#rbrpprompt3

[vivian-swanson]

playlist

Bar Scene - Gangster Squad

Since this role served as a good deal of inspiration for Vivian (and continues to) I had to include a scene from it. If anything, it speaks to the role she portrays at the club---coy, always flitting just out of reach. The music that drags below is what is actually below all that. (Came close to using the “Don’t go.”/”Make me.” scene, but that speaks to a different part of her life with a man I just might write up.)

Love Is Blindness - Jack White 

There is very little to be said here other then this is Vivian’s song. Have you ever met a woman more blinded by love?

Crazy In Love - Emeli Sandé & The Bryan Ferry Orchestra

For the warm haze of memories surrounding Teddy as much as the budding something that causes her to skitter away from Yuri.

Pity Party - Melanie Martinez

Tell me why the hell no one is here/Tell me what to do to make it all feel better

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to/Cry if I want to

Young and Beautiful - Salon Style

To be fair, this was placed down half in pacing to provide a break towards the slower, somewhat sadder songs of the next half. At the same time, though, it speaks to all the hopes pinned to her marriage---it’s the phase of Teddy’s life he died representing.

Carmen - Lana Del Rey

It's alarming honestly how charming she can be/Fooling everyone, telling them she's having fun/She says, "You don't want to be like me/Don't wanna see all the things I've seen."/I'm dying, I'm dying

This song always came across to me as a woman warning another away from a life like hers. It harkens back what was brought up in the opening sequence where Vivian plays to her roles while crumbling inside.

You - Keaton Henson  

A song full of all the things you would wish you had said when you didn’t know it to be your last chance.

Time For Bed - Anna Karenina

A gentle tune for when the night draws to an end, bringing Vivian back to the little one she lives for.

[robert-winters]

This is Gospel - Panic at the Disco

This song represents Robert’s struggle, both with his addiction to alcohol and his placement in the world after the war. He lashes out at people and hides behind his surly persona because he’s afraid of himself, but he’s still trying, trying, trying. He won’t give up without a fight, even if it feels like that’s all he’s ever been good at.

Brother in Conflict - Voxtrot

This song is about Robert’s dissatisfaction with the world around him and his anger over how things have turned out. He’s disgusted with the path his brother is taking in life but has to find a way to express it. He’s bitter and skeptical, but he has to find his voice.

Some Nights - fun.

This song is about his loneliness and disappointment with where he stands in life. It expresses what he doesn’t say out loud, how he doesn’t want Thomas to forget how he used to be, though he thinks it might be too late. He’s lost now, doesn’t know what he’s doing or where he’s going or why he’s still here. 

Unwell - Matchbox Twenty

Pretty self-explanatory. Robert wants to be seen beyond what he presents through his shell-shocked mind and find comfort in people again. This could be representative of his relationship with Janek, since Janek was someone who actually reached out to him.

The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot - Brand New

This is about Robert and Thomas, and especially how Robert deep down just wants his brother to like him and be close to him like they used to be as boys. They’re both stubborn and cling onto their ideas, but truth is that Robert would do anything for him. He just expects he’ll be a disappointment regardless.

The Soldiering Life - The Decemberists

This song is representative of Robert and the men that he fought with in the war. It was where he’d found friends, comrades, a life beyond the little town with the mother he’d tried so hard to please to no avail. It represents a certain other closeness he had with them as well *wink nudge*.

I'm in Here - Sia

A song about Robert’s desperation to find someone who will find him again. He might push and shove people away and act like he doesn’t care about them, but truth is he wants someone to help him. He wants to feel worthy of being helped.

Dinner at Eight - Rufus Wainwright

A song that represents Robert’s strained relationship with his mother. The way she hurt him makes him wish he could have seen her hurt in return, but he also wants to know if she ever did love him. He likes to think that at some point she did, but he’s not sure if that thought makes him happier or sadder that they never got closure in their relationship.

[thesmallestsongbird]

dorothy miller. song bird.

[8tracks] [youtube]

Everything Burns - Anastacia

“She sits in her corner ; Singing herself to sleep; Wrapped in all of the promises; That no one seems to keep; She no longer cries to herself; No tears left to wash away; Just diaries of empty pages; Feelings gone a stray; But she will sing”

I chose this song as a reflection of her childhood after her parents died in the train crash. Singing was the one thing she couldn’t give up, and she found ways to practice against her parents wills. Singing remains as one of the few things she won’t give up for anything. Even as she changes herself to fit into the thing others want her to be, she holds onto her love of singing.

Dissolved Girl - Massive Attack

“Shame, such a shame; I think I kind of lost myself again”

Dorothy’s at a point in her life where she’ll do just about anything she needs to to break into the entertainment business, including bending her beliefs and personality to fit what people want from her. As things are, she’s slowly beginning to lose herself. She allows others to project a personality onto her rather than forming one of her own.

For Everything A Reason - Carina Round

“And so they say lord for everything a reason; For every ending a new beginning”

Though she’s slowly beginning to lose her faith in the sentiment, she still tells herself everything’s happening for a reason. If she doesn’t tell herself this, she feels as though her attempts are simply futile.

Human  - Christina Perri

“I can take so much; 'Til I've had enough; 'Cause I'm only human; And I bleed when I fall down; I'm only human; And I crash and I break down”

Dorothy's always felt as though she’s her brother’s keeper, a feeling she hates and deeply wants to go away. Yet no matter what she does she can’t seem to say no to him. The years of taking care of her brother have worn on her, and though she’d never tell him, she considers him to be one of the greatest banes of her existence. It’s only a matter of time until she breaks down from the pressure she feels when he’s home.

Lying to the Mirror - Gabrielle Aplin

“We're all lying to the mirror; Lying to ourselves; Hiding in the glitter; Lying to the mirror”

Though she’d never admit it, Dorothy is incredibly paranoid over how people view her, especially those who hold influence in Hollywood. As such, she tends to lie about herself to those who might sign her one day, instead nodding and agreeing with whatever her possible future bosses say.

Elastic Heart - Sia

“Well, I've got thick skin and an elastic heart; But your blade—it might be too sharp; I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard; Yeah, I may snap and I move fast; But you won't see me fall apart; 'Cause I've got an elastic heart”

Dorothy prides herself on her ability to bounce back from anything. She’s spent most of her life fighting an uphill battle to get to her goal of becoming famous, and though she acts meek and weak willed, it’s nearly impossible to break her will down once she’s got something in her sights.

Hummingbird Heart - Charlene Kaye

“I want a sea of faces; Nobody that I know; They'll holler when they hear my name; And then they'll go back home”

I feel this song perfectly represents Dorothy’s ambition and drive to follow her dreams. This is Dorothy’s ideal self, even though many don’t see it.

Stay Awake - Ellie Goulding

“Take my fate in your hands; We've got a lot that hasn’t even began; Something is calling us; We’re breaking free; I’m curious; I need to see.”

This song represents where Dorothy wants to be in her life. Free and careless, she doesn’t have a brother dragging her down, she’s successful and isn’t living paycheck to paycheck. She no longer doubts her dreams because they’re real.

[vincent-grise]

Straight, No Chaser- Thelonious Monk

Played in the key of F

Slightly anachronistic, it’s still all Vincent, alluring melody, always catching you slightly off guard, timeless. This is the sort of thing he would love to put in a film score and win an Oscar for.

Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)- K’naan, Snow Tha Producer, Riz MC, Residente

Thin red line on the flag you hoist when you kill// But still we just say look how far I come

Vincent is an immigrant, a foreigner, a black man, and he is damn proud of that. Never one to fit in, he goes out of his way to remind the rest of America, consequences be damned.

Lover Of The Light- Mumford & Sons

Flawed by pride// I miss my sanguine eyes

Most of Vincent’s relationship with Evelyn can be described as turmoil. In the calm after the storms of their fights, Vincent often reflects on just how important Evelyn is and how much better she makes him.

After The Bombs- The Decemberists

We pinch at our skin// While we wonder how we// Escaped harm

He had to watch Paris, his beautiful city, his home, fall to the Nazis and burn. Although Vincent fled, he still feels as if a piece of him died with his countrymen and often fantasizes about before the war.

Song For Someone- U2

I don’t know how these cuts heal// But in you I found a rhyme

Deep in his heart, Vincent knows he and Evelyn will never have their Hollywood ending. But every time he kisses her, he falls back in love with her, and that makes the inevitable more painful.

We Shall Overcome- Pete Seeger

We'll walk hand in hand// We shall all be free// We are not afraid// We are not alone

While not a radical, Vincent is aware of how much racism exists, especially in Hollywood. Give him a few years and he may just march on Washington with his American brothers and sisters.

Love Lockdown- Kanye West

I got something to lose// So I gotta move

It might make for a good tabloid story, but his relationship with Evelyn is the opposite of picture perfect. When things get too messy, sometimes it is easier to just back out.

No Diggity- Postmodern Jukebox

He's got class and style// Street knowledge by the pound

Love him or hate him, Vincent is cool, and anyone who spends time near him realizes it. That’s the reason that, despite his cold exterior, there are always people who turn toward him.

[imthomaswinters-blog]

Solidarity Forever- Daniel Hedberg

But without our brain and muscle// Not a single wheel can turn

It’s a song Thomas most likely would have known in real life, as familiar as his heartbeat, always bubbling in his throat. It is interesting, though, that the best fit is the one that does not mention women.

Royals- Postmodern Jukebox

I'm not proud of my address// In the torn up town// No post code envy

Thomas has grown up in the shadow of luxury, but it has always been just out of reach, hidden in the pages of books or behind tall fences. Sometimes, he dreams of what it’s like to live life on the red carpet, so far away but still so close.

The Ghost Of Tom Joad- Rise Against

You got a one-way ticket to the promised land// You got a hole in your belly and a gun in your hand

Thomas would have read The Grapes of Wrath and feels an awful lot of solidarity for its protagonist. He sees himself as a Tom Joad, an honest man, struggling to make it in a world stacked against him and beyond his control.

Bad Blood- Bastille

As the friendship goes resentment grows// We will walk our different ways

There are many people Thomas was once close to who he has since turned on. Easy to hold a grudge and slow to forget, Thomas struggles to forgive anyone who may have wronged him.

Children Of The Revolution- Bono, Gavin Friday & Maurice Seezer

You won't fool the Children of the Revolution

The revolution, real or imaginary, burns in Thomas’s blood, and no matter what they say, he believes it will happen. There is no talking him down from this battle.

Here's to You- Joan Baez

The last and final moment is yours// That agony is your triumph 

Although not an anarchist, Thomas would know all about Sacco and Vanzetti and considers to be martyrs of a sort. Part of him wants to go out in a blaze of glory, publicly killed by the state, if only to preserve his legacy.

Hallelujah- Panic! At The Disco

Then the time for being sad is over// And you miss 'em like you miss no other 

By any rights Thomas, should ascribe to the atheism that goes hand in hand with his ideology. But while he does not believe in God, he believes in a higher power. And what’s the difference, really?

Hey Brother- Avicii

If the sky comes falling down, for you// There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

There’s little love lost between Thomas and Robert; most days Thomas wishes they weren’t even related. But truth be told, he would die for Robert, and he only hopes Robert feels the same way.