SOUNDTRACK

Every chapter title is either a song title, or a lyric from a song.  Songs are either “sampled” from, or in some way referenced to tin the chapters.

In doing this, I am trying to make the book more appealing to people who – like David Beckham, according to Julie Burchill – hate reading.

With a single exception, all the chapters are short (around 100 words, or less). So, when someone who hates reading manages to complete the arduous task of reading 735 words, they get a treat; he track list. A present that merely has to be unwrapped. They can take a break from all those awful words, go online, and listen to the music that inspired me.

Obviously, all songs in the soundtrack or well known to me, and will be to many/most of my generation (I was born in 1963). But I am hoping the book will be read by lots and lots and lots of young people, many of whom will never have heard many of the songs before, especially if they are not from The West. So, they get to discover ‘new’ music.

My dream scenario goes like this: kids, who – like David Beckham, according to Julie Burchill – hate reading, are given the book as a present, by someone who loves them, and hasn’t yet given up on them. Said kids actually start reading the book. And start to enjoy it. Enjoy it so much that they show up at school, one day, and tell everyone that they are reading the coolest book. And everyone says, “You? You’re reading a book?” And the kids say, “Yeah, it’s the coolest book! And check out all the cool songs in it!”

Then, if I can have that cake, and eat it too, those kids tell their parents about Riff n Raff, and the parents buy up stacks and stacks of the book, and… burn them! And post videos of their cleansing bonfires on Youtube. Hey, a boy, even a 56 year old boy, can dream, can’t he?

I suppose that if I can get one kid, or adult, who  – like David Beck… well, you know – to discover the joy of these horrible, Flintstone era things called books, all the work that I’ve put into Riff n Raff will have been worth it.

Here’s the whole soundtrack

Book One – STOP THE WAR

1 – U can’t touch this – MC Hammer

2 – (She’s got) Looks that kill – Motley Crue

3 – The battle of evermore – Led Zeppelin

4 – Thrasher – Neil Young

5 – Run to the hills – Iron Maiden

6 – Ace of spades – Motorhead

7 – Don’t fear the reaper – Blue Oyster Cult

8 – Eve of destruction – Barry McGuire

9 – I hear you knocking – The Rolling Stones

10 – Sheep – Pink Floyd

11 – Mother’s little helper – The Rolling Stones

12 – (Money) Can’t but me love – The Beatles

13 – War pigs – Black Sabbath

14 – She ain’t right for you – Macy Gray

15 – Yesterday – The Beatles

16 – Baba O’Riley – The Who

17 – Whole lotta love – Led Zeppelin

18 – (Tell me why) I don’t like Mondays – The Boomtown Rats

19 – Two minutes to midnight – Iron Maiden

20 – Titties and beer – Frank Zappa

21 – (The girl with) Far away eyes – The Rolling Stones

22 – No quarter – Led Zeppelin

23 – Last night I had the strangest dream – Pete Seeger

24 – Crazy train – Ozzy Osbourne

25 – The sound of silence – Simon and Garfunkel

26 – All you need is love – The Beatles

27 – Stairway to heaven – Led Zeppelin

28 – It’s the end of the world as we know it (and i feel fine) – REM

Book Two – POOR NO MORE

1 – Rock n roll all night – Kiss

2 – Set the controls for the heart of the sun – Pink Floyd

3 – If I had a million dollars – Barenaked Ladies

4 – Highway to Hell – AD/DC

5 – If I had… – Eminem

6 – Smoke on the water – Deep Purple

7 – Material girl – Madonna

8 – Money (that’s what I want) – The Flying Lizards

9 – Taking care of business – BTO

10 – She works hard for the money – Dona Summer

11 – – She’s so cold – Rolling Stones

12 – Always look on the bright side of life – Monty Python

13 – Heartache tonight – Eagles

14 – Insane in the membrane – Cypress Hill

15 – Would I lie to you? – Eurythmics

16 – Fat bottom girls – Queen

17 – Baby’s got back – Sir Mix-a-Lot

18 – Teenage wasteland – The Who

19 – Let’s get it on – Marvin Gaye

20 – Sweet little 16 – Chuck Berry

21 – Money for nothing – Dire Straights

22 – Zombie – Cranberries

23 – She ain’t pretty – Northern Pikes

24 – Cold as ice – Foreigner

25 – Single ladies – Beyonce

26 – Welcome to the jungle – GnR

27 – Space truckin’ – Deep Purple

28 – I’m so lonesome I could cry – Hank Williams

28 – Mack the knife – Louis Armstrong

29 -1812 overture – Tchaikovsky

30 – Ain’t talking’ ’bout love – Van Halen

31 – Across the universe – Beatles

32 – Oops I did it again – Britney Spears

33 – You’re no good – Linda Ronstadt

34 – Let’s have a party – Wanda Jackson

35 – Money – Pink Floyd

36 – Taxi – Harry Chapin

37 – Working in a coal mine – Devo

38 – Take the money and run – Steve Miller Band

39 – (What’s so funny ’bout) Peace love and understanding – Elvis Costello

40 – Immigrant song – Led Zeppelin

41 – Seven nation army – White Stripes

42 – The trial – Pink Floyd

43 – Love ain’t no stranger – Whitesnake

44 – Smells like teen spirit – Nirvana

45 – Give it away now – Red hot Chili Peppers

Book Three – IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY KNIGHT

1 – Do you feel like we do – Peter Frampton

2 – Knights in White Satin – Moody Blues

3 – McArthur’s park – Richard Harris

4 – I’m going home – Ten Years After

5 – Good morning little school girl – Ten Years After

6 – Up – Shania Twain

7 – Saturday night’s alright for fighting – Elton John

8 – 9th and Hennepin – Tom Waits

9 – Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys – Willie Nelson

10 – Stairway to heaven – Led Zeppelin

11 – I’m coming out – Diana Ross

12 – Aqualung – Jethro Tull

13 – It ain’t me babe – Bob DylaN

14 – We’re off to see the wizard – Harold Arlen

15 – Fear of a black planet – Public Enemy

16 – Bad boys – Inner Circle

17 – A Whiter shade of pale – Procol Harum

18 – Cop killer – Ice T and Body Count

19 – Whatever happened to all the fun in the world? Frank Zappa

20 – To all the girls I’ve loved before – Willie Nelson

21 – I‘m your captain – Grand Funk Railroad

22 – Set the controls for the heart of the sun – Pink Floyd

23 – Breakfast in America – Supertramp

24 – A little less conversation – Elvis Presley

25 – Who are you? – The Who

26 – Whole lotta love – Led Zeppelin

27 – Closer – Nine Inch Nails

28 – No ordinary love – Sade

29 – The power of love – Jennifer Rush

30 – Shiny happy people – REM

31 – Subterranean homesick blues – Bob Dylan

32 – YMCA – Village People

33 – I fall to pieces – Patsy Cline

34 – Stranglehold – Ted Nugent

35 – Bohemian rhapsody – Queen

36 – Enter Sandman – Metallica

37 – Party hard – Andrew WK

38 – My my hey hey – Neil Young

39 – Send in the clowns – Stephen Sondheim

40 – Macho Man – Village People

41 – If it makes you happy – Sheryl Crow

42 – (Keep on) Rockin’ in the free world – Neil Young

43 – Meat is murder – The Smiths

44 – This Jesus must die – Rice ad Webber

45 – Powderfinger – Neil Young

46 – The kids are alright – The Who

47 – Rocket man – Elton JohN

48 – Come together – Beatles

49 – The age of aquarius – 5th Dimension

50 – Where evil grows – Poppy Family

51 – The final countdown – Europe

52 – I believe in music  – Mac Davis

53 – Eight days a week – Beatles

54 – Let it bleed – Rolling Stones