[Filling the Space is a flexible column where our writers could vent, deconstruct, and work their way around the emotions brought on by TV, films, books, music, and key moments in pop culture. This isn’t meant to be analytical, but instead, a way for us to explore our feelings.]
My favorite thing about “Creatures in Heaven” by Glass Animals is the story behind it. If anyone knows me, you know that “Heat Waves” was and still is a massive obsession. It might be the one song I add to almost every fictional ship’s playlist, and it’s also one I’ve added to my own book’s playlist. It’s that good. Glass Animals continue to sprinkle the most addictive bit of perfection into their songs, and I’m here for it.
They’re also one of the few bands I follow on Spotify, so when there’s new music, I should be notified. Except for some reason, Spotify failed to do so with “Creatures in Heaven,” and I lived under a rock for a few weeks. While on the phone with one of my best girls (and one of my editors), I was going off about how I needed a song just like “Heat Waves” that’d check all the boxes for my second romance novel—a best friends-to-lovers. Said delightful land mermaid of an editor, decided to make me a playlist, while our other best girl (and editor) and I went through more songs to bring in all the vibes.
What I should also note is that at this point, the draft is fully done, but only the first five chapters are fully edited. I get the playlist, and I’m listening through it, bopping along, adding songs to the official mixtape, and then I get to “Creatures in Heaven” by Glass Animals. My immediate reaction was to pause and scream at the top of my lungs, and then I promptly texted her to say that this was the exact type of song I was looking for. She’s laughing at this point because she knows exactly which lyrics go with which line in the book. Sometimes, all it takes is one line—with this song, it’s almost every line.
But these lyrics, in particular? “I don’t think I realize / Just how much I miss you sometimes.” Let it be known at this very moment that I finished writing my draft at the beginning of March, and this song was released on April 4. The moral of the story is that the Glass Animals have once again given me the song of the year, and, as a bonus, the song that perfectly matches Ethan and Willa’s love story. More on them later. Keeping these lyrics in mind, when you read the book line, you’ll know. And what you should know is that I’ll likely never stop screaming about this perfectly cosmic coincidence.
Additionally, while this little bit has nothing to do with “Creatures in Heaven” by Glass Animals, I want to give a shout-out to an amazing journalist and a good friend of mine, Shelby Elpers, whose newsletter, Shelby Writes 24/7, inspired Filling the Space as a column. Name something more beautiful than when friends unknowingly help each other find inspiration. You can’t.
If anyone needs me, I’ll be replaying it over and over and over again.
Glass Animals’ I Love You So F***ing Much is now available on all music platforms.