American Tabloid
Book Playlist

American Tabloid Playlist

by James Ellroy

35 tracks
balanced
May 9, 2026
4 mixes for this book

This playlist captures the dark, complex, and gritty atmosphere of James Ellroy's "American Tabloid," set against the tumultuous backdrop of 1950s-60s America. The instrumental tracks provide tense, cinematic moods reflective of political intrigue and crime, while the vocal songs range from noir-infused indie rock to moody blues and jazz-tinged pieces, mirroring the novel's morally ambiguous characters and shifting alliances.

Open in Spotify Reading Room

Your reading session

Press play. Turn the page.

Listen with Spotify

This player plays the saved playlist. Save your mix to listen to the replacements together.

Want a timer? Open the Reading Room for candlelit reading sprints with this soundtrack, a little ambience and a library card that tracks your pages, reading pace and daily streak. How reading sprints work.

Your changes aren't saved yet. Choose Save my mix to create your own Spotify playlist.

Track List

35 songs
1

Night Owl

Gerry Rafferty · Essential

Replaced in your draft
2

Insomnia

Faithless · Ultimate Insomnia

Replaced in your draft
3

Ferme Les Yeux

Sylvain Chauveau · Des Plumes Dans La Tête

Replaced in your draft
4

Hike

Hauschka · A Different Forest

Replaced in your draft
5

Dark Days

Local Natives · Sunlit Youth

Replaced in your draft
6

Bloodbuzz Ohio

The National · High Violet

Replaced in your draft
7

Lust

The Raveonettes · Lust Lust Lust

Replaced in your draft
8

Way down We Go

KALEO · A/B

Replaced in your draft
9

Under the Moon

Funk Tribu · Under the Moon

Replaced in your draft
10

Troubled Waters

Cat Power · The Covers Record

Replaced in your draft
11

Waiting Around to Die

Townes Van Zandt · Townes Van Zandt

Replaced in your draft
12

Ain't No Grave

Johnny Cash · American VI: Ain't No Grave

Replaced in your draft
13

Lonely Boy

The Black Keys · El Camino

Replaced in your draft
14

Red Right Hand

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds · Red Right Hand (Theme from 'Peaky Blinders')

Replaced in your draft
15

Bad Blood

Son Seals · Lettin' Go

Replaced in your draft
16

Run Through The Jungle

Creedence Clearwater Revival · Cosmo's Factory

Replaced in your draft
17

When the Levee Breaks - Remaster

Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin IV (Deluxe Edition)

Replaced in your draft
18

Tear You Apart

She Wants Revenge · She Wants Revenge

Replaced in your draft
19

bury a friend

Billie Eilish · WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?

Replaced in your draft
20

Black River Killer

Blitzen Trapper · Furr

Replaced in your draft
21

Angel from Montgomery

Bonnie Raitt · Tribute To Steve Goodman

Replaced in your draft
22

Little Girl Blue (2013 - Remaster)

Nina Simone · Little Girl Blue (2013 - Remaster)

Replaced in your draft
23

House of the Rising Sun

The Animals · The Singles Plus

Replaced in your draft
24

Devil Got My Woman

Skip James · It's Blues Time!

Replaced in your draft
25

Ballad of a Thin Man

Bob Dylan · Highway 61 Revisited

Replaced in your draft
26

Folsom Prison Blues

Johnny Cash · I Walk the Line

Replaced in your draft
27

Going Down South

The Black Keys · Delta Kream

Replaced in your draft
28

Shadowboxin'

GZA · Liquid Swords

Replaced in your draft
29

I Put A Spell On You

Nina Simone · I Put A Spell On You

Replaced in your draft
30

Black Betty

Ram Jam · Ram Jam

Replaced in your draft
31

Soul Kitchen

The Doors · The Doors

Replaced in your draft
32

Trouble in Mind

Big Bill Broonzy · Trouble in Mind

Replaced in your draft
33

Hurt

Johnny Cash · American IV: The Man Comes Around

Replaced in your draft
34

Jezebel

Iron & Wine · Woman King

Replaced in your draft
35

Luminary

Dravelyn · Magical Moments

Replaced in your draft

Playlist Settings

The preferences requested for this mix.

Mood balanced
Genre mixed
Era modern
Length long
Instrumental request 10%
Environment balanced

Generate a book playlist

Use our book playlist generator to customize the mood, genre and length for American Tabloid.

Same book, another mood

3 more mixes for American Tabloid

See all 4 mixes
  1. Mixed genres All vocal 40 tracks · May 9, 2026Open
  2. Matched to the book 50% instrumental 20 tracks · May 9, 2026Open
  3. Mixed genres All vocal2000s and later 41 tracks · May 9, 2026Open