Here’s the playlist for Connor and Luke’s epic road trip. I’ve linked it on Amazon if you have an account and want to listen. Otherwise, you can search for any or all of the songs on your favorite music website.
When I was writing this novel, I wanted some music both for the story and for inspiration. I asked friends and family on social media and offline to supply me with some songs. I anticipated I might get several repeats, especially some of the more familiar songs. However, what happened was a long list (160 songs!) with very few people suggesting the same ones. Instead of choosing, I added them all and figured a cross-country road trip definitely needed many hours of different music. This is the result. Enjoy!
Pre-order links:
Note: You can certainly purchase through one of the vendors, but my preference is that you buy from the publisher. This is a small press, and going through them supports the business directly rather than a large corporation.
BEATEN TRACK SHOP:
OTHER VENDORS:
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Synopsis
Luke works a job he hates and shares a dirty, small apartment with his roommate, barely making ends meet and envying the successes of his friends. When they all return for a wedding, Luke comes face to face with one of the people he left behind when he took off. Instead of the bitterness Luke expects, Connor invites him on a forty-day, cross-country trip.
They travel the length of route I-90, following the last journey Connor’s father made from Boston to Seattle, recorded in a nearly incoherent memoir. The two of them meet hitchhikers, stowaways, and a collage of people all willing to help uncover the secrets of who Connor’s father was. Along the way, Luke’s hidden past catches up with him when it collides with Connor’s present. With the help of friends and strangers, both of them must learn what home and family mean before Luke runs away again.
Excerpt
He returns to the RV, where Connor is already in the driver’s seat. Luke tucks the new postcards into the scrapbook. On a whim, he takes out his camera and snaps a picture of Connor, whose smile is shy.
“Enough of that. Ready?”
“Almost. Got any music?”
“Yeah, of course.” Connor taps his phone. “Help yourself.”
Luke opens the app and finds Connor’s playlist. His surprise increases until he’s laughing. “Connor, what the fuck?”
“What?” Connor sounds genuinely perplexed, but he could be playing around.
“Why. Why do you have ten goddamn hours of music on here?”
“It’s not ten,” Connor mutters.
“Close enough and…Jesus.” Luke’s laughing harder now. “Why these songs?”
“Because I like them, Janet,” Connor snaps. “Just pick something already.”
Luke shrugs and hits shuffle. He can’t help the continued random giggles as “Movin’ Right Along” plays. He says, “Oh, man. Fozzie’s smooth vocals get me right here.” He thumps his chest.
“Shut up,” Connor replies, but he’s grinning as he pulls back out onto the highway.
Playlist:
- The Saga Begins – Weird Al Yankovic
- Cello Suite no. 1 – Yo-Yo Ma/J.S. Bach
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
- Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder
- Out There on the Road – Big Fish
- Join the Circus – Barnum
- Wake Me Up When September Ends – Green Day
- You Can Sleep While I Drive – Melissa Etheridge
- Ni Na La – Solas
- Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel
- Wake Me Up – Avicii
- Movin’ Right Along – The Muppets
- Road to Nowhere – The Talking Heads
- Get Out the Map – Indigo Girls
- Invincible – Pat Benatar
- Friend Like Me – Aladdin
- Sh-Boom – The Chords
- Time to Move On – Tom Petty
- Best Day Ever – SpongeBob SquarePants
- Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
- Ramblin Man – The Allman Brothers Band
- You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon
- Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry
- It’s Raining Men – Pointer Sisters
- Girls/Girls/Boys – Panic! At the Disco
- I Wanna Dance with Somebody – Whitney Houston
- Dancing Queen – ABBA
- Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
- I can’t drive 55 – Sammy Hagar
- Born In the USA – Bruce Springsteen
- This Land Is Your Land – Woody Guthrie
- R.O.C.K. in the USA – John Mellencamp
- Firework – Katy Perry
- Gary, Indiana – The Music Man
- Rainbow Connection – The Muppets
- I Ain’t Got No Home – Woody Guthrie
- All That Jazz – Chicago
- Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
- Stand – R.E.M.
- Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
- Cell Block Tango – Chicago
- One Jump Ahead – Aladdin
- My Shot – Hamilton
- Beat It – Michael Jackson
- Skimbleshanks: the Railway Cat – CATS
- Another One Rides the Bus – Weird Al Yankovic
- Yellow Submarine – The Beatles
- Youth – Troye Sivan
- Seventeen – Heathers
- America’s Sweetheart – Elle King
- Preachin’ Blues – Larkin Poe
- This Is Gospel – Panic! At the Disco
- Good Morning, Baltimore – Hairspray
- Runnin’ Down a Dream – Tom Petty
- Guys Like Me – Aimee Mann
- Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
- On Top of the World – Imagine Dragons
- On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
- Walk of Life – Dire Straits
- Somethin’ Stupid – Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman
- Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
- Float On – Modest Mouse
- Georgia on My Mind – Ray Charles
- Man Like That – Gin Wigmore
- Cecilia – Simon and Garfunkel
- Best of Both Worlds – Hannah Montana
- Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Monty Python
- Gimme Gimme Gimme – ABBA
- American Pie – Don Maclean
- Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Sparklejollytwinklejingly – Elf
- You and Me (But Mostly Me) – Book of Mormon
- I Got This – Freaky Friday
- Mamma Mia – ABBA
- 1999 – Prince
- Thriller – Michael Jackson
- Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
- Life Is a Highway – Rascal Flats
- For Forever – Dear Evan Hansen
- Take Me to Church – Hozier
- Headlong – Queen
- Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
- Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
- Highway to Hell – AC/DC
- Mama Who Bore Me – Spring Awakening
- Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn – Evelyn Evelyn
- On My Own – Les Misérables
- Open Road Song – Eve 6
- There Is a Sucker Born Ev’ry Minute – Barnum
- Ya Got Trouble – The Music Man
- You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son – Wolf Parade
- Carry on Wayward Son – Kansas
- You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home – Hannah Montana
- When You’re Home – In The Heights
- I’m Goin’ Home – Hootie & the Blowfish
- Home Sweet Home – Mötley Crüe
- Sincerely, Me – Dear Evan Hansen
- Fight the Dragons – Big Fish
- King of the Road – Roger Miller
- Satisfied – Hamilton
- Born This Way – Lady Gaga
- I Like It – A Bronx Tale
- I’m a Believer – The Monkeys
- I’ll Make a Man Out of You – Mulan
- I Feel the Earth Move – Carole King
- What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
- I Want it That Way – Backstreet Boys
- Good Time – Carly Rae Jepson & Owl City
- When Can I See You Again – Owl City
- Drive – The Lightning Thief Musical
- Hakuna Matata – Lion King
- Only for You – Heartless Bastards
- Radar Love – Golden Earring
- Sedona – Houndmouth
- Amen – Halestorm
- Brown-Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
- Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
- I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyes Peas
- Here’s to Us – Halestrom
- Make Me Feel – Jannelle Monáe
- Old Town Road – Lil Nas X
- John, I’m Only Dancing – David Bowie
- Cool for the Summer – Demi Lovato
- Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
- Rivers and Roads – The Head and the Heart
- Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
- Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
- Crocodile Rock – Elton John
- Take the ‘A’ Train – Ella Fitzgerald
- Piano Man – Billy Joel
- Lone Digger – Caravan Palace
- Gettin’ Bi – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
- America – Simon & Garfunkel
- Camelot – Camelot
- Sunrise, Sunset – Fiddler on the Roof
- I Believe in You – Michael Buble
- Crazier than You – The Addams Family
- If I had 1,000,000 Dollars – Barenaked Ladies
- Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
- Defying Gravity – Wicked
- I’m Still Standing – Elton John
- Happy Ever After – Gin Wigmore
- With a Little Help from My Friends – Joe Cocker
- Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel
- For Good- Wicked
- Viva La Vida – Coldplay
- It’s Time – Imagine Dragons
- Stand By Me – Ben E. King
- Somewhere – West Side Story
- Corner of the Sky – Pippin
- 50 Ways to Say Goodbye – Train
- 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover – Paul Simon
- Back to the Middle – Modest Mouse
- Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
- I Don’t Know How to Love Him – Jesus Christ Superstar
- Michael in the Bathroom – Be More Chill
- Climb Ev’ry Mountain – The Sound of Music
- Seasons of Love – RENT
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da – The Beatles
