#emsr.mp3

[katebeckets]

IT'S BRIGHTER NOW: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 7 of 10: Elsewhere ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

You were my best friend before you were my best guess at the future.

playlist / songs ↘

ELSEWHERE by Sarah McLachlan / "I believe this is heaven to no one else but me and I'll defend it as long as I can be left here to linger in silence if I choose to. Would you try to understand?" GAH the idea of pairing this song with "All Things" while Scully questions all her life choices... okay, fine, that's fine. Also knowing that both her parents questioned her decision to join the FBI and the lyric "Mother, can't you see I've got to live my life the way I feel is right for me?" Cool. The theme of this playlist is basically If/Then (choices), with a little bit of "I believe this is heaven" thrown in there as well.

ALL MY MISTAKES by The Avett Brothers / When I first read what Yeti wrote about "Elsewhere" and saw that she paired it with "All Things," this song was the first song I thought about. Admittedly, I don't listen to this version—I like Katie Rose Clarke's cover of the song, but I can't put that on the playlist, so I included this version. I think so much of "All Things" is Scully realizing that not all the things she worried were mistakes are actually mistakes, but at the same time—what if they are? Does that change anything? "I can't go back and I don't want to, 'cause all my mistakes—they brought me to you."

KING OF THE LOST BOYS by Sara Bareilles / I thought of this song because of this line: "don't you worry about the 'why,' those answers come in time, so leave your heart to wander." I think in this episode Scully finally understands the why, and it brings her so much peace. I like this line for her as well: "The monsters circle 'round, eyes upon you. Raise your head and let them hear your heart's choice." I think this episode brings her to a place where she can truly do just that.

BEST GUESS by Lucy Dacus / I was considering this song for three different playlists and couldn't decide. My instinct was for it to go with "All Things," which @libbytxf agreed with and helped me decide. I love the idea of pairing it with a Scully episode because she doesn't like to guess. She wants evidence, she wants rationale, she wants to know. And I think Mulder presents something particularly daunting for her because she really does know without knowing; he's her best guess. I love "I love your body, I love your mind. They will change, so will mine, but you are my best guess at the future" in the context of the revival as well, knowing Scully has doubts about some of the ways she has changed. And my favorite lines are so them: "You are my favorite place, you were my best friend before you were my best guess at the future."

WHAT IF? (REPRISE) by Idina Menzel / Listen, I can't have an episode like "All Things" and not include something from If/Then, and this has one of my favorite lines: "where will it lead—who can know? but you learn how to love the not-knowing, so here I go." And I was really excited to put it after "Best Guess," to go from her guessing to her embracing the unknown.

SIT HERE AND LOVE ME by Caroline Spence / I love the lyrics of this song, and I chose to put it on this playlist because it's exactly what's happening. He sits there, he listens, he loves her, and she feels so safe that she falls asleep. "I know you hate to see me cry, don't want to look you in the eye, I just need you to sit here and love me" is very Scully (and makes me think of "Irresistible"). I also really love this line: "please recognize my shadow; this is the same place from where I love you deeply."

ORDINARY by Amber Ais / I love when the chorus starts and the song becomes so joyous. Besides the idea of choices, the other thing I was thinking about while I made this playlist was "this is heaven to no one else but me," and I think a lot about Scully and how much she loves both Mulder and the x-files. "You are the beauty in the ordinary." She and Mulder are always looking for extraordinary things, and his enthusiasm and passion help her learn to see the magic in every day. I also think this song works for Mulder—he's searching so hard for the extraordinary, but then he meets Scully, and she is the most beautiful, wonderful, extraordinary thing to him.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Tenille Townes / This one is also connected to the "heaven to no one else" line. I liked that there's the mention of prayer, but I also like that the idea is "maybe the most beautiful things in this life are felt but never seen" and the episode being "All Things." This tender moment of him tucking her hair behind her ear while she sleeps is something she doesn't see or necessarily know, but she feels it. And this show is so much about what it means to have faith, what it means to believe, and I love this line for them: "The only way I know any of this might even be true is the love I feel for you."

DAYLIGHT by Taylor Swift / This is a song I actually associate more with Mulder, but the "heaven" lyric and the idea of choice made me want to use it for this playlist. "I don't want to look at anything else now that I saw you. I don't want to think of anything else now that I've thought of you. I've been sleeping so long in a twenty-year dark night, but now I see daylight; I only see daylight." I apparently took Scully falling asleep very seriously because I do like the mention of her sleeping in a twenty-year dark night, but more than that, the first lines of the chorus are about choice. This is all she wants now that she knows it's there for her to choose, and it's all she sees. I also really love "I once believed love would be black and white, but it's golden" and "I once believed love would be burning red, but it's golden, like daylight" for Scully because I feel like both of those things could apply to her. She likes the black and white, clear-cut answers, and I can imagine her assuming that this is what it'd be like when she found her person—some sort of irrefutable evidence that allows her to know that this is the right choice. I also think that Mulder is very much red for some time (and Red could be a Mulder album, but that's a conversation for another day), but as they settle into each other and their relationship, it becomes golden (and I picture the scenes of them outside the unremarkable house, the way that feels golden).

[katebeckets]

HOLY ORANGE BOTTLES: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 2 of 10: Skin ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

If you break in two or turn into a skeleton, I'll give you my skin.

playlist / songs ↘

SKIN by Chris Trapper / Absolutely insane song choice by Yeti, 100% written into my bones at this point. The lyrics... GOD. The one I put in the description is one of my favorites, but I had to be extra rude and use "I'll be kissing you when you take your last gasp of air" for this particular gif pairing.

I NEVER LOVED YOU by Halsey / This kind of feels like cheating, but I will forever associate this with cancer arc after making this set. I love pain :)

WHAT SARAH SAID by Death Cab for Cutie / The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory on this one, but I'm going to highlight some anyway because OUCH. "And I rationed my breath as I said to myself that I'd already taken too much today," "it stung like a violent wind that our memories depend on a faulty camera in our minds, and I knew that you were truth that I'd rather lose than to have never lain beside at all." And then the ending of course: "I'm thinking of what Sarah said—that love is watching someone die. So who's gonna watch you die?" And now just think about Mulder watching Scully die and then thinking... who's gonna watch me die?

CODEPENDENT by Sophie Holohan / Anyone else shocked that a song called "Codependent" would be very MSR? "The thought of your smile is the only thing that holds me here sometimes" is soooo Mulder. I feel like this song is full of questions he would be asking himself as he tried to face the possibility of life without Scully.

FIREWOOD by Regina Spektor / I toyed with putting this song a few places, but I had to put it on this playlist because of the lyrics "rise from your cold hospital bed. I'll tell you, you're not dying. Everyone knows you're going to live" because if Mulder could heal Scully through sheer will, he most definitely would have. The last part of the song also feels very Gethsemane/Redux I & II to me: "love what you have and you'll have more love. you're not dying. everyone knows you're going to love, but there's no cure for crying."

THE SKY by Maddy Estelle / This song is about someone who has died, but I feel like it fits Mulder on some of the scarier nights, like when he comes in and sobs silently by her side and she doesn't wake up. These lyrics felt especially Mulder to me: "I don't have much of any faith in anyone but me. In my opinion, no god would take you from me." And though Scully is very much alive, I feel like the sentiment of this song could still apply in his attempts to protect her. I also like this song for them because of Scully's journal: "I collect words I wish I could give to you."

SOON YOU'LL GET BETTER by Taylor Swift ft. The Chicks / I did my best to limit songs I've used previously, but there are some that just have to be on here, and this is one of them. It's so Mulder and you will never change my mind. "Holy orange bottles, each night I pray to you. Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too." I have no doubt Mulder pleaded with God to let her live and promised all sorts of things if she was allowed to live. "You'll get better soon because you have to." Again, if he could save her through sheer force of will, he would, and that's what that lyric is to me: something uncertain that is spoken as a certainty because it has to be. "I'll paint the kitchen neon, I'll brighten up the sky. I know I'll never get it, there's not a day that I won't try" is Mulder bringing her flowers and making a joke to make her smile. "And I hate to make this all about me, but who am I supposed to talk to? What am I supposed to do if there's no you?" Anyway. I'm fine. :)

I'LL BE THERE by Overcoats / "The world wants to break your stride, but you are worth every star in the sky. If you can't find a reason why, I'm by your side." Another song that makes me think of Mulder sobbing beside Scully as she sleeps.

DON'T GO HOME WITHOUT ME by Lights / This song is one I imagine as Mulder pleading to Scully. "It's amazing that you're here, so alone I would be in a world that you're not near; don't go home without me." Begging her to stay so he never has to live without her. Begging her to get better. And resolving to go home with her if he has to.

[katebeckets]

THE VERY FIRST WORDS: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 1 of 10: Why Can't I? ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

Let the sun fade out to a dark sky. I can't say I'd even notice it was absent, because I could live by the light in your eyes.

playlist / songs ↘

WHY CAN'T I? by Liz Phair / Like Yeti said, "Here we go, we're at the beginning / we haven't fucked yet but my head is spinning" was the perfect choice, I just wasn't sure if I wanted to do that for the gifset lmao. I loved the cheerfulness and excitement in her voice and felt like the thrill of falling in love was the guiding theme of this playlist.

LABYRINTH by Taylor Swift / This is on here entirely for the chorus: "Uh oh, I'm falling in love. Oh no, I'm falling in love again. Oh, I'm falling in love. I thought the plane was going down, how'd you turn it right around?" I think early MSR is filled with this sort of energy—the way it goes from the first realization (uh oh) to nervousness (oh no) to acceptance (oh). I also love the sound of the song — it's like the music quiets for the chorus and you can hear her heartbeat, the soft and slightly scared energy of her voice, the loss of control as she free falls into this feeling.

BUTTERFLIES by Kacey Musgraves / These lyrics aren't as directly applicable to MSR, but I think the rhythm and sound of this song is exactly what this playlist is meant to be. I love the way she's singing about someone giving her butterflies and the music embodies that feeling.

ENCHANTED by Taylor Swift / "The playful conversation starts, counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy" is soooo MSR, especially at the beginning (even though their banter never goes away, I do feel it evolves). I think "Enchanted" matches the early stages of their flirtation and is another song that matches the overall theme of this playlist—the magic of falling in love.

BRIGHT by Echosmith / Another song that is more about the sound and energy than the lyrics. As their friendship grows, especially in early season two, you see how much they enjoy each other's company and the way they light up around each other, and I feel like they feel the way this song sounds.

I SAW YOUR FACE by Emily James / Thinking about the suggested episode being "Tooms" made this lyric stand out to me: "we could sit in silence while this feeling finds its space / keep the moment gentle as it settles into place." It reminds me of the quiet in the car as Scully admits how much Mulder means to her, he's shocked, and she doesn't shy away from it. She lets her words linger in the air and forces him to really hear them.

YOU ARE GOLD by The National Parks / This song could have gone on a few different playlists, but I chose this one because of this lyric: "And I will wait if it's time you need / What I see in you / I hope you find in me."

I CHOOSE YOU by Sara Bareilles / A lot of the songs on this playlist feel like songs about falling in love out of the blue, and I do think there's an element of that to early MSR—the "struck by lightning" sort of feeling—but especially as their relationship grows, there are so many instances where they choose each other, over and over again. "Tooms" is one of those moments where Scully so clearly says "I choose you" to Mulder and makes him understand the weight her words carry. The title of the playlist is from this song: "the very first words of a life-long love letter." I wanted to end on this song because I think it mirrors the natural progression of being drawn to each other to choosing each other, but also because I feel like that's where Scully and Mulder are when we think about early seasons. I love this song so much, I love this song for them, and I will not be writing any more lyrics because I'll end up writing out the whole song.

[katebeckets]

BEYOND THE STARS: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 6 of 10: Mystery ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

It's always the mystery, I've come to see, that brings out the best in the you and the me.

playlist / songs ↘

MYSTERY by Indigo Girls / Yeti highlighted the lyrics in the gifset and I think they're perfect, of course, but I also love what the lyric starts as because it feels so Mulder: "every thought's a possibility, and voices are heard but nothing is seen. Why do you spend this time with me? May be an equal mystery." And another MSR lyric I love is "not everything is better spoken aloud, not when I'm talking to you." That's so them (although it probably would've helped them out a little if they said a few more things out loud). I honestly wasn't sure how I wanted to do this playlist because I feel like there's just so much to these lyrics that I can't cover it all, but I returned mostly to the title and what that could mean. What is the mystery? Is it them? Is it their feelings? Something bigger? And that's how I ended up with these songs.

ORPHEUS by Sara Bareilles / This is another repeat I had to make an exception for. This is such a beautiful song about uncertainty and chaos and the need for something to hold on to, some solid ground, and how they can find that in one another. It felt like a perfect song for this playlist and Sara Bareilles writes the most beautiful lyrics. I think "I know you miss the world, the one you knew, the one where everything made sense because you didn't know the truth" is very Mulder in season 7 because of his mom and Samantha and all the questions he has and tries to find answers to, and Scully is there beckoning to him: "don't stop trying to find me here amidst the chaos." And one of my favorite lyrics ever: "if the bottom drops out, I hope my love was someone else's solid ground." Someone's constant, someone's touchstone.

DEAR HOPE by Sara Bareilles / I reeeeally didn't want to put two Sara Bareilles songs back-to-back, but this just made the most sense to me when I was deciding on the order, so here we are. "Dear Hope, I could really use you now, throw me a rope" felt like a good match to the theme of this playlist and its episode pairing. Scully is especially struggling to make sense of things in "Amor Fati" and there's so much desperation on her part as she tries to save Mulder; she needs something to hope for, she needs Hope to throw her a rope. "I don't feel you now, but I know you're there" also echoes what she says when she talks to Mulder in the hospital. She begs him to hold on and, in return, she holds on to hope.

FOREVER ENDEAVOR by The Altogether / Like many of the songs, I also toyed with putting this in different places, but the chorus is the main reason it ended up here: "I'll share this forever endeavor with you, never expecting what's bound to come true. It's always the mystery, I've come to see, that brings out the best in the you and the me."

SNOW ON THE BEACH by Taylor Swift ft. Lana Del Ray / This song is very special to me and also was one of the first ones I thought of when I was thinking about this playlist. The chorus felt especially fitting: "and we're falling like snow at the beach, weird but fucking beautiful. Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful. You wanting me tonight feels impossible, but it's coming down, no sound, it's all around like snow on the beach." The image of snow on the beach is absurd and unbelievable but incredibly beautiful, and I feel like that fits them so well; it's almost too good to be true, which I think is very much how they feel about one another, especially Mulder with Scully. The mystery of "how is this real?" when thinking about how much love there is between both of them. Also, "your eyes are flying saucers from another planet" in an MSR song is just perfect.

CHINESE SATELLITE by Phoebe Bridgers / Look, I had to work this in somewhere, it's just too good, and I think it fits this playlist best. I like that it asks a question, which fits the idea of this playlist having various mysteries: "why would somebody do this on purpose when they could do something else?" And a song with the phrase "I want to believe" has to be on an MSR/x-files playlist. This song is sadder than the others, not quite as romantic, but to me it's a very them song, especially Mulder. The ending of "I want to go home" hits hard when you think about what's happening in this episode and how really, all he wants is Scully. Home.

OUTER SPACE by John Grant / This is a song that @well-and-true suggested when I asked about people's MSR songs, and it's so fitting for both them and this playlist of mystery and wonder. I can see Mulder playing this song for Scully and her rolling her eyes but also fighting off a smile because he so honestly tells her that this song is for her: "I think that you must be from outer space, maybe from somewhere beyond the stars. I think you must be extraterrestrial 'cause you can open up the heavens for me with just one smile."

[katebeckets]

HOLD YOU CLOSE: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 5 of 10: Hummingbird ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

How I love the way we go together, and how I love the places we have been.

playlist / songs ↘

HUMMINGBIRD by The Weepies / I love this choice of song for Mulder and how it highlights that Scully is his anchor, his home. "Always been like a hummingbird and I can't keep still" and "hold out your hand, yours is the only one I dare to land upon" are so... I don't even know what word but I love it. Love that he's so restless and always on the move, but he'll stay still for her. He'll approach her, he'll let her see him. She calms him.

ROOTS by Orla Gartland / Apparently this song isn't available on Spotify so I can't add it to the playlist, so here is the link to the song. It's always so fun for me when someone mentions Orla Gartland because I remember randomly finding her videos on YouTube waaaay back when, so it surprises me sometimes when I'm reminded that she's well-known now. But anyway. This is the first song I thought of because of the chorus: "if you dig up your roots, then I'll dig up my roots, and we can take them with us wherever we go." I felt like it matched the general feeling of "Hummingbird" and this idea of movement and never sitting still. The opening notes make me so happy and I love that this is paired with "The Unnatural" because it also makes me happy.

BANKS by NEEDTOBREATHE / To me, this song feels sort of like Scully's point of view, because it says "I wanna hold you close but never hold you back, I'll be the banks for your river." It still has that theme of movement to it, but it's not from the perspective of the person moving, it's the person standing steady. Also, "I wanna hold you close but never hold you back" made me think of her getting ready to leave in Fight the Future and the way she views her role for so many years as being the person to guide him and rein him in, like the banks to the river. "Everybody needs a voice they can follow when the water and the winds get bad," and Scully is that voice (they're both that for each other, which is so beautiful, but also... it's often Scully).

ARMS by Christina Perri / This is a repeat that I couldn't resist including due to the episode pairing of "The Unnatural." His arms are most definitely around her and the theme of this playlist, in some ways, is about home, and that's the point of the song: "you put your arms around me and I believe that it's easier for you to let me go. you put your arms around me and I'm home." I know this song was everywhere at one point, but if you listen to the lyrics, it's such an MSR song.

STAY by Samantha Barks / I was lucky enough to see Samantha Barks in Amélie and really love how she sang this song. Although most of these songs have to do with ways that they overcome this standoff, I think "Stay" describes a lot of their relationship: "stay where you are, don't come too close and don't go too far," "try to move closer, you'll only get halfway," "move and I'll move even deeper inside, I like you right there." It's a song that fits an earlier stage of their relationship a bit better, but I chose it for this playlist because of the overarching theme of movement.

BLUE RIDGE RUN by Hunter Metts / This is one I can't fully explain, it's just a song I like that felt right and I think it reminds me of a post I saw once about how The X-Files is a very American show and part of it has to do with the fact that they're constantly in the car on road trips, and this song has the lyrics "golden skin, Carolina sun, American spirit in my lungs." Most of the lyrics aren't as directly applicable to MSR (in my opinion), but I do particularly love the beginning for them: "Oh, I need to know where it is you go when your wayward, wandering heart gets weighed down by the dark. Tell me where you go."

STEADY ME by The Light The Heat / Ugh, I love this song for them. There are only a few lyrics, so I'm gonna go through all of them because I can. "All I want is you with me, watch a movie or just be. Tell me all that's on your mind, tell me everything's alright." Think of every scene on Mulder's couch ever. "You steady me like gravity. Hold me tight through the night. I'll be alright. You steady me." I especially liked this part with the baseball scene. And you steady me feels like a beautiful lyric for them because going back to "Hummingbird" and this idea of constant movement, steady doesn't necessarily mean still. And of course I like the repetition of you steady me mirroring the way you might feel when someone steadies you—like they're doing this over and over to help you find your balance.

PARIS, OR WHEREVER WE ARE by Emily Hearn / I went back and forth between putting this song on this playlist or the "When You Go Away" playlist, but I chose this one because even though it does talk about going with your person and wanting to be with them always, it's more about the implications of their presence, and not just the desire for closeness. "With you by my side, there's nothing else I want. The view is alright in Paris, or wherever we are." And I fully believe Mulder forgets where they are because he's too busy gazing at Scully to care.

[katebeckets]

PULL ME HOME: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 4 of 10: When You Go Away ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever?

playlist / songs ↘

WHEN YOU GO AWAY by The Weepies / Chinga is one of my favorites because it's absolutely ridiculous of them to be spending time away from each other that involves multiple phone calls a day. They like each other soooo much. And this song is a perfect choice! "When you go away it's like you hide the sun," "no relief from grey skies, where'd you take those blue eyes," "I know where you belong." And I love the lyrics Yeti highlighted as well: "Take me with you this time, won't you, won't you? Don't make me miss you this time."

THINK OF YOU by A Fine Frenzy / I had to get some A Fine Frenzy in there somewhere, and even though this is very much a post-breakup song, it's the chorus that made me think of it: "I think of you whenever life gets me down and I think of you whenever you're not around." And it's where I got the title for the playlist as well: "you still pull me home." My favorite line isn't as applicable here, but I'm going to point it out anyway: "just to put your mind at ease, you don't owe me anything. you paid me well in memories."

SURROUND YOU by Echosmith / I found this song right after I finished my initial MSR playlists and was so sad I couldn't include it... but here we are! I've always liked asking people for songs because when I'm having a hard time, I listen to the song and let it envelope me like a hug, and this song feels a bit like that. I love the idea of a love that surrounds you, blankets you, holds you, no matter where you are. "Wherever you are, whenever you need me, just crawl in my arms and I'll hold you beside me. I want my love to surround you."

APOLLO by Faith Zapata / What drew me to this song for the playlist is "So I'm coming with you wherever you go, I don't care where we end up," but I really love this line for MSR: "I'm a mortal, but you think I'm magical. You take my hand and say, 'Let's get away.'" I also think "a lifetime's too short for all I want with you" is very them as well.

NOT GOING ANYWHERE by Luz / This song has "Never Ever Getting Rid of Me" vibes, but a little more suited to this playlist lol. I absolutely love this song, it's so them: "Leave me here in the depths of despair, it's where I thrive. But you don't mind, you just say, 'Oh, you'll always be stuck with me now. I don't want to live without you. Never finding somebody new, no one's ever known me like you do. Promise you don't have to be scared, I'm not going anywhere." Plus a special shoutout to my ~special interest~ with "depths of despair" (Mermaidia) LOL

LOVER by Taylor Swift / Even though the energy of this song is so different from "When You Go Away," this is the first song I thought of for this playlist: "Can I go where you go? Can we always be this close forever and ever?"

CALL ME ON YOUR WAY HOME by Emily James / I adore this song for so many reasons and still remember hearing it the first time, there was a lyric referencing Westwood and that's how I found out the singer went to UCLA. The lyric video is a lot of UCLA places and it makes my heart so happy. "I just hope the distance doesn't make us distant, text me when you wake up, call me on your way home" is so very me, but I think it fits this playlist well. It's a way of saying "I love you," but it's also the need for closeness, wanting to constantly be close to or talking to the person you love.

[katebeckets]

OUR SECRET MOMENTS: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 3 of 10: The First Taste ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

There is an indentation in the shape of you. Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo.

playlist / songs ↘

THE FIRST TASTE by Fiona Apple / "Darling, just start the chase, I'll let you win, but you must make the endeavor." If you happen to know Yeti's "Mulder panics in detour" thing, this song paired with this episode makes complete sense. This song led me to a general theme of desire for this playlist.

I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU by LYRA / As with so many songs on these mini playlists, this could've gone in many different places, but I put it on this playlist because of this line: "'cause you've started something, oh, can't you see that ever since we met, you've had a hold on me? It happens to be true—I only want to be with you." I believe the original song is by Dusty Springfield, but this is the one I happened to find and start listening to so it's the one I included here.

TRY by Zach Berkman / "I know I could love you if we tried" is a lyric that guided me for a lot of this playlist as well; the idea that they both know they could love each other, that they know how important this relationship is, and that if they just try, maybe... maybe they could do it. I also think this lyric is particularly MSR: "We spent our time in silence, but there's something you should know: that I would hold you like the wind and I would catch you like the snow."

I AIN'T EVER LOVED NO ONE by Donovan Woods & Tenille Townes / Think about Melissa and Maggie in "One Breath," then think about these lyrics: "But you set the bar for this stubborn heart. And when you met my family, everybody knew that you had me wrapped. I ain't ever loved no one like that."

KISS ME by Ed Sheeran / My favorite line from this song is one of my favorite lyrics in general: "I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet." Basic of me, I know, but I just love it. And since it didn't really fit with any of the episodes (I feel like it only really fits the pilot or maybe the first few episodes, because they know each other so intimately so quickly), I decided to put it wherever I thought the rest of it fit. I also considered putting it in the first playlist because "this feels like falling in love," but I chose this playlist mostly because of the bridge: "I've been feeling everything from hate to love, from love to lust, from lust to truth, I guess that's how I know you" and because saying kiss me as a directive is very much the idea of this playlist.

HUNGER by Ross Copperman / This is another repeat that felt justified because I love this song, it fits them, and it's perfectly on theme. The verses are perfect: "One look and I can't catch my breath, two souls into one flesh. When you're not next to me, I'm incomplete" and "Oh, love, let me see inside your heart, all the cracks and broken parts, the shadows in the light—there's no need to hide" are them. And then the chorus: "I'm on fire like a thousand suns, I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to. These flames tonight, look into my eyes and say you want me, too, like I want you" and then "It's like a hunger in me, yeah, it's never-ending."

LET IT HAPPEN by Gracie Abrams / "Turn me into something tragic. Just for you, I'd let it happen." @emmiebea is the one who suggested this song for them and since I love the song, I wanted to include it somewhere in these mini playlists. I think it fits this playlist because just for you, I'd let it happen reminds me a bit of the song Yeti chose: "I'll let you win, but you must make the endeavor" -> "just for you, I'd let it happen."

DRESS by Taylor Swift / I mean, let's be real, one of the other themes of this playlist is just general horniness and UST so this felt like a good song for that. I used lyrics from this song as part of the description, but the main reason I thought of this song is the pre-chorus (is that what this part's called?) - "all of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation, my hands are shaking from holding back from you. all of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting, my hands are shaking from all this..." The urgency and excitement in this song is just so good. And there are some really sweet moments that fit them too: "And I woke up just in time, now I wake up by your side: my one and only, my lifeline."

BONUS:

IT ONLY TAKES A TASTE by Jessie Mueller & Drew Gehling / Listen, I was soooo pleased with myself when I thought of this song ("The First Taste" to "It Only Takes a Taste"? So good, I don't care). But I decided to have it as a "bonus" because as much as I personally love musical theatre, they don't always mesh super well with the rest of the playlist lmao and I couldn't not include this, but it doesn't particularly go with the other songs.

[katebeckets]

SWEETER WITH TIME: An MSR Playlist ⤷ Part 10 of 10: Turning ✧ based on this playlist by @laurencem

I'm gonna love you as long as I'm able.

playlist / songs ↘

TURNING by Sea Caves / This is a beautiful revival MSR song, and I really love the lyrics Yeti highlighted, which I used for the gifset: "in time, we saw we'd drifted far enough, turned to let it go and start anew." I think that really describes what I was focusing on for this playlist—the effect of time, what it means for them to find their way back to each other, and how love changes and evolves.

THE TIME FOR FLOWERS by Emily Scott Robinson / I really love when people use seasons as a metaphor/symbol for growth, and I think this is a variation of that. But the reason I felt like it fit this playlist and revival MSR is because of this: "Let's raise a glass, my friends, we made it through, and the time for flowers has come again." There were days despair won and it felt like they'd never make it back to each other... but they did.

LOVE IS LETTING GO by Ashe ft. Diane Keaton / When I was looking at the lyrics for this song, I saw that it was written for Ashe's brother, whom she lost to addiction, and it made this feel even more fitting since they alluded to Mulder's mental health struggles (and I am certain Scully's mental health played a significant role in their separation as well). One of my favorite parts is "but if you have to leave, then I'll leave on the light. if you come back, I'll be waiting" because that feels like them. They let each other go but somehow continued to hope, even if they didn't admit it to themselves.

I'LL BE by Edwin McCain / I did not expect to put this song on an MSR playlist, but there were a few lyrics that made me want to keep it (plus I just love the song). "You're my survival, you're my living proof my love is alive and not dead" reminds me of the "human credential" comment, and I also think the idea of coming back from the dead as it's used in this song is very revival MSR. "I've fought my way back from the dead" is the other line that made me really think of them.

FEELS LIKE HOME by Chantal Kreviazuk / This song is so very them, maybe even specifically them in "Plus One." And I find it so very funny that I put the 90s ballad on a revival MSR playlist. The lyrics of this song are just so good and so them, and I think "if you knew how much this moment means to me and how long I've waited for your touch" is perfect for a playlist paired with "Plus One."

SOMEONE WHO LOVES ME by Sara Bareilles / This is for sure a repeat and I don't care, these are some of my favorite lyrics ever and it is exactly what is happening, she's in the arms of someone who loves her. If I write out lyrics I will write them all, just listen to the song, it's so beautiful and every lyric is beautiful and I just love it so much. And I will once again highlight that I love the ending: "my home, my heart, thank god you are someone who loves me." The "thank god" sounds like an exhale, like this weight being lifted off of her, the feeling of safety and security that envelopes her... my home, my heart. I'm going to scream.

HOW TO LOVE YOU TODAY by Son of Cloud / I love this song for revival MSR because it's about learning how to love someone and how it doesn't always mean the same thing day to day. Revival MSR has grown and changed so much, and they have always loved each other, but they haven't always known how to love each other. And I feel like the idea that each day they are learning how to love each other is so much of what allows them to come back to one another.

BOTH SIDES NOW (COVER) by Emilia Jones / I decided to put a cover version because I was unsure if I wanted to put Joni Mitchell on here and this version is one I do listen to quite a bit because the video makes me so happy. The one I listen to most often is Idina Menzel (the one I listen to is no longer on YouTube, but here's a video of her just because) because it's me, but I can't put that on the playlist. Anyway, back to MSR. This song just feels like them. It's how these things - clouds, life, love - change over time. "I've looked at love from both sides now" feels so fitting for revival MSR.

TIRESWING SONG by Corrina / The title of the playlist comes from this song: "sweeter with time, you and I, let's keep growing." I really love that this song is about things getting better with time but named after a childhood memory. And especially for revival MSR, these lyrics make me so happy: "we'll think it's as good as it can get. it's perfect now, but time will only make it better. I'm gonna love you as long as I'm able." It's also why I put this song last—it felt perfect to end on "I'm gonna love you as long as I'm able."