Soundtrack to July and Half of August

Not that these songs will literally be playing during the play (although one of them is mentioned specifically, it is true), but these songs inspired me, drove me on, and also seem to click in with the themes of what I have tried to write. If I got stuck, and I often got stuck, I would turn to these songs, for the feel of them. They capture it.

Look at her face
She’s crying
See her disgrace
It’s blinding
I hope you figure it out

Look at her face
She’s blinded
By her mistakes
It’s lying
I hope you figure it out

I wanted you bad
Regretful and true
You looked back in front of me
Completely in view

This kid’s got your back
The sunlight is true
Look back in front of me
Completely anew
I want you to notice

Feeling your styles the causes your blankets that saved me
Over and over and over and over you played me
Afraid of rejection the places we went that defaced me
Over and over and over and over you saved me

Look at her face
She’s crying
See her mistakes
They’re blinding

I hope you figure it out

Sun is shinin’ in the sky
There ain’t a cloud in sight
It’s stopped rainin’ ev’rybody’s in a play
And don’t you know
It’s a beautiful new day hey,hey

Runnin’ down the avenue
See how the sun shines brightly in the city
On the streets where once was pity
Mister blue sky is living here today hey, hey

Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?

Hey you with the pretty face
Welcome to the human race
A celebration, mister blue sky’s up there waitin’
And today is the day we’ve waited for

Hey there mister blue
We’re so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do
Ev’rybody smiles at you

Mister blue sky, mister blue sky
Mister blue sky

Mister blue, you did it right
But soon comes mister night creepin’ over
Now his hand is on your shoulder
Never mind I’ll remember you this
I’ll remember you this way

Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long
Where did we go wrong?

Hey there mister blue
We’re so pleased to be with you
Look around see what you do
Ev’rybody smiles at you

We were sleeping in for years, letting go of our friends
Scaring our friends
We were seeing clearer closing our eyes
And our lashes intertwined

The things you find in the backseat of your mind
What you find

And we filled each others footprints in the snow
Full of warm red alcohol
We were learning to make the world stand still
And it will, but untill

Do I lie in the backseat of your mind?
Do I lie?

Just a second and were gone
Just an imprint when were done

It should be forever
God told me
We’re born into the wrong time
(Whatever you’re doing, I’m there with you)
(God bless you)
(Whatever I’m doing, you’re here with me)
(God bless you)

I have looked all over the place,
But you have got my favorite face.
Your eyelashes sparkle like gilded grass
and your lips are sweet and slippery
Like a cherub’s bare wet ass …

‘Cause you’re a human supernova,
A solar superman.
You’re an angel with wings of fire,
A flying, giant friction blast.

You walk in clouds of glitter
and the sun reflects your eyes.
And every time the wind blows,
I can smell you in the sky.
Your kisses are as wicked as an F-16
And you fuck like a volcano
and you’re everything to me…

‘Cause you’re a human supernova,
A solar superman
You’re an angel with wings of fire,
A flying, giant friction blast
You’re a giant, flying friction blast

‘Cause you’re a human supernova,
A solar superman,
You’re an angel with wings of fire,
A flying, giant friction blast …

Where were you the other night?
We coulda used you in the fight
Oh and everybody said to say “Hi”
We all were wonderin’ when you were gonna stop by
I know ya had a little bad luck
But didn’t anybody tell you everyone does?

Get up
You’re just in a slump
Get up
You’re stuck in rut
Get up
Before you lose touch
Get up

Don’tcha think you’ve had enough?
You gotta stop beatin’ yourself up
Oh I know how much you like to play rough
But if you don’t allow the scabs to heal they scar up
Don’t you know I’ve heard it all before?
So don’tcha leave your sad excuses outside my door

Get up
You’re just in a slump
Get up
You’re stuck in rut
Get up
Before you lose touch
Get up

Can’t you see no matter what I do
I just can’t seem to get my shit together without you

Get up
You’re just in a slump
Get up
You’re stuck in rut
Get up
Before you lose touch
Get up
Get up
Get up
Get up

Oh, if you tell a lie
You know that I’ll forgive you
Though you say our love is just a game
And when you hear my name
You’ll say I’m from a strange world
But is it so strange to be in love with you
Is it so strange
That I love you more than all the world
Is it so strange
I have no eyes for any other girl
Oh won’t you take me back
And say that you still love me
To waste a love like ours would be a sin
Let us kiss again
Let me hold you near
And take me from this strange world
That I’m living in

I can’t get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know I’ll be alright
Perhaps it’s just imagination

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation
It’s time to walk the streets
Smell the desperation

Atleast there’s pretty lights
And though there’s little variation
It nullifies the night from overkill

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away
Come back another day

I can’t get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know I’ll be alright
It’s just overkill

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away
Ghosts appear and fade away
Ghosts appear and fade away

I had a dream I was living by the ocean
I had a dream I was living in the sun
I wake up sad because I’m living in darkness
I know I’m not alone
I know I’m not the only one

I had a dream that I had no depression
I had a dream I had a smile on my face
I wake up hungry so I feed my obsession
I know I gotta leave
I know I gotta run away

Far away
Where the faces all look happy and I know it’s a dream
A beautiful dream
I want to lose myself in the sunshine where I can be free
Yeah I just wanna be free
Free in a beautiful dream
Yeah but it’s a beautiful dream

I had a dream I was living by the ocean
I had a dream I was living for the day
I wake up sad in a perpetual emotion
I know I gotta leave here
I know I gotta run away

Far away
Where the faces all look happy and I know it’s a dream
A beautiful dream
I want to lose myself in myself where I can be free
I just wanna be free
Free in a beautiful dream
Yeah a beautiful dream
Free inside a beautiful dream
Free in a beautiful dream

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12 Responses to Soundtrack to July and Half of August

  1. Kate says:

    I had dinner last week with a director recently who talked about choosing songs for each scene and I’d never heard anything like it. They may or may not have played during the scene but he needed them to understand it. Fascinating!

  2. sheila says:

    Kate – yes, it is so fascinating, isn’t it?

    Music is so key in terms of mood. It also can act as a shortcut. You may not be “in the mood” to work on a certain scene, you may be totally in a different energy – and a song can jump-cut you right into the mood you need.

  3. Kate says:

    Interesting new concept for me and I may need to explore as a writer. An actor who has worked with the director I mentioned was also with us at dinner and said the music helped them ALL understand the scene and set the mood and that it was really one of his gifts as a director. Can’t wait to try this!

  4. Kerry says:

    Mary-Louise Parker used to listen to The Indigo Girls’ “Ghost” every night before How I Learned to Drive. It said everything the play said. Amazing.

  5. sheila says:

    Kerry – God, that song. It is such a time-and-place song for me – the 74 Facts time … I can barely listen to it now, but it sure does capture that feeling of that kind of love. Amazing! I love to hear stories about the music that inspires.

    The “Back Seat” song your brother Mike sent to me – when I was nearing completion of the final draft. He has such interesting taste in music, finds such interesting things – and boy, that song … OUCH!!!

  6. Greg says:

    This is fascinating. Music is so central to major emotional and artistic moments in my life. You know I’m rereading the play and playing these songs as I read. Going out now to get a bottle of Red first.

    • sheila says:

      Oh boy. A bottle of red, my play, and those songs? Look out!!

      Thank you so much for all your help, Greg … I am so glad you’re involved. See you Monday!

  7. Maryann says:

    Thank you for sharing!!! Some new favorite songs for me.

  8. Kerry says:

    I have been listening to the “soundtrack” of Searching for Certainty all night and what strikes me is that when we are at out lowest and most broken-hearted, there have to be at least TEN songs that brilliantly portray what we thought we were going through alone. Thank God people take their pain and create things for the rest of us. How else would we survive?

  9. sheila says:

    Kerry – yes, I so agree. I cannot even count how many songs have literally gotten me through a rough time because they said what I couldn’t say. They helped with the necessary catharsis.

    what are the songs on that soundtrack? would love to hear. who did the music for it? Leahy?

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