#that is pretty much the limit of my bulgarian music knowledge

[calandrinon]

good morning spotify, what polish hip hop do you have for me today

...

okay, fair

[spicecapadespresentedbyps]

Play That Funky Music, Skate Boy: A Guide to Selecting Music for Your Fics

Hello YoI Friends, Fans, and Ficcers! We have teamed up to help you overcome the roadblock in your fic writing process known as music selection. You want Victor and Yuuri to paint their feelings all over the ice, but you also want your fic to be realistic. You might be sitting at your computer wondering, is it this frustrating for real life skaters to choose their music? (Yes. The answer, is yes.) But we are here to help!

Who are you people? Who exactly is “we?” And why are you qualified to make this post?

We are PoetSnoreate and LittleLostStar. Poet Snoreate runs the SpiceCapades (aka this blog), your destination for all the info you need to write a more accurate skating fic or, if you just want to know more about figure skating. A former competitive skater and sister to a current skating coach (codename: Toepick), PoetSnoreate grew up in and around the sport of figure skating.

LittleLostStar is the author of fan-favorite story Setting Sun and ten other Yuri on Ice fic gems, including the new fantasy AU We are Wanderers Still. A human treasury of music genres, styles, and artists, she incorporates her knowledge into her fics and generously helps other authors in their search for the perfect piece to write to or, in this case, write about!

Both of us are friendly and you can stop on by our blogs to follow us and say hi!

Note: PoetSnoreate wrote this intro. And every word of it is true.

Let’s delve into the hows, whys, do’s, and don’ts of music selection under the jump!

Section 0.1: (I’ve had) the time of my life, +/- 10 seconds

Programs have a time limit. If you exceed this time limit, you will be penalized, and eventually asked to leave the ice. The time limits are as follows:

Men’s/Ladies Short Program: 2:50 Maximum.

Men’s Freeskate: 4:30 (+/- 10 seconds)

Ladies’ Freeskate: 4:00 minutes (+/- 10 seconds)

Most of the time, especially with classical music, the piece will have been edited down to fit these time constraints. You do not have to personally edit your chosen piece for the sake of your fanfic. Please trust LittleLostStar on this. She spent four hours fretting over how to cut up Tchaikovsky’s “Slavic March” before her beta editor stepped in to shut down that malarkey.

Section 0.2: Slow. Now Fast. Now Faster! Slow Again. Fast Again! Oh my god faster! Whew. (or: Your routine needs structure) (or or: This is not quite what they had in mind when they told Chris to practice the rhythm method)

Music is carefully selected based on the program for which it is being used. Short programs are often skated to more uptempo music, because it is easier to sustain high energy for a shorter program. Freeskates are often performed to slower pieces.

You will see variations in mood/tempo in both programs. Short programs often follow this structure: fast music, slow music, fast music, and into a big finish! Free programs often follow the opposite: slow beginning, big middle, heart-wrenching (or uplifting) slow ending to a moving crescendo! These are typical structures, but not a rule, per say. Skaters have different strengths, weaknesses and their programs will be tailored to what they can do best.

Section 0.3: Sing, Sing, Sing! (Or not to Sing, Sing, Sing...No, seriously don’t use this piece)

In the old days of skating, only instrumental music could be used, which is why skating is often associated with classical music. Then, the ISU deemed that music with vocals would acceptable, so long as the vocals were acting like an instrument. Think of your favorite film score in which a choir “Ooohs” and “Aaaahh’s” dramatically during the big climactic scene. That’s what we’re talking about.

When Ice Dancing became really exciting in recent years, the ISU moved to allow Ice Dancers to use music with lyrics. After a few years of this, they finally capitulated and allowed skaters across all disciplines to use music with vocals. So now, anything goes (including the score to Anything Goes!) within reason, that is.

This means no music with explicit lyrics. I can’t find out if this is a set rule, but no one has pushed this envelope and I don’t think anyone will for a while. I’m sure if you choose your favorite rap song, judges will frown upon your choice (unless it’s from Hamilton. Everyone loves Hamilton, and so they should). A pair team from France used the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack, but none of the songs they chose were graphic or used “bad” language.

Now, what sorts of songs should you pick, and from which genres?

Section 1: Classical (or: You have no fucking excuse to use Swan Lake for the billionth time)

Because skaters could only use instrumental songs for so long, certain pieces of music have become so ingrained in the sport that they’re impossible to get rid of, like that creepy uncle at a family reunion, only with powdered wigs. Skaters have lots of terms for these pieces: “classics” (if you like them), “Old Warhorses” (if you’ve been around awhile, just like them), or, if you’re Toepick, “Skate Bashers” because they make you want to bash your head in with the nearest skate after hearing the same piece of music for the umpteenth time at a competition. Note: this is a little hypocritical, as Toepick has, in fact, used two of the aforementioned “Skate Bashers” in her career.

I prefer to describe these overused pieces as “Boomerangs” because they cycle back. Generally, every season you’ll see a few skaters performing differently choreographed programs to the same overused piece. Or, there was that one year where six different skaters in the Junior Ladies’ bracket were all doing Malaguena.

Here’s a short list of overused classical music: Swan Lake, Carmen, Malaguena, Claire de Lune, Romeo and Juliet (both versions), Nessun Dorma, Firebird, Sing, Sing, Sing! Tosca, Scheherazade. Rhapsody in Blue, that one piano concerto by Rachmaninoff

Now, what do Swan Lake, Carmen, Claire de Lune, Romeo and Juliet, Nessun Dorma, and Rachmaninoff have in common, besides overuse? They’re all from the Romantic Era of classical music. To quote from Wikipedia: “In the Romantic period, music became more expressive and emotional, expanding to encompass literary, artistic, and philosophical themes.” If you’ve heard classical music that’s big and emotional and full of feelings, it’s probably Romantic. Beethoven is an excellent benchmark to show the evolution between the rigid, mathematical High Classical era and the more fluid Romantic era, since his career spanned both. Contrast the first movement of his first symphony, which is tight and precise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2VKpV9im8g) with the slow build and huge emotional swells of the second movement of Symphony no 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgHxmAsINDk .

Romantic Era music is popular for a reason; it’s emotional, varied in tempo, and almost always stunningly beautiful. And the nice thing about it is that there are dozens of Romantic composers, including Chopin, Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and many many more. You can start with some of the big names and try to find their lesser-known pieces, or fall down a Spotify Related Artists rabbit hole and find someone entirely new. And if you’re not sure at all where to start, here are a  few of LittleLostStar’s suggestions:

Chopin, Piano Concerto no. 1, II. Romanze – Larghetto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIackkOX2BU

Dvorak's Symphony no. 9, second movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOX15agZ3-0

Smetana's "Ma Vlast": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lvvjsg8_xI

pretty much any portion of Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKX0ef1TZWA

Shostakovitch’s piano concerto No 2, second movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHpmHhi1Rxk

Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWmUfIhAukU

Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme for Thomas Tallis": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIhZbvlCjY0

Section 2: Movie scores which are not “The Mission”

Movie scores are amazing, and people don’t always give them enough credit. While there are certainly more than a few films with non-memorable scores (cough EVERY MARVEL MOVIE cough), think of all the films whose music has permeated our culture: Star Wars, Jaws, basically anything by John Williams. After classical music, film scores are an easy place to find emotional music for skating, but there are some pieces--such as “Gabriel’s Oboe” from The Mission--which are also far too overused.

There are movie scores such as Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Mask of Zorro which were only popular in the skating community for a short time. While they saw overuse during this period, they never quite made Skate Basher status and are fun and refreshing when they resurface with a bright-faced new skater. Others, like the soundtrack to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and the 1960’s Romeo and Juliet theme have produced some of the coolest programs known to skating history. But those programs inspired other programs, which inspired other programs, and thus have relegated themselves to the ranks of the overused.

If you’re interested in going for the big emotional swells via cinema, here are a few options:

The one piano piece everyone adores from Amelie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hprOTiv3fU

“Transformation” from Beauty and the Beast (1991)*: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH9RTuaUL8k

“The Heart Asks Pleasure First” by Michael Nyman from The Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsQBKr_x-P4

From John Powell’s stunning How to Train Your Dragon score: either “Test Drive” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5N3q68e7OQ) or “Coming Back Around” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbbsCTafRNw ). The latter, in particular, has a really great buildup that would be suited for Yuuri’s stamina, since it gets very energetic right at the end.

“Define Dancing” from the Wall-e score: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-7LIojfezw

“Transformation” by the Bulgarian Women’s Choir from Brother Bear, that Disney movie you don’t remember: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S9csXngPNg

And if you’re feeling daring:

Junkie XL’s score for Mad Max: Fury Road was a furiously energetic jolt of adrenaline. A song like “Brothers in Arms” would be a very bold choice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xllG3fSUAOw

The Chemical Brothers scored a frankly excellent film called Hanna from 2011, and it has no shortage of bizarrely awesome electro songs, but “Container Park” is the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBmwcuLa1as

*LittleLostStar has no idea why we suddenly need to specify the year of this film’s release because there has never ever been another version of the best Disney film ever made and we needn’t speak of this matter again and also this is her favourite film of all time, so if you use “Transformation”, please let her know, because she’s probably going to read your fic and squee.

Section 2.5: What about Broadway tho?!

Don’t worry, fam, we gotchu.

As a current (not-so) starving actor (PoetSnoreate) and a former theater kid who once had dreams of being the next Idina Menzel (LittleLostStar) we would be remiss if we did not include the third most popular source of music for skating--BROADWAY!

Before lyrics were allowed, the sweeping scores to classic shows were brought to life on the ice by talented skaters. Sometimes so much so (in the case of West Side Story) that they became Skate Bashers. Rogers and Hammerstein were also a popular choice, The King and I and South Pacific were/have been fairly popular, but have yet to reach Skate Basher status. Other popular musicals that are on their way to becoming Skate Bashers include Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables...and let’s face it, if we have to see someone skate to “Bring Him Home” one more time, we’re going to be le miserable.

(Get it?! Le miserable? Is this thing on? *tap tap*)

Here are some fun options from people who are not Andrew Lloyd Webber:

“You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray (note: the linked version here is from the 2007 film, which absolutely blew the Broadway version out of the water in my opinion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjOXwuBQT1o

“King of New York” from the film Newsies (or the Broadway remake): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmPnz4g9HGQ. It is an excellent replacement for your more swing-adjacent Skate Bashers like “Rhapsody in Blue”

And while we’re at it, stop using “Sing sing sing” and use the finale from Chicago instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luef1H24hU8

Print off a list of the major songs from Wicked (everything over two and a half minutes that doesn’t include the Wizard, because all his songs are the worst). Pin it to the wall and stand a few feet back. Throw a dart. Congratulations, you’ve got a piece from Wicked. They basically all work.

While we’re on Stephen Schwartz, selections from Hunchback of Notre Dame would be super baller: “Bells of Notre Dame” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4COfl8DMB8) and “Heaven’s Light/Hellfire” for some real AF energy contrasts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eODy_sHpjaQ

“A Piece of Sky” by Barbra Streisand, from Yentl. Ask your parents, kids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s8NpVhwgnA

Section 3: Yes, you can use modern songs. No, Tswift probably won’t let you use hers.

While programs that are more “traditional” still tend to score better, more and more skaters are making bolder music choices; they’re picking older pop hits, songs from classic singers, and even current chart toppers for their programs. This most recent season featured programs to 1980s classics like “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” by the Eurythmics and “Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. Elvis may have left the building, but he showed up at the ice rink. Electro Swing is another popular choice; Caro Emerald crooned her way across several disciplines to create some interesting programs with the genre. Currently, most skaters will only select modern music for one program and keep the other in the more traditional vein.

Wacky, wild, and fun music (including disco and techno) tends to remain the purview of the Exhibition...along with the best choreography. Skaters every now and again will insist on skating their exhibitions to overused songs such as “Fields of Gold,” “Arms of an Angel”; but most of the time, the exhibition is where we get unforgettable programs like the infamous “Sex Bomb.” And the time Joe Johnson skated with a slice of pizza on his head.

Skaters don’t personally have to pay copyright to use their music, but they do have to turn in the names, titles, and composers of their pieces ahead of the season, so that rights can be secured by arenas (in their home country) and then by their Federations/other arenas where they’ll be competing. It’s a very convoluted process, and we don’t know the exact details of it (sorry). However, this is why you often don’t see skaters skating to the new big thing, because they have to be ready ahead of time with their selections, and also because programs take time to prepare and perfect.

While LittleLostStar was all set to provide a list of suggestions, the truth of the matter is that if you think a song will work, it’ll probably work! There are videos out there of routines set to “Umbrella” by Rihanna, “Cheap Thrills” by Sia, and “Hand Clap” by Fitz and the Tantrums. Johnny Weir’s routine to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” famously inspired Yurio’s ice slide heard ‘round the fandom in the “Welcome to the Madness” EX. So, really, go wild.

...Okay, she can’t help herself, here are some suggestions:

“Paradise” by Coldplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg

...okay, and also “Fix You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4V3Mo61fJM

“All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers. Bonus points if you perform it in a blood-stained shirt and camouflage pants, and double bonus points if it’s a pair skate with someone dressed in a sexy nurse’s outfit. Sextuple billion bonus points if you understand that reference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZTpLvsYYHw

“Some Nights” by fun., which is bombastic and wonderful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQkBeOisNM0

A classic for a reason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFWDGTVYqE8

“I Am Chemistry” by Yeasayer is one of the best songs ever, with one of the goddamn weirdest music videos ever, and would make a really interesting FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XzqCUbiPc4

The Final Movement

We hope you’ve enjoyed our handy and comprehensive guide to choosing the music for your YoI fic. 

As always, our asks are open!