My WIP Chaotic Hayffie Playlist for Hayffie Week 2026
Hey Hayffie Nation, the last few weeks have been chaos so I haven't been able to contribute much to @hayffie-week but here is my equally chaotic WIP playlist of songs that remind me of Hayffie, I didn't split them into vibes so its a bit of a rollercoaster, but then again isn't that pretty on brand for these two? Would love feedback in the comments!
Explanations under cut!
Haymitch @ Effie
Wicked Game - Chris Isaac (Yearning! Angst!)
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
It's strange what desire will make foolish people do
I never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you
And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you
No, I don't wanna fall in love (this world is only gonna break your heart)
2. No Children - The Mountain Goats (Peak Hayffie song tbh, they're toxic but also each other's antidotes)
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong
I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
I hope I never get sober
And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way
I am drowning
There is no sign of land
You are coming down with me
Hand in unlovable hand
3. Dial Drunk - Noah Kahan (Young Haymitch gets into trouble in the Capitol)
I ain't proud of all the punches that I've thrown
In the name of someone I no longer know
For the shame of being young, drunk, and alone
Traffic lights and a transmitter radio
I don't like that when they threw me in the car
I gave your name as my emergency phone call
Honey, it rang and rang, even the cops thought you were wrong for hangin' up
I dial drunk, I'll die a drunk, I'll die for you
I'm untethering from the parts of me you'd recognize
From charming to alarming in seconds
I'll be bedridden, I'll let the pain metastasize
4. Friends in Low Places - Brooks Jefferson/ Garth Brooks (Haymitch's go to Karaoke song I fear, Chaff is cheering, Effie is trying to grab the mic)
'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be OK
Yeah, I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places
Well, I guess I was wrong, I just don't belong
But then I've been there before
Everything's all right, I'll just say good night
And I'll show myself to the door
Hey, I didn't mean to cause a big scene
Just give me an hour and then
Well, I'll be as high as that ivory tower
That you're living in
5. Lover, you should have come over - Jeff Buckley (Haymitch is back in D12 and pining hard)
Sometimes a man gets carried away
When he feels like should be having his fun
Much too blind to see the damage he's done
Sometimes a man must awake to find that
Really he has no one
So I'll wait for you, love
And I'll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return?
Oh, will I ever learn?
Oh-oh, lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late
6. The Great Divide - Noah Kahan (Haymitch dealing with a post Capitol-torture Effie)
You know I think about you all the time
And my deep misunderstanding of your life
And how bad it must have been for you back then
And how hard it was to keep it all inside
I hope you settlе down, I hope you marry rich
I hope you're scarеd of only ordinary shit
7. Last Night on Earth - Green Day (Haymitch leaves Effie in D13 to go to the front lines, not sure if he'll return)
My beating heart belongs to you
I walked for miles 'til I found you
I'm here to honour you
If I lose everything in the fire
I'm sending all my love to you
With every breath that I am worth
Here on Earth
I'm sending all my love to you
8. As the world caves in - Matt Maltese (District 13 bombing)
My feet are aching
And your back is pretty tired
And we've drunk a couple bottles, babe
And set our grief aside
The papers say it's doomsday
The button has been pressed
We're gonna nuke each other up, boys
'Til old Satan stands impressed
And here it is, our final night alive
And as the earth burns to the ground
Oh, girl, it's you that I lie with
As the atom bomb locks in
9. Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes after Sex (Secret relationship vibes)
Whispered something in your ear
It was a perverted thing to say
But I said it anyway
Made you smile and look away
Nothing's gonna hurt you, baby
As long as you're with me, you'll be just fine
Nothing's gonna hurt you, baby
Nothing's gonna take you from my side
10. Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton (Wedding song amiright?)
Used to spend my nights out in a barroom
Liquor was the only love I'd known
But you rescued me from reachin' for the bottom
And brought me back from being too far gone
You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You're as sweet as strawberry wine
You're as warm as a glass of brandy
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time
11. Sign of the Times - Harry Styles (Angst! Fleeing the Capitol to D13)
Just stop your crying
It's a sign of the times
Welcome to the final show
Hope you're wearing your best clothes
12. Uptown Girl - Billy Joel (Sorry, had to be done, another Karaoke number)
Uptown girl
She's been living in her uptown world
I bet she's never had a backstreet guy
I bet her momma never told her why
I'm gonna try for an
Uptown girl
13. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths (Haymitch is depressed and pathetic and Effie wants to fuck him)
Haven't had a dream in a long time
See, the life I've had
Can make a good man bad
So for once in my life
Let me get what I want
Lord knows, it would be the first time
14. It ain't over till it's over - Lenny Kravitz (Hello Cinna! Another wedding song)
So much time wasted
Playing games with love
So many tears I've cried
So much pain inside
But, baby, it ain't over 'til it's over
So many years we've tried
And kept our love alive
But, baby, it ain't over 'til it's over
15. Creep - Radiohead (Haymitch is still depressed and pathetic and very oblivious that Effie still wants to fuck him)
When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry
You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fucking special
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
16. The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future - Los Campesinos! (Okay this is a bit of a stretch but it fits with the fic I'm writing, Effie is also self destructive, who knew!)
I grabbed hold of her wrist and my hand closed from tip to tip
I said, you've taken the diet too far, you've got to let it slip
But she's not eating again, she's not eating again
She's not eating again, she's not eating again
I ask her to speak French and then I need her to translate
I get the feeling she makes the meaning more significant
She was always far too pretty for me
To believe in a single word she said, believe a word she said
At fourteen her mother died in a routine operation
From allergic reaction to a general anesthetic
Spent the rest of her teens experimenting with prescriptions
In a futile attempt to know more than the doctors
17. Too Sweet - Hozier (Sexual Tension? In my playlist? It's more likely than you think)
You keep telling me to live right
To go to bed before the daylight
But then you wake up for the sunrise
You know you don't gotta pretend, baby, now and then
Don't you just wanna wake up, dark as a lake?
Smelling like a bonfire, lost in a haze?
If you're drunk on life, babe, I think it's great
But while in this world
I think I'll take my whiskey neat
My coffee black and my bed at three
You're too sweet for me
18. Northern Attitude - Noah Kahan (idk this feels D12 vs Capitol coded)
If I get too close
And I'm not how you hoped
Forgive my northern attitude
Oh, I was raised out in the cold
If the sun don't rise
'Til the summertime
Forgive my northern attitude
Oh, I was raised on little light
You bought some shit, you search online
You're gettin' lost, you're gettin' high
All alone, late in life
Scared to live, scared to die
19. Ghosts That We Knew - Mumford and Sons (Angst! but also Hope! Alternatively, whoops Effie loves Haymitch despite everything, everyone knew this but him until right now)
You saw my pain, washed out in the rain
And broken glass saw the blood run from my veins
But you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart
And you knelt beside my hope torn apart
But the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view
And we'll live a long life
20. Lua - Bright Eyes (Pre-healing Hayffie, my beloved messes)
I got a flask inside my pocket we can share it on the train
And if you promise to stay conscious I will try and do the same
Well, we might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain
But what was normal in the evening by the morning seems insane
And I'm not sure what the trouble was
That started all of this
The reasons all have run away
But the feeling never did
It's not something I would recommend
But it is one way to live
'Cause what is simple in the moonlight
By the morning never is
21. Best Years - Social Animals (Young self destructive Haymitch vibes)
I can't tell if I'm wasted
Or just wasting all my best years
She said you look thinner
Are you skipping dinner?
Or are you skipping everything?
Because even when you're here
You're not really there
I said I'm always tired
But I am never sleepin'
It's like somebody creeps in
And turns on the goddamn hallway light
22. Death of a Bachelor - Panic! At The Disco (Denial is a river in Egypt Haymitch, you love that frilly woman and she makes you a better man)
Do I look lonely? I see the shadows on my face
People have told me I don't look the same
Maybe I lost weight, I'm playing hooky with the best of the best
Pull my heart out my chest, so that you can see it too
I'm walking the long road, watching the sky fall
The lace in your dress tangles my neck, how do I live?
23. In Case You Don't Live Forever - Ben Platt (whoops, back to angst)
I've waited way too long to say
Everything you mean to me
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you now
I love you more than you'll ever wrap your head around
In case you don't live forever, let me tell you the truth
I'm everything that I am because of you
24. Kiss You All Over - Exile (70s coded Hayffie is very important to me idk what else to say, Haymitch is a car mechanic, fixes Effie's pink Cadillac, cue torrid affair)
I don't what I'd do without you, babe
Don't know where I'd be
You're not just another lover
No, you're everything to me
Everytime I'm with you, baby
I can't believe it's true
When you're layin' in my arms
And you do the things you do
25. These Arms of Mine - Otis Redding (do I need to justify Otis in literally any playlist? No)
These arms of mine, they are wanting
Wanting to hold you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be
Come on, come on, baby
Just be my little woman
Just be my lover, oh
I need me somebody, somebody to treat me right, oh
I need your arms, loving arms to hold me tight
Effie @ Haymitch
26. Silver Lining - Laufey (The ultimate Hayffie song in my opinion, its just so Effie)
Never been calm or collected, no one ever called me sweet
What a miracle, I found a darling
I met you at the worst time, fell in love on a whim
Now we pirouette in fields of rosy sin
So I propose, it's long overdue
When you go to hell, I'll go there with you too
And when we're punished for being so cruel
The silver lining's I'll be there with you
27: Promise - Laufey (Okay, you may sense a pattern here, young Effie catching feelings!)
I made a promise
To distance myself
Took a flight, through aurora skies
Honestly, I didn't think about
How we didn't say goodbye
Just see you very soon
It hurts to be something
It's worse to be nothing with you
28. Mad Woman- Laufey (Promise this is the last Laufey song, she's just so Effie coded I'm sorry)
Such a terrible idea, worst one I've had all this year
But I can't ignore our obvious attraction
I imagine how it ends, up in flames, we'll go again
Seeking chaos, can't help giving in to passion
But there's something so vexing about you
It's like the gods above us don't approve
We've been through this before, fell in and out, I said, "No more"
But still I want you like a mad, mad woman
29. Still into You - Paramore (Yippee! Endgame Hayffie against the odds!)
I should be over all the butterflies
But I'm into you (I'm into you)
And, baby, even on our worst nights
I'm into you (I'm into you)
Let 'em wonder how we got this far
'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all
Yeah, after all this time
I'm still into you
30. Busy Woman - Sabrina Carpenter (Effie wants to fuck her District Mentor and she is Pissed about it)
I'm so mature, collected and sensible
Except when I get hit with rejection
To turn me down, well, that's just unethical
I'll turn into someone you're scared to know
But if you need my love
My clothes are off, I'm comin' over to your place
And if you don't need my love
I didn't want your little bitch-ass anyway
Yeah, I'm a busy woman
31. Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter (Effie when the relationship Hard-launch is imminent)
Please, please, please don't prove I'm right
And please, please, please
Don't bring me to tears when I just did my makeup so nice
Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another
I beg you, don't embarrass me, motherfucker
32. Strawberry Blond- Mitski (Yearning Effie is one of my favourite types of Effie)
All I need, darling, is a life in your shape
I picture it, soft and I ache
Look at you, strawberry blond
Reach out the car window tryna hold the wind
You tell me you love her, I give you a grin
Oh, all I ever wanted was a life in your shape
So I follow the white lines, follow the white lines
Keep my eyes on the road as I ache
33. I Bet on Losing Dogs - Mitski (Angst! Effie standing by her man, despite everything, also her D12 tributes)
My baby, my baby
You're my baby, say it to me
Baby, my baby
Tell your baby that I'm your baby
I bet on losing dogs
I know they're losing, and I'll pay for my place by the ring
Where I'll be looking in their eyes when they're down
I'll be there on their side
I'm losing by their side
34. Linger - The Cranberries (Whoops, more Yearning!Effie)
If you, if you could get by
Trying not to lie
Things wouldn't be so confused
And I wouldn't feel so used
But you always really knew
I just wanna be with you
And I'm in so deep
You know I'm such a fool for you
You got me wrapped around your finger
Do you have to let it linger?
35. At Last - Etta James (WeddingSongWeddingSongWeddingSong)
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill that I've never known
You smiled, you smiled
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in Heaven
For you are mine at last
36. I Know You All over Again - Trixie Mattel (Wish I knew how to quit you vibes)
And I don't smell you in my sheets
And I don't hear you in the hall
Without your cologne
Your calls on the phone
I don't know you at all
And I'm growing older
I know that we're over
The way we'd always have been
And then I see you...
And I know you all over again
37. I Kissed Someone (It Wasn't You) - Dodie (Effie tries to get under someone to get over another certain someone, it doesn't work)
I kissed someone, it wasn't you
Leaning in like I'm supposed to do
I pulled away and I gasped for him
I didn't feel a single thing
I kissed someone, it wasn't me
Locked inside a slut this eve
All worked up for something dead
I think it's time to go to bed
38. Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi (Angst! Effie has to watch someone she loves slowly killing themselves for 25 years! And I'm just supposed to go to work like normal!)
So, before you go
Was there something I could've said
To make your heart beat better?
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
So, before you go
Was there something I could've said
To make it all stop hurting?
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
So, before you go
Would we be better off by now
If I'd let my walls come down?
Maybe, I guess we'll never know
39. God Must Hate Me - Catie Turner (Effie sees natural beauty in everyone but herself and it hurts me personally)
Do you ever see someone and think "Wow, they got lucky"
the craftsmanship of their bones, their brain, and their body
When I look into the mirror for too long it hurts
they don't track how many steps it takes to burn off dessert
Do you ever see someone and think "Wow, they got lucky"
40. When You Sleep - Mary Lambert (More Yearning!Effie yippee)
I could make you happy
I could make you love me
I could disappear completely
I could be your love song
I could be long gone
I could be a ghost in your eardrum
When you sleep, will it be with me?
When you sleep, will it be with me?
I swore I saw you in a dream
All dressed in white and wide smile
You politely asked to take a walk with me
And I married you there underneath the trees
41. Like Real People Do - Hozier (Effie accepting Haymitch's baggage is a part of loving someone, woof)
I will not ask you where you came from
I will not ask you, neither should you
Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips
We should just kiss like real people do
I knew that look dear
Eyes always seeking
Was there in someone
That dug long ago
So I will not ask you
Why you were creeping
In some sad way I already know
42. Me and My Husband - Mitski (Another peak Hayffie tune, to be loved is to be known!)
But me and my husband
We're doing better
It's always been just him and me, together
So I bet all I have on that
Furrowed brow
And at least in this lifetime
We're sticking together
Me and my husband
We're sticking together
And I am the idiot with the painted face
In the corner, taking up space
But when he walks in, I am loved, I am loved
43. The Winner Takes It All - ABBA (Classic, had to be done I'm afraid)
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say?
Rules must be obeyed
The judges will decide
The likes of me abide
Spectators of the show
Always staying low
The game is on again
A lover or a friend
A big thing or a small
The winner takes it all
44. TV - Billie Eilish (Depressed Effie in her Capitol apartment waiting until the next Games)
Don't know where you are right now
Did you see me on TV?
I'll try not to starve myself
Just because you're mad at me
And I'll be in denial for at least a little while
What about the plans we made?
45. Million Reasons - Lady Gaga (Effie wanting to stand by her man even when he's making it incredibly difficult)
I bow down to pray
I try to make the worst seem better
Lord, show me the way
To cut through all his worn out leather
I've got a hundred million reasons to walk away
But baby, I just need one good one to stay
46. Too Good at Goodbyes - Sam Smith (Effie Trinket, queen of the workplace situationship that should have been reported to HR)
I know you're thinking I'm heartless
I know you're thinking I'm cold
I'm just protecting my innocence
I'm just protecting my soul
I'm never gonna let you close to me
Even though you mean the most to me
'Cause every time I open up, it hurts
So I'm never gonna get too close to you
Even when I mean the most to you
In case you go and leave me in the dirt
Duets/General
47. Stay - Rihanna, Mikky Ekko
Well, funny you're the broken one
But I'm the only one who needed saving
'Cause when you never see the light
It's hard to know which one of us is caving
48. A Lovely Night - La La Land
M: We've stumbled on a view
That's tailor-made for two
What a shame those two are you and me
Some other girl and guy
Would love this swirling sky
But there's only you and I
And we've got no shot
F: You say there's nothing here?
Well, let's make something clear
I think I'll be the one to make that call
And though you looked so cute
In your polyester suit
You're right, I'd never fall for you at all
49. I love you like an Alcoholic - The Taxpayers
Walked about 20 blocks talkin' about good bars and better towns than this one
Kissed that first night, and then the rain opened up the sky to get
One last kiss
I love you like an alcoholic
One last kiss
I love you like a statuette
One last kiss
I need you like I need a broken leg
50. We Didn't Start The Fire - Billy Joel
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No, we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it
51. From Eden - Hozier
Honey, you're familiar like my mirror years ago
Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword
Innocence died screaming, honey, ask me I should know
I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door
Babe
There's something wretched about this
Something so precious about this
Where to begin?
Babe
There's something broken about this
But I might be hoping about this
Oh, what a sin
52. Helplessly Hoping - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Gasping at glimpses of gentle true spirit
he runs wishing he could fly
only to trip at the sound of good-bye
Wordlessly watching he waits by the window and wonders
at the empty place inside
Heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams he worries
did he hear a good-bye or even hello
They are 1 person
They are 2 alone
They are 3 together
They are 4 for each other
No, but the thing is that even after Haymitch went through ALL of that, every moment of terror in his games, every terrifying mutt, every bloody, awful death, even after he watched for decades first hand as kids got killed in twisted ways, he was still going to go into the arena to save Peeta for the quarter quell.
He was in worse shape than Peeta, has arguably a better understanding of just how awful the Capitol’s horrors are, and could have easily just said “no way, whoever gets reaped gets reaped”, and instead he was truly 100% going to go back into the arena if he got the chance. He KNOWS Snow would love the opportunity to kill him painfully!!!!!!
I think it’s a huge testament to not only his love for Peeta, but also to his absolute bravery. This is a man who has lost everything due to the games, who is years past his prime and would probably be going through alcohol withdrawal while in the arena, and he was still willing to do it. Incredible.
personally i think that, while haymitch will never get over lenore dove (and honestly how could he?), he's wrong to say that she's his only love. he puts her being his only love in the same sentence as louella being his only sweetheart, and we saw how that turned out. i think the epilogue isn't the end for him. he's obviously still alive, he's just depressed and traumatized and he thinks he's been sent back to a mostly empty district 12 to drink himself to death, alone except for katniss and peeta and their babies, and hazelle, who katniss pays to clean his house. i think effie shows up right after he closes the book he's writing (bc i like to think these are lotr style books where they're being written by the characters about their own lives and they have perspectives limited not only by their own circumstances but by time) and she's like "damn bitch you STILL live like this??" and turns on all the lights in his dark ass house and opens the windows and launches her suitcase into his bedroom.