Soundtrack: Behold Little Padawan!
Yes, of course there was a very short soundtrack for Behold Little Padawan! this story that I listened to while writing (it tends to happen with me).
Anywho, I'm offering up the soundtrack if you want to download it. There's a 13-track listing with commentary, followed by the download link.
It's...eclectic to say the least.
There's no album art, primarily because I have no graphics-making skills.
Behold Little Padawan Soundtrack
Paul Brady - Oh, What a World
from The Proud as a Peacock Compilation for Compass Records
Cried a lotta blues up and down the street
(I'd) lose everything I had but I would not lose the beat
Oh yeah, oh no!
Had a lotta lovin', bitter and the sweet
Bring you up in glory, drop you in defeat
Oh yeah, oh no!
Oh what a world!
This is pretty much Andrew's song through and through. The bouncy tune belies the somewhat dark-ish lyrics. It just put me in the mindset of Andrew's storytelling: the stories are actually full of death and destruction, but delivered in such a way that the Slayers really don't take him or the stories all that seriously.
Shawn Colvin - Steady On
from Steady On
China gets broken
And it will never be the same
Boats on the ocean
Find their way back again
I am weaving
Like a drunkard
Like a balloon up in the air
I am needing a puncture and someone
To point me somewhere
I'm gonna keep my head on straight
I just hope it's not too late
Open up the gate I go straight on, steady on
It's one of those songs that's all about trying to pick up the pieces long after your life has been shot to hell. It pretty much fits Xander's new life philosophy of getting through his nightmare of a life by putting one foot (or one airport) in front of another and keeping his head down.
Simple Plan - Me Against the World
from Still Not Getting Any
I'm a nightmare, a disaster
That's what they always said
I'm a lost cause, not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
I've got to prove them wrong
They'll never bring us down
A pretty good snapshot of Xander's state of mind at the point we meet him in the story, not to mention his prickly attitude.
Sarah McLachlan - Trainwreck
from Afterglow
‘Cause I'm a trainwreck
Waiting to happen
Waiting for someone to come
Pick me up off the tracks
Yeah, I know. The song doesn't exactly fit. But for some reason, this pinged for me as an illustration of Susan's dream. Awake Xander may think he's beyond help, but Susan's dream Xander clearly has other ideas.
Alkaline Trio - Mercy Me
from Crimson
It's been a long day living with this
It's been a long time since I felt so sick
I took a long walk straight back home
I could've walked back to San Francisco
I used to long for time alone
I used to long for a place of my own
And I'm losing faith in everything
I'm lost, so lost, I'm lost at sea, you see
Yet another "Xander's having a breakdown" song, this one pretty much related to his long night doing a stakeout with Faith and the immediate fallout of finding out that his past has sort of caught up with him.
Judith Edelman - Good Day, There It Goes
from The Proud as a Peacock Compilation for Compass Records
But he's still up at night
Walking the hall
Like his father before
Crying this is me
This is
My life
It is a good life
It is a bad life
Heaven knows
It is a bad life
It's a good life
There it goes
This one is Xander figuring out that he's suffering from the hazards of his job: namely that all of the Slayers have their own traumatic secrets and that he didn't even realize it when he first read through their personnel files. Just the image of a man who realizes his life is killing his humanity bit by bit really struck me for this one.
Carbon Leaf - The Boxer
from Echo Echo
Couldn't ask for a better day, two by two
To the ring to the right point of view
We each retreat to the corner that's defined by you
To the ring to the right point of...
Lonely Reign
She is the Boxer, she knows
When and where to strike
He is the Boxer, he knows,
No peaceful sleep tonight
C'mon, is this not a perfect image of Xander and Faith arguing out their differences behind closed doors? There's Faith knowing just how to hit the weak spots in an effort to get him to see her way, and there's Xander who's carrying a lot of crap that she just doesn't know about who's not about to give in to her demands because he's dealt with far worse than her.
Lifehouse - Cling and Clatter
from No Name No Face
Too many voices, It won't take long
Which one's right, which one's wrong
Yours is most likely to be misunderstood
Screaming in tongues
On the top of my lungs
The image of words as nothing more than "cling and clatter" that screams into silence struck me as evocative of the Emokillsus attack.
AFI - Bleed Black
from Sing the Sorrow
(If you listen,) Listen, listen
(Listen close,) Beat-by-beat,
(You can hear when the heart stops,) I saved the pieces
(When it broke,) And ground them all to dust
And here's what happens when LaTisha listens to Xander's "cling and clatter:" she finds the pieces of a puzzle.
Jonatha Brooke - Digging
from Steady Pull
So can you make ends meet when they're tattered and frayed
Make peace with the things that you've done
Cuz the end has nothing to do with the means
And the way that the battle's won
I know, the attitude of the song isn't exactly Faith-like, but it perfectly matches Faith's ambivalence about her plan to be Xander's bodyguard. It also matches her determination to make see Buffy why Faith has to be the one who does the job.
Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger
from What's the Story (Morning Glory)?
And So Sally can wait,
She knows it's too late
And she's walking on by
My soul slides away,
But don't look back in anger,
Don't look back in anger
I heard you say
At least not today
Again, not a perfect match lyrics-wise, but I liked listening to this one while writing the scene where Faith makes Xander confess (almost) all, and admit that accepting Rona's apology is something he needs as much as Rona does.
SR-71 - Tomorrow
from Tomorrow
I never thought they'd want me to go even faster,
Never thought I took my foot off the gas,
Everybody loves to be in on the pressure,
But I know they're all waiting for the crash
You never dreamed you'd have to live your life so guarded,
Cause they'll find a way to make you feel discarded,
Things have changed you've become a complication,
Can make it through another day's humiliation
Xander's moment of feeling depressed and lost just before all hell breaks loose at a highway rest stop.
Slaid Cleaves - Bring It On
from Broke Down
Once I dreamed of riches, of happiness untold
Now hopes lie scattered, trash along a lonesome road
But I don't ask for mercy, it just don't work that way
Today I'm down but hope will rise another day
Bring it on, bring it on
I've seen the rain tumblin' down
I've felt the cold wind blow, I've seen trouble hanging around
Bring it on, bring it on
This song was such a perfect endcap. There's a perfect storm coming, although it's unclear whether it's a storm that'll destroy D'Hoffryn or Xander. But all the players are in place to force a final showdown. All Xander needs to do is hang on just a little bit longer.
To download the soundtrack, go to the project page here.
Tracks are in alphabetical order.
The management would love it if you would comment when you download.
Anywho, I'm offering up the soundtrack if you want to download it. There's a 13-track listing with commentary, followed by the download link.
It's...eclectic to say the least.
There's no album art, primarily because I have no graphics-making skills.
Behold Little Padawan Soundtrack
Paul Brady - Oh, What a World
from The Proud as a Peacock Compilation for Compass Records
Cried a lotta blues up and down the street
(I'd) lose everything I had but I would not lose the beat
Oh yeah, oh no!
Had a lotta lovin', bitter and the sweet
Bring you up in glory, drop you in defeat
Oh yeah, oh no!
Oh what a world!
This is pretty much Andrew's song through and through. The bouncy tune belies the somewhat dark-ish lyrics. It just put me in the mindset of Andrew's storytelling: the stories are actually full of death and destruction, but delivered in such a way that the Slayers really don't take him or the stories all that seriously.
Shawn Colvin - Steady On
from Steady On
China gets broken
And it will never be the same
Boats on the ocean
Find their way back again
I am weaving
Like a drunkard
Like a balloon up in the air
I am needing a puncture and someone
To point me somewhere
I'm gonna keep my head on straight
I just hope it's not too late
Open up the gate I go straight on, steady on
It's one of those songs that's all about trying to pick up the pieces long after your life has been shot to hell. It pretty much fits Xander's new life philosophy of getting through his nightmare of a life by putting one foot (or one airport) in front of another and keeping his head down.
Simple Plan - Me Against the World
from Still Not Getting Any
I'm a nightmare, a disaster
That's what they always said
I'm a lost cause, not a hero
But I'll make it on my own
I've got to prove them wrong
They'll never bring us down
A pretty good snapshot of Xander's state of mind at the point we meet him in the story, not to mention his prickly attitude.
Sarah McLachlan - Trainwreck
from Afterglow
‘Cause I'm a trainwreck
Waiting to happen
Waiting for someone to come
Pick me up off the tracks
Yeah, I know. The song doesn't exactly fit. But for some reason, this pinged for me as an illustration of Susan's dream. Awake Xander may think he's beyond help, but Susan's dream Xander clearly has other ideas.
Alkaline Trio - Mercy Me
from Crimson
It's been a long day living with this
It's been a long time since I felt so sick
I took a long walk straight back home
I could've walked back to San Francisco
I used to long for time alone
I used to long for a place of my own
And I'm losing faith in everything
I'm lost, so lost, I'm lost at sea, you see
Yet another "Xander's having a breakdown" song, this one pretty much related to his long night doing a stakeout with Faith and the immediate fallout of finding out that his past has sort of caught up with him.
Judith Edelman - Good Day, There It Goes
from The Proud as a Peacock Compilation for Compass Records
But he's still up at night
Walking the hall
Like his father before
Crying this is me
This is
My life
It is a good life
It is a bad life
Heaven knows
It is a bad life
It's a good life
There it goes
This one is Xander figuring out that he's suffering from the hazards of his job: namely that all of the Slayers have their own traumatic secrets and that he didn't even realize it when he first read through their personnel files. Just the image of a man who realizes his life is killing his humanity bit by bit really struck me for this one.
Carbon Leaf - The Boxer
from Echo Echo
Couldn't ask for a better day, two by two
To the ring to the right point of view
We each retreat to the corner that's defined by you
To the ring to the right point of...
Lonely Reign
She is the Boxer, she knows
When and where to strike
He is the Boxer, he knows,
No peaceful sleep tonight
C'mon, is this not a perfect image of Xander and Faith arguing out their differences behind closed doors? There's Faith knowing just how to hit the weak spots in an effort to get him to see her way, and there's Xander who's carrying a lot of crap that she just doesn't know about who's not about to give in to her demands because he's dealt with far worse than her.
Lifehouse - Cling and Clatter
from No Name No Face
Too many voices, It won't take long
Which one's right, which one's wrong
Yours is most likely to be misunderstood
Screaming in tongues
On the top of my lungs
The image of words as nothing more than "cling and clatter" that screams into silence struck me as evocative of the Emokillsus attack.
AFI - Bleed Black
from Sing the Sorrow
(If you listen,) Listen, listen
(Listen close,) Beat-by-beat,
(You can hear when the heart stops,) I saved the pieces
(When it broke,) And ground them all to dust
And here's what happens when LaTisha listens to Xander's "cling and clatter:" she finds the pieces of a puzzle.
Jonatha Brooke - Digging
from Steady Pull
So can you make ends meet when they're tattered and frayed
Make peace with the things that you've done
Cuz the end has nothing to do with the means
And the way that the battle's won
I know, the attitude of the song isn't exactly Faith-like, but it perfectly matches Faith's ambivalence about her plan to be Xander's bodyguard. It also matches her determination to make see Buffy why Faith has to be the one who does the job.
Oasis - Don't Look Back in Anger
from What's the Story (Morning Glory)?
And So Sally can wait,
She knows it's too late
And she's walking on by
My soul slides away,
But don't look back in anger,
Don't look back in anger
I heard you say
At least not today
Again, not a perfect match lyrics-wise, but I liked listening to this one while writing the scene where Faith makes Xander confess (almost) all, and admit that accepting Rona's apology is something he needs as much as Rona does.
SR-71 - Tomorrow
from Tomorrow
I never thought they'd want me to go even faster,
Never thought I took my foot off the gas,
Everybody loves to be in on the pressure,
But I know they're all waiting for the crash
You never dreamed you'd have to live your life so guarded,
Cause they'll find a way to make you feel discarded,
Things have changed you've become a complication,
Can make it through another day's humiliation
Xander's moment of feeling depressed and lost just before all hell breaks loose at a highway rest stop.
Slaid Cleaves - Bring It On
from Broke Down
Once I dreamed of riches, of happiness untold
Now hopes lie scattered, trash along a lonesome road
But I don't ask for mercy, it just don't work that way
Today I'm down but hope will rise another day
Bring it on, bring it on
I've seen the rain tumblin' down
I've felt the cold wind blow, I've seen trouble hanging around
Bring it on, bring it on
This song was such a perfect endcap. There's a perfect storm coming, although it's unclear whether it's a storm that'll destroy D'Hoffryn or Xander. But all the players are in place to force a final showdown. All Xander needs to do is hang on just a little bit longer.
To download the soundtrack, go to the project page here.
Tracks are in alphabetical order.
The management would love it if you would comment when you download.