Hayley Williams on "Twilight": "I Connected To It Immediately"

When Paramore singer Hayley Williams finished the first book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series earlier this year, she joined the legions of teens who became instantly enamored with Meyer's vampire romance. "There's such obvious tension between Bella and Edward, and I just connected with that so much," Williams says. When she heard the movie version of Twilight was in production, Williams immediately took a proactive approach. "I was calling anyone and everyone I could to figure out how we could be a part of it," Williams says.

Inspired by both the relationship in the book and personal experiences, Williams penned the lyrics to "Decode," which Williams' bandmates initially thought were "harsh" until she explained the premise of the novel. "Then I think everyone just really locked on the whle vibe of the song, and did a great job getting the whole picture of the book," she says.

With a nearly-finished song in hand, Williams went straight to Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke to plead her case. "I knew the song was right for the book, and I knew our fans were into [the series]," Williams says. Not only did Hardwicke approve of "Decode," but she commissioned the band to write another song, which became "I Caught Myself."

"Decode" became the lead single for the Twilight soundtrack, which debuted at number one in early November, and Paramore performed the song at both a Hot Topic event and on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this week. The band also had the honor of attending the Twilight premiere in L.A. last week. "I thought the overall tone of the film was perfect," she told us. "Catherine Hardwicke is incredible with teen angst in her films. She really captured the characters perfectly. I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say about it." The buzz held up: Twilight took in over $70 million over the weekend.

There is one thing Wiliams would like to clear up: she's neutral when it comes to the battle among Twilight fans over whether vampire Edward or werewolf Jacob (who forms the third part of the series' love triangle) is better suited for Bella. "I think I might have made a joke that I was team Jacob, but honestly I'm down with both of them. I think they're great...guys," she says.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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