Nicholas Fagen

Jul 22, 20228 min read

A Moment in Time - The...Playlist?!

Updated: Nov 15, 2022

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”

-Victor Hugo

Thanks for visiting Writing Rituals yet again, faithful readers!

I apologize for the major delay in posting as of late 😅

Life...you know what I'm saying?!

Promise that I'll start writing on this platform at a more consistent basis real soon.

In the meantime, I've been posting weekly over yonder on LinkedIn 👇🏼

LinkedIn - Nicholas Fagen

Oh! And for those of you still searching for A Moment in Time, by chance, click away here . . .

Do it if you're cool

If you've already purchased my January '22 release, THANK YOU SO much 🙏🏼

I appreciate the heck out of you and look SO forward to sharing the 2nd Edition with you super soon 😇

Though if you haven't, you're still a cool human for scrolling this far into any post of mine 🙌🏼

Anyways for now, reader, let's get right on to what I'd previously promised you:

Before concluding a positively and exhaustingly eventful transition on to a second book (Bittersweet State of Mind), I had to send off Book #1 with a proper farewell and a thoroughly completed/unabridged 2nd Edition (my top-tier ✨ FAVORITE ✨ version) which includes several never-before-seen pieces, plus a Hardcover option, versus the original paperback!

With that being said, the below post will include references to many of the pieces you have read, alongside those that you surely haven't 😊

I'm excited to share a snippet with you, friends!! 🥳

Don't forget to stick around for surprises & a survey at the bottom 👀

So...without further ado...let's do it!

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As you likely already know, music (a loveable art form, itself) drafts a superbly solid inspiration for a number of various forms of content creation. Writing is definitely no exception!

Over a number of long (and somewhat stressful) months, I curated a short playlist showcasing which melodies proved to be foundationally essential to much of my creative work throughout the first 📗 (of hopefully many 📚)

You can check it out here:

Though far from my "favorite" playlist, and admittedly very much of a work-in-progress, my affection for it is peculiarly astronomical, given its unique ability to instantly transport me to a creative mindset 🚀

If you're a fellow open-minded music guru, here are a few of my "favorites" I've been into right now:

🤘🏼 Said the Sky & Friends 🥺

🍿 A Trip to the Theater (or TV) 🍿

💃🏻 Electronic Dance Music 🕺🏽

🌙 A Late Night Drive 🌙

💭 Lost in Thought 💭

🔥 Chill Bonfire 🔥

☀️ Erie, PA ☀️

Anyhow, please note, my friends, that the post below is not one of "recommendations" ❌

Instead, it's actually a random culmination of various genres that collectively inspire me, myself, and I to design my form of a passionate art.

If you're looking for some recommendations, though, maybe that can be my next post! 💭

In the meantime, click away here for a random playlist to put on, click shuffle, and entertain the entirety of the (non-difficult) partygoers at your next get-together:

Alternatively, here's another shuffle playlist of the most influential songs in my life (not that anyone asked, but in case you wanted to learn even more about me through a playlist):

Now, with all that having been said...

Here's a quick note/key of the upcoming formatting:

(Song) - (Artist)

Creative Piece(s)

Annddd we're off 🏇

I'm Sorry - Stand Atlantic & Mokita

"Better to Have Loved and Lost..."

I'll be honest, reader, this song probably could've been listed for 2-3 pieces at minimum throughout A Moment in Time, though it had a stronger influence on this one in particular.

But I'll tell you a secret! 🤫

(Sometime in late 2021) I created "Better to Have Loved and Lost..." simultaneously alongside the story of a later piece - An Unrequited Love: Cautious Melancholy.

You might've even noticed that the last line of prose to that particular Part I of II, in fact, ends with the verbatim line: "I'm Sorry." 😏

That was a tidbit of an easter egg toward this song and it's authentic inspiration throughout the creative process! Not to mention a fun tune to sing along to, in general 🎤

Don't get me wrong, though. I wouldn't deem it a happy melody, per say. It's more like one of those songs with sad lyrics but a catchy chorus, you know? Kind of like Mr. Brightside! (Though admittedly, much slower than that The Killers classic).

No, we can't go back. It's too late for that. SPACE But I hope you know I'm sorry.

I ❤️ the idea of free individual expression of every reader, and thus, I would never wish to rob you of whatever any one of my written works might initially inspire inside your mind, or the direction(s) they could possibly lead someone toward. Even if you dislike it!

I will admit, however, that the concept of "Better to Have Loved and Lost..." is actually constructed as a dream state for the love interest in An Unrequited Love, parts I & II.

Remember this line, by chance?

THAT is the imagination that is occurring in "Better to Have Loved and Lost..." 🤯

I know...I'm being a bit dramatic 🤪

The main idea is that these are best-friend characters who've had the pleasure of watching each other grow up side-by side, among the same friends, shared reunions, and unified celebrations 👫

They inevitably fall over-the-top in love with one another, yet only one is willing to be openly vulnerable about their hidden feelings (while the other silently imagines the events of "Better to Have Loved and Lost..." ultimately deciding it is better to act otherwise) 😭

For more context, check out the line:

What once was, is now no more.

Where our character's final inner moment of realization - I cannot allow that outcome to happen...🧠

And thus, our piece(s) were born! 🙌🏼

Overall, I'd originally envisioned a scenario with two old friends coincidentally running into one another and mistakenly locking eyes from across an airport (at a distance), perhaps prior to a wedding or special event that they're both attending from out of town.

Either way, this is a vision that our character foresees, and so she chooses to stay protectively strong and go the safe route: deny every feeling 💡

And that's why this Stand Atlantic & Mokita song held heavy influence, as it was a chorus of two former partners who were genuinely sorry for harsh ways a relationship had suddenly ended 💔

I know...I know...

A bit deep, huh? 😅

Anywho, on to the next one before I bore you. Shall we?!

Blame Myself - ILLENIUM & Tori Kelly

A Night Out on the Town (Parts I & II)

If you don't already know me, let me tell you that it's so so *so* immensely difficult for me to truly adore any of my own creative endeavors, but MAN both of these pieces are near & dear to my heart for an abundance of reasons.

Though, given my absolute infatuation with this tune throughout 2021 & 2022, it HAD to make an appearance on this post.

Believe it or not, it was actually in front of your eyes the whole time! Check this out!

If there's any song that I would be recommending on this list, you probably knew I'd choose one by ILLENIUM 😅

I simply cannot help it 😛

Having been informed all too often the quantity of people who think "Fagen" when this song pops up on shuffle, I had to hint at the song itself too with this line:

Your song just came on the radio and it took me six whole seconds before I realized, Forcing me to fiercely jerk the volume knob with an impenetrable sense of sorrow...

It was too fun not to 😜

Naturally, I'll also think of a warm Starbucks beverage here & there, given that one distinct line:

Meanwhile I’m struggling to cope with the thought of somebody else memorizing your Starbucks order...

Forgive the heavy emotion, I sincerely promise I'm a fun guy outside of creative writing 😅

Still, I cannot read these two pieces without giving this song a listen simultaneously.

For me, it's all a part of the full experience 🥰

Plus, it's pure euphoria to see live 😍

Butterflies - William Black, Fairlane & Dia Frampton

The Mind-Boggling Concept of Fate

Yay, we have a happy one! 😅

What can I say? Sometimes art can veer towards an upsetting subject or two 😬

In all seriousness, for those who haven't read it just yet, this piece is about a distraught and hopeless romantic, fresh out of a break-up.

We've all been there...am I right?! (Hopefully not!)

Don't worry, though! It was a happy ending! 👏🏼

And so is this tune! The chorus details an intricate & distinct sentiment while stuck in a moment of rediscovering the breathless "funny kind of feeling" of falling in love:

Guess what I'm saying is, there's no explaining it. You brought back the butterflies.

🦋 🦋 🦋

I probably should say that I wouldn't recommend this tune to anyone who is anti-pop/EDM types of "Feel Good" genres ❌

Though, if that's your vibe in this moment, go ahead and give it a whirl!

I wouldn't be disappointed one bit 😉

Whoops! Am I losing you, reader? 💤

Let's hurry up & spit out some quick ones! ⏱️

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Lost Boy - The Midnight

A Glimpse of Inner Crisis within a Glance of Perfection

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Needed You - ILLENIUM

I (hate to admit but I) don't like thinking about you.

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Toothpick - Stand Atlantic

Confessions of a Full-Time Listener

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Knowing How to Break - Last Heroes

The Mind-Boggling Concept of Fate

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When We Were Young - Lost Kings

Good Old Days

Alright, now I may be moving too fast!

How about a short tune or two that inspired Nick to create overall, versus those that inspired a specific piece?

That way, you can connect with me rather than my book.

Songs that forced Nick to jot down what's pondering his brain and create a resonating message in no fictional character, but rather the writer, himself?

Alright, I'll stop with the third person stuff, but you get the idea!

Not to say the above tunes don't motivate, but there are those handful of melodies that'll naturally stick with me forever 🤟🏼

Such as...

Yup, that last one was a musical 👏🏼

You guys wanted the real & authentic me, right? 🤷🏻

If you haven't seen that movie, though, (seriously) tell me and I'll bring the popcorn 🍿

So...to finish us off?

How about a piece you've never seen before? 🤗

Drinking Like Kings - Trivecta (feat. Woodlock)

Hooligans

I almost want to create another list so that we could end on a more joyful piece, rather than a combination of bittersweet & nostalgia 😅

Though, reach out to me if you guys have enjoyed this and I'll gladly draft up a part 2 🥳

To close us off is not one of my "favorite" tunes, but certainly one of my favorite artists 🎶

Still, you might notice that this Electronic track influenced this new piece quite significantly.

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Like I said, I'd be happy to create an additional list with a happier ending 😭

I have a surprise, though, to lighten the load at the end (phew) 👏🏼

But yes, if this tune makes it's way to your ears, you'll hear the cynical & bittersweet (yet ironically happy-sounding) reminiscent chorus about a particularly unsettling sensation of "cold feet" combined with "bliss" that I tried to convey in this piece.

Other tracks played factors, for sure, but this one won the gold medal 🥇

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