Besides a great cup of tea (or coffee) and the perfect rainy day, music has the power to take your book to the next level. Yes, reading in silence can do wonders, but have you ever come across a song while you are reading a book and it just hits you right in the feels? It’s almost like the character jumped out of the page and started speaking to you.
Well, for the love of books and music, we decided to compile a playlist, Mixtape Series Vol. 1, for some of the songs we’ve come across that reminded us of books we’ve read. Below you will find a list of 12 songs and 12 books (all period dramas/classics).
P.S. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for the link to our Spotify playlist. That’s right, we did the work for you and put these all together so you wouldn’t have to.
Breathe Again – Sara Barelleis (Persuasion)
What makes this book special in Samantha’s not-so-humble-opinion is that it is the only Jane Austen novel where the Hero and Heroine have a romantic past. Considering Anne’s and Frederick’s unfortunate parting and fortune coming together again, this song is a great snapshot of that in-between period.
And the distance between that was sheltering me comes in full view
Hang my head, break my heart built from all I have torn apart
And my burden to bear is a love I can’t carry anymore
Breathe again – Sara bareilles
Hoax – Taylor Swift (Wuthering Heights)
Ok, who hasn’t been a victim of Wuthering Heights? If you didn’t put your hand up, we have questions. Anyways, besides the lyrics perfectly encapsulating all that anger between Heathcliff and Catherine, the mellow sound is a complimentary juxtaposition to all the emotion jumping off the pages.
You knew it still hurts underneath my scars
From when they pulled me apart
But what you did was just as dark
Darling, this was just as hard
As when they pulled me apart
Hoax – taylor swift
Another Love – Tom Odell (Poldark)
A love triangle that doesn’t involve a lame teenager, a vampire, and a werewolf. Typically, love triangles can be frustrating to read. Yet, when it comes to Ross, you can’t help to feel bad for the guy. He goes away and comes back to find Elizabeth engaged to his cousin. A great song to symbolize his situation between Demelza (his wife) and Elizabeth (his first love).
And I’d sing a song, that’d be just ours
But I sang ’em all to another heart
And I wanna cry I wanna learn to love
But all my tears have been used up
another love – tom odell
Where’s My Love – SYML (Romeo & Juliet)
Most of us read Romeo and Juliet in high school. If there is any part you remember from the experience, it’s the death scene. Now, here is a song to accompany it!
I got a fear
Oh, in my blood
She was carried up
Into the clouds, high above
Where’s my love – syml
Love In the Dark – Adele (Lady Chatterley)
A song that can easily represent the relationship between Lord and Lady Chatterley. A novel infamous for its subject matter, it freely discusses what it is to love and be loved in return. Now, falling in love with her gamekeeper, she finds the company of her husband more and more unappealing.
The longer we ignore it all the more that we will fight
Please don’t fall apart
I can’t face your breaking heart
I’m trying to be brave
Stop asking me to stay
love in the dark – adele
Heavy Love – Serena Ryder (Pride and Prejudice)
Elizabeth and Darcy — two people who completely misjudge one another based on everything but their actual person. Talk about a big “my bad!” This song may not be the perfect song to represent the whole book, but it can certainly hit on the fact that, to be together, they need to deal with one another’s differences (especially their social circles and families) and what that entails.
I don’t know what you think that you’re trying to prove
I don’t know what you think that I can do for you
I don’t believe in who you think that I should be
Because my world is so much bigger than you see
heavy love – serena ryder
I Don’t Believe You – Pink (Hamlet)
When listening to this song, think of Ophelia. That poor girl. If only we got a chance to read her story!
No I don’t believe you
When you say don’t come around here no more
I won’t remind you
You said we wouldn’t be apart
i don’t believe you – pink
This City – Sam Fischer (The Great Gastby)
If there is one thing The Great Gatsby is known for it is the party scenes. The guy knows how to entertain, that’s for sure. But what people forget is that while parties are seen as moments of joy and excitement, Gatsby is longing for Daisy and hoping that one day she will walk through the front door, like all these other party-goers, in search of a good time.
She got a hold on me
She got me wrapped ’round her finger
This city’s gonna break my heart
this city – sam fischer
Every Little Thing She Does She Is Magic – Sleeping At Last (A Midsummer’s Night Dream)
Love, magic, and the mess it makes! A great cover that adds to the fun that is this play.
Though I’ve tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her I just lose my nerve
As I’ve done from the start
Every little thing she does it magic – sleeping at last
I Believe – The Jonas Brothers (Outlander)
Should we deem this story a “love at first sight”? Hm, well, we think it’s pretty darn close. They may not live multiple lifetimes together, but there love does transcend time and space…literally.
Every night, every day, how about every lifetime?
Yeah, I know what they say, and that’s fine
i believe – jonas brothers
You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are – Keaton Henson (Les Miserables)
One of the saddest moments in Les Misérables is watching Eponine pine after Marius, only for him to fall madly in love with Cosette. It is through this love that she brings about her own death. This song is reminiscent of her thoughts towards Cosette, that the girl is not as good for Marius as she herself is.
Does he know who you are?
Does he laugh, just to know
What he has?Does he know not to talk
You don’t KNow How Lucky You are – Keaton Henson
About your dad?
Does he know when you’re sad?
Autumn Leaves – Ed Sheeran (Little Women)
A song for Beth, because there is no way you read this book and didn’t cry for her. We like to think that if Jo wasn’t married to pen and paper, but to the piano like Beth, she would have come up with a song like this for her.
Ooh how I miss you
My symphony played the song that carried you out
autumn leaves – ed sheeran
Are you a music lover like us? What genre would you like to see as a playlist next?
Bibliomavens 
Ooh this is a cool blog series! It’s a cool way to discover new music as well 🙂
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Right? We tried not to pick super mainstream stuff. And, if we did pick a well-known artist, we didn’t pick one of their singles. (At least, I don’t think we did.)
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I loved this. So interesting. I love that you picked a Jonas brothers song!
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Thank you! We had fun making it 🙂
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That’s great!
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