Aural Pleasures
The Soundtrack to CITYWIDE by Santino Hassell | Writer’s Playlist
CITYWIDE, the newest standalone addition to my Five Boroughs series, is a collection of three novellas about three very queer relationships. There is a M/M/M, a NB/F, and a M/F story where the heroine identifies as bisexual. The stories all take place during a massive New York City heatwave, so tempers and passions are running high between the characters as they find refuge in different parts of the city.
As I wrote, I was picturing the city but also thinking of the music that would be playing as each of the characters moved throughout the city. Here are some of the songs that would go on my Citywide soundtrack.
Princess Nokia, Excellent
Well baby, my day was good
I worked hard and knocked on wood
I skipped meals and got no sleep
But this was the life for me
This song is amazing for a variety of reasons, but it’s really Stephanie’s song—the heroine in my very first M/F novella. Excellent is about being proud of who you are, of working hard and finding success and not letting people bring you down while always remembering where you came from. It fits Stephanie perfectly. She practically raised herself but managed to put herself through college, is successful in her career, and has an awesome apartment. She has everything but a romantic happily ever after, which she finds in her story.
Lorde – Royals
My friends and I we’ve cracked the code
We count our dollars on the train to the party
And everyone who knows us knows that we’re fine with this
We didn’t come from money
