MARISSA BURR
Opinion Editor
We’ve all had those moments where we can imagine we are the main characters in the movie being made around us. It’s hard to describe exactly how it feels, and when it happens is different for everyone, but overall, it’s just this overwhelming feeling of warmth that makes your smile stretch from ear to ear and puts a little pep in your step. Suddenly, the world is your oyster and you are unstoppable: That is main character energy.
This week’s playlist consists of the best songs to listen to in your earbuds/headphones (some sort of listening device with chords obviously since the main character always has to be a little “different”) or blasting through the radio of the car as you head to your next destination.
So, crank the volume and get your strut ready because all eyes are on you.
“Could Have Been Me” by The Struts
This is the first song I hear when I am imagining an Elle-Woods-like comeback montage in the movie about my life.
I was introduced to The Struts almost three years ago when this song came on automatically after I had finished one of my Spotify playlists, and I instantly fell in love. The hard rock feeling of the song will give you the energy to run a marathon or break away from a toxic relationship all in the same three minutes and seven seconds.
Just the opening line, “don’t wanna live as an untold story,” was enough to hook me, as I love references within songs to reading—this is a mantra of mine.
Fast forward a little bit through the song and you’ve got a continued theme showing when they sing “don’t wanna waste one line.” The chorus consistently ends with messages of not hearing someone, and in turn not fearing them.
It’s a real underrated anthem that has been adapted a few times into recent pop culture, and it succeeds in all contexts. Two of my favorites include Nicholas Galitzine’s rendition in the 2021 remake of “Cinderella,” as well as Halsey’s version in the 2021 animated sequel “Sing 2.”
Both bring their own touch to the song, but all hit just as hard as the original from The Struts. The message is superb, as the song is telling you to live life to its fullest so you “never look back and say, could have been me.”
“Little Infinity” by Makeout Monday
With a totally different vibe than the previous rock anthem, Makeout Monday’s hit “Little Infinity” from their 2014 album Kicking Cars is the song you want playing during the ending scene in your movie that rolls into the credits.
The first few measures are purely instrumental, and as the song continues it goes back and forth between a heavy percussion accompaniment to going completely acapella. The polarity within the songs encapsulates every listener. Don’t let the obscurity of the band deter you, their poetic lyricism is as perfect as that of the industry’s greats. I find the second verse particularly poetic:
“Well scars look better on saints and sages, But love looks better on tattered pages, Child, pay no mind, Graffiti turns to art with time.” Songs that tell a story that could be interpreted as a love story or the high point of a friendship hold a special place in my heart, including this one. It’s all about perspective, and what you want to hear when listening to it. Close your eyes, and let the scenes they describe be built in your mind. Make this part of the soundtrack of your life. Before this song even ends you will be hitting that repeat button so you can hear it over and over again and create your own little infinity.
“Pierre” by Ryn Weaver
Much like the last song, Weaver’s song “Pierre” can be screamed in the car down a country road or danced to under the pouring rain—much like the opening line describes. This song follows the singer living her best life, going through a hard time with a lover and in an attempt to cope spends the nights exploring with other men and experiencing new things with them. She makes somewhat destructive decisions like drinking and going home with strangers, but it’s all temporary and just meant to distract her from the lover holding her back at home. When I listen to this song in the dark, I see the cameras following me around a pier, lit up with lights from rides and decorations, as I dance around to this song, living my best life. I’d be doing the kind of things that would make one passerby cringe and another jealous of my free-natured spirit. This song screams the main character in college finally stepping out of their comfort zone in order to enjoy life. Free from the restrictions of their past and the stresses of their future. My favorite line from Weaver’s song is “No one there to shame me for my youth, ‘Cause I wouldn’t be with you,” because it can mean so many different things to every listener. So please, when listening to this playlist, be sure to be living your best life.
“Man! I Feel Like A Woman” by Shania Twain
For my country music lovers out there, this song has the ability to get you out on the dance floor and drag even the country-haters with you. A great karaoke, girls night, hoedown or club song, Shania Twain’s 1997 hit is incredibly versatile to fit anyone wanting to feel like a main character for a few minutes. She really encapsulates that energy when she sings “I wanna be free yeah, to feel the way I feel.” I personally am not a huge fan of country songs—as I think there’s only a few unique styles that every song is written to sound just like—but “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” has some power over me that I will probably never understand. Suddenly, I’m ready to do shots, head to the club, wear practically nothing, and dance like nobody’s watching, which if you know me you’ll know none of those things ever happen. If I’m in a bad mood, my friends can put this on in the car and I won’t be able to resist a smile as I sing along. When this song comes on, I’ve only got one thing to say and that’s “let’s go girls.”
“Aston Martin” by Valentina Cy
Now, since you had to hit the brakes and take your speed from 90 down to 65 after listening to the previous song, you’re looking for a song with the same energy but not quite the same beat as to keep you safe on the road, “Aston Martin” by Valentina Cy is a great pick. Recorded and produced all in her apartment, this song demands to be played in a car with all the windows down while you drive along the coast. Valentina makes every listener feel like a main character in a James Bond movie, cozied up to Pierce Brosnan—that handsome devil—in a 1964 luxury car. The song is as smooth as the ride, and has always been able to make my scratched and previously-stolen sedan feel as glamorous as something you’d find in a billion-dollar movie. I mean, they’d never let anyone but a main character drive an Aston Martin.
“Dancing With Strangers” by Jeremy Shada
I’ve followed Jeremy Shada’s music since he starred in my favorite (canceled) Netflix series, Julie and The Phantoms so I was able to see him produce his first two EP’s, with this song being one of the singles off of his first full album Vintage. If you love the song as much as I do, I encourage you to go watch the music video because it is so entertaining to watch, despite its simplicity. You might even recognize his name as the actor who voiced Finn in Adventure Time, or as one of the singer’s in a previously mentioned band, Makeout Monday. He’s very diverse in his talents, and his music proves it. “Dancing With Strangers” is slightly slower than other club songs that you might hear similar background instrumentals in, and that’s because Shada is telling a story much more complicated than most of them. The message is that he can go somewhere to dance and make small talk with any woman and have a nice night together. But he wants so much more than that, he wants to settle down and find the woman he’s meant to be with. He sings “my mama told me ‘if you wanna find a good woman, then son, you’ve gotta be a good man.’” I love this message, because for those main characters that want to find their love interest instead of just being stuck with one-night-stands, they have to make the effort to be desirable to someone who wants the same thing.
“Made You Look” by Meghan Trainor
As many of her songs do, Trainor’s 2022 track “Made You Look” inspires women to be confident in however they look and to demand from their partner everything that they deserve. This song reminds me of something that would come out of a jukebox in the 50s, but despite this, it’s timeless. Her message is that no matter what she’s wearing, whether it’s designer, from a department store, or even nothing at all, you’ll be awestruck with her beauty nonetheless. She breaks the standard that women have to always be dressed to the nines in order to earn a man’s attention when she talks about how she’s “hotter when my morning hair’s a mess.” It’s nice to have an artist sing about being comfortable in your own skin and how if somebody doesn’t like it, then that’s their problem. Those that love you will see your beauty no matter what you look like. This is the energy that all protagonists need to embody, because don’t forget, you are the main character in your story for a reason. Everyone is there to see you.
For a full list of the songs that inspired the series “A Playlist for Every Mood” follow @gummymnb’s playlist of the same name on Spotify!