[book][haruki murakami] Down Mexico Way: a Haruki Murakami FST
"There's no such thing as perfect writing. Just like there's no such thing as perfect despair."
-- Murakami, Hear the Wind Sing
My first Murakami was Norwegian Wood. It was five years ago, in 2001, when my friend Olive pressed a book into my hands and said, "read this, you'll like it." She was right. It soon became my favourite book for that year, and I carried it around covertly in my backpack, dipping into it whenever I needed to take a break.
I've always had Murakami books with me since then.
To prepare this soundtrack I went through all ten of his published fiction works in English, as well a Jay Rubin's excellent "The Music of Words," a book that explores the meaning of Murakami's writing through the lens of one of his three main English-language translators. Having done that, my intention is not to make a "balanced" soundtrack that touches on each of his works, but rather a cohesive one that gives a picture of Murakami's prevailing musical moods. I want this to be the kind of music you can listen to when reading his books, which is another way of saying that I want this soundtrack to be the kind of thing you can listen to on a lazy summer day on a beach by the sea, either alone or with pleasant company. This is music for swimming, for drinking beer, for making love, for eating a multi-course Italian dinner with, and most importantly, for getting lost in.
Haruki Murakami's musical influences are primarily jazz, classical, and what would now be considered oldies American rock. These are the kinds of songs you'll find on this soundtrack, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.
1. Yosui Inoue "Natsu no Owari Harmony" [YSI]
Out of desperation Hoshino started singing an Inoue Yosui tune. He couldn't recall the rest of the lyrics, so he made them up as he went along.
- Kafka on the Shore
Honestly, I have no idea if this is the correct song for this moment in the book, because translated lyrics are not too much to go on when you are looking for works by a 1970s Japanese folklore singer. I just like the song. This is the sort of music you'd get on a summer cruise ship as the sun is setting and you're drinking strawberry margaritas in a large, salt-lined glass. It's cheesy and yet so relentlessly upbeat that it's enjoyable.
2. Edvard Grieg, the Peer Gynt Suite #2, Solvejg's Song [YSI]
In "South of the Border, West of the Sun," Shimamoto and the narrator ("Boku") used to meet once or twice a week when they were young and listened to classical music records while drinking tea brewed by Shinamoto's mother. The Peer Gynt suite was one of the things they'd listen to over and over again, along with other music by Beethoven and Rossini. This piece reflects perfectly the kind of melancholy and beautiful nostalgia that I think often goes along with anything Murakami writes.
3. Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra, "Desafinado" [YSI]
Then, noticing my guitar, she picked it up, adjusted the tuning, and played Antonio Carlos Jobim's Desafinado.
- Norwegian Wood
This song comes in near the end of the novel, and is but one of many that Reiko plays on a guitar for the narrator. Specifically Jobim is mentioned, but I chose the Sinatra version out of my own discretion. Frank Sinatra has a very smooth voice, and this song is beautiful in its vulnerability and nostalgic sweetness.
4. Peter and Gordon, "I Go To Pieces" [YSI]
I started whistling the beginning riff to Peter and Gordon's 'I Go to Pieces.' Nice song, a hell of a lot better than Duran Duran.
- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
It's debatable whether Peter and Gordon are that much better than Duran Duran in an absolute sense, but the narrator of Hardboiled Wonderland can be forgiven for preferring simple songs with the timeless summer feel of "I go to pieces." This is a fine old love song, introspective and perfectly fitting for what is going on near the end of that novel.
5. Johnny Hodges, "On the Sunny Side of the Street" [YSI]
There's a jazz bar in South of the Border, and records of Johnny Hodges Orchestra would be staples for when live music isn't being played. This particular song reminds me of when Hajime catches a brief glance of Shimamoto-san walking down the street. The modulated brass phrases of this piece are lingering and upbeat. This is café music at it's most sublime.
6. Stan Getx and Astrud Gilberto, "The Girl from Ipanema" [YSI]
Murakami wrote a short story about meeting the girl from this song, a girl who walks with her feet in the sea and who looks forever at the water, and who is forever young and lovely. Several people did versions of this song, including the aforementioned Frank Sinatra, but I prefer the Spanish. This is an early summer, early morning beach, fresh and glittering and carefree with brilliant white sands.
7. Kenny Burrell, "Stormy Monday Blues." [YSI]
My translation of Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World lists the name of this song as "Stormy Sunday," but I couldn't find any version with that name and so I suspect it was a mistake. This is probably one of the pieces that helped usher the narrator of that book to the beautiful and yet lonely walled city within his own mind.
8. Astrud Gilberto and Chet Baker, "Far Away" [YSI]
Not a song specifically listed in any Murakami work, although Astrud Gilberto is mentioned a few times in various places. This song has a distinctly moody Spanish feel, melancholy jazz for a warm starlit night by the sea.
9. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto, no. 1, Allegro, the Pablo Casels version [YSI]
Then she asked, "Whose Brandenburg is this?"
"Trevor Pinnock."
"Are you a Pinnock fan?"
"Not especially. This tape just caught my eye. It's not bad."
"Richter's is my favourite, but did you know Pablo Casals also has a version?"
"Casals?"
"It's not what you'd expect the Brandenburg to sound like. It's very interesting."
"I'll look for it," I said. "Where shall we eat?"
"How about Italian?"
-- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
10. The Beatles, "Norwegian Wood" [YSI]
Once the plane was on the ground, soft music began to flow from the ceiling speakers: a sweet orchestral version of the Beatle's "Norwegian Wood." The melody never failed to send a shudder through me, but this time it hit me harder than ever.
-- Norwegian Wood
11. Kyo Sakamoto, "Sukiyaki" [YSI]
This is a pop hit from the 1960s in Japan, and is one of the few Japanese songs that Murakami mentions by name. This turns up in Norwegian Wood, and is one of the many songs that Reiko plays near the end of that book.
12. Blood Sweat and Tears, "Spinning Wheel." [YSI]
Naoko and Reiko ordered cold glasses of milk and I asked for a beer.
"Let's hear the radio," said Reiko. The girl switched on an amplifier and tuned in an FM station. Blood, Sweat and Tears came on with "Spinning Wheel."
-- Norwegian Wood
13. Miles Davis, "Surrey with a Fringe on Top" [YSI]
This is some end-of the world jazz from Hardboiled Wonderland. Miles Davis is probably one of Murakami's favourite jazz musicians, and this piece is a perfect example for why.
14. Johnny Cash, "Danny Boy" [YSI]
Bing Crosby sings the version of this in Hardboiled Wonderland, but I like this one better.
She put on Danny Boy so I could sing it again.
"But if you fall as all the flowers're dying,
And you are dead, as dead you well may be,
I'll come and find the place where you are lying,
And kneel and say an ave there for thee.
But come ye back when summer's in--"
The second time through made me terribly sad.
"Send me letters from wherever it is you're going," she said, touching me.
"I will," I promised. "If it's the sort of place I can mail letters from."
She poured wine into both of our glasses.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Nighttime," she answered.
-- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
15. Chris Isaak, "South of the Border" [YSI]
Off in the distance, Nat King Cole was singing 'South of the Border.' The song was about Mexico, but at the time I had no idea. The words "south of the border" had a strangely appealing ring to them. I was convinced something utterly wonderful lay south of the border. When I opened my eyes, Shimamoto was still moving her fingers along her skirt. Somewhere deep inside my body I felt an exquisitely sweet ache.
-- South of the Border, West of the Sun
16. Bill Evans Trio, "Waltz for Debbie" [YSI]
I found things to say in response at first, but after a while I stopped trying. I put on a record, and when it ended I lifted the needle and put on another one. After the last record I went back to the first. She had only six all together. The cycle started with Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and ended with Bill Evan's Waltz for Debbie. Rain fell past the window. Time moved slowly. Naoko went on talking by herself.
-- Norwegian Wood
17. Rossini, "The Thieving Magpie" overture [YSI]
When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, boiling a potful of spaghetti and whistling along with an FM broadcast of the overture to Rossini's The Thieving Magpie, which has to be the perfect music for cooking pasta.
I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because the spaghetti was nearly done, but because Claudio Abbado was bringing the London Symphony to its musical climax. Finally, though, I had to give in. It could have been someone with news of a job opening. I lowered the flame, went to the living room, and picked up the receiver.
"Ten minutes, please," said a woman's voice on the other end.
-- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles
18. Bob Dylan, "Like a Rolling Stone" [YSI]
It took forever to get by the accident site, but there was still plenty of time before the appointed hour, so I smoked and kept listening to Dylan. Like a Rolling Stone. I began to hum along.
We were all getting old. That much was as plain as the falling rain.
-- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
19. Haibane Renmei, "Ailes Grises" [YSI]
This is the only song not directly referenced from a Haruki Murakami work. Instead it comes from the anime series, Haibane Renmei, a story about people who find themselves in a medieval walled city, without memory of their names or anything about their past. Haibane Renmei is widely regarded as inspired by Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, and I chose this piece not only because I love it, but because the piano is perfectly evocative of a certain mood I find laced throughout Murakami's writing A sort of hopeful loneliness, the kind that is inside each of us.
20. Bing Crosby, "White Christmas" [YSI]
A thirty minute soak in the tub and hot tea with brandy finally brought my body back to normal, although for the next two hours I suffered from intermittent chills. So this was winter on the mountain.
The snow kept falling straight through until evening, covering the entire pasture in white. The snow let up just as night cloaked the world in darkness, and once again a profound hush drifted in like mist. A hush I could do nothing to deny. I put the record player on automatic repeat and listened to "White Christmas" twenty-six times.
-- A Wild Sheep Chase
Full Megaupload FST download: Down Mexico Way: A Haruki Murakami FST (total 86.05 MB)
(crossposted to fst)
-- Murakami, Hear the Wind Sing
My first Murakami was Norwegian Wood. It was five years ago, in 2001, when my friend Olive pressed a book into my hands and said, "read this, you'll like it." She was right. It soon became my favourite book for that year, and I carried it around covertly in my backpack, dipping into it whenever I needed to take a break.
I've always had Murakami books with me since then.
To prepare this soundtrack I went through all ten of his published fiction works in English, as well a Jay Rubin's excellent "The Music of Words," a book that explores the meaning of Murakami's writing through the lens of one of his three main English-language translators. Having done that, my intention is not to make a "balanced" soundtrack that touches on each of his works, but rather a cohesive one that gives a picture of Murakami's prevailing musical moods. I want this to be the kind of music you can listen to when reading his books, which is another way of saying that I want this soundtrack to be the kind of thing you can listen to on a lazy summer day on a beach by the sea, either alone or with pleasant company. This is music for swimming, for drinking beer, for making love, for eating a multi-course Italian dinner with, and most importantly, for getting lost in.
Haruki Murakami's musical influences are primarily jazz, classical, and what would now be considered oldies American rock. These are the kinds of songs you'll find on this soundtrack, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.
1. Yosui Inoue "Natsu no Owari Harmony" [YSI]
Out of desperation Hoshino started singing an Inoue Yosui tune. He couldn't recall the rest of the lyrics, so he made them up as he went along.
- Kafka on the Shore
Honestly, I have no idea if this is the correct song for this moment in the book, because translated lyrics are not too much to go on when you are looking for works by a 1970s Japanese folklore singer. I just like the song. This is the sort of music you'd get on a summer cruise ship as the sun is setting and you're drinking strawberry margaritas in a large, salt-lined glass. It's cheesy and yet so relentlessly upbeat that it's enjoyable.
2. Edvard Grieg, the Peer Gynt Suite #2, Solvejg's Song [YSI]
In "South of the Border, West of the Sun," Shimamoto and the narrator ("Boku") used to meet once or twice a week when they were young and listened to classical music records while drinking tea brewed by Shinamoto's mother. The Peer Gynt suite was one of the things they'd listen to over and over again, along with other music by Beethoven and Rossini. This piece reflects perfectly the kind of melancholy and beautiful nostalgia that I think often goes along with anything Murakami writes.
3. Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra, "Desafinado" [YSI]
Then, noticing my guitar, she picked it up, adjusted the tuning, and played Antonio Carlos Jobim's Desafinado.
- Norwegian Wood
This song comes in near the end of the novel, and is but one of many that Reiko plays on a guitar for the narrator. Specifically Jobim is mentioned, but I chose the Sinatra version out of my own discretion. Frank Sinatra has a very smooth voice, and this song is beautiful in its vulnerability and nostalgic sweetness.
4. Peter and Gordon, "I Go To Pieces" [YSI]
I started whistling the beginning riff to Peter and Gordon's 'I Go to Pieces.' Nice song, a hell of a lot better than Duran Duran.
- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
It's debatable whether Peter and Gordon are that much better than Duran Duran in an absolute sense, but the narrator of Hardboiled Wonderland can be forgiven for preferring simple songs with the timeless summer feel of "I go to pieces." This is a fine old love song, introspective and perfectly fitting for what is going on near the end of that novel.
5. Johnny Hodges, "On the Sunny Side of the Street" [YSI]
There's a jazz bar in South of the Border, and records of Johnny Hodges Orchestra would be staples for when live music isn't being played. This particular song reminds me of when Hajime catches a brief glance of Shimamoto-san walking down the street. The modulated brass phrases of this piece are lingering and upbeat. This is café music at it's most sublime.
6. Stan Getx and Astrud Gilberto, "The Girl from Ipanema" [YSI]
Murakami wrote a short story about meeting the girl from this song, a girl who walks with her feet in the sea and who looks forever at the water, and who is forever young and lovely. Several people did versions of this song, including the aforementioned Frank Sinatra, but I prefer the Spanish. This is an early summer, early morning beach, fresh and glittering and carefree with brilliant white sands.
7. Kenny Burrell, "Stormy Monday Blues." [YSI]
My translation of Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World lists the name of this song as "Stormy Sunday," but I couldn't find any version with that name and so I suspect it was a mistake. This is probably one of the pieces that helped usher the narrator of that book to the beautiful and yet lonely walled city within his own mind.
8. Astrud Gilberto and Chet Baker, "Far Away" [YSI]
Not a song specifically listed in any Murakami work, although Astrud Gilberto is mentioned a few times in various places. This song has a distinctly moody Spanish feel, melancholy jazz for a warm starlit night by the sea.
9. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto, no. 1, Allegro, the Pablo Casels version [YSI]
Then she asked, "Whose Brandenburg is this?"
"Trevor Pinnock."
"Are you a Pinnock fan?"
"Not especially. This tape just caught my eye. It's not bad."
"Richter's is my favourite, but did you know Pablo Casals also has a version?"
"Casals?"
"It's not what you'd expect the Brandenburg to sound like. It's very interesting."
"I'll look for it," I said. "Where shall we eat?"
"How about Italian?"
-- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
10. The Beatles, "Norwegian Wood" [YSI]
Once the plane was on the ground, soft music began to flow from the ceiling speakers: a sweet orchestral version of the Beatle's "Norwegian Wood." The melody never failed to send a shudder through me, but this time it hit me harder than ever.
-- Norwegian Wood
11. Kyo Sakamoto, "Sukiyaki" [YSI]
This is a pop hit from the 1960s in Japan, and is one of the few Japanese songs that Murakami mentions by name. This turns up in Norwegian Wood, and is one of the many songs that Reiko plays near the end of that book.
12. Blood Sweat and Tears, "Spinning Wheel." [YSI]
Naoko and Reiko ordered cold glasses of milk and I asked for a beer.
"Let's hear the radio," said Reiko. The girl switched on an amplifier and tuned in an FM station. Blood, Sweat and Tears came on with "Spinning Wheel."
-- Norwegian Wood
13. Miles Davis, "Surrey with a Fringe on Top" [YSI]
This is some end-of the world jazz from Hardboiled Wonderland. Miles Davis is probably one of Murakami's favourite jazz musicians, and this piece is a perfect example for why.
14. Johnny Cash, "Danny Boy" [YSI]
Bing Crosby sings the version of this in Hardboiled Wonderland, but I like this one better.
She put on Danny Boy so I could sing it again.
"But if you fall as all the flowers're dying,
And you are dead, as dead you well may be,
I'll come and find the place where you are lying,
And kneel and say an ave there for thee.
But come ye back when summer's in--"
The second time through made me terribly sad.
"Send me letters from wherever it is you're going," she said, touching me.
"I will," I promised. "If it's the sort of place I can mail letters from."
She poured wine into both of our glasses.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Nighttime," she answered.
-- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
15. Chris Isaak, "South of the Border" [YSI]
Off in the distance, Nat King Cole was singing 'South of the Border.' The song was about Mexico, but at the time I had no idea. The words "south of the border" had a strangely appealing ring to them. I was convinced something utterly wonderful lay south of the border. When I opened my eyes, Shimamoto was still moving her fingers along her skirt. Somewhere deep inside my body I felt an exquisitely sweet ache.
-- South of the Border, West of the Sun
16. Bill Evans Trio, "Waltz for Debbie" [YSI]
I found things to say in response at first, but after a while I stopped trying. I put on a record, and when it ended I lifted the needle and put on another one. After the last record I went back to the first. She had only six all together. The cycle started with Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and ended with Bill Evan's Waltz for Debbie. Rain fell past the window. Time moved slowly. Naoko went on talking by herself.
-- Norwegian Wood
17. Rossini, "The Thieving Magpie" overture [YSI]
When the phone rang I was in the kitchen, boiling a potful of spaghetti and whistling along with an FM broadcast of the overture to Rossini's The Thieving Magpie, which has to be the perfect music for cooking pasta.
I wanted to ignore the phone, not only because the spaghetti was nearly done, but because Claudio Abbado was bringing the London Symphony to its musical climax. Finally, though, I had to give in. It could have been someone with news of a job opening. I lowered the flame, went to the living room, and picked up the receiver.
"Ten minutes, please," said a woman's voice on the other end.
-- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles
18. Bob Dylan, "Like a Rolling Stone" [YSI]
It took forever to get by the accident site, but there was still plenty of time before the appointed hour, so I smoked and kept listening to Dylan. Like a Rolling Stone. I began to hum along.
We were all getting old. That much was as plain as the falling rain.
-- Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
19. Haibane Renmei, "Ailes Grises" [YSI]
This is the only song not directly referenced from a Haruki Murakami work. Instead it comes from the anime series, Haibane Renmei, a story about people who find themselves in a medieval walled city, without memory of their names or anything about their past. Haibane Renmei is widely regarded as inspired by Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, and I chose this piece not only because I love it, but because the piano is perfectly evocative of a certain mood I find laced throughout Murakami's writing A sort of hopeful loneliness, the kind that is inside each of us.
20. Bing Crosby, "White Christmas" [YSI]
A thirty minute soak in the tub and hot tea with brandy finally brought my body back to normal, although for the next two hours I suffered from intermittent chills. So this was winter on the mountain.
The snow kept falling straight through until evening, covering the entire pasture in white. The snow let up just as night cloaked the world in darkness, and once again a profound hush drifted in like mist. A hush I could do nothing to deny. I put the record player on automatic repeat and listened to "White Christmas" twenty-six times.
-- A Wild Sheep Chase
Full Megaupload FST download: Down Mexico Way: A Haruki Murakami FST (total 86.05 MB)
(crossposted to fst)