California Dreamin - The Mamas & The Papas

https://youtu.be/J4DmU_On6ag

This song, originally released during the time of the Vietnam War, would serve as the theme for Offred’s walks with Ofglen around Gilead. There are many connections between the lyrics and the story. While a lot of the story so far has taken place during the summer, the opening lyrics of California Dreamin, which refer to poor winter weather, are still reasonable, because these scenes will likely be repeated in winter time, and either way, the lyrics refer to a dark time, which is what Offred feels like she is living through. “I’d be safe and warm, If I was in LA” refers to Offred thinking about the Before Times, and how she used to be ‘safe and warm’, with LA representing Luke. Lastly, the line “And I pretend to pray”, perfectly describes how Offred thought about Testifying at the Red Center. “At Testifying, it’s safer to make things up than to say you have nothing to reveal.” (71). This mentality goes with the same idea of pretending to pray.

FE!N - Travis Scott

https://youtu.be/U-l4ya3ejko

The main chorus of this song is simply the word fein repeated, meaning a person that has an addiction to something. For the Handmaid’s Tale, this would be the theme to play in the club, with the representation of the ‘fein’ being the Commanders and other wealthy men present. They are addicted to women and sex, which in this world is as bad as being addicted to an illegal drug, since these people in power are the ones that made lust and passionate sex illegal in the first place. Additionally, FE!N makes a good addition to the playlist because of how some of the lyrics connect to the book. “The career’s more at stake when you in your prime” represents how Offred’s physical prime is soon coming to an end, meaning she will be cast off when she is no longer viable to have children. Another lyric is “In the night, come alive”, describing how Offred’s thoughts are often the most lively when she is in her room at night.

Mii Channel Theme - Kazumi Totaka

https://youtu.be/x2NzoLMWAwQ

This is a video game console’s background theme, about as boring as it gets. This represents some of the monotonicity of Offred’s life as a Handmaid, and specifically her experience with the Ceremony. In Chapter 16, the reader’s first impression of Offred’s feelings about her sex ceremony with the Commander are not positive. Many times throughout that chapter, the sex is described as boring: “The Ceremony goes as usual” (93), “This is serious business” (95), “If he were better looking would I enjoy this more?” (95). This same way, the song is a repetitive, boring process that only serves as a stepping stone to something else. The Mii Channel Theme is only played when the video game’s player is loading in, waiting to do something, and as a result, waiting for the music to end. The experience is the same for Offred in the Ceremony; she is simply waiting for it to end.

Quest Ah Dog - lolalumikola ft. Don Pollo (overlaid on Victory - Thomas Bergersen)

https://youtu.be/ZkfGkQVhQUU

This short theme creates a feeling of chaos and confusion to the listener, with many different audio tracks overlaid on a background song. Additionally, this song can also make any event that happened immediately before it feel more magnified. These are similar emotions that Offred feels at some important moments in the book. The first example was in the doctor’s office in Chapter 11, when the doctor offered to impregnate Offred himself. Upon this offer being made, a multitude of thoughts go through the Handmaid’s head (60-61): “Does he know something, has he seen Luke, […] can he bring back?”; “Is that his hand, sliding up my leg? He’s taken off the glove”; “I almost gasp: he’s said a forbidden word”. The shock that Offred feels in this scene can also be well represented by the “What da hell” lyric from Quest Ah Dog. The second example, from Chapter 31, was when Serena Joy offered her Handmaid a picture of her daughter in exchange for procreation with Nick. As Offred thought “She’s known all along” (206), a similarly fast flow of chaotic thoughts entered her head, once again repeating the theme of Quest Ah Dog.

Anakin’s Betrayal (from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith) - John Williams

https://youtu.be/m2p-im7cxa4

This is a movie theme from a moment when many heroes died. I connected this to Chapter 18, when Offred imagines all of the various possibilities of what happened to Luke after they got separated. This would be the theme for that flashback/vision. The music gets its loudest when Offred thinks: “I pray that the hole, or two or three, […], I pray that at least one hole is neatly, quickly, and finally through the skull, […], only the one and then silence.” (104). This idea of Luke dying immediately, as well as all of the thoughts Offred has about Luke being in pain, would be well represented by this sadder theme.