The Handmaid's Tale Playlist

Song 1 - Past Life by Tame Impala https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kZ2W5f-H3k

This song speaks about seeing a former lover from a “past life”. It correlates with the memories that Offred frequently has of Luke during the night chapters. The song talks about all the things of a former partner, including the “smells” of them and that coming back to them. Most of the beginning in the story shows Offred’s heartache while reminiscing about her former partner. The memories provide her with an escape from the harsh reality of her society, however she is concerned that she is losing these memories of him, saying in chapter 40 that she should’ve paid attention “to the details, moles, and scars, the singular creases; I didn’t and he’s fading. Day by day, night by night, he recedes, and I become more faithless”. Her story about Luke and the cat in Chapter 30 describes him as the man who she really loved, which is why she misses him so much.

Song 2 - Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YvAYIJSSZY

In the song, although he is just any ordinary person, the singer feels as though he is being watched. The Handmaid’s Tale takes this song to a whole new level as Offred is never alone, therefore always being watched. She has to walk with another handmaid, and since the laws of Gilead are so strict, obviously there’s going to be a lot of people reinforcing those laws and making sure the place is in order. The song says they are “just an average man with an average life” and that “all I want is to be left alone in my home” however privacy in Gilead, again, is very limited. Not only is the government big on surveillance, but they encourage their citizens to keep a close eye on the others too. On page 29, Offred talks about the handmaids always having to walk together with each other: “She is my spy, and I am hers. If either of us slips through the net because of something that happens on one of our daily walks, the other will be accountable”. This implies that you can not rebel or break the rules at any time, because someone else will also take the blame if you do something wrong and get away with it.

Song 3 - Violent Crimes by Kanye West https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSY7u8Jg9c0

This song is about Kanye West speaking his opinion on women and how he wants God to forgive him for seeing women in a different way than he does now, ‘cause now he sees “women as something to nurture, not something to conquer”, which is contradictory to the book, as the leaders definitely see women as something to “conquer”. The “violent crimes” talked about in the song are the treatment of women around the world, and how men can be “savages”, “players”, and “monsters”. This relates to the citizens of Gilead treating the women very harshly and batting an eye to a more equal alternative. Offred reflects on the rights, or lack thereof, that she is given, and says that she’s not even allowed hand lotion or face cream, because they are considered vanities. She also claims that women in Gilead are “containers, it’s only the insides of our bodies that are important”.

Song 4 - The Scientist by Coldplay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-RcX5DS5A

The lyrics in this song are pretty self-explanatory, the song’s chorus is “Nobody said it was easy, It’s such a shame for us to part, Nobody said it was easy, No one ever said it would be this hard, Oh, take me back to the start”. This relates very much to Offred having memories about Luke in the night chapters. One quote that stands out to me was when Offred said that Luke “wasn’t a doctor. Isn’t.” This is Offred trying to convince herself that Luke is still alive, because not even she fully believes it. It is stated many times in the book that the chance of Luke being alive is pretty slim.

Song 5 - Stairway to Heaven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF3oxziUI4

This song represents the very end of the book when Offred goes to the mysterious van. One of the possibilities that awaits Offred is death. This song talks about a woman “buying” a stairway to heaven. This relates to Offred somewhat accepting her fate at the end of the book, saying she is steeping “into the darkness, within; or else the light”. Offred says these words uncertain of her future, and the book ends without us knowing what ends up happening to Offred. But as death is one of the possibilities, this song is fitting for the final chapter.