To celebrate the publication of Factory Girls in the United States I’ve created a playlist made up of ’90s and ’80s songs that mean something special to the main characters in the book.

The list has three songs for Maeve. First up is the theme tune from the ’80s show Fame, which she was addicted to as a child. Next, it’s “London Calling” by the Clash – which is Maeve’s anthem for the siren call of the British capital city. Finally, there’s a song she doesn’t listen to when anyone else is around, as it breaks her heart: Hot Chocolate’s “I’ll Put You Together Again.” This was a song Maeve and her big sister loved as kids, that has taken on a terrible poignancy since her death.

Aoife is a grunger and Nirvana fan who also plays Irish traditional music. That’s why Bill Whelan’s “Riverdance” is Aoife’s go-to feel-good song. She loves the way this song marks the emergence of Irish traditional dance and music as a globally successful phenomenon. The Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon” is Aoife’s secret theme tune for the bitter-sweet dynamic between her and Maeve. The song captures Aoife’s feeling that no matter how hard she tries to be successful, Maeve effortlessly outdoes her with a bigger, tastier, more magical experience. Finally, Nirvana’s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” is the song Aoife plays when her jealousy around Maeve has got a grip on her heart.

Get your ten-gallon hat and stetsons on for Caroline because she’s a huge fan of Garth Brooks and his hit song “Friends In Low Places,” which is played on repeat in the pubs and bars of her small town (much to Maeve’s disappointment). And of course Caroline’s sweet on everyone’s favorite female country singer, Dolly Parton, whose hit song “9-5″ is the theme tune that tumbles Caroline out of bed and into the factory morning after morning. But because Caroline’s also madly in love with Jordan from New Kids on the Block, she’s saving up for a CD player so she can play “You Got It” on repeat for the rest of 1994.

Maeve’s sister Deirdre never shared her innermost thoughts and feelings before her death, but I’ve selected three songs that capture some of the mood spiraling around her in her last days. Spandau Ballet’s “Through the Barricades,” Specimen’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” and Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control” communicate the texture and color surrounding this troubled young woman in her last days.

Bare-knuckle fighter Fidelma and Maeve get drunk in a caravan one night in the book, then belt out the MASSIVE Irish hit “A Woman’s Heart.” I love that this song reveals the fact that Fidelma has a big soft heart beating under her bulletproof chest.

Maeve has no idea why her mam listens to Billie Holiday’s haunting song “Strange Fruit.” But it brings Maeve’s mam back to her student activist days in the late ’60s when she and her peers were inspired by the Black Civil Rights movement to agitate for social change in Northern Ireland.

Aoife’s poor brother James is dying about Maeve, but his shining love is unrequited. When he listens to U2’s song “One,” he feels like falling to his knees in front of Maeve, only to have her tear his bruised and bleeding heart from his chest. Intense.

What else would Handy Andy Strawbridge – Englishman and wantreprenuer listen to, other than Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing (and your kicks for free)”?

These are just a few of the songs that ruled the airwaves and hearts back in 90’s Ireland. Try listening to the playlist in between reading chapters of the book to see where these songs take you.

–Michelle Gallen