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There's also a lot of awesome music mentioned in the fic itself. Here's a link to songs mentioned in the fic itself but NOT in the fanmix!
SIDE A: THROWBACK
This part of the mix is composed of 80s and 90s songs. It's also more upbeat than Side B, and a more literal soundtrack for the story.
basket case - green day
"Do you have the time to listen to me whine
About nothing and everything all at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it"
The story opens on Patrick, unhappy about his inability to find a romantic partner. He's generally resistant to Pete's suggestion that he try online dating, and, frankly, whines about it for a while.
virtual reality - jamiroquai
"Futures made of virtual insanity now
Always seem to, be governed by this love we have
For useless, twisting, our new technology
Oh, now there is no sound for we all live underground"
Joe and Patrick commiserate over the challenges of meeting someone online. Technology brings them quantity but not quality.
drive - the cars
"Who's gonna tell you when
It's too late
Who's gonna tell you things
Aren't so great"
More on the theme of lonliness.
good old-fashioned lover boy - queen
"Ooh love ooh loverboy
What're you doin' tonight, hey boy
Set my alarm, turn on my charm
That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy"
Joe and Patrick go on a few fake dates to practice their skills as "loverboys", both trying to turn on the charm.
talk dirty to me - poison
"You know I call you
I call you on the telephone
I'm only hoping that you're home
So I can hear you
When you say those words to me
And whisper so softly
I gotta hear you"
Patrick and Joe test out their internet flirting and sexting skills. It's not through an actual phone call, but this song is a classic.
pour some sugar on me - def leppard
"Pour your sugar on me
I can't get enough
I'm hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah"
Feelings start to change and they have the first hint of sexual tension over licking some ice cream.
i wanna dance with somebody - whitney houston
"Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me"
Again, pretty literal and pretty obvious. They go out clubbing and Joe ends up dancing with Patrick...and they're flirting pretty hardcore. Although (slightly more) metaphorically, this song also pretty much fits the whole fic, from both of their perspectives.
you can't hurry love - phil collins
"Now wait
Now love, love don't come easy
But I keep on waiting
Anticipating for that soft voice
To talk to me at night
For some tender arms
Hold me tight"
After the night at the club, it's pretty clear that something is happening between them, but life keeps throwing roadblocks in their way and they have to patient through a series of near-misses.
only you - yazoo
"All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you"
Classic 80s love song that totally describes what they've found together.
home sweet home - motley crue
"Long and winding road
I'm on my way
I'm on my way
Home sweet home"
They finally work things out and start building a life together, with Teddy.
you make my dreams - hall & oates
"Cause I ain't the way you found me
And I'll never be the same oh yeah
Well cause You (ooh ooh ooh ooh)
Hmmm hmm you make my dreams come true"
My theme song choice for the whole story. The story is about finding happiness and true love, and so is this song. Plus--what a jam.
SIDE B: MODERN LOVE
New music, less peppy than the oldies.
when the night is over - lord huron
"My one and only love
I've been lonely long enough
Will I find you when the night is over?...
Now how the trail has gone cold
I don’t know where else to go"
The story opens on Patrick and Joe both looking for love. Patrick, in particular, is looking for something serious: real love. This song is addressed to the true love that the singer hasn't met yet.
real thing - turnstile
"But can I keep it all together
Waiting for the real thing?
Can I keep it all together
Waiting for the real, the real thing?"
This one's a banger--but again, about looking for something real. This represents Joe's realization that Patrick has the right idea in terms of looking for a serious relationship.
all my friends are falling in love - the vaccines
"I hear that when people know then they know
And that you can't even put into words
But then sometimes you should go with the flow
Because it's ain't always like how you've heard"
Patrick and Joe both go on a series of dates with people who aren't "the one". This song describes dating someone who isn't quite right for you, but you wish they were.
rorschach - typhoon
"Eyes on the screen
We have all the information now, but what does it mean?"
Probably not what the song writer intended, but this song reminds me, again, of the frustration of trying to meet someone in the modern age.
white ferrari - frank ocean
"(Sweet 16, how was I supposed to know anything?)
I let you out at Central
I didn't care to state the plain
Kept my mouth closed, we're both so familiar
White Ferrari, good times"
This song reminds me of the process of being comfortable with someone and wondering where the relationship is heading, or thinking the relationship might be changing. Patrick and Joe both go through this as their feelings develop--they've been friends since childhood and now they're starting to wonder if there might the possibility for more between them.
atletico - rae morris
"From the back of the room, you were holding my glance
I was trying to be cool but I can't really dance
Is it something to do with the way that you move?
In a matter of seconds, I'm falling for you, for you
Are you the one I came for?
I think I'm gonna get to know you"
Pretty literal again--Joe watches Patrick dancing and wants to go dance with him/be with him.
flow with it - st. paul & the broken bones
"Is it my lips that long for you
Is it the heart that's breaking through
Can we use all this love we ooze
Let's try, but we always confuse it"
Joe and Patrick start to give in to their feelings.
love is easy - rex orange county feat. benny sings
"I'm laughing the clouds away
I hear what the flowers say
And drink every drop of rain
And I see
Places that I have been
In ways that I've never seen
My side of the grass is green
Ooh I can't believe that it's so simple
It feels so natural to me"
This is the sweetest love song that encapsulates what Joe and Patrick feel when they go on their first date in Chicago.
gap in the clouds - yellow days
"Oooh, all this time I was just running around
A beautiful mind between those eyes
I wasn’t looking, but oh I found
A gap in the clouds, the sun comes out"
Finding happiness somewhere unexpected.
love you like that - dagny
"But I see myself next to you until we're old
You know how they say you got the real thing
When nothing else matters
I love you like that"
Their happy ending.