#playlistgate

[thecelestialsyzygy]

Ever since Ross posted that picture of the Pink Floyd “The Wall” poster, I decided to do some digging

And while I was listening to "The Wall" album, the song titled "Young Lust" caught my eye andddd...

GIF barbiekens

GIF will80sbyers

Talk about a song that's Mike Wheeler/Byler coded...

[butchhamlet]

a scene-by-scene playlist for macbeth--one song for each scene. you know the drill by now. track list with rationale under the cut; special thanks to @blackcatarts for help with the selection :3 happy halloween season, y'all.

track list + rationale

act one

1.1 (the witches enter) - Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Lorde Cover) (feels self-explanatory, plus the vibe of it feels like panning in over a foggy battlefield)

1.2 (duncan finds out macbeth slayed) - Aneurysm by Nirvana (found this one on this macbeth playlist a while back and it has remained a macbeth song to me forever and ever; the manic energy fits the battlefield fervor here)

1.3 (macbeth and banquo meet the witches) - They by Jem (“and it’s ironic too // ‘cause what we tend to do // is act on what they say // and then it is that way… who are they? where are they? how can they possibly know all this?”)

1.4 (duncan names malcolm his successor) - Money Money Money by ABBA (he’s plotting! he’s planning! stars, hide your fires! look just trust me on this one)

1.5 (lady macbeth reads the letter & reunites with macbeth) - She’s Kerosene by the Interrupters (every lyric of this song is about lady macbeth.)

1.6 (lady macbeth welcomes duncan to her castle) - Silver Platters by Les Gold (“no need to be cordial // you could be immortal // if you take the risk // could you take the risk?” + “step out on the dance floor // this is what you asked for // such a pretty face // what was it underneath the mask for?”)

1.7 (the macbeths argue) - Fight For Me by AlicebanD (macbeths song of all time!!!)

act two

2.1 (dagger scene) - Disturbia by Rihanna (the supernatural begins to bleed into the world! will someone please direct a macbeth where this comes on during this scene) 

2.2 (post-murder argument) - Prowl Great Cain by The Mountain Goats (very macbeth song. placed here for “and i feel guilty, but i can’t feel ashamed!” & mention of sleepwalking & betrayal & prowling [cf. his line about tarquin in 2.1])

2.3 (porter scene, duncan’s death comes out) - Daniel in the Den by Bastille (“felled in the night by the ones you think you love // they will come for you” + “and for every king that died // they would crown another”)

2.4 (hey. don’t cry. duncan’s horses ate each other) - When He Died by Lemon Demon (literally a song about the world getting fucked up after a guy dies what can i say)

act three

3.1 (banquo gets suspicious) - Aha! by Imogen Heap (entire song about people pretending to be better than they are, including an actual serial killer. + “cost you to keep me quiet” with banquo…)

3.2 (the macbeths are fracturing) - The Horror of Our Love by Ludo (EXTREMELY MACBETHS SONG. here because this is the scene where they start to switch places, with him the one buying into violence as the answer & telling her not to worry about gory details)

3.3 (banquodeath) - Bury A Friend by Billie Eilish (rdj meme voice: he has murdered his friend)

3.4 (banquet scene) - Bird Song by Florence + the Machine (song about killing the witness and then being haunted by that witness and completely losing your shit trying to shut their ghost up…)

3.5 (hecate) - Hecate by Wendy Rule (i don’t give a shit about this scene i’m sorry. interpolation boooooo)

3.6 (lennox talks politics) - Dark Doo Wop by MS MR (foggy apocalyptic ones. “it’s all gone to shit // it’s out of our hands”)

act four

4.1 (double double toil & trouble) - Hot Knife by Fiona Apple (i’m a hot knife i’mmmm a hot knife i’m a hot knife he’s a pat of butter… you’re just gonna have to trust me on this one. my school’s macbeth had heavy drumming all through this scene and it’s associated with this song to me forever)

4.2 (macduff’s family is murdered) - Pretty Little Things by the Crane Wives (songs about pretty/fragile things being destroyed because of men’s betrayal… thinking about how lady macduff blames her husband for abandoning her to the wolves :( )

4.3 (malcolm and macduff) - All or Nothing by the Dream Masons (songs that are about both malcolm and macduff. the first verse especially is very malcolm, as a young prince stranded among enemies; the chorus is especially macduff-deciding-to-kill-macbeth-or-die-trying)

act five

5.1 (lady macbeth sleepwalks) - Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song) by Fiona Apple (LADY MACBETH GUILT SONG! “those boon times went bust // my feet of clay, they dried to dust // the red isn’t the red we painted, it’s just rust” w her imaginary bloodstains, + “i’m either so sick in the head i need to be bled dry to quit // or i just really used to love him // i sure hope that’s it”)

5.2 (the scots and english gather) - Marked Man by Mieka Pauley (songs i considered for 4.3 as well. they are coming to Get His Ass)

5.3 (macbeth preparing to fight) - For the Departed by Shayfer James (songs about knowing you’re about to get got but what does it matter when you’re already damned)

5.4 (the fucking wood is moving guys) - Kingdom Fall by Claire Wyndham (songs i almost put on the prior scene, for “i’d rather watch my kingdom fall // i want it all or not at all,” but eventually i placed it here because… well, we are watching the kingdom fall, my guy)

5.5 (tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow) - Drowning in the Sound by Amanda Palmer (okay, this is kind of because of “sound and fury,” but also it’s soooo macbeth act 5. “and the body is a temple but the temple is a prison and the prison’s overcrowded and the inmates know it’s flooded and the body politic is getting sicker by the second” + “do you ever feel like this should be officially the end? // and that you should be the one to do the ending, but you can’t?” + the inevitability…)

5.6 (scots + english arrive) - Lion’s Teeth by the Mountain Goats (song about trying to kill a powerful and tyrannical figure. also sounds like a fight scene)

5.7 (macduff and macbeth come face to face) - Bury Me Face Down by grandson (so obsessed with how firmly this guy would rather go down fighting than do literally anything easier)

5.8 (macbeth’s head presented, malcolm crowned) - King of the World by WAR*HALL (a new king is crowned after one dies by violence. fleance is still out there somewhere. the cycle of violence continues. this one doesn’t work unless you imagine the witches watching pityingly/sinisterly in the background)

[chirpsythismorning]

Playlistgate is the most terrifying gate yet.

[ki-flor]

Mike and Will's Playlist still there and not the others?

[booksandpaperss]

With all the playlistgate stuff going on, I decided to do a re-listen to Mike’s basement beats and BRO

WE DO NOT TALK ENOUGH ABOUT HOW THIS SONG IS ON MIKE’S PLAYLIST.

I know there are sooo many posts about songs that are byler or Mike or Will coded, but I implore you to stay with me on this one, it’s worth it—

For reference, here are the very starting lyrics:

My love and I, we work well together

But we’re often apart

Absence makes the heart lose wager

Til love breaks down, love breaks down

Now what couple in the show does that sound like? Hmmmm hint it’s mileven

And then right after that set of lyrics we have:

Oh my, oh my, have you seen the weather?

The sweet September rain

Rain on me like no other

Until I drown, Until I drown

Rain? RAIN??? Man, I *wonder* what moment this could be referencing…

Oh but the chorus is *by far* the best part:

When love breaks down

The things you do

To stop the truth from hurting you

When love breaks down

The lies we tell,

They only serve to fool ourselves

Every single analysis on s3 and 4 Mike summarized in only 6 lines of song lyrics.

And for me, a very specific s4 scene comes to mind:

Like were these lyrics not near exactly what this conversation was about??

“Sometimes.. it’s hard to open up like that. To say how you really feel. Because… what if they don’t like the truth?”

“When love breaks down, the things you do, to stop the truth from hurting you”

Same line, different words. Which, if we’re really analyzing these song lyrics here, would lead me to believe that the junkyard scene was about more than just one or even two secrets. This song lyric doubles as being about lying to someone you care about to stop the truth from hurting them, AND being about lying to yourself to avoid the truth that is already hurting you.

Ergo, it’s safe to assume that the same goes for the byler conversation in the junkyard. There’s already visual cinimatic proof that we’re meant to understand that conversation was about more than one thing: it’s clearly Will talking about his feelings for Mike, but Mike nods, he agrees with Will’s sentiment. The scene is already meant to be more than what we see at face value, I see no reason it cannot be even more multi-faceted. It is;

1). About Will hiding his feelings for Mike,

2). About Mike hiding his truth from El, and

3). About Mike finally *concluding* his denial arc of his own feelings for Will (per the song).

Again, this set of lyrics can honestly apply to the whole of Mike’s s4 arc and even parts of his s3 arc, it’s just that the junkyard scene in particular really feels like a direct reference to the chorus.

And deep dive analysis of lyrics aside, it is undeniable that this song is meant to be about lying to yourself, in whatever capacity you decide to take it. Just even more confirmation of how absolutely right we are that Mike has been lying to himself, otherwise why would this even be on his playlist??

Anyways stream Mike’s Basement Beats bc there is so much good stuff on there and I will forever stan it 😎😌

Tagging my fellow Mike’s Basement Beats Stan @yuriberryva and my #1 bestie @significant-ace-nnoyance bc Ik u guys will probably wanna see this 👀

[void-of-chill]

I was listening to random ST character’s playlists today during my internship. I got to Mike’s and I know everyone likes to talk about “Smalltown Boy”, “Don’t You Want Me” (Pride Album cover edition) and “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” but it made me wonder if there were any other notable songs hinting at Mike’s sexuality. So, I just started randomly theorizing (and reaching for crumbs).

“Still Haunting Me” by Magic Dance (2016)

It’s the 7th song on Mike's playlist and the song is originally from an album called Vanishings. [The song used in the playlist is from a compilation album called Synthwave (The 80s Revival) but just do some digging and you’ll find the original song comes from the album Vanishings.]

Now, to me, the lyrics read like Season 3 Episode 3’s fight, where Will is emotional and bikes off, leaving Mike distraught:

I’m going to reach even further. Why did they use the 7” version of Level 42’s “Something About You”, in Mike’s playlist? I listened to both versions and didn’t notice a difference in the lyrics.

Again, I might be reaching with connecting the number 7 to Mike’s playlist, but what would the implications be if these songs gave insight to Mike’s feelings towards Will.

And then, there’s also this song:

“Telephone Operator” by Pete Shelley

Yes, I’m associating telephones and phonecalls with Byler. Mainly because of Season 4 (the missed calls and phone booth), and because…the singer/songwriter for this song was bisexual.

Finally, I think Prefab Sprout’s “When Love Breaks Down” foreshadows M!leven breaking up:

[sage-greenery]

feeling like im in a constant chess game with the stranger things team like "oh your next move is to take down all the playlists except bylers?....alr"

[tousakamis]

if we get new stranger things character playlists for season 5 and smalltown boy is STILL first on mikes playlist that's all the byler confirmation we need

[redshoes-blues]

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be so sad if the original Mike and Will playlists around also deleted because I listen to them often (especially Mike’s) and also small town boy conspiracy… BUT

imagine the possibility of analyzing two entirely new playlists for our boys omg

[digestionsack]

Okay, now that playlistgate is officially a thing, I have to reevaluate.

So literally not TWO DAYS AGO, I made a post announcing that I would be analyzing all of the official Spotify playlists…obviously now that’s not possible, given that all but three of them (Mike’s, Will’s, and Billy’s) are no longer available.

Luckily, for the playlist that I’m currently analyzing, I copied down all of the songs and put them on the Notes app to organize my thoughts. So those songs aren’t completely lost (thank goodness) and I can still finish my analyses on them. I know there MUST be a reason that Mike’s, Will’s, and Billy’s playlists are still available, but out of shear fear and paranoia I went and saved all the songs on Will’s playlist in case they disappear.

Hmmm…this is kind of sus. I would understand the Byler freak-out if Will and Mike’s playlists were the only two left, but Billy’s as well? I mean, if you guys want me to analyze Billy’s playlist I can go ahead and save them, but only if you guys want me to (I really didn’t like him, and I don’t know what kind of new information that playlist could give me about him after his death and appearance in Max’s visions in S4).

Some people have theorized that they deleted these playlists because they are going to make new ones for S5…that could honestly be so much fun. But I’m not sure…since the existing playlists seemed to alude to S5 possibilities enough already…

Heh.

Honestly, being in this corner of the fandom can be so much fun. These next two years are going to be a time.

Anyway, regardless of further deletions, I will have a total of three analyzed playlists when all is said and done. If they release new playlists in the meantime, I’ll be all over those as well!

With love,

digestionsack

[butchhamlet]

also i don’t have enough songs to make a proper midsummer night’s dream playlist but girl crush by little big town is a helena song about hermia. “in a jealousy way or a gay way” yeah

[chirpsythismorning]

They've went all out with the imagery surrounding the endgame ships over the seasons, which means it's basically guaranteed we're getting endgame Spotify playlists...

[will80sbyers]

ppl sad to say this but I don't think they changed the playlists

[andcenterfolds]

- Out of all the characters, only remaining playlists are Will, Mike and Billy’s

- Billy’s playlist last update was 2017. I think they just forgot he even has one lol. While Will and Mike’s playlists have been updated recently

-HMMMM…

[onstoryladders]

maybe the real playlistgate was the friends we made along the way

[watereddownjoke]

thinking ab how someone at my school was wearing a boys dont cry shirt 😧