Soundlist: Nick Dunne from Gone Girl (First Draft Version)
Soundlist: Nick Dunne from Gone Girl
Draft Version
A Blossoming Romance
The song describes a blinding light of beauty, like the one Nick sees in Amy, and details shadows and darkness similar to Amy's hold on Nick. Delicate notes lend understanding to the uneasy first sense of love that they have. Combined with the instrumentals, the chilling lament of the vocals in this song parallel the danger in the relationship.
Who Took Amy?
The diary entries detail false memories in which Amy manipulates the readers into thinking that Nick has murdered her. However, when the narration flips to Nick's point of view, the reader learns that Nick is innocent and geniuinely worried for her return. "Signs" has the mysterious vibes that encompass the sense of hopefulness that Nick is feeling as he yearns for Amy to come home and Nick's wavering feeling of despair when he learns that Amy may not return. The lyrics detail both the former and the latter: "The last time we slept together, there was something that was not there/You never wanted to alarm me, but I'm the one that's drowning now... I see signs now all the time, that you're not dead, you're sleeping/I believe in anything that brings you home to me." Interestingly, the vocals can be soothing, while the message of the music is not. This element of juxtaposition in the song parallels with Nick's attempt at self-soothing before he realizes that Amy is not the woman he thought he married.
"Take the Long Way Home" is about a man who is trapped in an abusive relationship similar to Nick's. After a few months of marriage, Nick is no longer passionate towards Amy, but still loves her. However, she takes him for granted and becomes vengeful. The song also has a relatively slow, almost suspenseful start, beginning with one high, almost screeching note with low piano chords. Such a juxtaposition matches up with the tension in the relationship.
When Hodgson starts to sing, it sounds sorrowful, similar to Nick's emotions when he realized that Amy was getting bored with him. Furthermore, this message fits well with the unreciprocated love: "And then your wife seems to think you're part of the furniture, oh, it's peculiar, she used to be so nice."
Later on, like the subject of the song, Nick, like the vocalist, feels like he is the "joke of the neighborhood" when the media accuses him of murder, and he is isolated from his community. Nick feels like he has nowhere to turn, and that he has made a mistake by marrying her and staying with her. He metaphorically takes the long way home by shutting everyone out, so that he has time to think and nobody can see his embarrassment and angst.
When the reader discovers that Amy had a year-long elaborate plan to put Nick in prison and alienate him from his friends and community simply because he rubbed her the wrong way, the novel becomes downright chilling. Nick is an innocent man who really tried to love Amy, but because he could not keep her happy, he is the victim of her twisted actions. Such a sense of unease can be emulated by the eerie and ominous sounds of the alpenhorn. The instruments start strong, but continue to build up and waver in intensity, much like Nick's feelings of frustration with his lack of agency. For example, Nick has more mobility when the press favors him, but eventually the public abandons his side when they find Amy's incriminating evidence. Then, he experiences occasional glimpses of hopefulness when contradictory evidence emerges, or his sister or police confidant agree to help prove his case. Despite the oscillation between depression and joy, Nick must always be on edge, living in the kind of suspense that the alpenhorn communicates.
Upon discovering Amy's intentions, Nick is furious. He wishes to exact revenge against Amy. To do so, he shares with the only policewoman that he can trust that Amy has pinned her fake murder on Nick. The two begin to plot how to trap Amy in her devious scheme. There is an element of suspense to the track; it's what someone would hear in a movie right before there's about to be climactic action. The sound is indeed epic like the title advertises; in this moment, it appears that Nick is going to valiantly save the day. The reader trusts that justice will be served, and that everything will be okay for him again. On the other hand, because of the ambiguous nature of noise, the sound effect could also suggest that something heroic has already occurred, or even something tragic - there is indeed an element of suspense. That could still fit in with Nick's story. Perhaps you could say that his feeling of certainty is about to crumble, he is about to discover his inability to wriggle out of Amy's grip.
Unfortunately, Nick's plan to reveal Amy's psychotic nature to the public fails. After Nick realizes that Amy is alive and begins to hunt her down by visiting the people she manipulated in the past for clues, Amy unexpectedly returns home. She convinces the world that she and Nick are reunited and happy again. Of course, the press believes such an innocent young girl such as herself - they are also caught up in the lies of the naive voice from the diary. Media coverage dies down. The policewoman who agreed to help Nick now abandons him. Nick cannot escape, as Amy threatens to ruin him with another intricate, failsaife plan if he does not go along with their new picturesque image. Nick feels despair; he is ensared in Amy's web of lies forever, losing all sense of agency. The novel gives no clear resolution. Rather, there are choppy scenes, and then the narration concludes.
The beginning of this audio clip is shaky. It feels like the whole story could work out, or it could fall apart, much like the ending of the novel. However, the intsrumentals soon increase alarmingly in tempo and volume, and then cut off abruptly. Thus, this cliffhanger sound compliments the horrifying ending, in terms of both plot and style.
Nowhere to Go
"Take the Long Way Home" is about a man who is trapped in an abusive relationship similar to Nick's. After a few months of marriage, Nick is no longer passionate towards Amy, but still loves her. However, she takes him for granted and becomes vengeful. The song also has a relatively slow, almost suspenseful start, beginning with one high, almost screeching note with low piano chords. Such a juxtaposition matches up with the tension in the relationship.
When Hodgson starts to sing, it sounds sorrowful, similar to Nick's emotions when he realized that Amy was getting bored with him. Furthermore, this message fits well with the unreciprocated love: "And then your wife seems to think you're part of the furniture, oh, it's peculiar, she used to be so nice."
Later on, like the subject of the song, Nick, like the vocalist, feels like he is the "joke of the neighborhood" when the media accuses him of murder, and he is isolated from his community. Nick feels like he has nowhere to turn, and that he has made a mistake by marrying her and staying with her. He metaphorically takes the long way home by shutting everyone out, so that he has time to think and nobody can see his embarrassment and angst.
Feeling On Edge
Alpenhorn LoopWhen the reader discovers that Amy had a year-long elaborate plan to put Nick in prison and alienate him from his friends and community simply because he rubbed her the wrong way, the novel becomes downright chilling. Nick is an innocent man who really tried to love Amy, but because he could not keep her happy, he is the victim of her twisted actions. Such a sense of unease can be emulated by the eerie and ominous sounds of the alpenhorn. The instruments start strong, but continue to build up and waver in intensity, much like Nick's feelings of frustration with his lack of agency. For example, Nick has more mobility when the press favors him, but eventually the public abandons his side when they find Amy's incriminating evidence. Then, he experiences occasional glimpses of hopefulness when contradictory evidence emerges, or his sister or police confidant agree to help prove his case. Despite the oscillation between depression and joy, Nick must always be on edge, living in the kind of suspense that the alpenhorn communicates.
An Attempt to Salvage the Situation
"Epic angry boat/Inception Sound effect"Upon discovering Amy's intentions, Nick is furious. He wishes to exact revenge against Amy. To do so, he shares with the only policewoman that he can trust that Amy has pinned her fake murder on Nick. The two begin to plot how to trap Amy in her devious scheme. There is an element of suspense to the track; it's what someone would hear in a movie right before there's about to be climactic action. The sound is indeed epic like the title advertises; in this moment, it appears that Nick is going to valiantly save the day. The reader trusts that justice will be served, and that everything will be okay for him again. On the other hand, because of the ambiguous nature of noise, the sound effect could also suggest that something heroic has already occurred, or even something tragic - there is indeed an element of suspense. That could still fit in with Nick's story. Perhaps you could say that his feeling of certainty is about to crumble, he is about to discover his inability to wriggle out of Amy's grip.
A Harrowing Conclusion
Unfortunately, Nick's plan to reveal Amy's psychotic nature to the public fails. After Nick realizes that Amy is alive and begins to hunt her down by visiting the people she manipulated in the past for clues, Amy unexpectedly returns home. She convinces the world that she and Nick are reunited and happy again. Of course, the press believes such an innocent young girl such as herself - they are also caught up in the lies of the naive voice from the diary. Media coverage dies down. The policewoman who agreed to help Nick now abandons him. Nick cannot escape, as Amy threatens to ruin him with another intricate, failsaife plan if he does not go along with their new picturesque image. Nick feels despair; he is ensared in Amy's web of lies forever, losing all sense of agency. The novel gives no clear resolution. Rather, there are choppy scenes, and then the narration concludes.
The beginning of this audio clip is shaky. It feels like the whole story could work out, or it could fall apart, much like the ending of the novel. However, the intsrumentals soon increase alarmingly in tempo and volume, and then cut off abruptly. Thus, this cliffhanger sound compliments the horrifying ending, in terms of both plot and style.
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