Bonus: Short Message from Jessica + Full SoundTrack Playlist + MY Explanations for EAcH Song
“Hope you enjoy the book and soundtrack!” -Jessica Long
Me wiTh Jessica Long and the New Kind!
My ExplANations for EAch Song on the SoundTrack
“Simple” would be played at the beginning of the book before the reader even starts. In “Simple,” Jessica Long sings about how her love for a guy is simple and easy to understand. “It’s not fair the way you look at me/I don’t care what anybody says, yeah/It’s not that difficult/In fact, it’s simple.” At the beginning, of the story, Chris and Lydia are best friends who spend all their time together. Their life is well, simple: they go to school, they go home and do homework together and have dinner with their family. But on the day the story starts, Chris finally agrees to go to Homecoming Dance with Lydia, even though he would rather stay friends, but she is ready to move beyond being just friends…
“Avalanche” would be played in Chapter 3. Avalanche is all about the rush of emotion when you feel love for the first time; using an Avalanche as a metaphor for those feelings: “Avalanche, come crashing down on me/Avalanche, enraging sea.” In this scene, Chris quickly leaves after becoming uncomfortable dancing with Lydia, leaving her confused in the middle of the dance floor. A few minutes, later Chris’s older cousin Jeremy runs into her and compliments and her flirts with her, even though he had never done that before. A part of Lydia really likes how Jeremy treated her (though she doesn’t know why) and this song illustrates Jeremy “crashing into” her.
“Far” takes place in Chapter 7, right after a flashback scene. “Far” is about someone who is clearly broken by a relationship. “You are just a name that left a scar/You are slowly fading from my heart/You are…far.” Lydia has become disillusioned by her friendship with Chris. Right before the flashback scene, Chris and Jeremy try to quote Romeo and Juliet to Lydia, but Chris, being the better actor, stole the show – but thought it was only to get Jeremy back. Then in the flashback scene, Chris and Lydia are at a theater camp and the entire camp is participating in a dance party…except Chris and Lydia. Chris told everyone that as best friends; dances really aren’t their thing. Lydia feels differently but doesn’t tell Chris (or anyone else) how she feels. Flashback to the present, Lydia tells Chris she wants to study alone. She goes into her room, and as the song plays, Lydia begins to take down all of the pictures of mementos of her friendship with Chris, feeling far away from her best friend.
“Hidden Track” takes place in Chapter 12. “Hidden Track” deals with a young woman whose heart has just been broken: “When you broke my heart/That was when I started to see/All the things that I believed/They were just a fantasy.” Lydia finally confesses her feelings to Chris, but Chris is under the impression that saying yes would hurt Lydia in some way. So he says no. Lydia is devastated that Chris rejected her, and asks/begs him if he wanted her like she wanted him, even a little. This song illustrates Lydia’s broken heart towards Chris.
“New Kind” takes place in Chapter 14. “New Kind” deals with a relationship with a new kind of guy: “Honey you could be/What could see me free/From this carelessness I feel/You’re a new Kind/I feel the largest beating, yeah.” In this scene, Lydia agrees to go out on a date with Jeremy after Chris rejects her, and he convinces her to dance in the middle of the restaurant with her during a particularly romantic song, which is the one I chose for this scene. She really wants to feel like she’s in love with Jeremy in this scene, but then the song ends and a car commercial comes on. No matter, Jeremy tries to kiss Lydia anyway…
“Merry-Go-Round” takes place in Chapter 19. While the lyrics “Merry-Go-Round” deals with alcoholism, I think the chorus showed Lydia’s feelings in this scene rather appropriately: “Stop this ride I want to get off/Stop this ride you’ve got me on.” In this scene Lydia has been blown off by Jeremy again for a girl he says is just a friend, Becca. Lydia, confused and hurt, walks home along in the bitter January weather. The songs melancholy tone goes well with Lydia’s mood at this point in the story.
“Remedy” takes place in Chapter 20. This song is a simple song of comforting: “Oh, your arms are slowly wrapping around me/Oh, my heart is slowly remedied/remedied.” As I thought about this song and this scene, it was the perfect match. Amanda had just been cut from her basketball team and she was struggling to open her locker. Chris who had seen the whole thing from the bleachers, felt for Amanda and ran over to her and hugged Amanda, which she accepted. Amanda cried in Chris’ arms, letting him comfort her.
“Carry You” takes place in Chapter 22. It deals with the singer promising to care for someone who is emotionally distant, encouraging the subject to open himself up to life; the tone is fun and bouncy: “Turn on the lights it’s wonderful night to begin/Open your eyes let’s have fun and dive in/But oh, your heart is spinning round like glove/holding onto the things that you feel/But I will carry you.” In this scene, Chris is nervous about ice skating for the first time, but Amanda is promising to help him. Chris is shaky on the ice at first and he and Amanda have a couple of falls, but he starts to get better, and bond with Amanda in the process.
“Don’t Cut Me Loose” is my all-time favorite Jessica Long and the New Kind song. It takes place in Chapter 25. It has the best verses that coincide with the chorus, which is “Don’t Cut Me Loose” repeated five times. I love the opening lyrics, “I have ridden the waves of angry storm/And I have made it home/And I have made it home/Oh I have made it home/I have wandered the desert for answers/And I have quenched my thirst/Oh, and I have quenched my thirst/Oh I have quenched my thirst.” This feeling of love, a “coming home” type of feeling was perfect for the scene. I choose to play this song over the scene where Lydia discovers the pictures of her and Chris that Chris had saved after she had thrown them out. She looks at each one and the memories that go alongside it. Looking at the pictures reminds her she did love Chris after all. Meanwhile, Chris is coming home after Jeremy promises to leave her alone forever. I had a very specific way to play the ending of the song: After the first guitar solo, just as he gets home, Lydia sees him walking up to her (“And now my heart/can feel once again…”) - and she instantly runs toward him, and they come together in a hug. Chris and Lydia profess their love for each other and have their first kiss as a couple (over the last guitar solo).
“1234.” It takes place right after "The End.” It starts, “My heart goes/1234/faster than your caravan/And my steps go 1234/Right by your paper stand.” The chorus goes like this: “And the waiting seems so long/I won’t do you wrong/If you come and sing with me/in perfect harmony/1234/Oh, woah.” Fast and beautiful, this song gives a feeling of love I choose to play it after the scene where Chris and Lydia kiss and walk inside, and the possibilities of their new love together. The story is over, but their new romantic relationship is just beginning. The End.
