*I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING MUSIC*
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Here is the mood playlist for And So It Begins! You can take this and use it as a list, or you can listen to the songs right here on the website! Hope you enjoy this one as much as the last! (If you haven't read the It Starts With Me Mood playlist, I recommend checking that out before this one!)
And So It Begins by Klergy
Like It Starts With Me, the sequel has an opening song to share its namesake. This is meant to set you up for the story to come. I think it captures the feeling of the landscapes, the rawness of the character's feelings, and the overall tone of the book. It just so happened to have a perfect name to match!
Slip Away (feat. Ruelle) by UNSECRET
You'll be seeing a lot by UNSECRET. I highly recommend you check them out on your own time for sure! ANYWAY! This is the song that I picture while Amity is helping Nan take care of Luke after he suffers from his burns. It's very raw and speaks just to how Amity is feeling at the time. She doesn't think she could handle another goodbye; she doesn't think she's strong enough to get through it. This song fits the situation perfectly in my opinion.
Start a Riot by BANNERS
This is a favorite of mine. This is the song I picture playing in Luke's head as he and Amity seal the deal once again after over a year has passed. It's more of a goodbye for Amity, but for Luke, it is a culmination of his feelings for Amity. He's been dealing with a lot, trying to keep his feelings in check, but it's clear that he's fiercely protective of Amity and all he wants is to keep her happy and safe. The first time I heard this song I just knew it was perfect for this moment in the novel and it melts my heart every single time I imagine it!
Half Light by BANNERS
This is a very important scene for me. This is the song that plays when Amity is saying goodbye to Luke and Sarge, and when she steps into her hometown of Burns to turn herself in.
Keep in mind, that everything about this is playing in slow motion in my head to emphasize the true power and sadness of the scenes.
From 0:00-0:36 it's Amity hugging Sarge, crying into Luke's chest, and walking away from them. It really helps me get into the feelings that both Luke and Amity are feeling as they say their goodbyes.
From 0:37-0:50 is Luke struggling to hold Sarge back. As the chorus breaks, you see him struggle as Sarge jerks and cries and bites and snarls trying to get to the person he loves most. You can truly feel the anguish that both are feeling
0:51-1:02 is Amity taking a deep breath, thinking to herself why she chose to walk away, but ultimately remembering that this is her duty to protect the people she cares about.
From 1:02-1:27 it's Amity stepping out of the woods, being pinned to the ground, getting a gun held to her head. It's Giles stepping in and leading her away.
From 1:28-1:52 is the view of the townspeople as Amity is being drug past them, their eyes hungry for power. It's also a perfect time to picture just how much the town has fallen apart and the terribly gruesome conditions of the other human beings forced to live there.
Evil Ways (Justice Mix) by Blues Saraceno
This is Luke's song. There isn't an exact moment in the song that I imagine for the scene I'm about to name, but the overall idea of it seems to fit the theme. This is the song I picture when Luke is in the woods after finding Sam. As he sees the deer, as he tries to tell himself he's changed, the rage begins to take over again and he admits to himself that he's a cold-blooded killer. This song seems like the perfect anthem for Luke; the type that he feels fits him most.
Walls by The Color Morale
This song is intense and I imagine it as Amity is being thrown into her first and second tests. The opening of the melody leaves me in M's shoes as she struggles to grasp what exactly is going on while the scene is built around her. Once the chorus breaks out, it's when she's running toward Luke and pushing her body to its absolute limits to save him.
As the second verse starts, I imagine her second test. She's learning just how messed up everything is and all she wants to do is hide away, but she can't.
I also particularly like the irony of the words to the scenes. The Color Morale says "I built these walls to keep/the outside world from me" and "I'll fight to stay in the hell of my own mind/it's safer on the inside." This is ironic because Amity did in fact do these things, but there is no escape because the tests happen in her own mind. The hell of her own mind was used to create her own personalized torture, leaving a sense of being unsafe no matter where she goes.
War Paint by Chasing Jonah
I imagine the opening of this song as Amity is running through the jungle of her third test, trying to decide if she truly is going to kill someone else out of mercy or not. And then, when she gets to the gun and decides she's not going to, this music picks up as she walks the gun over and her confidence in her plan solidifies.
After the end of the first chorus, it's Amity handing the gun over and as the chorus breaks a second time, it's the confused and horrified screams of the girl as she looses control of her body and is forced to shoot herself.
At 2:30, I imagine the end of the test as Amity is removed and then her complete and utter shock as she is lead back to her room, wondering about what she just witnessed. At 3:16 when it slows down and ends on the very last haunting word, I picture Amity finally being told that her weakness is Guilt.
Tether Me by Galleaux
This is a very emotional song for me and honestly will make me cry if I think about Amity's feelings too much (I'm empathetic enough, so it makes sense). Tether Me is the song I picture for Amity's memories. This is the song playing in the background as she's forced to relive her guilt train in the MAP as well as all the leftover memories that follow as a side effect.
All she wants is her family. She wants Emma, Sarge, Luke, her parents. She wants those she loves to come back and be with her and I believe that Amity would be wishing they would "tether her" so she stops drifting away into the horrible and painful memories.
Knockout by UNSECRET & Club Danger
This is the song that I imagine is playing as Luke absolutely pummels the members of the gang. Luke is almost always in his element when chaos is around. He feels the most himself when he can feel the dissaray around him and still somehow take control. This song is a perfect embodiment of that. It's got the right amount of confidence, blood-pumping melodies, and seriouness all at once.
Trying My Best by Anson Seabra
Trying My Best is a very important song for Luke's development. Throughout the story, Luke struggles with who he wants to be, and the monster he feels he is. During this song, I imagine it's the accompanying juxtaposition softy song from Knockout. As opposed to being confident and loving the chaos, this is when Luke realizes that he really doesn't want to be a monster. It is kicked off because of his understanding of Sam and finding out that he was scaring him.
Despite the fact that he doesn't make a completely one-eighty and still goes back and forth from the "monster" he feels he is, and the understanding man he wants to be, this is the song that starts it all and I absolutely love it.
World on Fire by Klergy
This song is felt deep in my chest. I struggled for a bit on where exactly I wanted to put it because I just couldn't decide some of the times. It all feels very "desperate" to me and there are a lot of spaces in And So It Begins that could fit this. However, I decided to keep it for the original scene and nothing else: the one-armed kids.
I imagine this song playing out when Luke realizes that there are all these kids and they all have one arm because it seems to be the only way that they can escape the Guardianship. I think for Luke, this is truly hard for him because he realizes the extreme depth that people will go to in order to get away from the oppression and he understands that he once played a role in it. I believe he feels a sense of guilt in this aspect.
Be Still by the Killers
This song just gives me vibes for when Luke is saying goodbye to Sam. It feels very emotional, yet stoic, to me and I think it fits really well. For many reasons, but mostly unknown to Luke, he connected to Sam instantly and saying goodbye to him is hard, yet easy. This song is his way of sending him off.
Dangerous Game (feat. Sam Tinnesz) by UNSECRET
Here we go with UNSECRET again! But this song is what I hear when the group of Amiteers are outside of M's room beating Charlie. Amity feels hopeless, and the whole thing is absolutely dangerous. They are risking their lives for a cause, for a woman they've never really met, and for a child that everyone feels is their own sister.
This song has fearful undertones while having that survival spirit all throughout. You can almost feel the desperation of the scene when you listen, and the kids in the scene know the possibilities that lie ahead should they complete the task, and that makes the risks completely worth it to them.
As a bonus, my absolute favorite part of the song, and the culmination of all of the heightened feelings starts at 3:05 in the last chorus when Sam Tinnesz says "It's a dangerous game" over and over with the strings (violins maybe?) in the background. It is very intense and beautiful to me and it puts me right into the book every time.
Fight for Survival by Klergy
I imagine FIght for Survival starting up right after Giles shoots the kid in the Elemental room. Amity feels numb, empty, and broken in this scene. She doesn't want to move and she feels like giving up. She realizes that these people are fighting for her, but doesn't understand why. What she does understand, is the fact that survival is hard, and you're forced to do crazy things when you need to fight for it.
P.S. This is the inspiration for the Series name!
Way Down We Go (Stripped) by KALEO
Welcome to Limbo! This is the song I picture when Amity is being led from the viewing room into the torture room, towards the chair, where her Limbo will begin. It is very emotional and, well, "stripped". It fits perfectly to capture the mood and rawness of the scene, no other explanation necessary!
Notorious by Adelitas Way
This is the song for Luke as all of the traps begin to work on the officers and then as he ambushes them into a ceasefire. Notorious is a play on his more "monster" side as he would refer to it. The song perfectly matches his personality and the smugness that he holds. I think it's important because this is the little bit of devolving that happens in his character. In the beginning of the book, he feels like a monster. Then he meets Sam and realizes that that is not who wants to be. But after Sam is gone, he starts to see that it's a lot harder to escape who he is and who everyone sees him as. So this song, to me, is him accepting the bad parts, because let's be real: you can't get over something by denying it's existence.
Be A Witness (feat. Fleurie)
This is the song I picture as Luke is travelling to H.P.S. Headquarters. The boat ride, then the submarine, and then seeing everything for the first time. I'm not really sure why, but it has helped me clearly picture the enviroment of the Human Protective Service and so I've left it in here ever since.
Lay Your Weapons Down by UNSECRET & Sam Tinnesz
Again, yet another important song for Luke's growth and development. At this point, we've seen him try to completely phase out the monster inside of him, the part that loves chaos and revenge and fighting. But during this song, I imagine it as the first time Luke sees that maybe fighting isn't necessary, that maybe there is another way for things to be done. It is when he witnesses all of those innocent people running for their lives to try and avoid the air strike.
This is important because he has already accepted the "bad" parts of himself, but in this song, he is realizing that things aren't black and white, they are grey and perhaps there are other ways for justice to be served. This, I believe, is the final nail in the coffin for Luke's transformation.
Born to Be Champions (feat. Sam Tinnesz) by UNSECRET
This is the song I picture while Luke is teaching his team how to rely on wits, rather than technology. He works on actual reflexes and teaching them how to be better individuals and I just love this song for that. Plus he kicks Axom's butt in an epic showdown of his skill vs technology, and that's amazing!
Made For the Battle by UNSECRET & GAITS
Third UNSECRET song in row, I know, but damn they are so great. For this one, I imagine Luke picking out his weapons and getting ready for the extraction. I very vividly picture him coming out of the steam, allowing the water to run over his muscles, and the reveal of the chameleon suit. In every aspect, Luke is made for this battle.
Rise of the Runaways by Crown the Empire
Crown the Empire strikes again with the perfect song to put you right into the action! This is the song I imagine when Luke and his team are beginning their extraction. Fun Fact: The original title of the book was going to be Rise of the Runaways, but after I felt the book didn't fit the action-packed punch that such a title would suggest, I ended up switching it to And So It Begins!
The End by Klergy
Honestly, Klergy has been popping up quite a bit on this list and I just love the sound they have. For this song, I imagine Amity hooked up to the memory wiping machine, dealing with losing her memories. It fits the vibe I was going for as everything is torn away from Amity and it puts me in the perfect mindset for this scene. I don't have much else to say about it, because I think the song will speak for itself.
Souvenirs by Kina Grannis
This is the song I picture when Luke and the others are in the hospital waiting to see what's going to happen with Amity. It's slow and soft, perfect for the tone of the scene. It's beautiful, yet a little bittersweet, and wishful. This song actually gave me the idea for the uncertainty I wanted for the end and I'm glad I found it.
Revolution (feat. Ruelle) by UNSECRET
Just like It Starts With Me had a credit song, so does And So It Begins. This is the credit song that felt the most fitting. It foreshadows what's to come in the next part; the bridge between the second and third book. Hopefully it leads you in the right direction to see where things are headed.
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