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It's here everybody! The Silence Playlist, with a complete analysis and explanation included
Explanation down below! <:3
1. “Love Like You” and “Love Like You Reprise” from Steven Universe
-Silence is a robot. Naturally a lot of these songs are going to be about feeling a disconnect with yourself compared to others. Both physically and mentally, Silence and Noise are different, even from the other robots at REZCOURT. This song focuses less of these factors, and more on the differences between Noise and Silence. Silence is emotional, switching between emotional states by the second. Noise is more anxious, less sociable, and more afraid to show their true feelings. Both Noise and Silence struggle to even understand what their “true feelings” are. Rebecca Sugar has said that “Love Like You” is told from the perspective of all the Crystal Gems simultaneously about each other. Likewise, this song is about Silence’s perception of himself and of Noise, as well as Noise’s perception of itself and of Silence. Neither of them particularly like themselves, but they like the other
2. “That Distant Shore” from Steven Universe
-This one is, once again, about Silence’s view of Noise. At the end of the game, when Noise leaves him, that’s when the darker part of this song hits. Noise was the one thing keeping him going. And for a few moments, Silence is convinced he was the only one to make it out of the REZCOURT fire. But even after their reunion, Noise leaves to track down the one responsible for the plan going so poorly. Leaving Silence alone again. The last two lines of the song show Silence’s broken yet newfound resolve to carry on despite everything
3. “Escapism” from Steven Universe
-Less of a deep interpretation, this really just is about Silence’s pain being trapped in REZCOURT, and his desire to live a peaceful life with his friends
4. “Hello, World” by Louie Zong
-This feels a bit self explanatory, it’s about a robot navigating life and feelings. Specifically the line “programmed to work and not to feel'' makes me think about how REZCOURT uses the robots to mine and doesn’t allow them any rest or freedom. Silence was originally made to be a friend, but has since been conditioned to be nothing but a slave to humans
5- “In Tokyo” by Studio Killers
-Look this is about falling in love with a robot in Tokyo. No explanation necessary here
6- “Imposter Syndrome” by Sydney Gish
-A song about being out of touch with your self and your emotions? And not understanding how to live life competently? “What’s a human being like?” being a direct line? Perfectly describes Silence’s struggles mentally. The artist compares themself in the song to a dog frequently, but mentioning how they aren’t accepted as either a human or a dog. Under-qualified to be human, over-qualified to be an animal, seen as a freak regardless. Again, perfect parallel how Silence struggles to fit in with both his other robot friends and the humans. Also, the lyrics “these sweet instincts ruin my life” can be correlated to Silence’s emotions and how they change. Everyone often judges him for being so quick to aggravate and switch from being happy to sad to angry to normal. These “instincts” that Silence can’t help but follow often put tension on his friendships
7- “i wish that i could wear hats” by Brian David Gilbert
-This song is also about a disconnect between how one views themselves internally and how they are interpreted outwardly by others. Silence is constantly trying to understand himself and everyone around him struggles to understand why he acts the way he does. Everyone is confused, no one is happy, and Silence is frequently overwhelmed by trying to solve these issues. Just like in the song, where the artist metaphorically puts up their hat instead of trying to solve the problem, Silence just acts happy in denial. Trying to ignore how awful he feels about himself and how he worries his friends hate him
8- “Deadbeat Boulevard” by Ace of Hearts
-This song is less of a genuine interpretation of his character and more my own personal Theories and such. The song describes a toxic relationship where one party is manipulative to get what he wants
only to disappear. I don’t think Noise is manipulative, but they did leave Silence during his most vulnerable time. With nothing but an IM explaining why. The line “Do you think that he’ll return since you learned? So you find yourself within just to let him in again” makes me think of Silence’s inner turmoil (as we have said So Much already) and how Noise got tired of Silence a few times, ridiculing him for having too naive a worldview at times. Okay I won’t say anymore I’m slandering Noise too much I think <x3 but I do think there is so much room to talk about how Noise leaving Silence at the end of the prologue hurt him immensely
9- “Nobody” by Mitski
-Uh oh sisters, it's THE mental illness song™. What can I say about this song someone hasn’t said before about anything? It’s about depression, chronic loneliness. Feeling isolated from the world and others. Just like Silence at REZCOURT, just like Silence at the end of the game when Nosie leaves him. No lyric analysis needed here
10- “It’s Alright” by Mother Mother
-This song is about impulse behavior and intrusive thoughts, both things Silence suffers from. But this song is positive, granting affirmations that it is okay to be like that. It’s only human,,,except he’s a robot. “You’re not a demon, there’s a reason you behaved that way” is my favorite line, and I think it’s the one Silence could use the most. The final verse “I don't wanna know I’m not capable of coming out alive. I don’t wanna see what's inside, I think I would rather be blind. I don’t wanna know I'm not capable, I’m capable, I’m alright.” is EXACTLY what Silence is going through!!! Impulsive thought, suicidal ideations, the whole thing! But this song is one big affirmation that it’ll all be okay and that these things don’t make you unworthy of care and love
11- “Rainbow Road” by nanobii
-This one is one of my more,,,abstract picks. It has no real lyrics and is just a Vibe. But if I was to describe the happy parts of the dream sequence at the beginning of the prologue, I would use this song. It is upbeat, hopeful, and just overall pleasant, with a hint of mysticality. Basically I like it cause I like Silence so it fits
12- “Revolution Lover by Left at London
-Now he’s a song for the good parts of Noise and Silence’s relationship. The two of them were thrust into the worst place on Plasturn, forced to work in underground mines. But they had each other. They affirmed each other through it, keeping each other’s spirits up as best they could. Noise taught Silence how to fight, worried he wouldn’t be able to take care of himself in the outside world. Silence gave Noise patience as they figured out their gender. During every conflict, they supported each other, doing their best to give the other what they needed. The line “Even if Heaven doesn’t take us we tried” describes how the two of them know the Plan to escape could fail. But they tried their best to live a good life, and again, at least they had each other during the hell they faced at REZCOURT.
13- “there is a place for you here.” by Left at London
-This song follows many of the themes as the previous L@L song. It’s less on getting through it and more the support they found in each other after the fact. It’s of the affirmation, “you’re so beautiful”, and giving a safe space for the other to thrive. This, I think, is a theme for when Silence and Noise reunite. “It doesn’t matter where we end up I know we can heal” despite being split up, Silence believes he can find Noise again and that things can get better. There is still plenty of adversity to face before that, but Silence and I am hopeful it will turn out okay
14- “No Below” by Speedy Ortiz
-This is MY mental illness song. It encapsulates the Vibes I imagine for what the next game will be like, where Silence meets a new group of friends and they face the world together. The song is about how an old friend wasn’t enough for them, and despite trying their best, couldn’t help with their mental issues. But then they found someone new, with similar issues, and they
formed an unbreakable bond. Someone they feel like they’ve known their whole life. This is exactly what I am expecting from the next game that follows Silence. The creator mentioned that the Vibes it is going for in the Energy Heaven series is “a group of misfits taking on the world and healing, getting into silly situations along the way.” That is heavily paraphrasing for the record, but this song fits that vibe in the perfectly mentally ill way
15- “Everything Stays” from Adventure Time
-This song also makes me think of a Noise and Silence reunion. They’ll be familiar with the other, but it will be obvious they have been changed by whatever journey they go on. Which is the Entire theme of the song. “You’ll find something waiting, right there where you left it lying upside down. When you finally find it, you’ll see how its faded. The underside is lighter when you turn it around.” Perfect metaphor for how I imagine this reunion will be
16- “Monster” from Adventure Time
-Another wholesome Noise and Silence song. They both feel not good enough, weird, like a monster. But they find solace in each other, affirmations that they are worth love and care. Not much I can say here I haven’t said earlier. I do like that the “pink in my cheeks” line at the end can be taken literally still, as Noise and Silence’s screens change color based on their emotions, and pink is usually romantic or flustered feelings
17- “Weight of the World” from NieR: Automata
-This song is based off the scene right at the end of the prologue. Where Silence steps back from the cliff edge, determined to make a change. Automata is a song about robots finding themselves, navigating the desolate and broken world, and learning how to feel their emotions properly. BotSound is pretty much exactly the same. The song describes 2B’s desire to shoulder everything, to save the world and their race, to live a life free of fighting. Everything has fallen apart, life is dying, the world is dying. But she still wants the best for her friends. Silence is the exact same way. He is willing and determined to make a change in his own dying world, fighting against the fate previously established for him. These are stories about the self, about love, and about fighting for preserving these things
18- “Don’t Think Twice” by Hikaru Utada
-This, again, doesn’t have too much actual correlation to Silence,,,I just like the Vibes. But the song plays in KH3 when Sora disappears, and the feelings associated with that remind me of Silence losing Noise at the end of the prologue. It also talks about how infatuated the singer is with a lover and,,yeah these robots are gay
19- “Sanctuary” by Utada
-THIS KH SONG. I have way more to analyze with this. The song plays, in the original context, in KH2 when Sora comes home, finally fulfilling their promise to Kairi. This again makes me think of a potential reunion between the robots. Also, the lyrics “I watch you, fast asleep. All I fear means nothing” make me think of the scene in the prologue where Noise and Silence fall asleep next to each other. Despite the fact they won’t be able to charge, they take that time to bask in each other's presence and sleep the night away together. The worries they have over the plan and escaping and all the shit going on at REZCOURT does not matter for a moment. The line “you showed me how to see that nothing is whole and nothing is broken” is absolutely something for Silence. He feels,,,wrong a lot of the time. But that does not mean he is broken, or that he is unchanging. He is beautiful now and will be beautiful tomorrow
20- “For Every Life” from RWBY
-Back to the depressing songs, we have a song that is about inevitability. How things, no matter how hard you may try, are just impossible, and will go poorly. But regardless, it is worth it to fight for every life you can. The plan Silence tries to follow falls apart. They lose friends. Because of what happened, Noise leaves on a revenge filled vendetta. The end of the song however is a more uplifting stance. That fighting for
a dream is still worth it, and that while it was impossible before it can change. And even if it fails again and again, the fact that you fight for it is what matters. And at the end of the day, Silence chose to fight and make tomorrow better. To save lives wherever he can
21- “What We Have Is You” from Kipo and the Age of the Wonderbeasts
-And right back to the lighthearted song. This one is just about finding joy in poor conditions. In the show they are underground, where there is no sky, no sun, no weather. In BotSound, they are stuck in the REZCOURT facility with very little to no exposure to the outside. But what they do have is each other, and that is what really is important
22- “Die Anywhere Else” from Night in the Woods
-This song touches on a lot of the other themes I’ve already mentioned. Namely, it’s about running away from a horrible place to go somewhere, anywhere else. If the robots were to die, they would at least want to die anywhere but REZCOURT
23- “Slowly” by The Altogether
-Finally we get to the songs from my favorite band. This song was written and produced all in one day in March of 2020. All proceeds from the song sales went to a COVID relief fund. That context is important to the song's meaning. It’s about how life went from so much every day all the time to…nothing. Just a slow crawl, desperate to go out and help but trapped. It’s the beginning stage of going stir-crazy. Not as intense, but rather this stifling feeling that slowly hovers and descends on you. I imagine this is how it was when Silence was first brought to REZCOURT. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. Just the same thing every day with little change. At least he had people around, unlike how it was for during those early COVID months
24- “Clean Slated State” by The Altogether
-Prolly my favorite The Altogether song to fit Silence. This song is about changing who you are to better fit what others want out of you. It’s about feeling like you have no identity outside of these fake people you have created to satisfy others. For Silence, it's his emotional states. I distinctly remember one scene where Silence acts happy to satisfy one of his fellow robots, despite truthfully being angry or sad. Creating this fake personality for someone else, not letting yourself show. It’s entirely this song. The line “Build a quilt from all who have loved me and all I have ever known. Don’t leave me alone.” is so perfect, describing how you are built from the people around you, and thus, when alone, you don’t know who or how to be. Silence is capable on his own, but it is clear he thrives when around others who understand and care for him. Even when they fail to understand him, Silence enjoys the presence of the other robots.
25- “Must Be a Dream” by The Altogether
-This is a song about overcoming trauma. More accurately, it is about healing. The song reminisces on past abuse, how their abuser would treat them and gaslight them. But the chorus describes the healing process, how they have found a better place without them. They can return to these places, both physically and mentally, and be okay. They are out there, living a good life without them. This is again a theory song regarding how Silence will be later on in the story. Still struggling, still reminiscing, but healing
26- “See the Day” by The Altogether
-This is another song about hope. Getting out of something alive, to see the day once more. It is about, as well, how you might have felt like you would have never seen the day come. Thoughts like these we know Silence suffers from, thinking often “maybe this will be the thing that finally kills me.” But despite all this, it is a song about hope. Of getting through it despite all expectations and living to see everyday to come
27- “Goodbye” by The Altogether
-Not much to say about this one, just another Noise and Silence angst song. The lyric “Needless to say, we’ve taken time and used it to make our smiles align. But still your emotions changed on a dime.” perfectly encapsulates the rougher portions of the two
robot’s relationship
28- “Night” by The Altogether
-This is a song about waiting, and about having to grow when people leave. It’s about faith in the people in your life, even when they leave to figure themselves out. Need I even say it? It’s a very abstract song, and one of The Altogether’s earlier works. But still, I feel it fits Silence and Noise well
29- “Forever Endeavor” by The Altogether
-This song touches on previous themes once more. Like the idea of facing the future together. It’s a song about nostalgia and of times to come. Its another future Silence song, where he reminisces on the past but is determined to face whatever future awaits him with whoever is willing to join him
30- “I Wonder” and “I Wonder II” by The Altogether
-These songs tell one story together. In essence, it is a song about love. The songs are about the desire to keep love with you. It is about recognizing the love around you, and the love you saw before you even knew it. Which describes Silence very well to me. He’s the person described in these songs. “Someone who shines through the windowpane while all the rest of the world sees rain.” I would not say he is an optimist…but I can’t help but feel that he is light, through and through. He has his shadows, and the cloudy days. But he is light to me
31- “Quiet and Falling” from Celeste
-Another instrumental song, this plays in the mirror temple stage of Celeste. This temple represents the main character, Madeline, and her insecurities. It’s her destructive nature, her self hate and intrusive thoughts. The temple reflects these back at her. It’s a song about anxiety and self-doubt. It is a song of reflection, as much of Celeste’s OST is. The song doesn’t say anything specific about Silence, but gives you a moment to reflect on his mental state as well as your own
32- “Reach for the Summit” from Celeste
-The home stretch. This song plays on the final level of the main story of Celeste. After falling all the way back down the mountain, Madeline is on one final rush to get back to the top. She confronted herself, accepting that she has issues. Accepting those issues as part of her, that they are not bad feelings, but just feelings. The song is split into segments, with each taking on motifs of the previous levels, while keeping the same general melody. The final section is for the 3000 meters mark and is the most impactful of them all. It is, truly, the final stretch of the mountain. And the song is more invigorating than ever. Again, this does not say anything about Silence exactly. But rather embodies the feelings I assume he will have towards the end of his story
33- “Farewell” from Celeste
-This song plays in the final screen of the Farewell DLC for Celeste. The entire DLC up to this point has been Madeline in denial of the death of a loved one. She is desperately searching for a way to bring her back, or talk to her one last time. At the end, with some support, she comes to accept it. Accept that some things don’t change, but that she won’t waste her life or give up because of it. These themes are just like Silence at the end of the Prologue. Not willing to give up, determined to make a change. I think Silence knew Noise was going to leave. But he denied it, letting it just happen around him. But afterwards, he makes a promise to himself to do something about the world. About himself. It’s a farewell to the old life, but the start of something entirely new
34- “Welcome to the Black Parade” by MCR
-And here it is. THE emo song. I’ve gotten some looks for adding this, it is in pretty stark contrast to the rest of the playlist. But it fits so well to the end of the Prologue…the song is sad yes, but also a rallying cry. A promise to carry on. No one needs to hear my analysis of this song, we’ve all heard it a million times before. But the energy I get from listening to this song is a more amped up version of what I felt watching the end of the Prologue for the first time. If you could make that part of the game into a rock song it would sound like this
Doodled some potential designs of an unlockable pirate costume for Noise. Mostly because I just felt the random urge to put Noise in a pirate outfit, and judging by their expression, they're taking this whole pirate business pretty seriously!
This was all kind of done on a whim so I'm not sure if either of these will make it in to BotSound, but who knows!
