The Soundtrack, Part 11

Loxy Brown in a white and gray bodysuit, a sword hilt over her shoulder, her locs swept up.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston

Loxy Brown is based on my wife, and my wife’s favorite singer is Whitney Houston. So that part was easy.

This is Whitney’s most famous song. Everybody has heard it. It starts with that little synth beat, and then she kicks in with a whoo that will wake up anybody. That’s the effect I wanted, because Part 11 opens on Loxy bolting out of bed to face the day. The song is her alarm.

Here’s the thing I wanted to do differently. Every superhero story gives its women the slow, sexy suit-up scene. But a great story subverts that. My all time favorite is Ellen Ripley buckling into the loader in Aliens. Loxy brushes her teeth. She stretches because she actually needs to. She has to jump to get into her pants. Things normal people have to do.

Then, right as the first chorus ends, the fighting starts. Having that happen while Whitney is asking for somebody to love her is an action sequence I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

King of Sweden – Future Islands

Part 11 ends at sunrise, and I love the way this song builds. It also starts with the synth melody, then the bassline comes in, then the whole band, like the light coming up.

The mood of the scene is sweet. The verses of the song are about traveling the world and all the hassle that comes with it. But the chorus brings it back to the thing I’m trying to say in that scene: you only need one person, and whatever comes, having them there is enough.

I can’t say more without spoiling it. You’re just going to have to see for yourselves.