Songs For Reflection

1. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere 

Anyplace is better

In “Fast Car” Tracy Chapman imagines what it would be like to escape to a better place. She also wishes for a “ticket to anywhere”. This can easily be compared to Baby’s situation in Lullabies for Little Criminals. At the end of the story, Jules drops off Baby at Val des Loups where she will start a new life, leaving her troubles in Montreal.

2. “Teenage Love Affair” by Alicia Keys

Can't wait to get home
Baby dial your number
Can you pick up the phone
'cause I wanna holla?
Daydreaming about you all day
In school can't concentrate
Want have your voice in my ear
'Til ma comes and says it's too late

This song is about a typical teenage relationship where a girl is dating a boy for the first time in her life. This is closely related to Baby and Xavier’s relationship in Lullabies for Little Criminals. During her relationship with Xavier, Baby is happy and she feels normal for the first time in a while.

3. “Tears in Heaven” By Eric Clapton

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?

Eric Clapton originally wrote this song in memory of his son who passed away at a very young age. Similarly, Baby’s mother died in a car accident when Baby was very young. This song can easily be related to the grief that Baby must feel due to never knowing her mother.

4. “With A Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles

 Oh I get by with a little help from my friends

Mm I get high with a little help from my friends

This Beatles’ song describes the importance of friendship, which is a prevailing theme throughout Lullabies For Little Criminals. In the story, Baby could not have gotten through her journey without the support she got from the friends she met along the way.

5. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

 Cause Baby

There ain’t no mountain high enough

Ain’t no valley low enough

Ain’t no river wide enough

To keep me from getting to you baby

These lyrics are very descriptive of Patty and Robert’s relationship in Just Kids. Throughout their journey, Patti and Robert always looked out for each other. Since the day they met each other in New York they have had an unconditional friendship, which is exactly what Marvin and Tammi are singing about in this song.

6. “I’m Just a Kid” by Simple Plan

I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid, I know that its not fair
Nobody cares, cause I'm alone and the world is
Having more fun than me.. Tonight

This song can serve as a description of what the narrator in “At the Café Lovely” might feel when his older brother acts in a condescending manner towards him. The narrator looks up to his older brother and asks to spend time with him; however, Anek continuously rejects this offer.

7. “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen 

I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me

The positive lyrics from Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" can easily be compared to the happy ending in "At the Café Lovely." I am sure that the narrator must have experienced many of the great feelings described in this song while riding his brother's car in fourth gear.

8. “Knockin’ on Heavens Door” by Bob Dylan

Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore.
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door.

When Bob Dylan sings “It’s getting dark, too dark to see, I feel I’m knockin’ on heavens door”, reminds me of the ending of Oates’s “Where are you going, Where have you been?” As Connie enters Arnold’s car she does not know where she is going; furthermore, the ending of the story leaves us thinking that she is maybe going to die.

9. “Hard Working Man” by Brooks & Dunn

I can ride, rope, hammer and paint
Do things with my hands that most men can't

The opening lyrics of this song describe a man who is able to “ride, rope, hammer” and “do things with [his] hands.” These lyrics can be related to Theodore Roosevelt’s excerpt from “The American Boy”, where he encourages boys to engage in team sports and rough activities.

 10. “Come As You Are” by Nirvana

Come as you are
As you were
As I want you to be

This song is clearly about nonconformity and encourages you to be yourself. In A&P by John Updike, the three girls who walked in the grocery store in bathing suits were perceived as outcasts; however, they were being themselves instead of conforming to the A&P’s controlled environment.