Hello everybody! Today, I’m very excited to be sharing a guest post from Brianna Bourne, debut author of You and Me at the End of the World, about some of the songs she has on the book’s playlist. Onto the post!
Hi lovely readers! Thank you so much Amy for having me on your blog today! Instead of the usual author Q&A, I’m doing something a little unconventional—I’m sharing songs from the exclusive playlist I put together for You & Me at the End of the World.
Music is so important to both of my main characters: Hannah, who is an elite ballet dancer, and Leo, who plays guitar and fronts an 80s rock cover band. Here are three of the songs from the playlist!
1. “The End of the World” – Billie Eilish If you only do one thing today, please go watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaxKhR6FQwA.
It’s a cover but Billie smashes it. Not only does the overall vibe match the experience of reading YOU&ME, the lyrics are almost freakishly relevant:
If we had five more minutes
Of air to breathe
And we cried all through it
But you spent them with me
On our last few drags Of air
We agree I was and you were Happy
2. “Dance of the Little Swans” – Swan Lake
In Chapter One, we meet Hannah, who’s been alone in her empty city for five days. She distracts herself from the creepiness by running through the choreography for this piece in her head. The Dance of the Little Swans from Swan Lake is a classic for ballerinas—it’s performed by four dancers in a tight line, crossing arms and holding hands. It takes immense skill to be in perfect sync and hit the punishingly fast beats.
3. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” – Scorpions
This is Leo’s all-time favorite song, a fact that he shares with quiet, introspective Hannah while they’re driving across the city in Chapter 7. Scorpions are a German Hair Metal band that were huge in the 80’s – and their lead guitarist, Uli Roth, is one of Leo’s most admired “shred-gods.” Because You & Me at the End of the World is written in alternating Hannah and Leo chapters, I listened to this song whenever I needed to get out of Hannah’s head and into Leo’s. They’re so extremely different—but the longer they spend together coping with this surreal situation the closer they get.
* * * This is one leg of a four-part playlist tour, so join us tomorrow on Katrina Read’s blog to grab another three songs and learn a little bit more about the book!
Link to playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6wdXmjLX97tD6iQzFvQALc?si=d3a26d4091374e45
More info: https://briannabournebooks.com/playlist
Thank you so much for reading! Are you planning to pick this book up? What’s your favourite song from the 80s? I’d love to hear in the comments! Amy x
Golden Books Girl 