Back to Me - The Marias The song “Back to Me” by the Marias is a song that represents the yearning for a past lover that has since moved on from the relationship and is now interested in other people. In the song, the lead singer María Zardoya, sings about her longing for them to return. In chapter 15 of “The Handmaid’s Tale” Offred and Moira secretly chat in the bathroom about Moira’s escape plan. Offred tries to convince Moira to stay, and not to risk escape, but Moira doesn’t listen. Offred thinks to herself, “I couldn’t stand the thought of her not being here, with me. For me.” (89) Offred’s thoughts show her strong friendship with Moira and the emotional support they provide for each other in Gilead which strongly connects to a moment in “Back to Me”, where Zardoya sings the words “Is she all that you want? Is she all that you need? I’ll be there in a hurry, baby come back to me.” In this case “She” can refer to the action of escaping Gilead and getting a taste of freedom. We can gather that Offred likely feels scared for Moira, but also upset that Moira would choose to leave Offred to get a taste of freedom.

About You - The 1975 This song describes the emotional turmoil that can be present in relationships as well as strong themes of longing, followed by slivers of hope in a realm of uncertainty and pain. These themes are shown well in the lyrics, ‘Do you think I have forgotten about you?”, and “Hold on and hope that we’ll find our way back in the end”. This connects greatly with Offred and Luke’s relationship. The two characters haven’t seen each other in a long time and we often see Offred thinking about Luke and reminiscing about their past. Offred anticipates a message from Luke, recognizing that, “It’s this message, which may never arrive, that keeps me alive. I believe in this message.”(106). She wonders, “Does Luke hope?”(106). We can see that Offred feels deeply for Luke, but his feelings about her are unclear. Offred clings to the hope she has left, represented in the song, to keep propelling herself forward in life to keep from giving up. Let Loose - Mt. Joy A song about the desire for connection and breaking free from something holding one back, “Let Loose” by Mt. Joy can be used to describe the scene on page 81 where Offred plays footsies with Nick in secret. Gilead’s society differs greatly from ours. In Gilead, there is a different interpretation of what is considered exciting and rebellious than what is to us, including acts of romance. While more intimate things for us are devoid of real emotional connection in Gilead, simpler things for us seem rebellious for them. For example, while Offred and Nick play footsies in secret, Offred recites, “I feel my shoe soften, blood flows into it, it grows warm, it becomes a skin.” (81) In this moment Offred feels excitement, something that is unusual to her at this time. We can link this to the lyric, “I wanna get lost, I wanna get loud with you” in “Let Loose”. This describes the feeling of wanting excitement or a sort of adventure.

Saturn - SZA This song is about the longing for a purpose and a better life. Over the course of the song SZA contemplates her emotional state and the realities of her life. SZA sings, “Stuck in this paradise, don’t believe in paradise” expressing her dissatisfaction with her life and disappointment with “paradise” which could be interpreted as an idea of happiness from the perspective of society. We can connect this to Serena Joy’s state specifically in the first few chapters of the book. In chapter 3 Offred comments on Serena Joy in her garden. Upon noticing her she states, “From a distance it looks like peace” (12) and “Maybe it’s just something to keep the Wives busy, to give them a sense of purpose.” (13) From this we can see that Serena Joy likely is in a similar situation to SZA. She appears to be in paradise due to her minimal responsibilities, but instead Serena doesn’t enjoy this life at all, and wishes she had more of a purpose.

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Creep by Radiohead

This song captures Offred’s Feelings of alienation and powerlessness in Gilead. In the song, there are the lyrics “I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo,” and this echoes her internalized sense of being an outsider in a society that dehumanizes her. Offred’s identity and her struggle to adjust her past self to her present self as a handmaid are reflected in the song’s tone. For example, she says, “I want to keep on living, in any form,” which resonates with the song’s themes of self-doubt and survival despite feeling out of place

Every Breath you Take by The police

This song’s main theme of surveillance and control parallels the presence of “eyes” and the constant monitoring in Gilead. In the song, the lyrics “Every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you” this mirrors the regime’s overpowering watchfulness over its citizens. Offered’s observation that “The Anuts were the ones who taught us to whisper almost without sound” highlights how language and behavior are polived, making this song a fitting song for the atmosphere of fear and control in Gilead.

Mad World by Tears for Fears

The tone and lyrics of “Mad World” reflect the dystopian reality of Gilead and OFfrede’s sense of loss and confusion. The line “the Dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had” parallels Offred’s memories of her past life and the dullness of her present life. The book doesn’t mention, but makes an example of how Offred’s memories are both a refuge and a source of pain, and that is also shown in this song, too, especially when Offred says, “We lived in the gaps between the stories.” This highlights the chaotic nature of her existence right now.

Respect by Aretha Franklin

Through irony in the context of Gilead’s oppression of women, “Respect” symbolizes the resistance and desire for dignity that underlie Offred’s narrative. The song’s demand for respect contrasts highly with the Handmaid’s enforced submission, especially during the Ceremony, which Offred describes with a lot of honesty: “The commander is Fing. What he’s fing is the lower part of my body.” This song represents the unspoken rebellion and the yearning for Self-direction beneath the surface,

Sound of Silence by Disturbed

The representation of silence in The Handmaid’s Tale is most definitely there, from the whispered conversations in the bathroom to the forced muteness everywhere. “Sound of Silence” captures this theme very well, with the lyrics like “Hello darkness, my old friend,” which invoke the isolation and suppression that Offred experiences. The novel shows this through the language tool as of control “The Anuts were the ones who taught us to whisper almost without sound,” finds a haunting echo in this song’s meditation on silence and communication.

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