Music

THE HUNGER GAMES SOUNDTRACK; SONGS FROM DISTRICT 12 AND BEYOND

Recently I have bought the Hunger Games soundtrack for only $11.99! (Wow, I feel like an advertiser for The Hunger Games Soundtrack) Doesn't the cover look awesome? I saw it, gasped, and demanded my mom to buy it.

It was released on March 20th, 2012 and produced by T-Bone Burnett, and Greg Wells. In it's first week of release, it topped the US Billboard 200 as #1! It also sold 175,000 copies in it's first week! (I was among one of the 175,000) As soon as I got home, I plugged it in my CD player and turned up the volume.

Songs;

1. Abraham's Daughter by Arcade Fire

2. Tomorrow Will Be Kinder by The Secret Sisters

3. Nothing To Remember by Neko Case

4. Safe And Sound by Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars

5. The Ruler And The Killer by Kid Cudi

6. Dark Days by Punch Brothers

7. One Engine by The Decemberists

8. Daughter's Lament by Carolina Chocolate Drops

9. Kingdom Come by The Civil Wars

10. Take The Heartland by Glen Hansard

11. Come Away To The Water by Maroon 5 featuring Rozzi Crane

12. Run Daddy Run by Miranda Lambert featuring Pistol Annies

13. Rules by Jaymee Dee

14. Eyes Open by Taylor Swift

15. Lover Is Childlike by The Low Anthem

16. Just A Game by Birdy

I think these songs fit the theme of the Hunger Games really well, as most of these songs were especially created for the Hunger Games soundtrack.

Abraham's Daughter is about the daughter of Abraham from biblical times, and when he sacrificed his son, Isaac to God. In the song, Abraham has a daughter who tries to protect her brother from an angle who is telling Abraham to slaughter his son. But his daughter, who has no name, defends her brother from the angel. 

'Abraham's daughter raised her bow.

How darest you child, defy your father.

You better let young Isaac go.' 

This song represents the whole idea of the Hunger Games really well for me. Abraham represents the districts offering up their children to the angel, or the Capitol, who is demanding they sacrifice their children. Isaac represents the tributes from the 12 districts, being sacrificed. Abraham's daughter represents Katniss Everdeen, trying to stop this,to end the Hunger Games and the sacrifices.

Safe and Sound, by Taylor Swift (who is my favorite singer) is a really sad lullabyish song. Someone is singing a lullaby to a child or person they care about. The singer is trying to comfort someone who has gone through lots of hardships. On the second verse, it talks about a war, and everything is on fire.

'Don't you dare look out your window,

Darling everything's on fire.

The war outside our door keeps raging on.

Hold on to this lullaby.

Even when the music's gone.'

The fire part relates well to the Hunger Games because Katniss is well known as 'the girl who was on fire'. Also, when she was in the arena for the first time, the Gamemakers rigged fireballs that aimed for her and lit the forest surrounding her on fire. In the third book, the war against the districts and the Capitol is raging, and many people lost their lives. The lullaby part fits as well because when Rue was dying in the arena, Katniss sang her a song most recognized as 'Rue's lullaby'.

Come Away To The Water describes the Career pack in the arena. Careers are made up of tributes from districts 1, 2, and 4. They are better fed, and trained, than mostly all the other tributes in the arena. This gives them an enormous advantage over the other tributes, partly 'cause they travel and work together to kill in a pack.

'Come away little light come away to the darkness,

In the shade of the night we will come looking for you.

Come away little light come away to the darkness,

To the ones appointed to see it through.

We are coming for you.

We are coming for you.'

The 'we' is the Careers looking for Katniss, hunting her down, trying to kill her. Katniss sort of represents the 'light' I guess, because she's good and not all "Kill everybody!" like the Careers. The Careers represent the darkness trying to capture the light/Katniss.

Run Daddy Run is a really sad song (to me) because of the scene I think of when I hear it.

 'All the songs you used to sing to me
Would rock birds to sleep
I need you now so please somehow
Put rockets on your feet

Daddy can you hear the devil drawing near
Like a bullet from a gun, run daddy run.

Saw the dark could coming from a million miles away.
Oh how I’ve dreaded this god forsaken day.

Daddy can you hear the devil drawing near
Like a bullet from a gun, run daddy run.

Mama’s been crying in the kitchen
Sister’s been afraid of the dark.
I’ve been gathering the pieces of all these shattered hearts.
And I don’t care where you go to
And I don’t care where you land
But just get out of there daddy as fast as you can'

When Katniss was 11, her father died in a  mine explosion, blown to bits, with nothing to even bury. After this incident, her mother fell ill, in a depression from her husband dying, and her sister became afraid of many thing, like the dark. Her father also had a beautiful voice, and would sing songs to Katniss and her sister. Katniss deacribed his voice as 'so beautiful, high, clear, and full of life that it made you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Even the birds would stop to listen to him.' Katniss inherits his singing voice, and this song sounds like something she might sing to him.

Eyes open by Taylor Swift (again) is another beautiful song that describes the Hunger Games really well. Katniss is the kind of girl who is wary of many things and looks over her shoulder. She's careful, and she's gotten far. 

                                   'So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard
                                                    Every lesson forms a new scar
                                           They never thought you'd make it this far
                                        But turn around , oh they've surrounded you
                                 It's a showdown  and nobody comes to save you now
                                              But you've got something they don't
                                              Yeah you've got something they don't
                                             You've just gotta keep your eyes open

                                        Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
                                          Everybody's watching to see the fallout
                                           Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
                                                        Keep your eyes open
                                                       Keep your eyes open.'

I think Katniss really kind of feels this way, because of all the pressure she has to deal with, and the Capitol always watching her. 

I've listened to all of the songs on the soundtrack, and I have to say, they did a really good job. All of the songs and the artists have captured the Hunger Games perfectly. Katniss, the Careers, the Capitol, the districts, it really describes the trilogy.

Reference;

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/arcadefire/abrahamsdaughter.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games:_Songs_from_District_12_and_Beyond

http://www.directlyrics.com/taylor-swift-safe-and-sound-lyrics.html 

http://www.metrolyrics.com/come-away-to-the-water-lyrics-maroon-5.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mirandalambert/rundaddyrun.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/taylorswift/eyesopen.html