**This article contains spoilers for the Hunger Games series**
It’s February, and I’m foaming at the mouth at the idea of sitting in theaters to watch the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping, scheduled to release on Nov. 20. Since I read the original Hunger Games trilogy in the fourth grade, I’ve been obsessed with the series and the movies that followed.
More recently, Collins’ prequels, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping, only intensified my love for the story. Of course, when I hyperfixate on something, I have to make a playlist. Here are my top choices for songs inspired by the Hunger Games books and movies we love so much:
- “Devil’s Backbone” by The Civil Wars
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The Civil Wars were an Americana-folk-country duo. Before the duo eventually broke up in 2014, they collaborated with Taylor Swift on the song “Safe & Sound” for the first Hunger Games film.
I had The Civil Wars on repeat this past fall, and “Devil’s Backbone” was an early favorite. It’s featured on their 2013 self-titled album and is sung from the perspective of a woman in love with a sinner. She begs God to let her keep him rather than take him from her.
This song reminds me of Lucy Gray Baird and her complicated feelings toward Coriolanus Snow in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The sinner in question is, of course, Snow. Baird recognizes something off about Snow but chooses to trust him because he risked his life to ensure her survival in the Games.
The lyrics say: “he’s somewhere between / A hangman’s knots and three mouths to feed / It wasn’t a wrong or a right he could choose / He did what he had to do.”
Collins explores young President Snow’s psyche in her first Hunger Games prequel, and this song perfectly fits with how Lucy Gray likely grappled with her relationship with him before disappearing at the end of the novel.
- “In a Week (feat. Karen Cowley)” by Hozier
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I wish I could listen to this song for the first time again. “In a Week (feat. Karen Cowley)” is a soothing duet where two lovers contemplate their deaths. The lyrics go into detail about how their bodies would return to the earth after they pass. Despite the morbid context, Hozier and Cowley sing, “I’d be home with you,” a repetition that echoes deep love between soulmates.
This kind of love resonates with several relationships in the Hunger Games, romantic and platonic. Fierce love is a running theme throughout the novels and movies alike; however, I’d like to assign this ballad to Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta.
The intimate details of their romance aren’t revealed to the book or film audiences, but Collins shows us how important they are to each other, especially in finding comfort from their respective Games.
After Finnick’s demise in Mockingjay, I think Annie would mourn for a long time but could eventually find comfort in this song, knowing that one day she would “be home” with Finnick again.
- “Until It Doesn’t Hurt” by Mother Mother
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If Katniss Everdeen and Haymitch Abernathy needed a hype song for their theoretical road trip to kill President Snow, this would be it. “Until It Doesn’t Hurt” is gritty and desperate. Mother Mother sings with restrained rage, even admitting that they want to act on their emotions but need to keep them contained.
The two conflicting sides of this song represent Katniss and Haymitch. Katniss embodies the lyrics “I wanna get into trouble” and “I wanna burn them to the ground.” Classic “Girl on Fire.”
Meanwhile, Haymitch takes a more passive role, aligning with these lyrics: “If I can’t make it right / Then I won’t make it worse / I’m just sit tight / Until it doesn’t hurt.” I interpret these lyrics to especially describe Haymitch’s depression following the events of Sunrise on the Reaping until his growth in the original trilogy.
After reading Sunrise on the Reaping, Katniss and Haymitch’s relationship was made even more special. This song unites them as two halves of the same whole: victims of trauma inflicted by President Snow.
- “When You Die” by MGMT
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This one is for Johanna Mason, the final remaining District 7 victor following the events of Mockingjay. Johanna is a character you can’t help but love. She’s blunt, sarcastic, and fierce. Although this is mostly a front to mask her trauma, she delivers witty one-liners throughout the films that truly distract from some of the suffering in the series, providing a balance to the themes at play.
“When You Die” is similar, handling concepts of anger, humor, and acceptance of death. It summarizes Johanna’s mindset well. Lyrics that resonate with her character are “I’m not that nice / I’m mean and I’m evil,” “I’m going to eat your heart out,” and “Go f*ck yourself! / You heard me right.”
The cursing, in particular, reminds me of Johanna’s interview with Caesar Flickerman in the Catching Fire movie, where her language is so strong that the Capitol censors some of her response.
- “Another’s Arms” by Coldplay
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Coldplay, my beloved. In “Another’s Arms,” lead singer Chris Martin reminisces about the comfort of being held in the embrace of a lover. This song belongs to Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen.
Following their survival of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss begins having nightmares about their time in the arena. Peeta proceeds to hold her every night so that she can sleep. Katniss and Peeta’s love story unfolds slowly as Katniss is so reluctant to accept Peeta’s feelings for her, but from the beginning, their relationship transcends romance.
Despite the Capitol’s attempt to hijack Peeta and use him to hurt Katniss, Peeta finds a way to fall in love with her again and redevelop the same deep understanding of her that Katniss doesn’t even have for herself.
“Another’s Arms” captures the serenity of their nights spent together, especially in the face of deep-rooted and recent trauma.
- “Play God” by Sam Fender
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Sam Fender would hate President Snow. “Play God” was written to critique power, specifically those who use it to become wealthy rather than helping improve society. Fender’s music is notoriously political, as he came from a working-class, impoverished area of the United Kingdom that’s been consistently ignored by politicians.
Throughout all of Collins’ novel, Snow’s rise and fall to power are examined. In order to keep his power, Snow resorts to extreme surveillance and cruelty, taking out his enemies before they can threaten the Capitol’s hold over the districts.
Because he’s so paranoid over losing his power, Snow would be able to relate to Fender’s lyrics: “No matter who you are or where you have been / He is watching from the screen.”
- “Canary” by Joy Williams
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Joy Williams originally broke into the music scene as one-half of The Civil Wars. “Canary” is featured on her most recent solo album, Front Porch. This song celebrates resilience in times of hopelessness and struggle by using the analogy of a canary in a mine.
Broadly interpreted, this song is meant for District 12, both because of the literal reference to mining and the dichotomy between joy and hardship.
This song would have been performed by Lucy Gray Baird and the rest of the Covey band; you can’t convince me otherwise. With Rachel Zegler’s powerful pipes, “Canary” would have been even more moving during a show at The Hob.
The Hunger Games universe is rich in commentary about politics and humanity. Its story has captivated audiences, even after the initial dystopian craze of the 2010s. I’m excited for the upcoming movie and the possibility of future novels. Until then, I’ll be listening to this playlist on Spotify.
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