Soundtrack Repost: Upon Hearing About the Death of Sunnydale
This was originally posted for 2005fanmixes challenge.
I'm reposting with fresh links since there's a new Jossverse fanmix community called jossverse_radio and because I've had a lot of people friend me lately.
For my subject: The reaction of the Sunnydale High School Class of '99 when they heard/read in the news about the destruction of Sunnydale. None of these songs are meant to be indicative of the Scoobs, just random unnamed students.
In keeping with the rules of the 2005fanmixes, there are only 10 songs in the mix and I provide an explanation why these songs were included. The end result is a somewhat fic-ish set of liner notes. In addition, I've avoided better-known songs or, in the case where the songs are better known, I've gone with an alternative artist or an alternative mix.
There's no artwork with this (because I suck at artwork), so thank heavens, 2005fanmixes doesn't require me to have it. However, if anyone wants to volunteer something so I can post this to other mix communities, let me know.
Each track listing will allow you to download the individual song.
I have also created a project page that lists all 10 songs on the soundtrack for download.
Please leave a comment if you download anything.
Upon Hearing About the Death of Sunnydale
1. Karma (In the Life) from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) and OK Computer (Radiohead)
Beatles/Radiohead Mash-Up
[Support The Beatles], [Support Radiohead]
I read the news today.
Oh, boy.
About a lucky man who made the grade.
And though the news was rather sad,
Well I just had to laugh.
I saw the photograph.
Some Sunnydale High alumni who fled town right after graduation probably view themselves as "escapees" of the town. They've spent a lifetime learning to not morn the dead or go looking for the missing. A portion must be so emotionally damaged that they can't feel anything at all. Upon first seeing the headlines proclaiming the "Death of Sunnydale," their first reaction is not sympathy or compassion for those who might've died. Instead, their first reaction is to laugh, even though they know it's exactly the wrong reaction.
2. Midnight Star from In 3-D
Weird Al Yankovic
[Support the Artist]
I was waiting in the express lane with my twelve items or less
At the checkout counter at the local grocery store.
I was only passin' by,
But a paper caught my eye
And I learned a few things I never knew before.
The clueless and somewhat credulous majority of Sunnydale citizens had no doubt heard all kinds of strange stories about their town while they lived there. Most of them spent their time in town precariously balanced between willful disbelief and willing belief. However, the Sunnydale blindness always won out because believing the insane stories would, by definition, make them crazy. The supermarket checkout rags within weeks of the town's loss start jumping on conspiracy theories that tell the "real" reason why Sunnydale collapsed. Imagine a Sunnydale High graduate reading the crazy headlines while waiting in the supermarket checkout. Would they look too closely at the news about Sunnydale? Or would they focus on the other "equally crazy" headlines instead?
3. Lies from Sink or Swim
The Waifs
[Support the Artist]
You read the paper, watch the news and think
You're well informed.
Well, I’ve got some news for you my friend.
That headline that you read, the story that broke?
Was a scandle and a scam, a political master stroke.
They tell you what they want you to hear,
So close your eyes and open your ears.
Some graduates of Sunnydale High fled town right after graduation, not because they wanted to forget, but because they couldn't. Although they'd seen reality, instead of staying and offering to help fight, they decided that the better part of valor was to run. Imagine one of those knowing graduates who helped fight against the Mayor during his Ascention at graduation, parking themselves in front the T.V. and watching the endless live coverage from CNN. She'd be drinking beer after beer and half-drunkenly regailing her roommates that they shouldn't believe a damn thing the news tells them about Sunnydale.
4. Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes) from Barking at Airplanes
Kim Carnes
[Support the Artist]
Sometimes I really think
I'm going crazy in the night,
When I hide down in the covers
And I won't turn out the light.
I think nothing's gonna get me,
But then again it might.
What can I do to keep from going
Crazy in the night?
Can you grow up in Sunnydale and not be afraid of the dark? The obvious answer is, "No." Some of the people who left Sunnydale must have phobias about the dark and imagine that all kinds of monsters are after them. They take childish measures to protect themselves from the half-remembered real nightmares of their youth. Now that they're adults, they "know" the monsters aren't real. But it's the shadow of the doubt that'll get them every time. News that Sunnydale has been destroyed is sure to bring all those childish fears and doubts right to the surface, even if the sun is out.
5. Blood Makes Noise from 99.9 Degrees F
Suzanne Vega
[Support the Artist]
I think that you might want to know
The details and the facts,
But there's something in my blood
Denies the memory of the acts.
So just forget it Doc.
I think it's really
Cool that you're concerned,
But we'll have to try again
After the silence has returned.
Well, what happens to those people who have more than just a phobia of the dark? Or what happens when they run into the monsters after they leave town? Can you say, "psychotic break?" Meet one such person who has been institutionalized. Maybe they've caught news coverage on the television in the rec room. Maybe a visitor told them. Either way, news of Sunnydale's destruction has only pushed them even more into their paranoid psychosis. Too bad none of the doctors believe them.
6. Fiend Club from Famous Monsters
The Misfits
[Support the Artist]
We won't pretend that this is the end.
We're not losers all of the time.
We march and we fall,
We're one and for all.
It's just evil all of the time...
All the time...
We are the fiend club
We are the fiend club
We are the fiend club
Not you! Not you!
Maybe there's a college where a lot of Sunnydale High grads ended up, at least the ones that didn't go to U.C. Sunnydale. Maybe when they run across each other on campus, they meet eyes before they look away. Maybe they ignore each others' existence. But when news of Sunnydale's destruction breaks, they find themselves gathering together on the quad. Bottles of beers are passed from hand to hand in a furitive manner as they acknowlege that they are part of a unique club. It's not a club anyone wants to join. Good thing it's not a club that will ever welcome new members again.
7. Don't Fear the Reaper from Infernal Love Songs, Vol. 666
H.I.M.
[Support the Artist]
All our times have come here,
But now they're gone.
Seasons don't fear the reaper,
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain.
We can be like they are.
The Sunydale High Class of '99 has very high rates of suicide and/or drug use. Two Sunnydale High grads have escaped to L.A. and have endured both the rain of fire and the blacking out of the sun. Slowly they get pushed closer to the brink as they hide in every mind-altering substance they can find, not just to forget their current predicament, but the past. News that Sunnydale has been destroyed not only shoves the past in their face, but points to the only exit they believe available to them. After all, how many people "committed suicide" or "ran away" while they lived in Sunnydale? It isn't like death hadn't been used as an escape from the long shadow of that town before.
8. If I Ever Leave This World Alive from Drunken Lullabies
Flogging Molly
[Support the Artist]
So when in doubt just call my name
Just before you go insane.
If I ever leave this world -
Hey, I may never leave this world -
But if I ever leave this world alive.
She says I'm okay; I'm alright,
Though you have gone from my life.
You said that it would,
Now everything should be all right.
Of those Sunnydale High grads who managed to escape and live lives that appear well-adjusted on the surface, the news of Sunnydale's destruction has resulted in a hard emotional hit. Some reach out to their loved ones. Maybe they're drinking, or maybe they're completely sober. Either way, they ramble on about death, and promises, and swearing that no matter what, it'll be okay. Their bemused significant others have no idea what they're talking about, so they nod along and agree that, yes, the news is tragic, but it really will be alright.
9. American Tune (Live; A Capella) from 1200 Curfews
Indigo Girls
[Support the Artist]
I don't know a soul who's not been battered.
I don't have a friend who feels at ease.
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered,
Or driven to it's knees.
Oh, but it's all right, it's all right.
We've lived so well, so long.
Still, when I think of the road we're travelling on,
I wonder what's gone wrong.
I can't help it, I wonder what's gone wrong.
Some, upon reading the headlines, are struck by grief. All they know is that Sunnydale was a bad place and that a lot of people never made it out of town alive, and that's even before the "earthquake" that turned Sunnydale into a sinkhole. As they hungrily read the headlines and peruse the news stories, they are reminded that there are bits of their lives that occupy a dark hole in their psyche. Maybe they're not terrified of the dark, maybe the don't need professional help to deal with PTSD. All they know is that the shadow of Sunnydale has followed them and will continue to follow them for the rest of their lives. They do the best they can, they put on a happy face, but when confronted with pictures of "the Sunnydale crater," all they can do is wonder how it all went so wrong.
10. Resilience from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortuante Events
Original Movie Soundtrack
[Support the Artist]
Instrumental.
In all the screaming headlines of the Sunnydale catastrophe, one small story almost gets missed by everyone. It's a short article about the bravery of a bedraggled group of survivors who grabbed as many people as they could, commandeered a school bus, and drove like hell out of town even as it collapsed around them. There's a small picture accompanying the article, showing the uncomfortable-looking heroes of the hour. It's a perfect snapshot of the moment before this group separates and scatters to the four corners of the globe. Some of the Sunnydale High Class of '99 graduates recognize them and feel hope. Not all is lost, and not all is for nothing. And while maybe the memories won't let them sleep at night, somewhere out there this group - the weird group in high school that hung together no matter what - is still out there and still fighting. And maybe, just maybe, that's enough.
All downloads are good for a minimum of 30 days from SaveFile
Download Project Page for Soundtrack: Upon Hearing About the Death of Sunnydale Project Page
crossposted to jossverse_radio
Note: This was originally posted on January 1, 2006.
I'm reposting with fresh links since there's a new Jossverse fanmix community called jossverse_radio and because I've had a lot of people friend me lately.
For my subject: The reaction of the Sunnydale High School Class of '99 when they heard/read in the news about the destruction of Sunnydale. None of these songs are meant to be indicative of the Scoobs, just random unnamed students.
In keeping with the rules of the 2005fanmixes, there are only 10 songs in the mix and I provide an explanation why these songs were included. The end result is a somewhat fic-ish set of liner notes. In addition, I've avoided better-known songs or, in the case where the songs are better known, I've gone with an alternative artist or an alternative mix.
There's no artwork with this (because I suck at artwork), so thank heavens, 2005fanmixes doesn't require me to have it. However, if anyone wants to volunteer something so I can post this to other mix communities, let me know.
Each track listing will allow you to download the individual song.
I have also created a project page that lists all 10 songs on the soundtrack for download.
Please leave a comment if you download anything.
Upon Hearing About the Death of Sunnydale
1. Karma (In the Life) from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) and OK Computer (Radiohead)
Beatles/Radiohead Mash-Up
[Support The Beatles], [Support Radiohead]
I read the news today.
Oh, boy.
About a lucky man who made the grade.
And though the news was rather sad,
Well I just had to laugh.
I saw the photograph.
Some Sunnydale High alumni who fled town right after graduation probably view themselves as "escapees" of the town. They've spent a lifetime learning to not morn the dead or go looking for the missing. A portion must be so emotionally damaged that they can't feel anything at all. Upon first seeing the headlines proclaiming the "Death of Sunnydale," their first reaction is not sympathy or compassion for those who might've died. Instead, their first reaction is to laugh, even though they know it's exactly the wrong reaction.
2. Midnight Star from In 3-D
Weird Al Yankovic
[Support the Artist]
I was waiting in the express lane with my twelve items or less
At the checkout counter at the local grocery store.
I was only passin' by,
But a paper caught my eye
And I learned a few things I never knew before.
The clueless and somewhat credulous majority of Sunnydale citizens had no doubt heard all kinds of strange stories about their town while they lived there. Most of them spent their time in town precariously balanced between willful disbelief and willing belief. However, the Sunnydale blindness always won out because believing the insane stories would, by definition, make them crazy. The supermarket checkout rags within weeks of the town's loss start jumping on conspiracy theories that tell the "real" reason why Sunnydale collapsed. Imagine a Sunnydale High graduate reading the crazy headlines while waiting in the supermarket checkout. Would they look too closely at the news about Sunnydale? Or would they focus on the other "equally crazy" headlines instead?
3. Lies from Sink or Swim
The Waifs
[Support the Artist]
You read the paper, watch the news and think
You're well informed.
Well, I’ve got some news for you my friend.
That headline that you read, the story that broke?
Was a scandle and a scam, a political master stroke.
They tell you what they want you to hear,
So close your eyes and open your ears.
Some graduates of Sunnydale High fled town right after graduation, not because they wanted to forget, but because they couldn't. Although they'd seen reality, instead of staying and offering to help fight, they decided that the better part of valor was to run. Imagine one of those knowing graduates who helped fight against the Mayor during his Ascention at graduation, parking themselves in front the T.V. and watching the endless live coverage from CNN. She'd be drinking beer after beer and half-drunkenly regailing her roommates that they shouldn't believe a damn thing the news tells them about Sunnydale.
4. Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes) from Barking at Airplanes
Kim Carnes
[Support the Artist]
Sometimes I really think
I'm going crazy in the night,
When I hide down in the covers
And I won't turn out the light.
I think nothing's gonna get me,
But then again it might.
What can I do to keep from going
Crazy in the night?
Can you grow up in Sunnydale and not be afraid of the dark? The obvious answer is, "No." Some of the people who left Sunnydale must have phobias about the dark and imagine that all kinds of monsters are after them. They take childish measures to protect themselves from the half-remembered real nightmares of their youth. Now that they're adults, they "know" the monsters aren't real. But it's the shadow of the doubt that'll get them every time. News that Sunnydale has been destroyed is sure to bring all those childish fears and doubts right to the surface, even if the sun is out.
5. Blood Makes Noise from 99.9 Degrees F
Suzanne Vega
[Support the Artist]
I think that you might want to know
The details and the facts,
But there's something in my blood
Denies the memory of the acts.
So just forget it Doc.
I think it's really
Cool that you're concerned,
But we'll have to try again
After the silence has returned.
Well, what happens to those people who have more than just a phobia of the dark? Or what happens when they run into the monsters after they leave town? Can you say, "psychotic break?" Meet one such person who has been institutionalized. Maybe they've caught news coverage on the television in the rec room. Maybe a visitor told them. Either way, news of Sunnydale's destruction has only pushed them even more into their paranoid psychosis. Too bad none of the doctors believe them.
6. Fiend Club from Famous Monsters
The Misfits
[Support the Artist]
We won't pretend that this is the end.
We're not losers all of the time.
We march and we fall,
We're one and for all.
It's just evil all of the time...
All the time...
We are the fiend club
We are the fiend club
We are the fiend club
Not you! Not you!
Maybe there's a college where a lot of Sunnydale High grads ended up, at least the ones that didn't go to U.C. Sunnydale. Maybe when they run across each other on campus, they meet eyes before they look away. Maybe they ignore each others' existence. But when news of Sunnydale's destruction breaks, they find themselves gathering together on the quad. Bottles of beers are passed from hand to hand in a furitive manner as they acknowlege that they are part of a unique club. It's not a club anyone wants to join. Good thing it's not a club that will ever welcome new members again.
7. Don't Fear the Reaper from Infernal Love Songs, Vol. 666
H.I.M.
[Support the Artist]
All our times have come here,
But now they're gone.
Seasons don't fear the reaper,
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain.
We can be like they are.
The Sunydale High Class of '99 has very high rates of suicide and/or drug use. Two Sunnydale High grads have escaped to L.A. and have endured both the rain of fire and the blacking out of the sun. Slowly they get pushed closer to the brink as they hide in every mind-altering substance they can find, not just to forget their current predicament, but the past. News that Sunnydale has been destroyed not only shoves the past in their face, but points to the only exit they believe available to them. After all, how many people "committed suicide" or "ran away" while they lived in Sunnydale? It isn't like death hadn't been used as an escape from the long shadow of that town before.
8. If I Ever Leave This World Alive from Drunken Lullabies
Flogging Molly
[Support the Artist]
So when in doubt just call my name
Just before you go insane.
If I ever leave this world -
Hey, I may never leave this world -
But if I ever leave this world alive.
She says I'm okay; I'm alright,
Though you have gone from my life.
You said that it would,
Now everything should be all right.
Of those Sunnydale High grads who managed to escape and live lives that appear well-adjusted on the surface, the news of Sunnydale's destruction has resulted in a hard emotional hit. Some reach out to their loved ones. Maybe they're drinking, or maybe they're completely sober. Either way, they ramble on about death, and promises, and swearing that no matter what, it'll be okay. Their bemused significant others have no idea what they're talking about, so they nod along and agree that, yes, the news is tragic, but it really will be alright.
9. American Tune (Live; A Capella) from 1200 Curfews
Indigo Girls
[Support the Artist]
I don't know a soul who's not been battered.
I don't have a friend who feels at ease.
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered,
Or driven to it's knees.
Oh, but it's all right, it's all right.
We've lived so well, so long.
Still, when I think of the road we're travelling on,
I wonder what's gone wrong.
I can't help it, I wonder what's gone wrong.
Some, upon reading the headlines, are struck by grief. All they know is that Sunnydale was a bad place and that a lot of people never made it out of town alive, and that's even before the "earthquake" that turned Sunnydale into a sinkhole. As they hungrily read the headlines and peruse the news stories, they are reminded that there are bits of their lives that occupy a dark hole in their psyche. Maybe they're not terrified of the dark, maybe the don't need professional help to deal with PTSD. All they know is that the shadow of Sunnydale has followed them and will continue to follow them for the rest of their lives. They do the best they can, they put on a happy face, but when confronted with pictures of "the Sunnydale crater," all they can do is wonder how it all went so wrong.
10. Resilience from Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortuante Events
Original Movie Soundtrack
[Support the Artist]
Instrumental.
In all the screaming headlines of the Sunnydale catastrophe, one small story almost gets missed by everyone. It's a short article about the bravery of a bedraggled group of survivors who grabbed as many people as they could, commandeered a school bus, and drove like hell out of town even as it collapsed around them. There's a small picture accompanying the article, showing the uncomfortable-looking heroes of the hour. It's a perfect snapshot of the moment before this group separates and scatters to the four corners of the globe. Some of the Sunnydale High Class of '99 graduates recognize them and feel hope. Not all is lost, and not all is for nothing. And while maybe the memories won't let them sleep at night, somewhere out there this group - the weird group in high school that hung together no matter what - is still out there and still fighting. And maybe, just maybe, that's enough.
All downloads are good for a minimum of 30 days from SaveFile
Download Project Page for Soundtrack: Upon Hearing About the Death of Sunnydale Project Page
crossposted to jossverse_radio
Note: This was originally posted on January 1, 2006.