The Handmaid's Playlist

MAKE IT HOME - AUGUST ALSINA

This song tells the story of one’s hardscrabble upbringing, and how in your darkest seasons you have to unfortunately involve yourself in unwanted situations to get by in life. In the Handmaid’s Tale, Offred has a very difficult lifestyle as she has been held in Gilead for years against her will. There are extreme measures to ensure that everyone in Gilead follows the rules that apply to their identity. With the terrorizing restrictions against women, Offred tries to come to terms with the circumstances by viewing herself the same way a man would to keep herself sane. “Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going on here that I haven’t signed up for. There wasn’t a lot of choice but there was some, and this is what I chose.” (94). This quote expresses that Offred has turned this ultimatum of surviving in Gilead into a choice. In the first verse of August Alsina’s song he sings “I don’t always do what I should, but I do what I gotta do. When you been at the bottom you see the hunger inside of you. Don’t say what you won’t do cause it can all change. When the going gets tough, it’ll drive you insane.”. This significantly represents Offred’s morals and viewpoints of herself as a woman living in Gilead.

LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE - DRAKE

Offred talks about the dynamic she had with her mother before life in Gilead. Their relationship consisted of lots of arguing, but the love they shared for each other always triumphed over their fallouts. “I admired my mother in some ways, although things between us were never easy… I am not your justification for existence, I said to her once. I want her back. I want everything back, the way it was.” (122). With that being said, it is evident that Offred misses her mother, and wishes she still had her around to cherish her, even though they argued most of the time. Drake created the song Look What You’ve Done to share his appreciation for his mother and aunt who impacted his life growing up despite the obstacles they faced towards one another. In this case, the first verse of the song is dedicated to his mom which correlates to Offred reminiscing on her mother. “And I sit next to you, and I lecture you because those are deadly. And then you ask shit, and we argue about spendin’ money on bullshit. And you tell me I’m just like my father, my one button you push it. Now it’s ‘Fuck you, I hate you. I’ll move in a heartbeat.’. And I leave out and you call me, and you tell me that you sorry. You love me and I love you. Your heart hurts, mine does too. When it’s just words, and they cut deep But it’s our world it’s just us two.”

BEST MISTAKE - ARIANA GRANDE

Ariana Grande’s song Best Mistake contemplates one’s emotional status in their relationship.There’s a story being told of two people struggling to make up their minds about realizing there are no real issues affecting one another. This song connects to Offred because she regrets not appreciating the life she had with Luke. It pains her to think of how she realized too late how good they were for each other. ‘What could be done? We thought we had such a problem? How were we to know we were happy?” (pg. 51). This quote demonstrates Offred’s thinking process towards her discerning the connection she once shared with Luke. In Best Mistake, Ariana sings “Can we please make up our minds, and stop acting like we’re blind? Cause if the water dries up and the moon stops shining, stars fall, and the world goes blind boy, you know, I’ll be saving my love for you.” I think this quote correlates with Offred and Luke because

IF I WERE A BOY - BEYONCE

“If I were a boy, I would turn off my phone. Tell everyone it’s broken, so they’d think that I was sleeping alone. I’d put myself first and make the rules as I go.“. In this song, Beyonce shares her idea of what life would be like if she performed as a “boy”. The stereotypes of men and women are no different in the Handmaid’s Tale than in the real world. There has always been a stereotypical narrative that men need no serious responsibility to maintain credibility. It’s as if it just comes easy to them, while they remain immature. With all these points to consider, Offred wonders what life is like for the commander as a man. “To be a man, watched by women…Still, it must be hell, to be a man, like that. It must be just fine.” (87 &88). She is genuinely intrigued to put herself in the shoes of the commander, given she spends majority of her time analyzing his behavior to properly switch scenarios.

CLOUDED - BRENT FIYAZ

Clouded provides Brent’s concern with being remembered or leaving an impact on the world. He lingers on the important aspects of society, while providing insight on his inconvenient life experiences. I can distinctly attach this song to Offred because I see her as a woman who is lost in her identity, and is unsure about her purpose in life. She tends to let her experiences define her as a person, which gives the impression to readers that she finds herself insignificant. “Is anybody gon’ remember me? If I go tonight, I doubt the world’ll change. I just pray they don’t forget my name. Is it game rules? I can’t lose. When it’s all said and done, will I still be cool?” This reminds me of Offred because she doubts the relevance of her existence constantly unless it is in the favor of men. She snuck out of her room one night to steal a daffodil for a future handmaid as a representation of her existence. “I will press this, somewhere. Under the mattress. Leave it there, for the next woman, the one who comes after me, to find.” (98).