10 Songs to Hear While Reading ‘Children of Blood and Bone’

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi was released earlier this year, and it has since been quite a sensation in the world of young adult novels. Adeyemi combines contemporary issues in the everyday lives of black Americans with Yoruba religion and culture to build a brilliant fantasy world in a vibrant African setting. Not only has the novel been immensely successful, but it was also optioned for film release prior to publication (which means anyone hoping for a movie should be excited).

I recently read the book, and I found myself falling in love with the world, the story, and the characters. I’m eager for subsequent books, as well as any movies to come. I also found myself imagining what music might fit well with the story as I read it, particularly as there were some songs I was listening to at the time that put me in mind of the story either musically, lyrically, or both.

I’ve put together this list of ten of the songs that came to mind. Anyone looking for music with a similar feel to the novel should find something to enjoy here. Anyone looking for some music to read along with should find some music to put them in the right mindset.

 

Rokia Traoré – Strange Fruit

Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit is a dark jazz song with a focus on lynchings in Jim Crow USA. Rokia Traoré, a Malian singer-songwriter, did a cover of the song that is somehow darker musically, and it fits the tone of the events surrounding Zélie’s mother’s death perfectly.

 

Ibeyi – Oya

Ibeyi (Yoruba for twins) is a duo comprised of French twin sisters, of Cuban and Venezuelan descent. Oya is a Yoruba goddess, and specifically the goddess that Zélie worships, and that gives Zélie her type of magic. The lyrics and music here seem to fit the novel particularly well.

 

Dope Saint Jude – Claire de Lun

Dope Saint Jude is a South African rapper, and Claire de Lun is a flawless blend of classical piano with contemporary hip-hop that fits the mixed cultures in the novel quite well. The lyrics here about going on a journey, with praise for the creator and the moon guiding, seem to fit the story well.

 

Angélique Kidjo – Okan Bale

Angélique Kidjo is a Beninese singer-songwriter, and she is Yoruba like the characters in Children of Blood and Bone. The lyrics to Okan Bale are in Yoruba, and are an ode to her family, which seems appropriate given the characters in the book having such significant family ties.

 

Monoswezi – Ndinewe

Monoswezi is an international group with members from Mozambique, Norway, Sweden, and Zimbabwe. With the musical stylings from both African and European nations, it seems appropriate to put with a novel with both African and American influences. It suited the most joyous scenes in the book the best.

 

Zeal & Ardor – Blood in the River

Zeal & Ardor is a Swiss/American metal project with mixed genre tendencies. Black metal, synthesizers, and spirituals blend for unique songs–unique like Children of Blood and Bone. I thought this song seemed especially appropriate for the forced labour elements of the book, as well as the groups opposed to the gods.

 

Sammus – Qualified

Sammus is an American rapper of Ivorian and Congolese descent. All of the main characters in Children of Blood and Bone have this deep fear that they aren’t qualified for their tasks, just as described in the lyrics of this chorus, but the tone of the song especially puts me in mind of Amari.

 

Murfy’s Flaw – Contagious

Murfy’s Flaw is an alternative rock band from Nairobi, Kenya. Contagious has a unique rock beat that’s easy to bob along to. It also has lyrics, particularly in the chorus, that often seem to fit the inner monologue of Inan, especially as the story in the novel progresses

 

Lauryn Hill – Black Rage

Lauryn Hill is an American singer and rapper. Black Rage is one of her most recent songs, and it tackles different forms of racism to the tune of “My Favourite Things” (The Sound of Music). As Children of Blood and Bone contains echoes of American racism, this song suits it well.

 

Tinariwen – Soixante Trois

Tinariwen is a Tuareg blues band from the Sahara region of Mali. Their songs often reflect the stories of the Tuareg uprisings. Soixante Trois sings of the First Tuareg Rebellion in the 1960s, which led to the death of the father of the vocalist. It seems particularly appropriate to accompany the novel for this reason.