Pegged on the publication of Haruki Murakami's new book, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (excellent, I'm told!), The Week's Scott Meslow created this annotated playlist of the big musical references in Murakami's novels:
At times, reading Murakami's work can feel like flipping through his legendarily expansive record collection. (In a 2011 New York Times article, Murakami estimated that he owns 10,000 records, but says he was afraid to count.) Almost without exception, Murakami's musical references are confined to one of three genres: classical, jazz, and American pop. Many of his novels, including Norwegian Wood, Dance Dance Dance, and South of the Border, West of the Sun — derive their titles from songs, and his characters constantly reflect on the music they hear. If anything, Murakami's reliance on music has become more pronounced over the years; his two most recent novels hinge on songs that literally have the power to change the world.
"Your literary playlist: A guide to the music of Haruki Murakami" (via the beautiful @kellysparks)
