Saving Grace Extras

Grace's Playlist

This is a list of songs that are mentioned in the book (by order of appearance) and outside ones I've heard that I feel fit the characters/situations in Saving Grace.
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"Kiss the Girl" - The Little Mermaid
This song is mentioned in Iron Man 2 while Tony and Grace are watching the movie, and it prompts Grace to ask Tony when he's going to kiss Pepper. The lyrics are urging Prince Eric to kiss Ariel instead of being shy and hesitating. I think, in Pepper and Tony's relationship, their first kiss was hesitant. They'd first tried it six months prior with no success due to hesitation (which mostly came from taking Grace's feelings into account), but they finally got it together, and, according to Rhodey, looked like two seals fighting over a grape — but, hey, at least they kissed. I also think Grace and Peter were hesitant, as they took a bit to actually lean in at first. Just kiss her already!

"California Love" - 2Pac
This is played at Tony's party in Iron Man 2. California was the setting for the first two movies, and it talks about having a party. Which Tony did. The lyrics are decidedly not clean, so we'll just not link that here.

"Another One Bites the Dust" - Queen
This song played while Rhodey and Tony were fighting at Tony's party in Iron Man 2. I'm sure I don't have to detail this story's connection to dust... It's inspired by an actual shooting from 1929, but you know how it goes anyway.

"Stayin' Alive" - Bee Gees
This song was also in the book, when Tony was driving Grace to the compound at the end of Age of Ultron. Essentially (according to Genius), the song is about New York — survival in the streets of it specifically, though that doesn't apply here — and New York is the setting for nearly the whole story (besides Malibu, space, Wakanda, and a few other, minor places). And, aren't the characters essentially just staying alive — and/or trying to — half the time? Also, the song mentions, "The New York Times' effect on man." In this case, to fit the book, I think it can be applied to Tony and Grace's situation early in the story — the media/news trying to get a glimpse of Grace, to get Tony to talk about her and her mother and explain things. They wanted personal details, they wanted in on her life, and Tony wouldn't allow that. That certainly affected the both of them. You know how this one goes, too.

"Can't Help Falling in Love" - originally Elvis Presley, covered by twenty one pilots
This is another song that was included in the story, this one as Grace's ringtone for Peter and the song he sang to her over the phone, though I didn't specify which version I was thinking of in the book. I think the lyrics actually fit Peter and Grace's situation. They connected pretty quickly; by the end of the Berlin trip, Peter wanted to know everything about her, and Grace was enthralled by him — that fast. They basically fell in love within a period of about two to three months. But some things are meant to be.

"L. O. V. E." - originally Nat King Cole, covered by Michael Bublé
This song is played during Peter and Grace's homecoming dance. This song, originally, was going to prompt Peter and Grace's first, "I love you," but then I had Grace join the fight at the end, and them saying it on top of the Cyclone just felt right. The lyrics themselves seem to me to describe the sort of honeymoon phase of love, right at the beginning, which is where Peter and Grace were at the time. Their love eventually matured, but I feel like Peter would still turn this on and dance with Grace in the kitchen on occasion after they've been married for years and are tired that day from taking care of the kids. Or maybe from stopping another bad guy trying to end the world. Possibly both.