soundtrack: Strangers on the Shore

But the record played on, and the sun streaming in warmed them equally.

Music is a huge part of my writing; I rarely picture a scene without putting a song behind it. Below is the soundtrack and incidental music for my book, with quotes and notes.

Midnight in Moscow - Kenny Ball (1962)

this novel was originally conceived as a BBC miniseries, with “Midnight in Moscow” as the opening credits song, and each chapter/episode getting a thematic song over the end credits (a la Boardwalk Empire). Some of that was kept in the final version, with each of the 5 parts named after songs.

The Night Has A Thousand Eyes - Bobby Vee (1962)

Do You Want To Know A Secret - The Beatles (1963)

this wouldn’t have worked if the characters were from the US: the book takes place in June 1963, and this single wasn’t released there until December. Thankfully, they’re mostly from Hong Kong, and would have been looking at imported British albums, one of which was the Beatles’ March 1963 album Please Please Me.

Una Sigaretta - Fred Buscaglione (1959)

“Change the record, would you?” Tinseng called from across the room. “I’m trying to forge this, and Buscaglione is distracting. I have to think in English.”

Pennies From Heaven - Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson Trio (1957)

“Jinzhao reluctantly followed Tinseng into the ballroom where the band was playing a standard Tinseng recognized from the radio.”

He’s a Rebel - The Crystals (1962)

You Don’t Know Me - 江玲 and the Fabulous Echoes (1962)

Stranger on the Shore — Acker Bilk (1961)

“Mr. Grodescu, I was just telling your wife you dance wonderfully. Would you mind if I imposed on you for a song?”

I Was Doing All Right — Dexter Gordon (1961)

“The band is playing jazz from America tonight,” Laurence said.

Mama Said — The Shirelles (1961)

Twistin’ the Night Away (live) - Sam Cooke (1963)

“That night they sailed to Málaga, and after dinner Tinseng led everyone down to Cheuk-Kwan and Chiboon’s room to drink from the bottles Tinseng had charmed off one of the bartenders and play records on Chiboon’s portable record player.”¹

I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles (1963)

“One, two, three, four!” The guitar struck a chord familiar to every civilized person on Earth. The entire bar erupted. In this, the first year of Beatlemania, things were about to escalate.

(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know - Frank Sinatra (1956)

They swayed more than danced to a modest Sinatra cover.

What Now My Love/Et maintenant - Gilbert Becaud (1961)

Town Without Pity - Gene Pitney (1961)

Mack the Knife — Bobby Darin (1959)

the three songs above and one below is a run of Wu Tinseng songs that make me want to shake that dumb boy by the shoulders and tell him to get it together.

Un jour, je te dirai/One day, I’ll tell you - Tino Rossi (1936)

From his crouch, he took in the rest of the layout. There was a doorway with a hanging curtain separating the storefront from the back room; music from the radio drifted out from the other side.

Canzone da due soldi - Nilla Pizzi (1954)

She tried not to let the feeling encroach on her happiness, but the realization hit her again on a muggy Saturday, all of them gathered in Yukying’s living room with no plans in mind, one of Tinseng’s records playing from the corner.

It’s All Right - The Impressions (1963)

But the record played on, and the sun streaming in warmed them equally.

1. Sam Cooke’s Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 was recorded in January 1963 in Miami, but when execs heard it, they viewed it as too raw and gritty, and shelved it for two decades. In reality, it wasn’t released until 1985. But in my world, Lim Chiboon heard about the concert and made it his mission to charm a pressing off an RCA lackey. “For personal use only, of course, I promise.”