Three Tune Tuesday: Reading Normal People with Olivia Dean on Repeat

Happy Tuesday! Joining the #TTT or #ThreeTuneTuesday🤘🏻, thanks to Hive account@ablaze for coming up with this amazing idea.

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Lately, I’ve been reading books again. Can you believe it? I think I actually overcame my reading slump! My sister’s even worried I’ll start carrying a book everywhere in the house again, along with my highlighter, pen, and a full stack of tabs. It’s been a while since they’ve seen me read like I’m back in my Literature classes.

Before, I couldn’t stand any music while reading. I always end up staring at the same paragraph for ten minutes, pretending to read while my mind drifts to the beat of the song. I mean, it’s either I’m listening or I’m reading, never both!

Recently, I tried something new. After every big or memorable scene, I pause reading and find a song that matches the moment. It’s like giving the story its own soundtrack.

I've been reading Normal People by Sally Rooney and every time I paused, I found myself playing Olivia Dean's songs. Olivia Dean is a 26-year-old English singer-songwriter. She's recently nominated for a GRAMMY for Best New Artist! I'm pretty sure you've heard one of her top songs already, the Man I Need.

Her songs fit. I wanted to see if her songs could add to the heartbreak the book already gave me and well, they totally did hahahaha

I’ll talk more about the book Normal People and its series in my next blogs but for now, here are three Olivia Dean songs that that made Normal People even more emotional.

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🎶 A Couple Minutes

Back on your sofa
Of course, I still care
Love's never wasted
When it's shared, mm, mm
And although it's over
I'll always be there
Only have a couple minutes, guess we're going back to real life

Released last September as part of The Art of Loving album, this song really hits where it hurts. I hate how it made me feel while reading the book though, even though I'm not the one who's hurting 😂 I played it after a scene where the main characters drift apart. The song really fits the specific scene... the quiet, painful acceptance that something’s ending but you don’t know how to stop it.

Even if I wasn’t the one hurting, I felt it. It’s wild how books and music can do that!

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🎶 Let Alone The One You Love

It's too much to mend
You're the hug that had to end
Though I've tried to hold on
And if you knew me at all
You wouldn't try to keep me small
Who would do that to a friend
Let alone the one you love?

Also from The Art of Loving album, this song hurts in a different way. I played it whenever Normal People’s main character, Marianne, was being belittled or hurt by someone she loved. If she could sing, this would be her song to Connell.

But what I love about this song is that it’s not just about romantic love, but also about caring for people who sometimes don’t see your worth.

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🎶 Something Inbetween

I'm not leaving
Just feel tightly squeezed and
Love needs breathing
I'm not his, I'm not hers, I'm not your
All or nothing
I'm more, can we still be something in-between?

Another gem from the same album, this one’s more upbeat than the first two but still full of emotional depth. It talks about that confusing gray area between friendship and romance.

I play it during scenes when Marianne and Connell struggle to say what they really feel, which happens a lot in the book. This song gives off a hopeful but uncertain vibe.