Help me Cirque, I've got only four songs for a Henry IV playlist and only four.
Hildegard von Blingin' - Creep
Russian Red - The Memory is Cruel (for Mary's death)
Pet Shop Boys - I Get Along (for, yes, Richard/Henry vibes but also works for Henry falling out with Hotspur and Northumberland)
Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind (the cynical "I was never there but I was always thinking of you ... maybe I didn't love you" version)
Hozier - Eat Your Young
Ugggggh Henry's been the problem child for me, too. I think it's the cross section of songs about guilt are too guilt ridden, and everything else isn't guilty enough
Heroes// David Bowie
(Don't think about Henry and Mary as kids)
Angels//Robbie Williams (Better Man version)
(Also a Mary's death song. Made me realise how similar Henry's rise is to the typical musician biopic of clawing to the top, getting to the top, realising you hate it. Henriad as a musical when? I vote Humphrey gets to be the CGI monkey)
Cat's in the Cradle//Johnny Cash
(Ah, the cycle of neglectful parenting...)
Afraid of Everyone//The National
(On one hand this song feels very Henry VI because it's about schizophrenia, but I feel the themes of paranoia and alienation fit Henry IV as well. Grandpa can do the original, and Grandson the reprise.)
Human//Rag'n'bone Man
(I feel like there is the charitable interpretation of this song, and the interpretation that it's basically your mum going "well I'm just the worst mother ever" in a fight. Which of these is Henry, take your pick).
King// Lauren Aquilina
(This one feels very much like Johanna singing to Henry. If we continue the Henry IV, the musical, this is the song she sings that convinces him not to abdicate)
Little Lion Man//Mumford and Songs
(Oooooh, controversial I know. This is usually given to the messed up sons, but really it's from the view of the judgemental, regretful father. And Henry is both!)
Oh, Sinnerman//Red Pine Timber Co.
(This version of Sinnerman is a lot more mournful than angry, which I think fits Henry's attitude to religion and himself a lot more. Like, what else are you going to do when you're a former crusader and burning heretics and got excommunicated)
Feelin' Kinda Naughty//Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
(No song has summed up Richard and Henry more)
I was thinking about songs for a Richard playlist (you have unleashed a monster) and was struck by the absolute awe of Richard running a gay bar. Henry tears it down because it's a blight on the family name, and then Hal reinstates it...
I adore everything about this. It's so beautiful. 🥲What interested me the most is the years in-between Henry tearing it down and Hal rebuilding it.
My first thought was: that Henry immediately shuts the gay club down, sells it on and by the time Hal is old enough to go clubbing, the site has passed hands multiple times and is back to being a gay club. One night, Henry opens up the Find My Phone app and finds Hal is at the club's location, frantically googles the address to discover... it's back to being a gay club. That his son is at. Last time Henry checked it was a gym.
My second thought was: Henry just shuts it down. Turns the power off, shuts and locks the doors. Selling it on or demolishing the gay club would bring more attention to that shameful part of our family history so he just locks it down. Then, years later, a repressed, closeted and deeply unhappy Hal breaks into the old club and it's dark, it's covered in dust and cobwebs but when he lifts his torch up to the ceiling, the mirrorball still shines.
(Then he starts cleaning up the place at night and hanging out there with Courtenay.)
Thomas: spends a long time angry that Courtenay stole his brother and keeps third-wheeling them until he walks in on them making out and then is like, "oh. ok. gotcha. carry on. I am still no. 1 best brother" and Hal's like "you're not even my favourite brother".
John: wary but in the end it's like having another brother he actually likes (unlike Humphrey) and can bear hanging out for more than an hour (unlike Thomas).
Humphrey: if Hal has a new friend, they're Humphrey's new friend too. (Humphrey also briefly considers bisexuality since if Hal is into guys there must be something to recommend it but he is just really, really straight.)
Blanche: figured out Courtenay was Hal's boyfriend within 5 minutes of meeting him despite the fact that they weren't dating at the time.
Philippa: massive, somewhat awkward crush on Courtenay that eventually works out to her deciding that if Courtenay is Hal's boyfriend then Courtenay is their hot boyfriend.
Henry V: I'm getting a good grade in kingship, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve. Why does my tummy hurt so much?
Thomas Duke of Clarence: I'm gonna do a flip in my armour and it's going to be totally sick bro [five minutes later] can someone call my dad? It's hospital time.
John Duke of Bedford: Everyday I get emails. Everyday I send emails. The vicious cycle continues unending. Why am I here? Just to suffer?
Humphrey Duke of Gloucester: I was put on this earth to romance pretty women and do whatever my big brother says but apparently I'm not allowed to do any of that (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Blanche of England: would anyone like to, idk, treat me right? I'm a pretty princess trying my best here :)
Philippa, Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden: I am getting a good grade in queenship and sometimes even kingship, something that is both normal to warn and possible to achieve.
just wanted to let you know that several of the songs on your Hal playlist have ended up on my "literally everything I like to listen to" playlist and sometimes they turn up on shuffle and I'm like, "oh, 'Love Me Wrong'/'Isaac', time for me to write fic about Hal and Henry's disasterous relationship!" etc.
(and then I don't because by the time I'm sat at the laptop, it's a different song playing.)
My love language is sharing music recommendations but when I succeed I feel like a witch corrupting people. Muwahahaha.
Love Me Wrong and Isaac are the definitive songs about tension with your parents, in my opinion. Love Me Wrong gets the pain of knowing your parents are doing their best but in a way that just feels wrong, and Isaac gets across someone outside of that relationship being able to point out how much your parent(s) failed you. I.e. the ideal songs for Hal and Henry
(Also "I'll never be how you remember me// so I'd rather be in your memory" is both amazing and gut wrenching for Hal and the dagger incident)
