Staff Playlist: Be Here Now
Our artists and staff have compiled a Spotify playlist of songs that remind us of Be Here Now, and get us into the feeling of the show. Here are some of our favorites!
1. “decide to be happy” by MisterWives
I’ve been down on my knees
Prayin’ things I don’t believe
Hopin’ that it’ll save me
So I decide to be happy
“The song admits that it can be hard to be happy and this is something that doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but when we pause and appreciate the beauty around us, we can find our way to that joy.” – Alexandra Smith, Assistant Director
Serving as the 15th track in their third studio album titled Superbloom, “decide to be happy” is an uplifting song that gives you a look inside a painful breakup but deciding to grow with the heartbreak and finding happiness from it. This song is about the choice to be happy, even when it’s hard, and how the good times can feel extra valuable when our lives also contain sadness and challenges.
2. “Never Stop” by The Bad Plus
“I think this song is tonally the centerpiece of what this play was for me, and all of these magical moments of feeling and recognition.” – Sarah Kenney, House Manager
“Never Stop” by the Bad Plus has sections with long stretches of continuous and measured drum beats, a repetitive steadiness, where the piano takes us on a journey that is mostly measured, but also deviating, flexible, and exciting. The music then builds up enough potential energy after so much repetition, and it explodes into thunder and rain and bursts into a slight disorder that sounds like dancing in a storm. “Never Stop” resembles Be Here Now in terms of both Bari’s arc, and how Bari reaches these clarifying epiphanies and joyful interludes amidst the redundant and nihilistic world she exists in regularly.
3. “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M.
Everyone around, love them, love them
Put it in your hands, take it, take it
There’s no time to cry, happy, happy
Put it in your heart where tomorrow shines
“This song evokes thoughts in me of what we are all meant to think being happy should feel and sound like. Sometimes in our society we are told to strive for this ‘shiny, happy’ existence when happiness can show itself in many other forms.” – Heather Darrow, Director of Marketing
“Shiny Happy People” is the second single from R.E.M.’s 1991 album titled Out of Time. Despite sounding like a very upbeat and carefree song with a sing-along-kind-of chorus, “Shiny Happy People” has lyrics that embody the ground-level meaning of happiness, not accounting that happiness may look different for everybody. Bari’s journey in navigating what happiness looks like for her may reflect this, and “Shiny Happy People” resembles the stereotypical expectation that happiness is all sunshine and rainbows, when it’s so much more than that in reality.
4. “everythingoes” by RM and NELL
Just like the night leaves and the morning comes
The spring leaves and summer comes, but
Just like the flower wilts and the fruit grows ripe
Everything needs to go through pain
Embrace the world and suck in a breath
That prickling air that fills up your lungs says everything
“This song tells that pain is pretty much inevitable from life, and that’s perfectly okay. Life may have its painful moments, but that pain will eventually pass.” – Marieska Luzada, Press and Digital Marketing Assistant
mono. is the second mixtape from RM, and “everythingoes” serves as the penultimate track in the listing. Collaborating with alternative rock band NELL, RM evokes vulnerability in this track, and describes that while we may go through painful moments in life, that pain is never everlasting. This connects to Be Here Now in the sense that Bari goes through many ups and downs in her life while experiencing many emotions she has never felt before; though she sometimes goes through pain, that’s a part of what makes us human.
5. “I Wish I Was” by the Avette Brothers
But if I get too close
Will the magic fade?
Would I turn you off or away?
If I pull you in
Would I push you out?
“Bari is very much caught up in what comes over her when she experiences her headaches and moments of magic. She is drawn to Mike as Mike is drawn to her, but both are battling their own internal struggles that are keeping them from letting other people in and experiencing true connection.” – Linda Shewokis, Box Office Assistant
“I Wish I Was” is the eighth track off of the Avette Brothers’ 2016 album titled True Sadness. It begins with a light banjo strum and as the song progresses, it introduces a sway-back-and-forth kind of beat with lyrics that tell the story of someone being afraid to be vulnerable in front of their loved one. The song follows the idea of finding a moment where love works, and that really resonates with Bari and Mike’s relationship throughout the show.
6. “Coloratura” by Coldplay
Coloratura
The place we dreamed about
The melodies inside yourself and love come pouring out
And everyone’s allowed
We’re feathered by the crowd
“This song reminds me of the sounds of spring and it tells a beautiful story just like Be Here Now.” – Elizabeth Albahary, Box Office Assistant
The 10-minute space epic by Coldplay serves as the final track in their ninth studio album titled Music of the Spheres. The instrumentals and the steady rhythm takes listeners on a journey of envisioning a picturesque cosmos and jaw-dropping galaxy. “Coloratura” mirrors the emotion of pure happiness, and this track serving as the last song on the album matches perfectly with the resolution of Be Here Now and Bari’s journey to finding what life means to her.
7. “Pierre” from Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
It’s dawned on me suddenly
And for no obvious reason
That I can’t go on
Living as I am
The zest of life has vanished
Only the skeleton remains
Unexpectedly vile
I used to be better
“Pierre and Bari go through a similar journey of looking at the world through a sort of melancholy despair, and toward the end they haven’t done a 180, but they start to understand that life doesn’t have to be the way they’ve been seeing it.” – Jonathan Santoro, Administrative Assistant
Based on a 70-page segment from Leo Tolstoy’s 1869 novel War and Peace, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 focuses on the affair between Natasha and Anatole while Pierre searches for meaning in his life. “Pierre” comes after the prologue, in which he is separated from the other characters in the show because of his complex life story. The descending melody of the line “I used to be better” mirrors Pierre’s struggle in life, and Pierre and Bari go through similar struggles in finding what life means to them.
8. “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies
With your feet on the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah (Yeah)
Your head will collapse, and there’s nothing in it
And you’ll ask yourself
Where is my mind?
“As [Bari’s] brain is physically working against her, her mind is becoming something different and new; causing Bari to re-evaluate everything.” – MJ Jepsen, Box Office Supervisor
Serving as the seventh track of their 1988 debut album Surfer Rosa, “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies is one of the band’s signature songs, and a great accompanying song to Bari’s character and development. The song’s catchy drum beat and electric guitar correspond with Bari’s journey in experiencing various emotions as she navigates what life, love, and happiness mean to her.
9. “Cosmic Coming of Age” by Fickle Friends
Hey, will I make it out alive in my own way?
Am I floating? Am I starting to fade?
When it came out
Out of nowhere, out of nowhere
And the funny thing is I’m not dreaming
“The subject of the song goes from thinking they have everything figured out to having little control over their life and in the end, they are much less certain about their future.” – Kate Casner, Digital Marketing Associate
“Cosmic Coming of Age” starts with a groovy drum beat to introduce lyrics that evoke angst and power in explaining a transitional period in life. The lyrics resemble the scenario of everything falling apart, even at moments where life may seem perfect. The chorus is reminiscent of music to listen to with the top down and speakers up, and this song resonates with Bari’s story as she goes through a rollercoaster transformation throughout the show.
10. “Let Your Heart Hold Fast” by Fort Atlantic
To believe I walk alone
Is a lie that I’ve been told
So let your heart hold fast
For this soon shall pass
Like the high tide takes the sand
“In some ways, it reminds me of Luanne’s assertion that she chooses to be happy. The song has been one I have listened to when I feel myself facing too much towards pessimism.” – Courtney O’Connor, Director
Appearing as the third track in the band’s 2021 self-titled album, “Let Your Heart Hold Fast” by Fort Atlantic conveys the message of overcoming adversity and learning that pain won’t last forever, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This song mirrors Bari’s journey throughout the show in the way that she experiences ups, downs, and everything in between to reflect on her outlook of life, and that she has people who love and support her to help her overcome any hardships that come her way.
11. “With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker
What would you do if I sang out of tune?
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
I will try not to sing out of key
“Sometimes we all need a little help from our friends.” – Elizabeth Carsley, Box Office Supervisor
Originally sung by Paul McCartney and John Lennon of The Beatles, “With a Little Help From My Friends” became a signature song for Joe Cocker after performing it at Woodstock in 1969. The backup singers during the chorus and steady beat emphasize both the song’s clear message and the characters of Be Here Now that one is never alone and they always have friends they can count on, even during the worst of times.
