Readers of my Snupin fic "Always" (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6) know that I pretty much used the album Back into Your System by Saliva as the soundtrack for that story. In my author's notes, I wrote: "The bulk of the story was planned out before I bought the Saliva album, but when I heard 'Always' on the radio, I thought, 'Wow, this fits the story almost perfectly!' I liked it so much that I went out and bought the CD, and a lot of the other songs fit the theme of the story, too, so it ended up becoming the soundtrack of the fic."
"Always"
I hear a voice say "Don't be so blind" It's telling me all these things that you would probably hide Am I your one and only desire? Am I the reason you breathe? Or am I the reason you cry? Always...always...always...always...always...always
I just can't live without you I love you, I hate you, I can't get around you I breathe you, I taste you, I can't live without you I just can't take anymore of this life of solitude I guess that I'm out the door and now I'm done with you
That first verse makes me think of Snape and Lupin falling in love and carrying on a secret romance during the Marauder days. Snape keeps wondering if he can really trust Lupin, or if he will always come in second to Lupin's Gryffindor friends, or even if the whole thing is just some elaborate prank that the Marauders cooked up to humiliate him. And after the Shrieking Shack incident, Snape's love turns to hate, but he can't help still loving Lupin even though he hates him, and hates himself for loving someone whom (he thinks) betrayed him.
I feel like you Don't want me around I guess I'll pack all my things I guess I'll see you around It's all been bottled up until now As I walk out your door All I can hear is the sound of... Always...always...always...always...always...always
And this verse from the same song makes me think of Lupin packing up and leaving at the end of Prisoner of Azakaban, sadly saying goodbye to Snape, and to the hope that they could have rekindled their old romance.
"Rest in Pieces"
Look at me, my depth perception must be off again Cause this hurts deeper than I thought it did It has not healed with time It just shot down my spine
You look so beautiful tonight Remind me how you laid us down And gently smiled before you destroyed my life
Would you find it in your heart? To make this go away And let me rest in pieces
This one makes me think of Snape meeting Lupin again for the first time in years during PoA, and feeling his heart break all over again when he realizes how much he still misses Lupin.
"Famous Monsters"
Look at your life Look at the way you slip and slide, look at your time Look at the ones you've left behind Look at your eyes, the haunted black circles of your plight But you can get by, oh and killing you might take one more night Cause you're a famous monster, you do whatever they offer You tie their noose around your neck and they throw you over
Look at your mind, look at the strength you never found You lean on your pride, the only friend that would never let you down Look at the signs, look at the way they stop and stare They're watching you die, and when you're gone it's like you weren't even there Cause you're a famous monster, you do whatever they offer You tie their noose around your neck and they throw you over
This one makes me think of Snape, because as a former Death Eater, many people probably think of him as a monster--and at times, perhaps he does as well.
"All Because of You"
Something's wrong with you The walls you build around you now Seem to fit you like a glove Something's wrong with you Cause stars cannot be found in clouds that cover up their love Cause all I do is wait in, wondering and hoping, that we'll survive it I know that all this is true All because of you
This one is Lupin, wanting to break through the walls that Snape has built up around himself.
"Separated Self"
If there's a God at Heaven's door, do you think He wants me anymore? It's all left up to circumstances, a whole life filled with second chances Pounded like nails into my floor Everybody hates and everybody dies Begin to separate a world that's full of lies Separate yourself, to separated self Separate yourself, to separated self
And this one makes me think of Snape after he realized he'd gotten in over his head with the Death Eaters. Even though Dumbledore offered him a chance at redemption, he wonders if he can ever really be forgiven for what he's done.
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"Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence
How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core where I’ve become so numb Without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold until you find it there and lead it back home
(Wake me up) Wake me up inside (I can’t wake up) Wake me up inside (Save me) call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up) bid my blood to run (I can’t wake up) before I come undone (Save me) save me from the nothing I’ve become
I never used this song in a fic, but I think of it as my signature Snape song. Spending so many years pretending to be a Death Eater must surely have taken a toll on Snape's soul, and Lupin is the only one who can save him from that darkness and despair.
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Three Days Grace is another band that writes a lot of great Snupin songs!
"Animal I Have Become"
I can't escape this hell So many times I've tried But I'm still caged inside Somebody get me through this nightmare I can't control myself
So what if you can see the darkest side of me? No one would ever change this animal I have become Help me believe it's not the real me Somebody help me tame this animal
As soon as I heard this song, I immediately thought of werewolves! I actually used it to describe my OC werewolf Ash in Scars, but it can easily apply to Lupin as well.
"I Hate Everything About You"
Every time we lie awake After every hit we take Every feeling that I get But I haven’t missed you yet
Every roommate kept awake By every sigh and scream we make All the feelings that I get But I still don't miss you yet
Only when I stop to think about it
I hate everything about you Why do I love you I hate everything about you Why do I love you
This one is similar to "Always"--the love/hate relationship that Snape has with Lupin. (It was also mentioned in the comments of the original Snupin Songs post.)
"Pain"
Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all
You're sick of feeling numb You're not the only one I'll take you by the hand And I'll show you a world that you can understand This life is filled with hurt When happiness doesn't work Trust me and take my hand When the lights go out you will understand
Someone in the original song post brought up this song, for a darker side of Snupin. In my little AU world, it probably fits Ash better than Lupin, but I can definitely see it working for Snupin in a slightly different context. And I just noticed that it does echo the theme of numbness from "Bring Me to Life."
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The band Shinedown also has several Snupin-appropriate songs. Here are a few of my favorites:
"Heroes"
All my heroes have now become ghosts Sold their sorrow to the ones who paid the most All my heroes are dead and gone But they're inside of me, they still live on
This one made me think of Dumbledore, although I don't really think that canon!Snape regards Dumbledore as a hero. But for fanfics where Dumbledore has been more of a father figure to Snape, I can see this working.
"Trade Yourself In"
Deal with me Don't even think about leaving yet I'm not a part of some false regret Even though I believe in fables Come reset A part of life that you'd soon forget And maybe think about who you hurt In the process
I don't think they know, that's my heart exposed From the fearing of the endless lies
Trade yourself in for the perfect one No one needs to know that you feel you've been ruined Trade yourself in for diamond eyes Watch the stars collide as you're lifted from your burden
This one makes me think of Snape feeling bitter towards Lupin, maybe after Lupin's marriage to Tonks. In his eyes, Lupin is pretending to be something that he's not in his desperation to be liked and accepted, and Snape knows (or at least he thinks he knows) that he will never be an "acceptable" lover for Lupin.
"Fake"
This place has begun to cover me I recall the light, but the dark smothers me I prefer the feelings I know right now I don't worry about feeling very proud
You don't know how it feels To be misunderstood To reach for the sky I thought you never would You don't know how it feels To be misunderstood To reach for the sky I thought you never would
But I'm bleeding, and my hands are bruised From the grip that I once had on you And I'm open for a new way Because there's not much more that I can fake
As a double agent, of course Snape knows what it's like to be misunderstood--though it would be unfair to say that Lupin doesn't also understand that, being a werewolf. (But Snape isn't always fair, especially when he's feeling bitter.) This song makes me think of how Snape was forced to play the role of the traitor in HBP and DH--in my AU version of events, Snape was able to do this only because he was desperately clinging to the hope that Lupin would believe in him no matter how bad things seemed. And when Lupin married Tonks, he felt like he'd lost his lifeline.
So that's my Snupin playlist, which I often listen to for inspiration when I'm mulling over a fic. Please feel free to share your Snupin songs in the comments, if you like!