: Re: Should fiction mention song names and iPods? In my novel, the protagonist is depressed. In the story which is in my mind... The autumn leaves were falling as I was sitting alone and

@Jessie137

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It tells us nothing

The phrase Gary Jules 'Mad Mad World' has no emotional resonance with me whatsoever. It is not shorthand for "a specific emotional state".

Popular music is not a universal experience. It can signal to your "tribe": people who are the same age, gender, financial tier, and probably race – the same demographic targeted by that particular marketing campaign. An example is in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a funny scene where characters argue about Jefferson Airplane's White Rabbit as if it is monumentally important because they are high, and it's a druggy song.

I had to consult the other mood cues in the sentence: "falling autumn leaves" and "sitting alone" – both of these are mundane, regular occurrences that everyone experiences regardless of their mood – assuming they have seasonal trees, chairs, and occasional privacy.

Ironically the leaves were the only mood cue that I understood (that and the context of the question), ironic because it seems the least personal. Not everyone feels melancholia at a quiet moment, if you have a small child this might sound like a dream vacation.

Working backwards, I had to figure out that sitting alone and emo-music are all reflecting an emotional state, but it took me extra work to get there – I think that's the opposite effect of what you're hoping a culture reference will convey.

To be honest, radio-friendly pop songs are also mundane regular occurrences that everyone experiences, regardless of mood (often in spite of mood). It is like an over-used cliché. Even when people get your reference it doesn't convey anything personal or unique, so it's not doing the work. It must have been experienced randomly by (hundreds of) millions of people since the autumn of 2013.

I think it's dead weight. It's not conveying depression. I don't really think it works as a time-place cue either since it's not connected to any particular era or news cycle that would help me pinpoint the reference (ie: hippies arguing about drug-music from the '60s).

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