https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/ Melanie Richards mr@melanie-richards.com 2024-01-11T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/all-my-rage/ <h3>Music in this book</h3> <p>Nearly all of the songs mentioned in “All My Rage” are courtesy of one of the main characters, a teenaged girl named Noor. No matter what chaos is unfolding around her, Noor processes her life largely through the sound coming through her headphones. That’s something I appreciate about this book—it’s a love letter to music, without the plot being <em>driven</em> by music.</p> <p>Noor’s mix is eclectic. There’s a heavy emphasis on Dad rock, interpersed with Pakistani tracks, rap beats, and alternative music. The opening track, “The Wanderer” is woven throughout the story.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/360e99da-44d3-4dd0-86c4-c762be22c3da" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> 2024-01-11T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/we-sold-our-souls/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>“We Sold Our Souls” follows the ex-guitarist for a metal band whose life—unbeknownst to her—was wrecked by an ill-advised deal. This book is an ode to metal, with a Dolly Parton singalong as intermission.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/94392fb6-195b-4802-8e8c-8b3272b0ce0d" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="albums-heading">Albums Mentioned</h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left">Album</th> <th style="text-align:left">Artist</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Darkness on the Edge of Town</td> <td style="text-align:left">Bruce Springsteen</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Physical</td> <td style="text-align:left">Olivia Newton-John</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables</td> <td style="text-align:left">Dead Kennedys</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Paranoid</td> <td style="text-align:left">Black Sabbath</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Master of Puppets</td> <td style="text-align:left">Metallica</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Peace Sells…but Who’s Buying?</td> <td style="text-align:left">Megadeth</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Eat ‘Em and Smile</td> <td style="text-align:left">David Lee Roth</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Somewhere in Time</td> <td style="text-align:left">Iron Maiden</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Reign in Blood</td> <td style="text-align:left">Slayer</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li>Abbath</li> <li>Amon Amarth</li> <li>Aimee Mann</li> <li>Avenged Sevenfold</li> <li>Beck</li> <li>Beyoncé</li> <li>Blink-182</li> <li>Bon Jovi</li> <li>Bruce Springsteen</li> <li>Cannibal Corpse</li> <li>Crosby, Stills &amp; Nash</li> <li>Earthless</li> <li>Fugazi</li> <li>Green Day</li> <li>Jimmy Page</li> <li>Kamelot</li> <li>Korn</li> <li>Lead Belly</li> <li>Liberace</li> <li>Limp Bizkit</li> <li>Linkin Park</li> <li>Merciful Fate</li> <li>Molotov</li> <li>Paganini</li> <li>Pallbearer</li> <li>Phil Ochs</li> <li>Pig Destroyer</li> <li>Polka Tulk Blues Band</li> <li>Purple Hill Witch</li> <li>Radiohead</li> <li>Robert Johnson</li> <li>The Scorpions</li> <li>Slash</li> <li>Slipknot</li> <li>Sonic Youth</li> <li>Tartini</li> <li>Taylor Swift</li> <li>Tool</li> <li>Trivium</li> <li>Wagner</li> <li>Wolves in the Throne Room</li> <li>Woods of Ypres</li> </ul> </section> 2024-02-17T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/daisy-jones/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>“Daisy Jones &amp; The Six” is an interview-format fiction about a band that explodes in popularity during the 1970s, then falls apart. There are actually not too many references to real songs in this book, and these are mostly covered early on—usually as something Daisy would sing idlly.</p> <p>The book does reference quite a few real-world artists, but these are mostly to contextualize the fictional band in their sonic era, before moving on to the heart of the story.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/0586967a-4d1c-4a0c-b6c9-c8ea1aa6300a" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="albums-heading">Albums Mentioned</h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left">Album</th> <th style="text-align:left">Artist</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">“Dark Side of the Moon”</td> <td style="text-align:left">Pink Floyd</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li>The Beatles</li> <li>Bo Diddley</li> <li>Bob Dylan</li> <li>Bruce Springsteen</li> <li>Carole King</li> <li>David Bowie</li> <li>Iggy Pop</li> <li>Jackson Browne</li> <li>Jim Morrison</li> <li>Jimi Hendrix</li> <li>Jimmy Page</li> <li>Johnny Cash</li> <li>Joni Mitchell</li> <li>The Kinks</li> <li>Laura Nyro</li> <li>Linda Ronstadt</li> <li>Olivia Newton-John</li> <li>The Rolling Stones</li> <li>Roy Orbison</li> <li>Sonny &amp; Cher</li> <li>Status Quo</li> <li>Van Morrison</li> <li>The Who</li> <li>The Yardbirds</li> </ul> </section> 2024-02-18T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/wow-no-thank-you/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>Samantha Irby’s essays are rife with pop culture references; she uses music to contextualize or add texture to a personal story. This book’s playlist is further bolstered by the essay “Late-1900s Time Capsule”, which is essentially one long, annotated playlist and an ode to the 1990s.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/6ce0f66b-4ea1-407f-9218-acd3efa17ebc" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="albums-heading">Albums Mentioned</h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left">Album</th> <th style="text-align:left">Artist</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Court and Spark</td> <td style="text-align:left">Joni Mitchell</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Becoming X</td> <td style="text-align:left">Sneaker Pimps</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Sheryl Crow</td> <td style="text-align:left">Sheryl Crow</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Pulp Fiction soundtrack</td> <td style="text-align:left">(multiple artists)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Ten</td> <td style="text-align:left">Pearl Jam</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Last Splash</td> <td style="text-align:left">The Breeders</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Under the Table and Dreaming</td> <td style="text-align:left">Dave Matthews Band</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Jagged Little Pills</td> <td style="text-align:left">Alanis Morissette</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Little Earthquakes</td> <td style="text-align:left">Tori Amos</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Siamese Dream</td> <td style="text-align:left">Smashing Pumpkins</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Become What You Are</td> <td style="text-align:left">The Juliana Hatfield Three</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Gone Again</td> <td style="text-align:left">Patti Smith</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Exile in Guyville</td> <td style="text-align:left">Liz Phair</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Whip-Smart</td> <td style="text-align:left">Liz Phair</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Exile on Main Street</td> <td style="text-align:left">Rolling Stones</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Rid of Me</td> <td style="text-align:left">PJ Harvey</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Tidal</td> <td style="text-align:left">Fiona Apple</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">When the Pawn…</td> <td style="text-align:left">Fiona Apple</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Do You Want More?!!!??!</td> <td style="text-align:left">The Roots</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Who is Jill Scott</td> <td style="text-align:left">Jill Scott</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">OK Computer</td> <td style="text-align:left">Radiohead</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ’Em</td> <td style="text-align:left">MC Hammer</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Color Me Barbra</td> <td style="text-align:left">Barbra Streisand</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li>Al Green</li> <li>Ani DiFranco</li> <li>Anita Baker</li> <li>Aphex Twin</li> <li>The Beatles</li> <li>Ben Folds</li> <li>The Chi-Lites</li> <li>Crystal Waters</li> <li>De La Soul</li> <li>DJ Quik</li> <li>Erykah Badu</li> <li>Harry Connick, Jr.</li> <li>Ice Cube</li> <li>Isley Brothers</li> <li>Kelly Price</li> <li>Kendrick Lamar</li> <li>Kenny Lattimore</li> <li>Massive Attack</li> <li>Nell Carter</li> <li>Nina Simone</li> <li>NWA</li> <li>OutKast</li> <li>Peabo Bryson</li> <li>Phish</li> <li>Stereolab</li> <li>Teena Marie</li> <li>They Might Be Giants</li> <li>Too $hort</li> <li>A Tribe Called Quest</li> <li>Violent Femmes</li> <li>Wu-Tang Clan</li> </ul> </section> 2024-03-07T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/signal-to-noise/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>Our protagonist, Meche, and her friends discover that they can play vinyl albums to cast spells; as teens without command over the chaos in their lives, they spin records to exert some sense of control. Music is how Meche connects to her father, how she processes emotions—overall, music is the power that drives Meche’s life forward.</p> <p>Aside: the way Meche uses her Walkman as a security blanket makes me pine for my iPod (RIP).</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/e5af57de-9193-483d-bbca-cc9d999eb31d" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> <p>This playlist is so long, you’ll need to go to Tidal to listen to the whole thing!</p> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="albums-heading">Albums Mentioned</h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left">Album</th> <th style="text-align:left">Artist</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Tales of Mystery and Imagination</td> <td style="text-align:left">Alan Parsons Project</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">The Turn of a Friendly Card</td> <td style="text-align:left">Alan Parsons Project</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">The Dark Side of the Moon</td> <td style="text-align:left">Pink Floyd</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)</td> <td style="text-align:left">The Kinks</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)</td> <td style="text-align:left">Beach Boys</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Hotel California</td> <td style="text-align:left">The Eagles</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan</td> <td style="text-align:left">Bob Dylan</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Body and Soul</td> <td style="text-align:left">Sarah Vaughan</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Gracias a La Vida</td> <td style="text-align:left">Mercedes Sosa</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">In the Court of the Crimson King</td> <td style="text-align:left">King Crimson</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">El Grito del Tiempo</td> <td style="text-align:left">Duncan Dhu</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li>Abba</li> <li>Agustin Lara</li> <li>The Animals</li> <li>Atoxxxico</li> <li>The Beatles</li> <li>Bee Gees</li> <li>Black Sabbath</li> <li>Blondie</li> <li>Botellita de Jerez</li> <li>Cindy Lauper</li> <li>Flans</li> <li>Hombres G</li> <li>Iron Maiden</li> <li>Jimi Hendrix</li> <li>Joaquín Sabina</li> <li>Leonard Cohen</li> <li>Louis Armstrong</li> <li>Lucerito</li> <li>The Police</li> <li>Queen</li> <li>Ritmo Peligroso</li> <li>Robert Johnson</li> <li>Rolling Stones</li> <li>Sabina</li> <li>Santa Esmeralda</li> <li>Thelonious Monk</li> <li>The Temptations</li> <li>Thalía</li> <li>Timbiriche</li> <li>Tom Waits</li> <li>Toña la Negra</li> <li>Violeta Parra</li> </ul> </section> 2024-03-07T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>Most of the songs referenced in this book appear on a mix tape that Charlie (the protagonist) makes for his friend, Patrick, as a Secret Santa gift. The songs themselves are a mix of:</p> <ul> <li>Songs that Charlie, Patrick, and Sam (Patrick’s sister) listened to together</li> <li>Wintry songs</li> <li>Songs from a mix tape a boy gave to Charlie’s sister</li> </ul> <p>In that last category, the song “Asleep” by The Smiths comes up again and again in this epistolary novel.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/66a69084-5e98-42e4-a1a8-e030ebada0e4" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li>Billie Holiday</li> <li>Blondie</li> <li>Jim Morrison</li> <li>Village People</li> </ul> </section> 2025-07-03T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/chlorine/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>The first five songs on this playlist come from Ren and Cathy’s discussion about which walkout song Ren should choose for swim meets. Ren and her mother share a love of Faye Wong, and rewatch <em>Chungking Express</em> (which features her music) together constantly.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/0bf872b0-8198-4f5d-baaf-df44a17a5ccb" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <p>Teresa Teng</p> </section> 2025-07-03T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/hell-bent/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>Many of the artists referenced in “Hell Bent” refer to Alex’s roommate’s vinyl collection. The tracks are often snippets of campus life at Yale.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/5e0708b1-d74f-4338-984d-73f434b9d87b" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li>AC/DC</li> <li>The Velvet Underground</li> <li>Tupac</li> <li>The Smiths</li> <li>Fleetwood Mac</li> <li>Journey</li> <li>Joy Division</li> <li>Green Day</li> <li>Red Hot Chili Peppers</li> </ul> </section> 2025-08-18T00:00:00.000Z https://littapes.melanie-richards.com/lit-tape/martyr/ <h2>Music in this book</h2> <p>In “Martyr”, music helps the characters navigate and connect with the world and the people around theme. In particular, the album “Mama’s Gun” by Erykah Badu marks the formation of a central relationship. Another character recounts experiencing a spiritual awakening on each replay of Allegri’s “Miserere”.</p> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="playlist-heading">Playlist</h2> <div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 75vh; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"><iframe title="Playlist for this book on Tidal" src="https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/839ba54b-7ab1-4bfe-9296-d044044330ee" allowfullscreen="" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; margin: 0 auto;"></iframe></div> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="albums-heading">Albums Mentioned</h2> <table> <thead> <tr> <th style="text-align:left">Album</th> <th style="text-align:left">Artist</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Sister</td> <td style="text-align:left">Sonic Youth</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Mama’s Gun</td> <td style="text-align:left">Erykah Badu</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:left">Nina at Newport</td> <td style="text-align:left">Nina Simone</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </section> <section class="post-section" aria-labelledby="{slug}-heading"><h2 id="artists-heading">Artists Otherwise Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li>Arcade Fire</li> <li>Black Cats</li> <li>Madonna</li> <li>Kurt Cobain</li> <li>Pete Seeger</li> <li>J Dilla</li> <li>John Bingham</li> <li>Max Roach</li> <li>Zach Hill</li> <li>Bob Dylan</li> <li>The Rolling Stones</li> <li>The Beatles</li> <li>Tina Turner</li> <li>Bruce Springsteen</li> <li>Rachmaninoff</li> <li>Mahler</li> <li>Vivaldi</li> <li>Debussy</li> <li>Chopin</li> <li>Ravi Shankar</li> <li>Eric Clapton</li> <li>Kool and the Gang</li> <li>Stevie Wonder</li> <li>Andre 3000</li> <li>Daniel Johnston</li> <li>The Locust</li> <li>Wagner</li> <li>Monkees</li> <li>Elliott Smith</li> <li>Billie Holiday</li> <li>Tyrannosaurus Rex</li> <li>Dinah Washington</li> <li>Brian Eno</li> <li>Mozart</li> <li>Aretha Franklin</li> <li>Jerry Lewis</li> <li>Bobby Darin</li> </ul> </section>