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Mixtape: This Has Nothing to Do With You
This Mixtape pairs Lauren Carter’s This Has Nothing to Do With You (Freehand Books) — a gripping novel about a young woman coming to terms with a tragic reality about her family — with the ultimate ’90s playlist, featuring tracks from Nirvana, Def Leppard, The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, and more. Get your headphones ready and scroll on for Lauren’s totally awesome playlist.
“Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” – The Cure
Not a song, but a whole album, and why not start a novel with a gesture at one of the greatest bands of the ‘80s?: “That morning, just past dawn, my brother sat in the driver’s seat of the minivan, reading the liner notes from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me by The Cure.”
“Glory Days” – Bruce Springsteen
There’s poignancy in the fact that this is the song that’s playing in the van as siblings Mel and Matt Barnett drive by the highway murder scene that will forever alter their lives the morning after Mel’s high-school graduation.
“Little Bones” – The Tragically Hip
In the ‘90s, was a Canadian road trip truly a road trip without the Hip? Mel listens to Road Apples when she drives from Norbury to her home town of Hixon River with her new dog to visit her best friend, Josie. “Little Bones” is my favourite driving tune from that album.
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” – Def Leppard
This song always brings me back to my own small town, northern Ontario high-school days so it made sense to have it playing at the ‘80s party thrown for Matt’s birthday.
“How Soon Is Now” – The Smiths
Once the party is over, and Matt’s hangover has already begun, this more apt, moody music comes on. A song Matt would have listened to in his dorm room during his brief years at university in Toronto, it plays while Mel and Owain are making out in the basement.
“Today” – Smashing Pumpkins
Owain, Matt’s friend and Mel’s love interest, turns this song into a lullaby and sings it to baby Ellie, Matt’s daughter.
“Linger” – The Cranberries
While Mel is looking for a new apartment that will accept both her and her beast of an anxious dog, this song gives her a little bit of hope. While I was finishing up the novel, lead singer Dolores O’Riordan tragically died so I was happy to have given a nod to her great band.
“Creep” – Radiohead
Is it possible to write a book set in the ‘90s without a Radiohead song in it? No.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana
Kurt Cobain sadly died by suicide in the spring of 1994, and Owain and Mel watch Erica Ehm talking about his legacy on Much Music, an echo of the Barnett family’s trauma of depression and suicidal tendencies.
“Helpless” – Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
In a heightened emotional moment, Mel remembers a time when Matt sang this beautiful song as they paddled a canoe near their hometown of Hixon River. It basically defines their youth, and my own.
“Jack and Diane” – John Mellencamp
Owain sings a special rewritten version of this song to Mel.
“Just Like Heaven” – The Cure
Full circle, but different. You’ll understand when you get there.
* * * Grab a copy of Lauren’s novel This Has Nothing to Do With You to read along with this sweet new playlist. Many thanks to Lauren for providing the beats, and to Anna Boyar at Freehand Books for connecting us! 
