By Ryleigh Simmons

https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/7dGQFIC3hv4hE542MVyIOU?utm_source=generator

For my project, I created a playlist based on Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. The songs I included in the playlist connect to my interpretation of the themes, characters, and overall aesthetics of the book. I was inspired to complete this playlist by a previous student, who also made a Frankenstein playlist (nrhelms). However, I did choose completely different songs, except for “Weird Science” by Oingo Boingo, but who wouldn’t put that on a Frankenstein playlist? 

I thought this was a great idea for a project for me because I make a playlist for everything. Creating playlists that remind me of different books or movies helps me to understand the content better. It helps me process the emotions and feelings I got during my journey of finishing the piece I am consuming. Therefore, I believe that my response or playlist matters because it shows my understanding of the concepts Mary Shelley was trying to portray and because it could potentially help others understand the concepts as well. Moreover, music is a great way to connect further with a piece of media, and that’s exactly what I want others to do when they listen to my playlist. Thus, below I will list some of my favorite song choices from the playlist and explain why I believe they connect to Frankenstein.

The first song that I chose for my playlist is called “Creature” by Half Alive. Throughout the lyrics, Half Alive discusses being an incomplete creation. The Monster of Frankenstein may be a finished creation, but it was not the success that Victor wanted it to be. The song highlights that there is both beauty and darkness in the creation. I think this is a good reminder that the Monster could have possibly been good if Victor had seen the beauty in the life he created and taken care of the Monster. I also tried to convey this possibility with the song “The Moon Will Sing” by The Crane Wives.

“I could have been anyone, anyone else
Before you made the choice for me”

“The Moon Will Sing” by The Crane Wives

 “I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend.”

Frankenstein, Volume 2 Chapter 10

The next song I chose to include was “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. There are a few quotes from this song that match up with the book, but before those, I think it is important to mention the overall meaning behind the song. There are many different theories, both literal and figurative, about what this song means. My interpretation of the song is that a person comes to terms with who they are and how that may be difficult in the world we live in. I came to this conclusion from reading Gareth Hill’s article, What is Bohemian Rhapsody About (Hill). I thought this fit the Monster’s mentality. The monster comes to understand he is not like the other humans and will have to face the fact he won’t be accepted into society. Due to this, the Monster asks himself why he was even born or made. What purpose does he serve? This perfectly lines up with the lyrics, “I sometimes wish I’d never been born at all.” Moreover, because the Monster finds himself so different and ugly compared to those around him, he often compares himself to Satan, thus making the connection to the line, “Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me.” 

“Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me.”

Frankenstein, Volume 2 Chapter 7

“Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed?”

Frankenstein, Volume 2 Chapter 8

To move on from the Monster, I wanted to focus on Victor’s hunger for knowledge and how his selfish desires caused pain to those around him. To represent these concepts, I choose the songs “Eat Your Young” by Hozier and “Just a Man” from EPIC, the musical. I thought “Eat Your Young” was a great representation of Frankenstein for two reasons: the connection the song has to Dante’s Inferno, which Victor Frankenstein references multiple times, and the representation of the third circle of hell, gluttony (Songfacts). Gluttony is displayed through the character’s strong hunger for different things, and in the book, gluttony or hunger could be said to be shown through Victor’s uncontrollable longing for scientific knowledge. To build upon this idea of Victor’s desires, they eventually lead him astray and cause his life to go downhill quickly. Thus, I thought the lyrics, “When does a man become a monster?” from “Just a Man,” relate perfectly to the ideas of Victor’s once innocent curiosity leading to him creating a Monster that kills innocent people. 

“I would account to myself for the birth of that passion, which afterwards ruled my destiny, I find it arise, like a mountain river, from ignoble and almost forgotten sources; but, swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys.”

Frankenstein, Volume 1 Chapter 1

“I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.”

Frankenstein, Volume 1 Chapter 4

Finally, the last song choice I wanted to go into detail about is “Skyfall” by Adele. For me, this song represents things coming to an end or the last chapter; more specifically, it makes me think of the arctic scenes from the end of the Frankenstein book. At the end of Victor’s story, which he is telling Walton, he explains how he has made it his mission to follow his creation until he has successfully killed it, which connects to one of the bridges in the Adele song. However, Victor is not successful in his pursuit and ends up dying before he can complete his task, which is when the Monster finds Victor and weeps over his death. The Monster says it is in both grief and relief connecting to these lyrics, “For this is the end/ I’ve drowned and dreamt this moment/ So overdue.”

“Where you go, I go
What you see, I see
I know I’d never be me
Without the security”

“Skyfall” by Adele

“I swear to pursue the dæmon, who caused this misery, until he or I shall perish in mortal conflict.”

Frankenstein, Volume 3 Chapter 7

“In his murder my crimes are consummated; the miserable series of my being is wound to its close! Oh, Frankenstein! generous and self-devoted being! what does it avail that I now ask thee to pardon me.”

Frankenstein, Volume 3 Chapter 7

I can’t explain every song I put on the list because that would take way too long, but here I will include some quick honorable mentions. The songs “Blood Upon The Snow” by Hozier and Bear McCreary and “In The Room Where You Sleep” by Dead Man’s Bones both add to the aesthetic of the book. “Blood Upon The Snow” plays into the artic imagery, and “In The Room Where You Sleep” basically describes the scene in which Creation stands over Victor’s bed. The last honorable mention is “Kiss Me, Son Of God” by They Might Be Giants. This song perfectly captures Victor’s ego and how he plays the role of God in the story Frankenstein. 

Works Cited

Hill, Gareth. “What Is Bohemian Rhapsody About? – Queen Forever.” Queen Forever Australia, 24 Sept. 2017, http://www.queenforever.com.au/what-is-bohemian-rhapsody-about/#:~:text=Here%20is%20the%20crux%20of.

nrhelms. “Frankenstein Playlist.” Sprockets and Springes, 13 Mar. 2021, nrhelms.org/2021/03/13/frankenstein-playlist/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2024.

Songfacts. “Eat Your Young by Hozier – Songfacts.” Songfacts.com, Songfacts, 2020, http://www.songfacts.com/facts/hozier/eat-your-young. Accessed 8 Mar. 2024.