A few weeks ago on my
Facebook page, a reader asked the question, "What is Cat's theme song?" I replied that I would have to do a blog post about my playlist in order to explain fully. Because some of my choices require explanation...
I listen mostly to modern music, much of it "alternative" or inspired by punk. Though I do have some CDs of Tudor and baroque chamber music, much of what inspires me is what I hear on the radio or is recommended by friends who share my taste. It was important to me to put entirely modern music in my GILT playlist because I wanted the book to have a modern atmosphere and be compelling and relatable to a contemporary audience. I kept thinking of how well "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow fit into the film Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola.
Cat, in GILT, is Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth (and youngest) wife. I wanted to write a character who was smart and manipulative, self-involved and overly aware of her own appearance. I also wanted to write someone who didn't have awareness of her own actions and their repercussions. Someone who acts on whim and desire and does an awful lot for show.
For me, this was all represented in the song "The Fear" by
Lily Allen. The lyrics go,
I want to be rich and I want lots of money/I don't care about clever, I don't care about funny/I want lots of clothes and (I want lots) of diamonds/I hear people die while they're trying to find them...I have a feeling that the irony would escape Cat, but it suits her to a T. And the title hints at something more ominous.
This song includes explicit language, so be warned if you search for it on YouTube!
1. The first book I ever read alone was THE CAT IN THE HAT. I was six. Until then, I was determined never to learn to read because it made my older sister boring. But the day I read that book, I cancelled a playdate so I could read it again.
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