Okay so now for something a little bit different that I've actually been meaning to do for some time and that is talk about the 'soundtrack' as such for this fic. As I've pointed out a few times each chapter here is named after a song/album, the fic itself is named after a song and music features quite heavily within the fic itself.
When I write I always try to feature music in some way, it's a really important thing in my life and I guess I just like to share that with others in some way. Sometimes it's quite blatant and sometimes a little bit more subtle. I just thought it might be fun to go through the chapters an explain the titles, references and so on for you all.
Story Title: Braver Than We Are
So the title of the story itself comes from the Jim Steinman/Meat Loaf canon. Braver Than We Are is a song that has been floating around for some time, it was penned by Jim Steinman who is known for writing the Meat Loaf albums Bat Out Of Hell and Bat Out Of Hell 2, he is also responsible for Bonnie Tylers Holding Out For A Hero and Total Eclipse Of The Heart and people might also know him as the composer of the music for Tanz der Vampire/Dance Of The Vampires.
Braver Than We Are is also the name of the latest Meat Loaf album, a special album because it looks like it might be the guys last and also it's only the fourth to be all penned by Steinman. On this album the song Braver Than We Are actually goes by a new name of "Going All The Way Is Just The Start." In it you hear Meat duet with the two women he started his career with, the original woman lead on Bat Out Of Hell and the woman he toured with for that album. The song is a bit of a back and forth about how each person fears the other seeing the truth of who they are, and how they feel the other sees them as being this invincible person who soars and fears nothing.
I felt the song fit the characters of Eva so well, each one fears what they are and others finding out about it. The each see the other as beacons of strength.
Chapter 01: Subterrenea
Subterrenea is an album by the British Neo-Prog band IQ. It tells a story of a man who has lived his life in seclusion/sensory deprivation and is one day set free from his prison. The name of the track in which he goes into the world is also called Subterrenea as well. I felt that this song/idea fit Kaworu quite well in this chapter. This is him emerging into the world from his prison, he knows nothing of the world and how to be human. He is experiencing things for the first time really.
Fortunately for Kaworu he has a slightly better end than the protagonist of the album. In the album the protagonist finds himself falling for someone, only for them to vanish. He finds out he is being watched/followed by the people who imprisoned him, he vows to find the person responsible and discovered there are many more like him out there. His journey concludes with him retreating back into his life of solitude after all his negative experiences, I suppose this would be the bad end of Braver.
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Kodama's MP3 Player
At the end of the chapter Kodama gives Kaworu an MP3 Player filled with music from the 60s onwards. Kodama wasn't necessarily fussy about what she gave him. She gave him a selection of music from Japanese history and western history. I know little about Japanese music but on the Western side that included a lot of artists over the decades, Elvis, Beatles, Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Abba, Bee Gees, Genesis, Meat Loaf, Rush, Michael Jackson, Prince, and so on and so forth.
Her aim was to give Kaworu a good look at what was popular in each decade and to help him find what he enjoyed from it. She tried to get a variety of genre/acts on there.
Chapter 02: Both Sides Of The Story
Not really too much to explain with this chapter title. It's a Phil Collins song chosen because we're seeing what Asuka and Shinji are up to now in the present day.
Chapter 03: Lost Boy
Going back to Meat Loaf, I always had it in my head that a good song for their relationship would be Lost Boys & Golden Girls. This chapter is primarily about Kaworu and feeds back into that, Kaworu is the Lost Boy in this scenario. There isn't really too much to say about that but..
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Firth Of Fifth
We see the sort of music Kaworu enjoys in this chapter, he likes prog rock. Of course he does, I'm writing this fic so I go with that I know. Asuka also likes it too, and we see the first little bits of bondiing between them here when Kaworu plays a bit of the song Firth Of Fifth for her. I chose this song because it has a beautiful pure piano introduction. Genesis have a lot of amazing keyboard parts in their tracks and they too can be beautiful but I think the intro to Firth Of Fifth stands head and shoulders above them.
Chapter 04: Mr Blue Sky
The title of this chapter comes from the song of the same name by ELO, a lovely upbeat piece of music that stands in sharp contrast to how this chapter ends. There is a bit of optimism throughout the chapter, we see some laughter and smiling throughout it but of course we end it with Kaworu having been attacked. I picked the song because it was a contrast.
Chapter 05: You're Not Alone
This is a song by a band called Anathema, their album Weather Systems stands as one of my favourites. The track mentioned here is from their Distant Satellites album. It's an interesting track with some electronic components too it. The reason I picked it is simple, it's a statement for the characters, they are not alone.
Chapter 06: Telephone Line
This chapter title was actually picked by
@Alex and it is another ELO song. The song title doesn't completely reflect the content of the chapter, but it does represent an important part of the chapter and that is Kaworu's phone call to Asuka.
Chapter 07: Any Kind Of Sign
This chapter title comes from a lyric in the Meat Loaf song Did I Say That? The song itself is actually more about the break up/ending of a relationship whereas the chapter is more about the beginning of one. I sort of took the idea of Did I Say That to be more of a crossroads though, it could go one way or the other, Asuka could have done/said something she regrets and it ends, but she doesn't and we get the beginning of the relationship.
Chapter 08: A Story Never Told
Now we go to one of my other favorite artists in Dream Theater, the lyric comes from the Scenes From A Memory album and the song Strange Deja Vu. Picked purely because I felt the lyric fit, no other reason. In this chapter we learn a bit more about when/how Asuka left Japan.
The song bears little relevance to the chapter really, the album it is from is a concept album about a man who undergoes regression therapy and discovers a past life in which he unravels the mysterious murder of a girl that has been haunting him.
Chapter 09: Get At The Truth
We go back to Meat Loaf again, and another Jim Steinman penned song Left In The Dark, the protagonist in the song is talking to his lover who they know has done something wrong, and they just want the truth. It fits with the direction of the story here, we are starting to see the truth reveal itself, and Shinji now knows Rei has been lying and wants to learn the truth about Asuka.
Chapter 10: Only When I Feel
Not too much to say, another Meat Loaf/Jim Steinman song. Chosen because it represented Shinji's mood during the chapter, he is hurt and in pain. He now has some of the truth and it stings because of the lies.
Regarding the song, this one was featured on the Braver Than We Are album but it has a longer history. Originally it was performed back in the mid 2000s and was supposed to be on the Bat Out Of Hell 3 album. It was performed as a lead in to If It Ain't Broke (Break It) but was absent from the album when it came out for some reason.
In this chapter we also get to see some of the artists Shinji will be performing tracks by. A little bit self indulgent but Shinji listening to and being familiar with the music will give him another link to Kaworu/Asuka. Utilizing these sorts of artists in orchestra isn't really a new thing though, plenty of albums exist with orchestral tributes to these artists and many bands have played with an orchestra. You will also see the joke about Meat Loaf being called Meat Loaf.
Meat Loaf was actually named Meat by his father due to the size of him as a child, Loaf was added later. In keeping with the themes of Evangelion, the story of Meat Loafs father is an interesting one. At his mothers funeral, Meat Loafs father actually tried to kill him. Chased him around the house with a knife in a drunken rage.
Chapter 11: Open Wide The Flood Gates
We switch from Meat Loaf to Spocks Beard for this chapter title. I picked this one because the name fit with what has happened in the story. The truth is out and these characters are moving forward in their own ways. Asuka/Kaworu are in a relationship, Shinji is back in contact with Asuka and has learned the truth about Rei. It just seemed to fit.
The album itself is about a young albino man nicknamed 'Snow' (Not to be confused with the Canadian rapper of the same name, famous for his early 90s hit 'Informer') Snow discovers he has certain abilities to see into the heart of any individual he touches. The album is noted for being Neal Morses last album as a full time member of Spocks Beard. It's a double disc concept album, some amazing music on there.
We also get a bit more about what Shinji likes from the playlist here. Genesis, Meat Loaf and Procol Harum. Procol Harum were one of the first bands to really bring classical influence into rock music and step away from blues influence with Whiter Shade Of Pale. Whiter Shade is considered to be based off of Air by Bach, so again fits in with Evangelion in it's own little way.
Chapter 12: Sound Of Contact
Sound Of Contact is the name of a band with one album to their name, the band does/feature Phil Collins son Simon on the drums and they released an album called Dimensionaut which is wonderful. Unfortunately they've broken up so a second album won't happen. Shame. I picked this as a title because this is Shinji and Kaworu making contact for the first time, it seemed apt.
Chapter 13: Realization
Asuka, Rei, Shinji, Kaworu... They're all the same in many ways aren't they? Each of them makes similar mistakes but reacts differently to it and this is the chapter where Rei especially begins to realize this.
The name of this chapter comes from the Ayreon album The Human Equation, it's actually one of the last songs of the album. The album is about a man who is in a car accident and whilst comatose becomes lost within his own mind, he meets personified versions of his emotions who guide him through his life and his mistakes to see what led him to the unpleasant individual he is today. Amazing album, highly recommended and has a great cast.
Chapter 14: Suitable Ground For The Blues
This chapter title is a King Crimson track, chosen because of the new Fuyutsuki delivers within the chapter. It's pretty much what it says it is, it's suitable grounds for them to be upset. I picked this truly because of name along but it isn't the only King Crimson reference in the chapter.
The song Kaworu is listening to is Epitaph by King Crimson from their first album. The song is sung by the late Greg Lake who would later go on to be part of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It's a beautiful little ballad, from what is generally considered to be the first true prog rock album.
So that is it for the first 14 chapters. When the fic is complete I'll go through and cover the other chapters but I just thought it might be interesting to do something like this. I mean it possibly wasn't, I don't know.
