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What's another song Bret could have titled his first novel after if the Elvis Costello classic didn't exist? Love In An Elevator? Crosstown Traffic? Moon River? The five best answers will win a copy of the new 40th anniversary edition of Less Than Zero! Shipping cost will be covered by the publisher. ONLY U.S. RESIDENTS CAN WIN, BUT ANYONE CAN LEAVE A SONG TITLE FOR THE FUN OF IT. Sorry about that. They made me type it. Winners to be chosen and notified on Monday, 7/28/25. Best of luck to you.

Comments

Erick

Sweet Dreams

MB

Comfortably Numb

Rod

I don’t like the drugs but the drugs like me Marilyn Manson

Petr Svoren

How to Disappear by Lana Del Rey

Jim Seem

All Tomorrow’s Parties

Brad

Cheap Reward

Devon H. Dolan

Girls on Film — Duran Duran Mirror in the Bathroom — The English Beat

Nick Not Nolte

Perfect Day Hollywood Waltz On the Sunny Side of the Street One of these Nights Beyond Belief

Will

Adult Books

Liska

The Other Side of Summer

Marlon B.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World.

J.R. O'Brien

How about “Children of the Grave” - Black Sabbath RIP Ozzy

mark

You Cant Put Your Arms Around a Memory Johnny Thunders

Christopher Irving

Sex and Dying in High Society by X from the album Los Angeles.

Cal Graham

Lonely In Your Nightmare Dangerous Type Life In The Fast Lane The Chain Bring on The Night Mama, I’m Coming Home hahahaha

Drake

All This Is That

wade beal

Head Like a Hole - NIN

IanC

This Is Not an Exit / No Exit Contemporaneous, a song title that BEE might have used at the time: Kids in America

Kyle S.

Cold Life - Ministry

Chris Mall

Paradise City You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes & You Get What You Deserve Burned Out

Paul Rider

Zero - Smashing Pumpkins

Tom Ruprecht

Letters from the Wasteland by The Wallflowers

Normaling

The Ghost in You - psychedelic furs

Normaling

Sex and Dying in High Society by X

Aaron Gray

Empty hearted town - Warren zevon

Darrin Wt

I’m not sure whether it counts if the song was released after the book, but… Semi-Charmed Life

Normaling

Straight into Darkness - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

David Lowe

Are “Hazy Shade of Winter” or “Going back to Cali” too on the nose?

Normaling

New Kid in Town - Eagles

M. Nero Nava

Bastards Of Young (Replacements)

BFBFBFBFBF

Same Old Scene - Roxy Music

M. Nero Nava

Can’t Get There From Here (R.E.M.)

Grace Szostak

Thieves Like Us - New Order Life is White - Big Star

J.

Tainted Love

Nikki Ferrari

This Town- The Go-Go’s posted 4:57 pm EST

Catherine

Road to Nowhere - talking heads

Cody Elijah

Crimson & Clover Joan Jett

Mats

How Soon Is Now? Here Comes a Regular

Mike

Blister in the Sun

Jacy

Don’t You Want Me

Jacy

Just Like Heaven

Devin Welch

People are Strange Smash it Up Disintegration

Mike

Redemption City by Corrosion of Conformity

Lundon Boyd

New Gold Dream - Simple Minds

Eric Clay

Lots of love for The Replacements, I see ;). I’m going to submit their song Shiftless When Idle, from their debut album (1981, so Bret theoretically could’ve heard it when he was writing Less Than Zero)

Jamie

Crosseyed and Painless (Talking Heads)

Grace Szostak

Kids Don’t Follow - Replacements Darkness on the Edge of Town - Springsteen

Michelle Kim

Darkness on the edge of town

Ronnie

Oi! What’s with the US only thing? My British money ain’t good enough??!!

Jordan Vivero

Destination unknown - missing persons

Neil G.

You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

Ronnie

The Great Pretender

Alvin

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum

Will Hurt

The Party’s Over- Talk Talk

JP

“Blister in the Sun”

M Burns

Damaged Goods by Gang of Four

Daniel

Doll Parts - Hole

Daniel

Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

Greg

Theme to "A Summer Place"

Jordan Vivero

I think someone beat me to it so I will also throw out Pale Shelter - Tears for Fears and Teenage Wildlife - David Bowie

Jezzup

“Living on the Ceiling” — Blancmang

Michelle Kim

Waiting around to die - townes van zandt

Daniel Degnan

“Suffer the Children” Tears for Fears

Catherine

Crosseyed and Painless - talking heads

Ev Ruby

Life During Wartime – Talking Heads (1979)

Chris N

Sex and Dying in High Society

Tim D.

“Sympathy For The Devil” - The Rolling Stones

Tim D.

“Running on Empty” - Jackson Browne

Patrick

At Home He’s a Tourist - Gang of Four

Patrick

Are ‘Friends’ Electric? - Tubeway Army

Frania

Town Called Malice-The Jam

Andy Burton

Catch Me Now I'm Falling - The Kinks

Alvin

Living on a Thin Line

Ciara

Sex and Dying in High Society by X

Brent Minder

"Too Low For Zero" - Elton John

Ryan Mcnabb

"Would I lie to you" - Eurythmics

Andy Nowicki

Cities In Dust Killing An Arab

Matthew Wade

“Fade to Grey” by Visage

Graham

"I Cum Blood" - Cannibal Corpse

Steve Kindrick

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)

Tom Kern

Accidents will happen

Ryan Peck

Question: are those who commented on the BEE Instagram post with tags also allowed to participate in this one?

Joe Brown

Do They Know It’s Christmas? Band Aid

Marc

Dead Man’s Party - Oingo Boingo

Ryan Peck

If so, I go with “Going Under” by Devo (and no, not because it’s prominently featured in The Shards). I think it conveys the theme of the book just as well as “Less Than Zero” does and is just as minimalist.

Ashley

“I Am the Fly”- Wire (1978)

Iain

Gary’s Got A Boner.

George

I Wanna Be Your Dog

Mike

Tainted Love

Still

"This Town" Go-Go's

Still

"Cold" The Cure

JD

Drive -The Cars encapsulates the vibe for me.

Patrick

Shake Some Action - Flamin’ Groovies

R H

Waiting for the sun

Someone Else

John Lennon - Nobody Told Me

Still

"Isolation" "New Dawn Fades" "Disorder" - Joy Division

John24d

Definitive Gaze - Magazine

Robert

Somebody Super Like You

Someone Else

David Bowie, Always Crashing in the Same Car

Patrick

Wave of Mutilation - Pixies

Nick

Eyes Without a Face

Robert Garcia

I’m on fire - Bruce Springsteen

Harry G

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

Joe Gasz

California Dreamin - The Mamas and the Papas

Harry G

The last resort.

Dominic Dilullo

Beat Crazy - Joe Jackson. The lyrics fit. Also, it’s another great reggae-influenced song.

Harry G

All jokes aside. Little palaces by Costello

Dan Hoy

From a Whisper to a Scream - Costello

john m

Wasted Time

Sean Gorman

Great Big White World —Marilyn Manson

Zang33

Heartbeat City by The Cars

Storey

Shaky City - The Plimsouls

Patrick

More Than a Feeling

Leo Ashline

“The Art of Falling Apart” by Soft Cell (1983)

Ryan ODonnell

“Into the Valley” - The Skids

Ryan ODonnell

Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll--Ian Dury (Too on the nose?)

Raf

What We Do Is Secret - the Germs

Patrick

Pretty Vacant- Sex Pistols

Patrick

Alone Again Or - Love

Dan Heath

Badlands -Bruce Springsteen

Ryan Barr

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum

Darren Ankenman

Shades of Cool - Lana Del Rey Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful - the waitresses Touch me I’m sick - mudhoney Coke Babies - Radiohead

BUtterfield8

Blank Generation - Richard Hell and the Voidoids

AF

“U.S. Drag” - Missing Persons

Whip T.

Been Down So Long - The Doors

Nathan Stack

My period-appropriate response -- something released before the novel-- is "Looking for Cracks in the Pavement" a slight variation on a song title by Duran Duran. My non-period-appropriate response is "How to Disappear Completely" by Radiohead.

Sean Hill

"To live and die in LA" - Wang Chung

Dan Palmer

‘I Wanna Go Back’ - Eddie Money

Ashley Perry

‘To Look at You,’ from Shabooh Shoobah, INXS 1982 ❤️

Chris Carroll

The Politics Of Dancing - Re-flex

Still

"Disappear" The Church "If You Were Here" Thompson Twins "Higher Hell" Echo and the Bunnymen

Still

"In Shreds" The Chameleons "A Sort of Homecoming" U2

Sarah Lippek

"Boy With A Problem" - Elvis Costello, 1982. (Or ..."Seven Day Weekend"?)

gary coates

“Once Over Twice” by X

Gloria Rudolph

Love Plus One - Haircuit 100 All We Ever Wanted Was Everything - Bauhaus Second Skin - The Gits Floorshow - Sisters of Mercy Kids of the Black Hole - Adolescents Life is Cheap - Flipper Nice 'N' Sleazy - The Stranglers Golden Brown - The Stranglers okay, i'll stop!

Trezerand

"Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie "Skin on Skin" by The Boomtown Rats

Ben

Honestly, can you or the publishers really not find the $10 to post a book to a winning 'non US resident'? So mean spirited

Simon Bennett

That Girl Suicide - Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Sound of Confusion - Spacemen 3, Hollow Eyes - Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Fluorescent Grey - Deerhunter, Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven - Love & Rockets, A Mutual Friend - Wire

Tadhg Curtin

'Hey Boy Hey Girl' - The Chemical Brothers. 'It's Bad You Know' - RL Burnside. 'Born Slippy' - Underworld. 'Make A Move' - Norus. 'Insomnia' - Faithless.

Francesco Nucci

Christmas in a Coma - please send to Germany :)

Peter Guzzo

Nowhere Man - The Beatles

Sean Hill

Desolation Row - Bob Dylan

David

The Downtown Lights - The Blue Nile

Lionel

Lou Reed - Street Hassle

Alan Smithee

In Every Dream Home a Heartache - Roxy Music

Anthony

New Day Rising - Husker Du

Amanda C

Stuck Between Stations - the hold steady

Still

"Dead Souls" Joy Division

Stephen

The Lost Art of keeping a Secret

frickenzees

Goodbye Stranger, Supertramp Slave to Love, Bryan Ferry Save a Prayer, Duran Duran

Kyler Bingham

Suburban Relapse (Siouxsie and the Banshees)

Paul Blair

Don’t You Ever Wash That Thing? - Frank Zappa

Brett bennett

"Loveless Love" The Feelies (1980)

BRC

Blank Generation- Richard Hell & the Voidoids

Daniela

"Somewhere They Can't Find Me" - Simon & Garfunkel

rbkhe

In Every Dream Home A Heartache, Roxy Music

Hugues

Hole in the World (Eagles)

Gavin Buxton

Fuck The Pain Away - Peaches

Mohammed

Remember the nights, the motels

Evan Williams

Dreaming - Blondie Fire and rain - James Taylor Icehouse - Flowers All tomorrows parties - VU Dirt - Lou Reed Yesterday - The Beatles

Nick

Heart of Glass - Blondie (1978)

Paris P

Rainbow in the dark - dio

++MAX++

The Chain

KCDC

Sex and Dying in High Society - X To Live and Die in L.A. - Wang Chun

Andrew Sweet

“Back to December” Taylor Swift “Snow on the Beach” Taylor Swift ft Lana Del Rey

Eric Forman

Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night — Tom Waits

Harry Trustman

“Life in the Fast Lane” by The Eagles

MrPink1996

Never Say Never by Romeo Void

SF Sam

Fade to Grey - by Visage

J K

Okie from Muskogee

Richard Tayson

Saturday Night in the City of the Dead (Ultravox)

Jason N

XTC- when you’re near me I have difficulty. Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures X - We’re Desparate Sex Pistols- No Feelings Nico - No One’s Here

Moz

Temporary Beauty - Graham Parker (1982) I Want More - Can (1976) Straight into Darkness - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1982) A Taste of Honey (standard)

oliver parker

stranger in the house, elvis costello by way of george jones

Matthew

SUBCULTURE by NEW ORDER

Peter Jarvis

"Fade to Grey" by Visage (1980)

Peter Jarvis

"Dangerous Type" by the Cars

Peter Jarvis

"Total Control" by the Motels

Peter Jarvis

"Against the Wind" by Bob Segar

Dan Heath

Left of the Dial -The Replacements

Dan Heath

-Ghost without memory -Avenues Whiskeytown

Justin

‘Just Out of Reach’ The Jesus and Mary Chain

Peter

The Tracks of My Tears—Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Peter

Under Pressure—Queen and David Bowie

Peter

King of Pain—The Police

Louie Angel

strange notes - the germs

Dave Mason

Fade to Black Metallica

David Jaudon

Crankin’ My Band’s Demo on a Box at the Beach - A.C.

Mary Walker

The Passenger siousie version

kris

Damaged Goods (Gang of Four)

Dylan Grant

“One Thing Leads to Another” (The Fixx)

honker_2021

The Drowners - London Suede

nkta

The Windmills of Your Mind

Rebecca

Barbarism Begins at Home - The Smiths Over the Wall - Echo and the Bunnymen Someone, Somewhere, in Summertime - Simple Minds

Rebecca

Just Another Day - Oingo Boingo

Tommy Stronach

Walk A Thin Line. Off Bret’s favorite Fleetwood Mac album (Tusk).

j

"Try A Little Kindness" Glen Campbell (1969)

Steve

"This Town" - The Go-Go's

Trezerand

"Straight Edge" Minor Threat It's a passable title, but would be ironic on a couple levels

David Clement

Is there something I should know?- Duran Duran

Tracey Porter

Pretty Vacant by the Sex Pistols

TimAnder

BRET YOU SHOULD READ THE NOVEL FOR THE PATREONS in the weeks up to the 40th ANNIVERSARY! That would be a treat. Your novels works best with your voice. The voices in the audiobooks are seldom right. They don´t get the tone of the characters /the books. Always too much... too excessive... or just wrong...

CitizenToxie C

Always Crashing in the Same Car - Bowie The Damned Don’t Cry - Visage

George Chumo II

“Cause in Nothing There’s Something I Feel” -

Still

"All of This and Nothing" - Psychedelic Furs

Still

"All the Way Down" - The Primitives

James R Webb

Gentleman Take Polaroids-Japan

Pia Dykert

Are you ready to get heartbroken? (Bret) From Rattlesnakes 1984/85 Lloyd Cole and the Commotions or any song from that legendary album❤️💔What to do being semi🇺🇸🇸🇪😂like myself?

Laura

Too Far Down (Hüsker Dü)

Window View

Doesn't Mean That Much to Me by EG and Alice

UK

Zero Below Sunset

Mark DeCaro

Countdown to Ecstasy (Steely Dan)

Thomas Edwards

How Soon is Now? - The Smiths. Or more obvious selections: Bizarre Love Triangle, Age of Consent and Blue Monday - New Order.

Louella

Too late, but All Tomorrow's Parties -- Velvet Underground and Nico

Gail Williams

Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

D Michael Hardy

Were winners ever announced or notified?

Bashir

Many of the Smiths and New Order songs came after "Less than Zero" was published si Brett wouldn't have known their message.

Bashir

I think the early '80s song that captures the theme of Brett's first novel is "the Ghost in You" (1984) by the Psychedelic Furs.

Juan Flores

Depeche Mode's "Master & Servant" would be solid.