Music Moments

WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!! Bet you have won the copy of Shut Up and Kiss Me and the copy of the CD The Fancy Shapes. Please send me your snail mail address at christie (at) christie-craig (.) com

“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.” Plato

It’s happened more than once. I’ll be in my car, listening to the radio, and a song will play. I’ll get pulled into music or the lyrics.

Suddenly, wherever my mind was, I’m not there anymore. I’m in the song. If it’s a sad song, I probably have tears in my eyes and my mascara is running down my face. If it’s happy song, I’m smiling ear to ear and looking pretty goofy. If there’s a lot of rhythm, I’m probably doing a little dance, my butt bouncing on the car seat. If it’s a song I know and love the words to, I sing along, belt out the words as if I’m on a stage, as if I can sing and my “carry-a-tune” thingamajig doesn’t have a big hole in it. But it doesn’t matter. I’m in a moment and I forget.

I forget that the people stopped at the red light are staring at me, wondering what kind of fruitcake I am. Not that I really care, but when I do see them snickering and staring, I blush just a little bit. But then I tell myself that when they see me in a middle of a music moment, they’re thinking the same thing I’m thinking when I see someone else in one. I usually smile and if my radio isn’t on, I turn it on. Because, well, music is good for us. And getting lost in one of those music moments is heart-healthy.

Like the quote above states, music finds a place in our souls. Music is therapy. No, seriously, there is a thing called music therapy. In some states, Medicare will even pay for it. I’m not joking. Google it and you’ll see.

So why am I talking about music today? Well, I have a song. Okay… I don’t have a song. My book, Shut Up and Kiss Me, has a song. It wasn’t exactly written for my book, but you’ll never guess what the title is: Shut up and Kiss Me, and it mentions soul mates in the lyrics, and if you’ve read my book, you know it’s about soul mates. “Shut Up and Kiss Me” is by The Fancy Shapes, a New York based band that melds smart pop with Afro-tropical rhythms. (That’s what it says in this cool review at Barnes and Noble. All I know is I like the music.) Anyway, would you believe their new CD Fun City releases today? How’s that for another coincidence?

So I’m gonna call it my book’s song, and The Fancy Shapes are going to let me do it. In fact, if you pop over to my website you can even download a copy of the song for free. But better than that, I’m also going to post all the links here. And if you like it as much as I do, you can follow the link to B&N and order a copy of the CD.

Listen to Shut Up & Kiss Me

Download the song for free

Buy the CD



You know, I’m with music like I am with books. I sort of like different types. I love Country Western, love the stories the lyrics tell. I like rock & roll, the hypnotic fast rhythm that gets your soul popping. I love Irish music that seems to get into my blood and make my feet start tapping. Jazz music that pulls me into a certain mood. Folk and easy listening are right up there on my likes, as well. When I write I can’t listen to music with lyrics, so if I do listen to music it’s often classical.

I guess you could say, I’m not a music snob, or a music connoisseur. If it tickles my fancy then I fancy it. And my fancy gets tickled a lot. With music, of course. Hmm, I guess you could say I am with music sort of like I am with books. I read across genres.

So what about you guys? Do you have a song? What type of music do you like? Do you regularly get caught up in a music moment at red lights? Today, one lucky person will get a copy of my book and a copy of The Fancy Shapes’ Fun City. So make sure you post. And today I hope everyone will take a few minutes to slow down and listen to your favorite music—to get lost in the moment.