#song analysis!!!!

[heyyyharry]

The song begins with "I sit and watch you", followed by her thought process while watching her lover read.

She’s wondering why she's doing all these things and they're still not good enough for him. Then she’s asking him in her head, "If I left, would it matter to you? Believe me, I could do it." And yet the song ends with the same line: "I sit and watch you."

She wants to leave him, but she cannot do it.

(IG: @allie.writes)

[happylouie]

"What am I now ?"

"You're the habit that I can't break"

~~

"What am I now ?"

"You're the feeling I can't put down"

~~

"And I get the feeling that you'll never need me again"

"I'll always need ya, infront of me, infront of me"

~~

"woke up alone in this hotel room "

"nothing wakes you up like waking up alone"

~~

"I've been praying ever since New York"

" I know you left a part of you in New York under your bed in a box"

~~

" I can’t unpack the baggage you left"

"All that’s left of us, is the cupboard full of clothes"

~~

"I got so lost inside your eyes

"I looked you in the eyes, saw that I was lost"

~~

" You’ve got my devotion but man I can hate you sometimes"

"It’s hard to think you could ever hate me"

~~

"Just let me know I’ll be at the door, at the door hoping you’ll come around"

"I know you said that you’d give me another chance but you and I knew the truth of it in advance that mentally you were already out the door"

~~

"The fridge light washes this room white, moon dances over your good side, this was all we used to need. Tongue-tied like we’ve never know, telling those stories we already told"

"Face to face on the kitchen table, this is everything I’ve waited for"

~~

"I’ll be coming right back home to you"

"I’ll make this feel like home"

~~

"Understand I'm talking to the walls"

"These high walls never broke my soul, and I watched them all come falling down.I watched them all come falling down for you"

~~

"And I've been praying, I never did before"

"And I'm too far gone to pray"

~~

NEED I SAY MORE???

[louistthestyles]

Love Of My Life (Harry’s House) - My analysis

Okay, so I saw a lot of people saying Love Of My Life is a song about Harry and Louis’ break up, but I don’t think it is. So I wrote my analysis of the song. Ps.: I go through all the lyrics so it’s quite long. Bear with me.

“Baby, you were the love of my life, maybe you don’t know what’s lost until you find it” - Harry doesn’t use the term “until you lose it” so basically he just says that he didn’t know he was missing something (the love of his life) until he found him. 

“Take a walk on Sunday through the afternoon, we can always find something for us to do” - Notice that he doesn’t use the word “could” as if he’s saying “when we were together, we could always find something for us to do”, he uses present tense as if saying, “we are together and we can always find something for us to do”.

“We don’t really like what’s on the news but it’s on all the time” - Once again with the present tense. So the person was the love of his life but he’s still with them? I don’t think so. Also, notice as he says he and the person don’t like what’s on the news, meaning Louis and Harry don’t like what shows on the news as related to the stunts, so they don’t like that the stunts are always on the news, but it’s still happening, they can’t do much about it but watch it.

“Take you with me every time I go away, in a hotel using someone else’s name” - Once again (and I’ll keep reminding you since everyone was saying it’s a break up song when it’s not) using the present tense. In this part, it’s like he’s telling Louis he takes him with him every time they’re not together physically. Also, “in a hotel using someone else’s name” we have a list of names allowed to go into Harry’s room in a hotel and I’ll assume they’re all for Louis. Here’s the picture.

“I remember back at Johnny’s place, not the same anymore” - Well, for this part, Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid was friends with Harry back in 2013 (I think) and I’ll assume Louis and Harry used to go to his place, but things change, maybe Louis doesn’t go there with him anymore. Summing up, things change, I don’t know everything.

“It’s not what I wanted to leave you behind” - For me, this could be about the time they broke up (somewhere between 2016-2017) that Harry probably tried talking to Louis to understand what was happening to their relationship, why they were sort of falling apart, and the conversation ended in a break up without him meaning to at first. Once again, it’s in the past, so it doesn’t necessarily means that he’s now leaving him behind, or left him behind for good - it just means that they broke up some time along the way, which also doesn’t mean they’re still apart.

“Don’t know where you land when you fly” - This could mean a few things. First, it could mean he doesn’t know what Louis is thinking because he keeps it to himself, so “fly” could mean that his thoughts are flying in his mind. In portuguese, my first language, when we say someone is “flying” it means they’re distracted with their own mind, only paying attention to their own thoughts. Secondly, it could mean that he doesn’t know where Louis goes when they argue, doesn’t know where he goes when he really doesn’t want to be found because he’s in a bad state of mind. Also, this was another reference to Louis as his bird and it fucking hurts.

“It’s unfortunate, just coordinates” - I really don’t know, but I’ll just point out this is literally the only thing other than As It Was lyrics and the Boyfriends’ halfway home lyrics that relate to everything that’s related to You Are Home tweets. This part, only thing that could come to my mind is that all those coordinates Harry used in the YAH webside are places he and Louis traveled to together and now they’re just coordinates. I can’t think of something else. Ouch, this hurt.

“I don’t know you half as well as all my friends” - Maybe Louis doesn’t know (or didn’t use to know) how to talk to Harry about the things that were bothering regarding to their relationship, or maybe he just tells (or used to tell) him superficial things, but went (or goes) for Harry’s friends for advices on how to deal with the situation because he will assume Harry goes to his own friends for advices, so they know what’s on Harry’s mind or what’s bothering him about their relationship that Harry doesn’t tell him.

“I won’t pretend I’m doing everything I can to get to know your creases and your ends. Are they the same?” - He knows their relationship goes through struggles and he knows that Louis keeps a lot to himself (his struggles, his pain), and he feels like maybe he’s not trying hard enough to get Louis to open up so he can know what’s in his mind. Well, what can I say? In all Harry’s songs he’s blaming himself for everything and always apologising, of course he’s gonna think he’s not doing his best when maybe Louis just doesn’t know how to open up and it doesn’t depend on Harry. (Ouch this hurt again). Also, remember Louis’ lyrics “I’m too tired to be tough, just want to be loved by you” meaning he’s the one closing up and trying to look like he’s okay when he feels bad sometimes. And when he goes “are they the same” he could mean are his struggles the same as Harry’s or even are the struggles the same as they used to be the last time Louis told him? What I mean is, imagine they have a conversation about what’s bothering Louis now and that’s done, but then tomorrow Louis is sad or upset again and so Harry doesn’t know if it’s because of the same reason or something else.

And then it just repeats baby, you were the love of my life, maybe you don’t know what’s lost until you find it and we cry ourselves to sleep.

Summing up, no, this is not a break up song. This is not a you were the love of my life and you’re not anymore. This song is love, raw and open. This song shows you that Louis can be the love of his life, things can be incredible, but it still is a relationship and it’s still going to have rough times. This song is Harry saying that he loves him and he wants to work on it, give all he has. He’s the love of his life. He’s all in.

[no-brain-just-akutagawa]

Thinking about Dazai's memories

I think it's interesting how we basically got two sets of Dazai's memories within 3 months, so since I analyzed the Beast ones, I thought I'd analyze these as well. As always it's just me rambling under the cut, and remember guys that below there are spoilers from everything up until this point!

The first memory memory we see is a completely new one. I love it when montages use new memories instead of simply reusing what was shown before, so I appreciate this little scene. Their outfits are taken from chapter 31 and seeing Chuuya in these clothes was so strangely nostalgic. The only difference is that Dazai has his arm broken instead of his leg. Also I like how young they look here. They're just kids annoying each other just like Dazai is saying in the background.

The second memory I'm pretty sure is also one of the new scenes we haven't seen before. It looks like Fifteen, but I don't recognize this background and the closest illustration I could find is the one from the light novel. Maybe it's supposed to show how they gained confidence and were ruling the city (judging by the building in the background), but yeah that's all I have.

After that I noticed a scene from chapter 31 in bottom left. It's taken right from the manga with no changes besides Chuuya's jacket being coloured in. Considering Dazai's fascination with corruption, it makes sense that it appears in his memories. Here, it's been 4 years since they fought together and it's the first time Dazai could observe Chuuya being possessed in a long time. Interestingly, it's not corruption in its peak that's portrayed here but the moment when Dazai is bringing Chuuya back to his senses. With the context of this chapter, it might mean that Dazai wants to protect Chuuya and despite liking danger and sending Chuuya to fight directly, he cares about him.

Bottom right seems to be from chapter 31 as well, just slightly changed. And that also makes sense because these are supposed to be his memories, so he might not remember each detail perfectly. It's the moment when Dazai sends Chuuya into action, which is something I already mentioned. Dazai likes to see Chuuya fight and to tease him, and this chapter had both.

With this next one I have no idea which scene it could be. I'm like 75% sure it's from their first meeting after 4 years back in chapters 10 and 11, but it's a reach. We only have Dazai's legs, a bit of his coat and Chuuya's shoulder, so there's not a lot to work with. But it does make sense for it to be from their first meeting after 4 years, because it was important for them both. Dazai stayed in that dungeon partially because he wanted to talk with Chuuya and this is what this memory could be alluding to. My first thought was Dazai leaving Chuuya behind after Oda's death, but I don't think he got his coat right this soon.

Then we have one of the most iconic skk scenes from Storm Bringer. Not to spoil it too much, but in this scene Chuuya decides to save Yokohama even if it means never getting to know if he's a human being. In this scene he trusts Dazai's plan and goes into action, something Dazai must be looking back at fondly. I kinda wish we had the scene in which he catches Chuuya after the fight, but I guess it would be too fluffy for this angsty chapter.

And I left 2 memries that I thought were the most interesting additions for last. The firts one being this scene from Dead Apple and I'm so happy that it made it here for a few reasons. First of all now we have a proof that Dead Apple is canon in the manga. I know it was canon before, but it wasn't mentioned or anything, so there was this shadow of doubt. Now, it's 100% canon. The other reason is that I'd love to see Dead Apple with Harukawa's art style and it's great that we now have this scene even though it's just a shadow. I wondered how it would be shown in the main manga and now I don't have to anymore. It also looks way more desperate than in the movie or Dead Apple manga, because of the wind and how Chuuya reaches his arm to Dazai before he punches him. It's also most likely Dazai's imagination, since he was unconscious when it happened.

And last but absolutely not least (on the contrary, I wanted to hype it up), we have one of the most iconic skk scenes, and here comes the question, is it even from Fifteen? Because as we can see, the positions of hands are swapped and Dazai isn't wearing this brace type of thing on his arm. This scene isn't in the original light novel, so either Asagiri and Harukawa were like screw it, we're adding it to the canon or it's a different instance. And if it's a different situation, then what was this fight? It's also possible that the positions are switched because it's Dazai's pov not Chuuya's like in the anime. Either way hand-holding is now canon and I'm so happy about this fact.

In conclusion

Dazai's memories with Chuuya seem to be a mix of their fights with enemies and some other moments they shared as well, putting an emphasis not on the fights themselves (since there are no other people and they aren't in combat stances), but their connection throught them. I wish we got to see more scenes, but I understand going overboard could be on overkill, especially if it's just a cliffhanger death meant to fool us. It's hard to judge Dazai's reaction, because he could be putting on a show, but it also seems to be genuine and cherishing these memories would make sense for his character. I'm so glad we got to see this little peek into Dazai's mind and his memories, and now I want more.

[swimmingleo]

Little Freak - A Letter to Her

I've been thinking about Little Freak and its delicate point of view and it's unholy how strong and raw it is. For the purpose of this analysis, we're gonna picture this song as a two voices duet: Harry and She. First verse is Harry adressing She, 'you'. Second verse is She adressing Harry. Overall, the song reads to me as a beautiful apology letter from you to yourself, because in the end, Harry and She are the same person.

Little freak, Jezebel

Those are society's feelings towards ''she'', queerness. Freaks, evil (Jezebel is one of those reaaally evil biblical figures, and she's a woman). The hatred is so strong from all sides that Harry internalized it and saw She that way. He may have now claimed those words as terms of endearment. Little freak <3

it gets a lil bit long it's ok

Stay green a little while / You bring blue lights to dreams

Okay I'm just. Tripping a bit here about something I wrote some time ago regarding Pink Floyd's song Green Is the Colour, somewhere in there. Green is a colour symbolizing envy. Harry is containing her existence in this intangible feeling: envy and dreams. (blue being the colour of psyche and stuff)

Somehow you've become some paranoia

She has been confusing him for so long, she has been associated with fear (of being rejected, judged, hated). She is the paranoia of being found out.

Wet dreams just dangling

Okay, I'm just gonna link those posts about WMS by @laurelier and @ialwaysknewyouwerepunk who called it!! Maybe the female orgasm... was indeed his all along. Dangling, in the air, Out of reach, because he hasn't come to terms with her yet, because thinking of your gender in relation to your sexuality can be really scary.

But your gift is wasted on me

Harry regrets how he has come to hate her: she's not a curse, she's a gift, queerness can be beautiful, but for some people it can be very hard to accept that part of themselves and celebrate it after years of self loathing. Harry wishes he could love her unconditionally. Or this may be about gender dysphoria: feeling like the gift of ''femininity'' is wasted on his body.

I was thinking about who you are, your delicate point of view

I'm not worried about where you are, Who you go home to

Throwback to She ''I don't know who she is, where she is'': he feels like he has overcome this period of questioning who and where she is. Now, he sees the world differently through her eyes. ''who you go home to'' may imply he's found a way to conciliate his gender identity and his romantic relationship. She's going home to his beloved and it's not an issue to anyone.

Second verse! She POV !

Did you dress up for Halloween?

This feels like She is asking Little Harry about his Halloween. Costumes and special occasions being an excuse for exploring different styles, extravagance. Embodying someone you're not in your daily life. Halloween is her moment, ever since Harry was a kid.

I spilled beer on your friend im not sorry

Growing up, Harry has found other ways to let her out. She jumps out when Harry's drunk. In those moments She is unapologetically herself, she's loud, has fun, spills beer on people and makes an embarrassment of herself. And she's not sorry about it. In those rare moments, it's all about her and not social conventions, what others may think.

Golf swing and trampoline, (baby?)maybe we'll do this again

I'm trying to vizualize the lyrics here, and golf swings and trampoline just evoke to me amplified movements, the body completely letting go and taking all the room. More than a state of mind, when She is out the body feels free. It's liberating, not to worry about how ''too much'' you are, you get addicted to that.

Track(drag?) suit and a ponytail / You hide the body all that your God gave you

It's just. very gender. Tracksuit is that one unisex garment that can dissimulate body insecurities. She only peeks out a bit at the body ends: a ponytail, a simple act of self care (reminding me of Harry braiding his hair during 1D). And the body God gave you.... What you have to do with, no matter how much you hate it. (if the actual lyric is yoga fuck my drag right)

Red wine and a ginger ale / But you would make fun of me for sure

Various mentions of alcohol, because for some time that was the condition For She to fully exist. And She knows that once alcohol wears out, he will belittle her again, try to make a joke out of her. ''I was just drunk, I was being stupid''

I disrespected you, jumped feet first and I landed too hard

Broken ankle, comma rules / You never saw my birthmark

I'm... not really comfortable going there, but this is what I take from the lyrics strictly. Comma rules... As to separate ideas within a same sentence (separating himself from her though they're the same person) or comma rules as in semicolon, tattooed as a symbol for overcoming depression or suicide. Especially associated to the broken ankle. External and internal damage. The birthmark line seems like something extremely personal to Harry's own body map. Something you would write after taking a look down at your body: through your own delicate point of view.

ANYWAY. To go back to the chorus, and the entirety of the song: more even than FL, this feels like Harry has grown in regards to her. He's done trying to figure her out, where she starts, where she ends, who she is. He just thinks of her. All of her, all the joy and pain she brought him, and all that is waiting for them.

[goldaggers]

“i’ve never had the courage of my convictions” and “i’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches i almost said to you” are such deep, meaningful lyrics. it’s this distressing state of anxiety in which you want to be sure of how you stand, who you are, but can’t bring yourself to let others see you for who you really are. it means “i tried so hard, but i can’t, not yet”

[twopoppies]

Gina!!! Hello and WOW I CANT BELIEVE WHAT I WOKE UP TO !!

I do think boyfriends is about H himself bc he’s like “it gets hard to know what he’s thinking and you life a fool who knows how to get under your skin you still open the door you’re no closer to him”

and L is like “you don’t have to keep on being strong for me and you. You’re acting like you feel no pain you know I know you do and I can’t get inside when you’re lost in your pride but you don’t have a thing to prove”

So he’s sort of like. Admitting his own faults but in the context of his own relationship, not just “I’m just an arrogant son of a bitch who can’t admit when he’s sorry” but more like. “I get lost in my head and I’m right here but I’ve disappeared and I can’t let you in but I don’t want to be away from you and I know that I’m being an idiot about it but I can’t help it” which is a very raw admission and also a lot to say to millions of people. so he did what he normally does and tries to remove himself from the story by making “you” (HIS bf) the center of the song and “He” (himself) the object. And in this way he’s also sort of objectified himself in his own relationship, which I bet is not an unfamiliar feeling for him.

ANYWAYS imma shut up now Gina I’ve MISSED YOU AND this fandom AND having new content to analyse ♥️🌼

That's what I'm thinking, too. So many of his songs are about himself and looking at his own behavior. I love that about him – he doesn't blame anyone else, but he's so hard on himself. I need to listen to it a lot more, but that's my first thought.

Also, hi darling!! I missed you toooooo!

[thekidsfromyestergay]

I love queer analysis of MCR songs I don't care if it's intentional or if it's just reaching I will eat that shit up every time

[zourried]

it’s the fact that grapejuice is a long distance relationship anthem for me. Bear with me. 

First of all, the sound of his voice. To me, the verses sound like a literal voicemail and H is just telling this person about his days like “hey, sunny afternoon, I was just going to buy flowers for you, yup because I miss you. It would be such a good day to just lay down somewhere like the heath” and then it turns kinda dark and sad: “There's never been someone who's so perfect for me - But I got over it” and even his voice changes it gets deeper and he sounds tired and done until my favorite lyric of the whole album:

“I pay for it more than I did back then” ??? it’s literally one of his most layered lyrics of all times. It could mean nothing at all and it could mean everything at the same time. It could mean he gets a worse hangover now than years ago. It could also mean his freedom is way more compromised than years ago when he “couldn’t do anything” even when apparently today’s H is as free as he could get. It could mean being an artist and having to stay away from his partner during touring it’s way harder today than it was when they toured together. It could mean the closeting feels worse now and that for every moment of “freedom” he gets, he has to pay for it more, “make up” for it.

And then his voice goes back to normal for the chorus, it’s not a voicemail anymore and all he does is say “There's just no getting through without you”, “I wouldn’t make it without you, I love you and I know I’m doing this because we are in this together and everything is going to be ok, just me and you.”

Next verse and we get the voicemail voice again while H literally says he is sitting alone having a couple of drinks and thinking of his SO. And again it sounds like he is telling them about his day: “hey, babe! I’m just drinking some wine sitting in the garden wby? Listen, I was wondering, how many places have we been to? Together? Well, ofc babe you’re always there.”

and then: I pay for it more than I did back then. (???) Have I already said how much I love that line??

And if it wasnt clear enough that this is not a happy love song but a bittersweet one, we get confirmation in the last line “ There's just no getting through the grape juice blues.”

Ok and finally two things: 1. the 28 references because OF COURSE. (the 1982 in reverse + the numbers he sings through the song add up to 28)

2. the wine references. We know hl are drinkers. like WE KNOW.  “Smoke something, drink something, yeah, just like the first time”. Alcohol has just always being a part of their relationship so it just makes sense that the whole metaphor is going to revolve around something that is theirs. Like relaxing and drinking together and then just suffering through the longing of not being able to be together bc this is what they do this is their jobs. It is what it is. So, grapejuice started as a voicemail and endless calls so it’s basically about their long distance relationship. Fight me.

[ministarfruit]

shoutout to that one week where i listened to nothing but breezeblocks non-stop

[nael-opale]

You know, when Mirabel finds Bruno, what I love is that beyond the fact that his social skills are very peculiar to start with and he spent ten years in isolation on top of that, well...

You have to remember that even if he saw her grow up from a distance, Bruno has not interacted with his niece since she was 5 years old !

I edited this little clip to talk about that :

First we start with a clip of what Mirabel used to look like when she was 5 years old. Bruno probably kinda perceive her like that, at least at the start. She is his adorable little niece and he is a caring man. He's not immune.

I put a clip of a worried Mirabel just after, for comparison. You can see she did not change that much. That's the moment that wrecks me... Protective instinct probably activates when she's here for Tío Bruno. He doesn't want her to get scared. His hand movement is just so gentle... I'll never recover.

Bruno throwing salt at his niece is done out of superstition, that's for sure. But why sugar ? And why does it sound like a question ? I know he's a bit eccentric, but I think he's trying to tell her she's sweet. But what he says after really got to me... "Sana, Sana Colita de Rana" A post here (EDIT : I found the post ! I found it ! It was an anon ask with a cool headcanon, check it out) taught me that it is a Spanish saying that you can say/sing when someone gets hurt. It goes : "Sana, Sana Colita de Rana Si no sanas hoy, sanarás mañana" And it means : "Heal, heal, little tail of the frog. If you don't heal today, you'll heal tomorrow." From what I've gathered, it is specifically meant for children. Bruno is not facing her, he may be singing that to himself, he probably heard that a lot growing up, he is still very childlike (he is literally playing hopscotch)... But I don't think it's a coincidence that he said that out loud. Mirabel was emotionally hurt like...a lot ! He does want her to get better.

The last one cracks me up : Bruno introducing Hernando to Mirabel and feeling compelled to clarify that it actually is him under the hood. To me, it's not only him being awkward and/or convinced his acting is very good. I think he was used to a kid who did not have the best concept of object permanence / was very naive... That tends to change A LOT between 5 and 15 years old 😂

Thanks to @vilmublue for uploading 8 minutes of Bruno Madrigal, I could not find the last two clips anywhere else

In conclusion :

Bruno is the best uncle, but frankly, he never had to interact with niblings older than 12 years old... I don't think he knows that much about teenagers. But it's okay. He quickly grasps how smart and emotionally intelligent Mirabel actually is. He does not treat her as a child to be condescending or anything... He is genuinely a bit lost, he has a lot of catching up to do. One thing's sure : he knew 5 year old Mirabel and he probably remembers what was comforting to her when she was small. I think he instinctively used that without even thinking about it...

[redshoes-blues]

Will Byers Vecna Song Theory

You may have seen my Will Byers Mirror Theory, which is where I discuss my thoughts on why Will being put under Vecna’s curse is pretty much inevitable in vol. 2. I wanted to delve deeper into that theory, discussing the music itself, and how a few songs apply to Will as a character. This section assumes that Will gets Vecna’d, so if you want more info on that theory, it’s linked above.

Also this is long as hell. Whoops?

Music plays a crucial role in Stranger Things. Even before Vecna was introduced, the iconic 80s soundtrack is a feature of the show, and several characters within the text are huge music fans. One of these characters is Will, who we know uses music to comfort himself in the Upside Down in ST1. Assuming Will is cursed during vol. 2, what songs might save him? What do these songs represent within Stranger Things and in the real world, and how might they give insight into Will as a character?

As I see it, there are 3 possibilities for Will’s song. The way I selected these songs is by looking at the songs Will himself mentions, songs directly related to important moments in his arc, and more subtle prop hints. 

1. Should I Stay or Should I Go, The Clash

2. Boys Don’t Cry, The Cure

3. Heroes, David Bowie

Let’s go through each song and see how it could work for Will’s song. 

Should I Stay or Should I Go

To me, this is the obvious first pick. When I first realized Will would probably fall under the curse in vol. 2, my first thought was: “oh but he’ll be safe, everyone in the Party knows he loves that Clash song.” 

Will sings the song to himself in the Upside Down when a Demogorgon is near, and the Demogorgon leaves. Although music doesn’t seem to have the same impact on them as it does Vecna, the song still provides Will comfort in times of panic and distress. In flashbacks, we’re shown that Jonathan introduces the song to Will during an argument between Joyce and Lonnie. The song acts as a shield for Will in that moment, just as it does later on in the UD. Within the Vecna scene, it would provide a perfect parallel to Will being in the UD for the first time early in the show. 

However, as I mentioned in another post, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” is now a song intrinsically tied to Will’s trauma from the UD. Now, the mechanics of how songs work and which ones may or may not work haven’t been ironed out yet. I suspect this will be elaborated on in vol. 2, but if the song is now tied to traumatic memories, maybe it won’t work. 

Maybe there’s another song Will connects to on a deep level that is less obvious to both viewers and the Party. In such a case, the disconnection between Will and the Hawkins gang will quickly become apparent. This is especially the case if Vecna gets to Will before the California and Hawkins groups are reunited and able to go over details. But even if Will if put under Vecna’s curse when everyone is back together and the California gang finds out what’s happening, Will has still been disconnected from the Party (aside from El, but even then we know he hasn’t told her about his crush on Mike).

I think it’s quite likely that the Party could try “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (maybe even at Jonathan or Mike’s suggestion), only to have it fail. 

So if it doesn’t end up being “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” what other songs may Will have a personal connection to?

Boys Don’t Cry

I love the idea of “Boys Don’t Cry” saving Will from Vecna’s curse because A. I’m a massive fan of The Cure, and B. I love how the song could connect to him as a character! In case you missed in, the reference to this song is subtle, as Will has a poster of the album cover in his California bedroom.

I’ll be honest and say that of the three songs, I think this one may have the most limited evidence to support it. But perhaps that’s the point? 

Will’s character arc in ST3 was very much about him feeling left behind, and that is definitely continuing in ST4. Mike is realizing how the two of them have split apart because of the distance and his own lack of awareness for Will’s feelings in ST3 and beyond. We’ve never heard Will mention “Boys Don’t Cry,” but we as viewers have grown distant to Will as a character, just as Mike has (note: Mike is often used as a character to show the audience’s perspective, and his lack of awareness reflect this). 

Although the song is alluded to, it hasn’t been played or mentioned directly. If this is Will’s Vecna song, then it will show how distant he has become from his friends as a result of many factors — one of which will likely be his sexuality, something I can see Vecna using in the vision to make Will feel more like an outsider. 

“Boys Don’t Cry” as a song is a bit of an anthem for gay men. Especially during the 80s. The song is about toxic masculinity and the ways Western society has damaged men by making them cover up their emotions. Within a queer reading, the song could also be used to highlight the ways that gay men in particular are stereotyped as feminine or overly sensitive, the second of which has been used as a descriptor for Will within the show. As we know, Will has his own experiences of toxic masculinity, especially where Lonnie is concerned (baseball is a key metaphor here).

So even though “Boys Don’t Cry” is only shown in a prop, the song would be a powerful message for Will: conquering toxic masculinity and finally sharing his feelings and emotions by coming out to his loved ones.

Heroes

Okay, I know I seemed enthusiastic about the other two options, but “Heroes” is where my true alliance lies. Listen, I’m slightly biased here. David Bowie is my all-time favourite artist, and “Heroes” is my all-time favourite song. But I digress. For fellow Byler shippers, this is the song out of the 3 that I think most aligns with a queer reading of Mike and Will’s dynamic.

Note: I’m not the first one to come up with “Heroes” being used as Will’s Vecna song. Go here to @gayeddiemunson‘s post which initially brought the idea to my mind (and inspired this long-ass analysis)!

“Heroes” is played twice over the course of the show during two peak emotional scenes. In both scenes, a gorgeous Peter Gabriel cover of the song plays. In my theory, it’s specifically the original Bowie version which would be used for Will, and I have a specific reason for this that I’ll get to. 

In ST1, the song plays when “Will’s” body is discovered in the quarry — specifically showing his body, Mike running home, and Jonathan and Joyce hugging in a shot which mirrors Mike and Karen. In ST3, it plays at the very end of the season when Hopper is reading his letter after “dying.” In these instances, a character is thought to be dead and the other characters mourn them in some way. Both characters are later revealed to be alive. In other words, "Heroes” is a song which represents resurrection in Stranger Things.

Given the knack the Duffer brothers have for creating parallels over the course of the show, I wouldn’t be shocked if they faked Will’s death again within Vecna’s curse, before using “Heroes” as a signal to save Will. 

It’s important that the version used is Bowie’s original recording because it’s more upbeat than Peter Gabriel’s cover (making it much less melancholic and attached to negative emotions in the show), and because of a scene between Will and Jonathan in ST2, ep. 1:

Jonathan: You know what? You’re right. You are a freak. But what, do you want to be normal? Do you wanna be normal? Do you wanna be just like everyone else? Being a freak is the best, alright? I’m a freak . . . Who would you rather be friends with? Bowie or Kenny Rogers

Will: Ugh

Jonathan: Exactly. It’s no contest. The thing is, nobody normal ever accomplished anything meaningful in this world. 

Within the text, Bowie and Will are both “freaks.” Both outsiders in their own way who are scorned by some because they don’t fit into the norms of a heteronormative society. Bowie is a figure who was openly queer during the 70s, experimented with the boundaries of gendered fashion, and openly and bravely expressed himself in a much less accepting world. He stood up for queer people when others didn’t, and was an icon beloved by outsiders and people who weren’t seen as “normal.” For that reason, using Bowie’s version of the song would be a perfect moment of Will accepting that he’s a “freak” . . . but learning to love what makes himself different.

I do think Vecna would be most likely to make Will feel like an outsider by comparing his experiences as young Henry Creel to Will’s own feelings that he’s a “freak” because he doesn’t fit his society’s norms. In this way, Will fighting off Vecna with Bowie’s “Heroes” would be a beautiful moment of acceptance and resurrection as he comes back to life (the Real World) a stronger person. 

Heroes, Will, and Mike

My final reason behind the “Heroes” song theory has to do with Byler, so if that isn’t your thing, that’s all good — feel free to skip this! 

During ST1 when “Heroes” plays, Mike’s reactions to Will’s “death” are key in the sequence. Mike runs home and Karen comforts him as he cries over the death of his best friend. In the meantime, the following lyrics play:

And the guns, shot above our heads  And we kissed, as though nothing could fall  And the shame, was on the other side

“Heroes” was written when Bowie saw a two people kissing next to the Berlin Wall, and was struck by the image of a structure representing the Cold War next to a forbidden love affair. This section of the song is the most romantic part, when the couple comes together despite their forbidden love, casting aside the shame brought on by the affair, feeling free like “heroes” in the arms of each other just for one day. 

I don’t think “Heroes” has the same meaning in Stranger Things as Bowie’s initial inspiration. As I said above, I see it as a motif representing resurrection and new life in the show. But I do find it fascinating that the line about shame over a romantic love affair occurs during a shot of Mike. Coincidence, perhaps. But interesting all the same. 

Obviously Will’s love for Mike is considered forbidden at the time. Whether or not Mike has feelings in return wouldn’t make a difference towards the forbidden nature of being gay in the 80s (at least according to the dominant culture). For this reason, the song not only connects to Will for the various reasons already described, but also to Mike given that the song plays for him as well as Will. If the Duffer brothers plan to make Byler canon, then I could see “Heroes” becoming an important song in the show again. 

Final Thoughts / TLDR

Out of the 3 songs I've analyzed, I think “Heroes” has the strongest evidence supporting it: both within the narrative (the song has been used 2x in Stranger Things) and subtextually, from a character analysis perspective. Overall, Bowie’s original “Heroes” is a song of forbidden love by a queer artist who Will aligns himself with in the show. As well, the song represents resurrection and rebirth within the show, which thematically relates to the idea of Vecna’s curse.

Anyways, that’s all for this mammoth of a post! I’d love to hear what anyone else thinks. Are there any songs I missed that could be used?

[foreveranevilregal]

Something I haven’t seen discussed here on Tumblr is the dichotomy between science and religion in In Corpore Sano. Most people can see that Konstrakta is dressed like a healthcare worker, head to toe in white, but not everyone knows the significance of the people surrounding her dressed in black. They strongly resemble Orthodox priests (Serbia is an Orthodox Christian country). Along with them, the melody itself has a very liturgical feel to it, especially that “Bože zdravlja” chant (entreating God to grant health). If you don’t have health insurance (“nemam knjižicu”) and the healthcare system has washed its hands of you (quite literally performed by Konstrakta), religion can feel like the only place to turn in the hope for good health. And then if that doesn’t work either, the priests are already there to perform last rites.

[grandadtwelve]

the way that rose became the doctor vs the way jack became the doctor vs the way martha became the doctor vs the way donna became the doctor vs the way river became the doctor vs the way clara became the doctor vs the way bill became the doctor vs the way missy tried to become the doctor vs the way yaz is becoming the doctor vs the way-

[ed-teach]

Jaskier is good, he’s so Good! because in Burn, Butcher, Burn there’s this line: Watch me/Now I burn all the memories of you. And the first thing I thought about was yeah, he’s sitting at a fire, crumpling the memories and burning them, but then I realised that That’s what he’s doing with this song. The song is the only thing that counteracts his tales of Geralt before - including Toss a Coin, and this is important to him, clearly, because no other word I’ve written will ring quite as true. Burn, Butcher, Burn is as much a heartbroken cry-out as it is Jaskier’s heartbroken business strategy: He burns other people’s memories of Geralt and makes his heartbreak truly known to them in the way he knows best.

[black-and-yellow]

Birdhouse In Your Soul