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If "music is the soundtrack of our lives", is it the soundtrack of our fantasies as well?

Why is it that lyrics like these get my brain working?

Is there really "nothing as potent as cheap music"?

Here's a series of short tales inspired by song lyrics.

When You Say Nothing At All

" Try as I may, I could never explain,

What I hear when, you don't say a thing...

You say it best when you say nothing at all..."

Performed by : Ronan Keating or Allison Kraus

Written by : Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz

It's been the most pleasant of evenings. I always enjoy your company. Now, as the fire dies back to orange embers I sense that the cabin is starting to surrender its heat to the night outside. I wonder if you feel it too. You are lying quite close to the fire, stretched out on the fur rug. You are naked, of course, except for your collar; and the ropes, and the gag. You must feel the warmth begin to fade.

You stretch against the ropes; not attempting to free yourself, more delighting in their restraint. You give a sigh of pleasure muffled and distorted by the ball that fills your mouth. You see me watching you. Your eyes smile, knowing how pleased I am to share your delight.

You know that soon I will free your ankles and lead you away from the fire to the bedroom. You know that I will unbuckle your gag and remove the ball. You know, too, that then you will still not speak. You will not speak but your mouth will bring me pleasure. Silent and submitting, gaining your pleasure from pleasing. I cannot doubt that I know what you feel.

The Girl From Ipanema

"Tall and tan and young and lovely the girl from Ipanema goes walking

and when she passes each one she passes goes, 'Ahhh'."

Performed by : Astrid Gilberto / Stan Getz

Written by : Antonio Carlos Jobim : Vinicius de Moraes :Norman Gimbel

Her long black hair cascaded down her back. It was hard to avoid watching as she strode by, but my attentions were hidden by my mirror sun glasses. The rest of the guys at the street tables made no attempt to hide their appreciation, calling her back to join them. She ignored all their pleas. I smiled but she didn't notice. She was still wearing the lime green bikini that she had been sunbathing in on the beach. Her own sun glasses perched on top of her head like a strange, black, butterfly. She carried a canvas beach bag, a scarf trailed loosely from it.

The straps from her high heeled sandals wound their way up her tanned calves. She was heading back towards the Copacabana Beach.

I tossed a couple of coins onto the table to cover the cost of the beer and headed off around the block in the opposite direction. By the time I got to the street at the back of the bar she was just emerging from the alley, following the route she always took. I followed her. She had to squeeze past my truck, I'd parked it with the wheels on the sidewalk. As she drew level with the truck I closed up behind her, grabbing her from behind ... I spun her around and got the chloroform pad over her nose and mouth, one arm around her shoulders, the other trapping her arms against her sides. She was struggling and starting to kick. She was squealing a bit but nothing that anyone was going to hear over the noise of music spilling out from the backs of the seafront bars. She landed a couple of kicks on my shins but the cork wedge heels of her sandals didn't really make much of an impact. I slammed her against the side of the van. She gasped and as she did so took on a good belt of the chloro. From then on it was all down hill for her. She was young and fit but the drug did its job. I soon felt her go limp in my grip. I kept the pad in place for a little longer but it was pretty clear she was out of it for a while.

I propped her against the side of the van as I slid the door open. She was no weight, even unconscious, it was easy to lift her into the back. I tossed in her beach bag and then climbed in after her and shut the door. I set to making her secure and got the ball gag on her first, there wasn't much chance of her waking up for a while, but you can't be too careful. I put the handcuffs on her wrists and her ankles and some ropes around her arms and her knees. I used a scarf from her beach bag to blindfold her. I reckoned that I had about forty minutes before she woke up. That was plenty of time to get her down to the cabin where we would have a much better chance to get acquainted.

I looked down at her unconscious form. Her skin was perfect, even this close. Her tan dived beneath the fabric of her bikini with no sign that it stopped. There would be plenty of time to explore that later. She looked every bit as beautiful as when I had first seen her on the float in the carnival. Even in unconsciousness her body had the same sinuous sensuality that made me think of music whenever I saw her. How can I tell her I love her?

Lets Face the Music and Dance

"There may be trouble ahead, but while there's music and moonlight and love and romance, let's face the music and dance."

Performed by : Diana Krall / Frank Sinatra

Written by : Irving Berlin

The orchestra stopped playing. The dancing stopped. I let go of her, she stepped back from me and we applauded. I smiled. "It's a beautiful night, why don't we take some air?"

She smiled back and led the way stepping through the tall doors that gave onto the terrace. The long train of her white dress scattered the few leaves that had blown there with the start of autumn. Her long white gloves and the silk stole that she wore gave her no protection from the weather but it was still warm. The boned bodice of her dress gave her body a stunning, almost Edwardian, silhouette.

We were the only ones there. We stood staring at the moon's reflection in the great lake that stretched away from the house. I could not say which sparkled more, the floodlit fountain in the courtyard before us or the diamonds and sapphires on her tiara, choker and bracelet. "It's such a beautiful night," I said, "It seems so great a shame to have to spoil it."

"Oh, don't say you have to leave. How can you abandon a princess? You know that the palace guard will come after you if I so much as shed one tear?" She laughed.

I smiled in response. She was a princess, of course, even if only from a tiny, landlocked, mountain whose main role was as a tax haven. But these days there was no palace guard. It was just as well.

"No, I'm not going to leave. In fact, we're going to be together for quite a while; much more than this evening." She looked puzzled. I pulled her close to me and kissed her firmly.

She giggled. "Oh, kind sir," she laughed. "And at the risk of a cliché, is that a gun in your pocket or are you having a good time?"

I gave an embarrassed cough. "Well, actually it is a gun in my pocket." I pulled it out and pressed it against her belly. "Now, please keep quiet and come with me." I hustled her from the balcony towards my waiting car.

One of my henchmen, a violin player with the band, was sitting in the front seat as I pushed my captive princess into the back. Clouds closed over the moon as we pulled out of the gates of the castle. By now she was already helpless, her evening gloves wadded up into her mouth as a gag and taped in place, handcuffs on her wrists, her white, silk stole providing an excellent blindfold.

Sympathy for the Devil

"Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste..."

Performed by : The Rolling Stones / Blood Sweat & Tears

Written by: Mick Jagger / Keith Richards

The girl gave a groan and tried to sit up. I watched in fascination as the effects of the drug wore off. It took some time before she realised what had happened to her but eventually realisation dawned and she began to struggle against the ropes. The duct tape that held the pads over her eyes was still doing its job; it was amusing to stand there, unseen, watching her struggle on the floor of the stables. The tape I'd used to gag her was secure as well. Perhaps I'd wadded a little too much cloth into her mouth, judging by the way her cheeks were bulging, but she was quiet and that was the main thing. All she could manage was a muffled grunt as she struggled.

She was still wearing the shirt, jodhpurs and riding boots that she had on when I first met her earlier today but now her shirt was gaping open from her efforts in trying to wriggle free. I wasn't complaining, it gave me an excellent view of her breasts.

It was good to be able to take the time to see how well my techniques worked. I'd been a bit worried about roping her ankles while she still had her boots on, for example. In fact it wasn't an issue, there was no sign she was making any progress on loosening them. The same was true of the ropes around her chest and arms and the short length of rope that linked her wrists and ankles.

All in all she made an attractive package. The only down side was that in wrapping the tape around her head for the blindfold, I had plastered her long auburn hair to her head and that didn't look too good.

She'd rolled over onto her front as she continued trying to free herself. Now she was trying to kick with her legs, hoping that she might jerk the ropes at her wrists free. She gave a whimper of pain and then a groan of frustration. She rolled back on to her side. Mud from the stable floor now streaked her white shirt.

"Good afternoon, Lady Angela." She started at the sound of my voice. I reached down and plucked a piece of straw from where it had worked itself in her cleavage. A more animated set of grunts came from behind her gag. "Ah, splendid, I can see you recognise my voice." She tried to twist around towards me but only came up against the unrelenting restraint of the ropes that bound her. She did, however, manage to pull her shirt open a little further, so improving the view as far as I was concerned.

"Now," I said, "I was hoping that you would reconsider my offer for your splendid string of horses. However, since you evidently failed to recognise my determination to possess that which takes my fancy, I fear that direct action has been needed on my part. As a result the beasts in question will shortly be speeding towards their new home. I do hope you don't mind but I took the opportunity also to acquire the collection of paintings by George Stubbs from your long gallery — I thought they would go so well in my own new establishment — a memento of a very pleasant afternoon. Good day to you."

She was still grunting and wriggling as I left the stables, got up into the cab of the horse box and drove off.

The Year of the Cat

"On a morning from a Bogart movie, in a country where they turn back time,

you go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre contemplating a crime.

She comes out of the sun in a silk dress, running like a watercolour in the rain..."

Written & performed by : Al Stewart

It might have only been 8 a.m. but already the heat was stifling. The wind was in from the desert, driving sand between the buildings and in through every door. Ugarte stood on the corner of the Souk and tossed the remains of his cigarette into the street as the Chief of Police's car sped past, scattering traders and squawking livestock. He turned towards the Blue Parrot edging his way through the throng. A cat sat inscrutably in the window of Mahmoud's carpet shop. It reminded Ugarte of his problem. Somehow there had to be a way of obtaining the statue of Bast that the archaeologists had discovered in their excavations at the Egyptian New Kingdom tombs on the edge of town. The two foot high statue was reputed to be of solid gold, heaven only knew what it would fetch from some of Señor Ferrari's associates.

He turned the corner, emerging from the shade of the shop canopies. As he squinted in the bright sunlight, he saw the girl hurrying towards him. He watched as she passed him by without stopping, rushing into the offices of the British Consulate. As he watched her blond hair streaming out behind her, he realised who it was. Dashing past, in a hurry, evidently late was Jacqueline, the daughter of Lord Segontium, sponsor of the excavations. He hadn't recognised her in a dress — she invariably dressed in shorts and a shirt with her hair tied back and spent much of her time helping at the dig. Carrier, the chief archaeologist viewed her as a dilettante but she was keen to learn.

Suddenly Ugarte saw the solution to his problem. The Bast statue might be difficult to get hold of but Jacqueline might prove much easier to acquire. Then Lord Segontium could chose between his daughter and the statue. Ugarte smiled and stepped out towards the Blue Parrot, his problem solved.

Lyin' Eyes

"On the other side of town a boy is waiting,

with fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal.

She drives on through the night anticipating;

'cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel."

Performed by : The Eagles

Written by : Glenn Frey : Don Henley

The car stopped at the lights. She looked down at the passenger seat beside her. There were the two envelopes, each inscribed with her lover's writing. "Meet Me" one said, it held a small card with the day's date and 19:00 on it and a plastic key card for a motel room. "Wear Me", said the other. Inside was a key from the lock of a suitcase. Meet Me, Wear Me. She felt like Alice in Wonderland. Actually that was exactly how she felt. That was what she loved, the sense of surprise and wonder at every encounter. The sense of exploring a world where every turn revealed a new sensation. All she needed was the white rabbit.

Turning up at the Motel wasn't a new sensation but it was one she hadn't had for a long time. It was pretty seedy, the sort of place she'd been when she was first dating, when she'd first discovered ... Yeah, well, appropriate really, she thought.

The room was at the end of a block, next to an ice machine that coughed, grunted and rattled as it tried to keep pace with the heat outside. The bed clothes were shabby but at least they were clean, better than she'd expected.

There was a suitcase standing in the closet. She didn't need to try the key, of course it would fit. She looked around, switched on the room light and pulled the curtains. She turned on the TV. MTV was running an Eagles retrospective. That really took her back. She hung the "do not disturb" sign on the outside of the door and picked up the case.