The Writer's E-Zine Home

Writers' Village University - F2K: Free Fiction Writing Course - ePress-online
Writers' Village University Membership Information

Craft of Writing

Lon Prater

Get Your Music for Nothing
(But the Lyrics Ain't Free)

By now everyone should be fairly well versed in the Three Terrible Truths about using song lyrics in their fiction:

TRUTH #1: It is against the law to use copyrighted lyrics in your story without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

TRUTH #2: It is the author's responsibility to obtain permission, and the author will be held liable if any legal action is taken by the copyright holder.

TRUTH #3: Obtaining permission to use song lyrics is rarely cost-effective for writers.

Unlike web designers who have a surplus of usable public domain sounds readily available to liven up their sites, writers who want to bring the sound of music to their work do not have as much to choose from. And let's face it, music is a part of who we are as human beings: we ritualize it for birthdays and church services, romanticize certain songs with our significant others. The right song at the right time becomes a touchstone for our memories, moods and milestones. Ignoring the cultural significance of song is like ignoring the fine points of clothing or etiquette: the lack can become quickly and embarrassingly apparent in your fiction.

Furthermore, music—whether it's drumbeats in the jungle, a harpsichord playing in a sunlit Parisian salon or a death metal screaming fit in some back alley dive bar—can lend a helping hand with the mechanics of making your story ring true. The most obvious way music affects your story is that it adds another layer of sensory input for the reader. Music can be heard, and when it's loud enough, felt. Evoking all the senses regularly helps keep the reader immersed in the experience of your story.

Verisimilitude is not the only tune music can play in your fiction, though. Musical preferences, associations and reactions can be valuable markers of the type of people you are writing about. Characters become more real to us when they dance in their pajamas to a favorite song, or when we learn that they hate hearing the fiddle and harmonica backed Man of Constant Sorrow because it reminds them of their rural roots. Perhaps most obvious, using music in your fiction sets a mood. It can do this directly, as in the case of Queen's We Are The Champions blaring across a crowded stadium one second after the clock ticks down, or ironically as in the case of a happy dinosaur ditty turned up loud enough to drown out a parental "discussion".

Much of today's fiction takes place from 1900 on, a period where popular music is still likely to be copyrighted. Given the Three Terrible Truths above, this makes it tricky for a writer to have a character burst into song, or even listen very hard to the words on her favorite break-up album. So what can you do to bring the power of song to your stories? Try a riff on one of these little numbers:

Write Your Own Lyrics - Sometimes the best way is to create your own songs and attribute them to a band of your invention. Worried about not writing workable lyrics? Use a real song as your model for structure—the tune in your head probably won’t carry over to your manuscript, but the beat will come across as believable for the few lines you include.

Be a Name-dropper - Songs with enough popularity and with titles that match a memorable chorus are easy to insert into your fiction. As Frank O'Brien snuck up on Ray's mud-spattered truck, the radio crackled to life. Charlie Daniels was singing The Devil Went Down to Georgia, loud and without any bass to speak of.  See that? Didn't even come within shouting distance of infringement, but any readers familiar with the song probably heard it loud and clear in their heads. It's just as easy to bring the brassy big band sound of Glenn Miller's In the Mood to your reader's inner ear, or name-drop Aretha Franklin's Respect. Just like that, your story has a soundtrack!

Make the song a part of the narrative - Take some evocative element of the lyrics and adapt it to your viewpoint character's situation and perception. Continuing with the previous example:

Frank peered into the darkness, but he couldn't make out who was in the cab with Ray. Then he heard Becky singing along with Charlie Daniels, and Frank felt his own band of demons joining in. He slid the skinning knife from its sheath.  Do I have to tell you what sound it made?


About the Author
Lon Prater can't carry a tune to save his life, but in his speculative fiction, the music is always pitch-perfect. His stories have appeared in such venues as Writers of the Future XXI, the Stoker-winning anthology Borderlands 5 and Shadow Regions. Find out more at www.lonprater.com.