Hello internet friends! This is a list of all the songs that I listened to when I was creating my Peter Pan Reader Insert which can be found right here. Music is another passion of mine that also helps my writing process. When I write, I envision the story in my head similar to that of a movie playing on a screen. As I see particular scenes unfold in my mind's eye, the music I listen to can play a big factor on the general mood of the world that I'm trying to create in words at that time. You will notice that some of the songs I connected with were based purely on sound, some on lyrics, and some just because I happened to like that song at the time I happened to be writing. I will warn you all now that my taste in music is quite eclectic. I listen to just about every genre and generation of music. Hopefully you guys will find some new songs that you love in this list; and maybe you will rediscover some forgotten favorites as well. Either way I hope you like it. And now to take a little trip into my headphones with me…

Part 1

Scene: Opening
Song: Never Grow Up-Taylor Swift
This entire song just completely embodies that melancholy feeling of realizing your growing up and of all the things you will never be able to get back again by doing so. It's a simple, yet incredibly poignant song that I feel reflects the exact feelings of the reader as they sit up at night and have to face the facts that they aren't a kid anymore and that everything from this point on in her life is about to change drastically. Which is the basis of the entire story really.

"I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone. So here I am in my new apartment in a big city they just dropped me off. Its so much colder than I thought it would be so I tuck myself in and turn my nightlight on....I wish I'd never grown up."

Scene: The Shadow Man
Song: Peter's Shadow- Peter Pan 2003 Soundtrack
This is the first instrumental score I used when writing this story and obviously it is from the 2003 movie. I don't really think anything else could have helped me better shape the scene where Peter's shadow is secretly messing with the almost asleep reader. This piece just really has a mischievious yet almost lullaby like feel to it.

Scene: Stranger In My Bedroom
Song: Bill's Entrance-Nathan Barr
The second instrumental piece that helped me write. This is actually an original score from the HBO series True Blood (which I also happen to be a fan of). The dark mystery of this piece just fit the essence of finding an incredibly strange and attractive man in your bedroom in the middle of the night. There is that attraction and then there is a sort of caution as well. Perfect for when the reader sits next to Peter and helps him with his shadow.

Scene: Trying To Fly
Song: Defying Gravity-Glee
Truthfully this is originally a Wicked song, but I listened to the Glee version when I wrote this. The lyrics of this song just pretty much explain how I thought the reader felt when she decided to try to learn how to fly so that she could go to Neverland.

"Too late for second guessing. Too late to go back to sleep. It's time to trust my instincts. Close my eyes and leap. It's time to try defying gravity. I think I'll try defying gravity…"  

Scene: Off To Neverland
Song: Shine-Black Gold
The lyrics are really what attracted me to this song and it just goes so well with the reader's decision to go to Neverland with Peter and leave the real world behind. It is kind of a liberating and uplifting song.

"She knows it's time to say goodbye to all that she wanted, for all that she loves. Devotes her mind to thoughts divine, for all that she needed and all that she loves."

Part 2

Scene: Shot Out Of The Sky
Song: Falling-Florence And The Machine
This song isn't for when the reader is first shot out of the sky, but rather when she falls into Peter's arms. I feel like that moment is when love slowly starts to truly begin for those two. I love this song more than I can say and it has this magical element to it that I just can't describe.

""I've fallen out of favor and I've fallen from grace. Fallen out of trees and I've fallen on my face.
Because falling's not the problem when I'm falling I'm at peace. It's only when I hit the ground it causes all the grief."

Scene: Lost Boys Line Up
Song: Born To Be Wild-Steppenwolf
I just imagine The Lost Boys as a group of really wild, rough and tumble, badasses. And hot badasses dressed in animal furs need a really cool theme song. That's where this song comes in. They literally come crashing into the seen and this song just captures their personalities I think.

Scene: Band Of Brothers
Song: With A Little Help From My Friends-Across The Universe
A classic song originally sung by The Beatles. I listened to this when I was writing about Peter introducing the reader to The Lost Boys and then when she gets to interact with them a little bit. The brotherhood of these guys is really an unbreakable bond and I just can't help but think of this song when I think about their friendship. The Across The Universe version is kind of rowdy and fun sounding just like my boys.

Scene: Seeing The Tree House
Song: Pure Imagination-Maroon 5
I also happen to like the Glee version of this song, but the Maroon 5 version is more "manly" sounding in my opinion which goes better with the majestic wonder that the reader feels when she gets her first look at the massive hallowed out hidden tree house. It is sort of an awe inspiring moment that deserves a magical sounding song.

Scene: Slightly Likes Beethoven
Song: Fur Elise-Ludwig Van Beethoven
This is the song that Slightly plays on the piano. I have always loved this piece. It is one of my absolute favorite classical pieces. I have always felt that the melody sounded like a secret admirer. It gives me a warm and sweet feeling, but there is a sort of sadness to the notes as well. But that's just the way I feel about the song. There is no real connection between the song choice and the story except for the fact that I think Slightly would definitely be into the classics. He is a rather complex man after all.

Part 3

Scene: Enter Princess Tiger Lily
Song: Steady As The Beating Drum-Pocahontas  
While Tiger Lily was not made to resemble Pocahontas in my mind, I did listen to a Pocahontas song while creating her. I listened to this song to get me into the tribal frame of mind. When I was still thinking of what kind of character Tiger Lily was going to be I listened to this song and it really helped me create an idea of who I wanted her to be. I wanted her to be beautiful, strong, and with a "steady" sense of self. As a princess she has a lot of pride in who she is and in her people and I was hoping that would come across as I described her even in the wake of a personal tragedy.

Scene: Bringer Of Bad News
Song: Hey,Hey,My, My-Battleme  
This song embodies the solemn grief that The Lost Boys feel as they find out about the death of the Chief of the Picanniny Tribe. I wanted to make the boys grieve, while still clinging onto their masculinity. One thing I was afraid of was accidentally making them sound feminine. These are boys who were raised in the wild and I wanted to keep that distinction clear. I think this song is one of those emotional sad songs that would still be appealing to guys.  

""The king is gone. He's not forgotten."

Scene: Peter's Speech To The Lost Boys
Song: Toy Soldiers-Eminem
The war with Hook versus everyone else in Neverland has obviously been going on a long time before the reader gets there and the death of the Chief is kind of like Peter's breaking point. Upon hearing the bad news Peter goes deadly still. Even though he is hurting and is enraged he has to keep his calm and think rationally because he is the leader of The Lost Boys and his decisions affect all of them. This song really carries all the feelings that I think Peter would have felt at that time. It has the sadness of losing someone he cared about, the anger he felt towards Hook, along with the strong desire he has to protect his friends. The war like beat of the drums in the background really cemented this song to the story for me when the lyrics didn't.

Part 4

Scene: Peter Reassures The Reader
Song: Truly Madly Deeply-Savage Garden
Finally we get some more one on one time between the reader and Peter. There of course is a lot of romance going on in this chapter. Being a 90's kid I remember this song fondly. You don't hear many songs sung by guys anymore that have this kind of openness to them without fear of being called "gay" or sappy. That's what I love about this song. It's just a guy pouring out his feelings and letting the girl he loves know that he'd do anything for her. That's how I kind of feel Peter's feelings are at this point. His love for the reader isn't something he questions. He knows how he feels and he makes no apologies for it. He holds nothing back when he interacts with her.

"I'll be your dream. I'll be your wish. I'll be your fantasy. I'll be your hope. I'll be your love. Be everything that you need. I'll love you more with every breath truly madly deeply do. I will be strong. I will be faithful cuz I'm counting on a new beginning. A reason for living. A deeper meaning yeah."

Scene: Exotic Adonis's
Song: Sharp Dressed Man- ZZ Top
This is for when the reader walks out and gets her first look at the Lost Boys in their new tribal funeral gear. I honestly just love to listen to songs with attitude whenever I'm writing parts that mainly focus on the Lost Boys.

Scene: Family Dinner
Song: Ho Hey-The Lumineers
The sweet and light-hearted beat of this tune just fits perfectly with the dinner scene with all The Lost Boys. It is a happy moment that is free of drama which happens very rarely in the story. I love the family bonding that happens in this scene. The reader starts to slowly become part of the crew and for the first time gets to share that bond that they have.  I am a huge fan of The Lumineers. This song is a constant on my Ipod as well as their song "Big Parade" which actually reminds me of Jaqen H'ghar from Game Of Thrones because of all the "lovely girls" there at the end and because the girl who plays the Cello looks JUST like Arya.

"So show me family, all the blood that I will bleed. I don't know where I belong. I don't know where I went wrong… I belong with you. You belong with me. You're my sweetheart. I belong with you. You belong with me. You're my sweet."

Part 5

Scene: Farewell To An Old Friend
Song: Burn-The Cure
This story's first Cure song. I ALWAYS listen to The Cure when I write. I find that at least one of their songs relates to every story I shape. Robert Smith is a master of melody and lyrics. Now that my mini-fangirl rant is over I can tell you a little bit more about the song. This is the main song I listened to over and over as I created the Indian Encampment. I connected this song with the Picanniny Tribe because it embodies the loss of the Chief and also the anger they must have felt because of his murder. It really captured the moment in my mind of the reader sitting around the massive bonfire, surrounded by the solemnity of the entire tribe, and hearing Tiger Lily's impassioned speech, and then watching in morbid fascination as they throw the Chief's body into the flames.

Scene: The Ghost Dance
Song: Native American Music & Chants-Phil Thornton
This is what I listened to when I was trying to capture the spirituality of the real Native American ritual of The Ghost Dance. It is an actual practice if you didn't already know so I listened to real Native American music to get me into the "spirit" as it were.

Scene: Goodbye Love
Song: Heavy In Your Arms-Florence And The Machine
Another Florence And The Machine song. I listened to this while I was thinking of the hard decision that the reader makes when she decides to walk away from the funeral and also away from Peter. It is a hard pill to swallow when you realize that you are a burden to someone, especially someone you love. It is also a heavy decision that the reader makes when she decides to let go of all that she wanted so that the one she loves will be better off.

"I was a heavy heart to carry. My beloved was weighed down...When he held me in his arms; my feet never touched the ground. I'm so heavy…"

Part 6

Scene: Stranger In A Strange Land
Song: On My Own-Les Miserables
When I had first begun this chapter was I believe the first time I had heard that they were making a new version of one of my favorite plays and I was so freaking excited. I was listening to my old Broadway cast cd of all the songs that entire day. When I finally hunkered down to begin to write this chapter I was listening to this song and it helped hit home the feelings that the reader must have felt. Not so much because of an un-requited love, but instead the feeling of loving someone whom you can't have. It also has the feelings of the reader struggling with the fact that this might be real instead of a dream which means that this world has no place for her in it. At the time the actual 2012 songs hadn't been released -at least not to my knowledge- so I did not listen to the Samantha Banks version. However if you go back and read the story or are just looking for the song on Youtube I would highly recommend you check out her version because it fits so well with the story.

"I love him, but everyday I'm learning. All my life I've only been pretending. Without me his world will go on turning. A world that's full of happiness that I have never known."

Scene: Meeting The Mermaids
Song: Underwater Secrets-Harry Potter
I'm sure all of you Potterheads know that this is the song that was used in The Goblet Of Fire when they put that golden egg in the water. I listened to the full instrumental opening of this song when I was describing the mermaid's lounging in the lagoon. The mermaids come off as beautiful and (somewhat) playful when you first see them and that's how I feel the song connected when I was writing because it later turns into something darker as well when the mermaid's begin to sing.

Scene: Murdering Mermaids
Song: Sirens- Sinbad:Legend Of The Sea
Now this song is obviously for when the mermaid's show their true nature and drag the reader under the water and attack her. I listened to this on repeat because the voices and orchestra of this piece is just so epic. It starts off all slow and beautiful and then turns dark and frantic. Just like the struggle the reader was facing when she was being circled underwater. And then it just kind of builds up and then abruptly fades just like how I imagined the reader fighting until the very end of consciousness.

Part 7

Scene: Final Thoughts
Song: Bury Your Bones-Baron Ft. Hesta Prynn
This goes along with the very beginning of the chapter where the reader is on the brink between awareness and unconsciousness. The dream like quality of this song fit really well when I was trying to put the reader into a state where she was neither really here nor there and believed she was already dead and her body was just floating on the waves. The reader is suspended right on the brink of rational thought and delirium.

Scene: Guilty Consciousness
Song: Riverside-Agnes Obel
I can't tell you how much I love this song. It really strikes a chord with me for some reason. Especially when I was imagining the moment when the reader wakes in Peter's arms and he apologizes and blames himself for not saving her. This song not only helped me conjure up Peter's fear of seeing the reader almost dead, but also the reader's own feelings of guilt for making him feel responsible. This is a truly beautiful and haunting song in my opinion that does not get enough credit.

"Oh my god, I see how everything is torn in the river deep. And I don't know why I go the way, down by the riverside."

Part 8

Scene: Sleep To Dream
Song: Imaginary-Evanescense
So this is a song that I connected to when I was creating the scene where the reader first regains consciousness (yet again) and believes she has returned to the real world and that Neverland was really all a dream. This song captures that feeling of wanting to escape into your own fantasy world. I'm personally no stranger to that feeling.

"Don't say I'm out of touch with this rampant chaos; your reality. I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge. The nightmare I built my own world to escape. In my field of paper flowers and candy clouds of lullaby. I lie inside myself for hours and watch my purple sky fly over me."

Scene: Sleeping Together
Song: Lovesong-Adele
Yet another Cure song, although I listened to the Adele version for this scene because it is much more slower and sultry. I have to admit this is probably my all time favorite love song ever because the lyrics are how I think real love should feel like. This particular version has a very romantic and sexy feel which I associated with the scene where Peter first slides into the bed beside the "sleeping" reader. It is an emotional moment when the reader and Peter finally tell each other that they love each other and then it turns into something passionate and sexy.

Scene: Loving Laughter
Song: Crash Into Me-The Dave Matthews Band
Ah, another old favorite of mine. This song is so romantic and real to me. It is kind of light and sweet sounding, but if you pay attention to the words it's very loving and more than a little naughty. This is what I listened to when I was adding in the playful elements of the lemon like when Peter and the reader giggle right in the middle of foreplay. That's what real couples do when they feel totally comfortable with each other and each other's bodies. This lemon is more then just about sex, it's about the emotions that go into it and the intimacy between the reader and Peter. I feel like this song perfectly captures those feelings in that moment.

"Touch your lips just so I know. In your eyes love it glows so I'm bare boned and crazy for you. When you come crash into me, baby, and I come into you."

Part 9

Scene: A Broken Man
Song: Stranger-Katie Costello
This is the only song I listened to when I wrote all of chapter 9. I really just love the slow melancholy melody and felt that it went with Peter's breakdown scene. It really transported me into that private moment of his regret.

Part 10

Scene: The Other Woman
Song: It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World-Glee
I don't even… Well basically I got to thinking about how Hook killed Red Handed Jill and pretty much used her. I don't know how this song really fits in with that, but somewhere in my mind this song just helped me create that back story. Not even sure how that happened, but this is what I listened to at that time. Yeah, I don't make sense to me either sometimes…

Scene: Fun Fights
Song: Flowers In Your Hair-The Lumineers
Have I mentioned I love The Lumineers? Their melodies really are just great for relaxing and writing upbeat scenes. This is the song I listened to when I was typing up the fun banter between the reader and Peter in this chapter. I just wish this song was longer.

"It takes a boy to live. It takes a man to pretend he was there. Cuz it takes a man to live. It takes a woman to make him compromise."


Part 11

Scene: Opening
Song: Le Reve: Splash- Benoit Jutras
This is the only thing I listened to for this chapter and it is actually from a live show called Le Reve which has aquatic performances in Las Vegas. If you haven't seen it then you NEED to Youtube it like NOW! It is one of the most visually stunning things I have ever seen! Anyways I listened to this to help me build Helios and Selene's images. This instrumental really helped me shape the majestic and ethereal qualities of the leaders of the Light Faeries. This piece starts off really beautiful, but it builds this sinister darkness underneath which is what the faeries are all about. Pretty on the inside, but underneath they are quite hard and callous.)  


Those are all the chapters I have up until now. I will of course be sure to keep updating this as I go along so please check back again later. Right now I have no idea when the next chapters will be posted because of circumstances at work I have had to pick up overtime. By the end of the day my brain is usually a useless pile of mashed potatoes. So please bare with me until I get my spare time and brain back. Let me know below what you think of the playlist so far and if there are any new or old favorites in it. I'm also working on a Hatter playlist so look forward to that as well. See you guys around soon!
Fox