Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack

I have decided to do a fun little project where I tell the story of Romeo and Juliet through Indie Pop songs. I have not finalized by line notes or playlist but here is what I have so far. Check back later for more updates on this!!

 I am choosing to soundtrack Romeo and Juliet. Going into my thought process for choosing a play to adapt, I knew I wanted to tell the story of whichever play I chose through Indi pop songs. This is my favorite genre of music and the lyrics that are used in these songs are very deep and emotional. I knew that artists such as Bon Ivar, Taylor Swift, Birdy, and Lana Del Rae would be able to tell the story of any of Shakespeare’s plays with their deep lyrics, and intense, dramatic acoustics.  With that being said, I wasn’t sure which play would work best with the genre of music I chose.

So, I went on to Spotify and listened to my playlist of Indi Pop Songs and intently listened to the lyrics to see if any particular storyline popped out at me.  At first, I considered writing about Hamlet, but as I looked deeper into the music genre I wanted to use, I realized that Romeo and Juliet worked best. The majority of Indi Pop songs revolve around love. Whether that is falling in or out of love, these songs discuss the intense emotional roller coaster that goes along with love and relationships. When I was listening to my playlist, I was able to visualize the scenes of Romeo and Juliet because it is one of the most tragic love stories every told, and the emotions that coincide with the storyline go perfectly with this specific genre of music. 

As of right now, I am looking to include Act 1 Scene 2 where Romeo is wandering around town, sad about Rosaline. For this Scene I wanted to choose a song that best portrayed Romeo’s emotions as he is thinking about Rosaline and wanting to be with her.  The songs High by Young Rising Sons, and Dark Blue by Jack’s Mannequin best portray this emotion.  Next, I wanted to use Love Story and Enchanted by Taylor Swift to show the love at first sight, swept away feeling, that Romeo and Juliet have when the first kiss at the party in Act 1 Scene 5. Both of these songs have some subtle sexual elements to them which corresponds with the subtle sexiness in Juliet’s language. Obviously, since I am choosing Romeo and Juliet, I must do the Balcony scene. For this scene I thought Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran, an Always by Albert Oberst would work best. Then, I wanted to use Act 3 Scene 4 when Romeo and Juliet have their wedding night before Romeo has to go away, but I have not decided on a song that would best portray those emotions yet. Then I will use St. Christopher by Michael Logen and I Know Places by Taylor Swift for Act 3 Scene 5 when Romeo and Juliet are trying to solve their predicament. For Act 5 Scene 3 when Romeo kills himself, I want to use Skinny Love by Bon Ivar. Then, when Juliet kills herself in this same scene, I will use Dark Paradise by Lana Del Rae.  For the final moment when Capulet and Montague are brought together by the deaths of their children, in Act 5 Scene 3, I will use Infinity by Albert Oberst.