin' Jennys
Finally, a whole song that fits the character at least somewhat.
Can you be sure
Will this be some good thing
Lucky stars to reckon appear again and again
Can you believe all that has brought you here
You say come on baby let’s go ahead and live
7. Natasha/Black Widow: "You Are My Flower" - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
LOL, no. This song would make Natasha throw knives at the stereo. Umm, I guess she succeeds even under adversity, like a flower blooming in the mountains?
You are my flower
That's blooming in the mountain so high
8. Daenerys Targaryen: "Pixie" -Ani DiFranco
Sorry iTunes, Daenerys is really not the "color me happy girl," but I guess we can salvage something from these lyrics.
And when they're out for blood
I always give
9. Molly Hooper: "Wash My Hands" - Meredith Brooks
Let's use this for Molly after the Fall, trying to come to terms with the necessary but huge and hurtful lie she helped to tell.
Wash my hands of crime
Pour the water over my skin, my spine
Cleanse my soul and ease my mind
I've been fixed on all the damage done
Why do I always forget how far I've come
10. Sierra: "Too Drunk To Go Home" - The Dolly Ranchers
I cracked up when this song came on. It's a honky-tonk country song about being too drunk to get safely home from a party, but afraid of making an ass of oneself in front of a certain someone if you stay. As a whole this song is hilariously irrelevant to Sierra. Taken out of context the following few lines sorta work for Sierra/Priya coming back to the Dollhouse in "Belonging" in full awareness of what she's signing up for, but knowing *spoiler thing* means she's not safe outside and wanting to be with Victor even if it meant relinquishing her control of her mind.
I can't stay and I can't go
I don't know what to do,
Kick myself for going home or stay in here with you
11. Elizabeth Bennet: "San Andreas Fault" - Natalie Merchant
This is such a California song! It doesn't work! Maybe if we imagine a Hollywood AU where Elizabeth is an actress on a low-budget family sitcom and Mr. Darcy is a director of critically acclaimed dramas? It initially seems like Darcy can't stand her, but then he asks her to star in his upcoming period piece "Pemberly." Problem is, he's kind of a pompous jerk about how he asks, and she believes that Darcy has recently convinced fellow director Mr. Bingley to not cast Jane (Elizabeth's co-star in the low-budget sitcom) in a potentially star-making role in Bingley's next film. Elizabeth initially turns down Darcy's role. Then there's the matter of Mr. Wickham, who lures in Lydia with promises of money and stardom when really what he's planning on casting her in a trashy side project that's practically porn, only Darcy intervenes and pressures him to cast Lydia in a more respectable film instead.... I could go on with this AU, but I think instead I'll just take some song lyrics out of context for Elizabeth and move on with the meme.
Your future bright
Beyond compare
It's rags to riches
Over there
12. Samwise Gamgee: "Caroline" -Brandi Carlile
Days so long I couldn't speak
Roads so rocky I can't sleep
But I've seen things so beautiful
All around this broken world
13. Buffy Summers: "Do What You Have To Do" - Sarah McLachlan
Oh dear, finally a song that fits so well that it wallops me with feelings. Probably best for my emotional equilibrium that it wasn't "Full of Grace." Anyway, I see this as a Buffy/Angel song.
What ravages of spirit
conjured this tempestuous rage
created you a monster
broken by the rules of love
[…]
I know I can't be with you
I do what I have to do
and I have sense to recognize that
I don't know how to let you go
14. Kaylee Frye: "River Valley" -Moxy Fruvous
This is the second environmental justice song of the meme (along with "Point Hope"), and it just doesn't work for a character who lives in space. This one probably gave me the most trouble.
Are you fine with your surroundings? Are they gonna crumble?
I'm living in the river valley, come and join me for a tumble
15. The TARDIS: "I Died" - Bif Naked
I knew when I chose the TARDIS as a character I was unlikely to get a good lyrics match. As a whole, I was right, but there is one fantastic line.
through this blinding hatred i see a lady on my right.
she winked at me and said, "run for your life!"
Well, that meme was fun, even if iTunes wasn't cooperating with appropriate songs very often. It could have been worse. Amusingly, the song that came on immediately after the TARDIS's designated song begins with the line "I'm not sexy but I really want to be."