#and then typing the copy not once but TWICE because my browser crashed LITERALLY AS I WAS TRYING TO SCHEDULE THIS POST THE FIRST TIME

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Rethaniel Appreciation Week ↳ Day 5: Favorite Music Moment/Song that Reminds You of Them

I’m trying to kill a couple birds with one stone here, so bear with me!

Of all of the incredible Rethaniel music moments, my favorite will always be Let’s Have Intercourse. The lyrics are hilarious, but the video and the music are absolutely beautiful. Runner up goes to Nothing is Ever Anyone’s Fault for also being a beautiful (if questionable) song, but nothing will ever top these two in fancy dress dancing in a ballroom. Sorry, them’s the facts.

Now the other bird: a playlist! This is an idea I’ve been kicking around for a hot sec, and I figured there wasn’t a better time to share a Rethaniel playlist than during Rethaniel Appreciation Week.

On this playlist, you will find fourteen lovingly hand-picked tracks: seven actually from the show, and seven that remind me of our two favorite lawyers in love plucked from my own personal library.

Under the cut, I’ve provided Spotify links, as well as samples of lyrics and short explanations as to why each of the songs made the list! I’ve organized the playlist chronologically through their relationship, so grab your headphones, sit back, and prepare to get all up in those feels!

LET’S HAVE INTERCOURSE — SCOTT MICHAEL FOSTER

Let’s have intercourse / Just pretend I’m seducing you / Come on, let’s quickly have intercourse / So I can move on with my life / My busy life

We begin our auditory journey through Rebecca and Nathaniel’s relationship at the most obvious point: the first Rethaniel song we were blessed with on the show. It’s a gem of a song, and it sets the tone of their beginning—confusing, sexy, not-quite-romantic. You know why it’s here.

ABOUT YOU — COLOURING

I think about you, about you, about you / Well now it’s all, it’s all, it’s all that I do

This mellow, repetitive tune is about a guy who can’t get someone out of his head. Sound familiar? It will, if you’re thinking of Nathaniel in 2.12. Poor guy can’t stop thinking about Rebecca. (“Oh, come on! That’s not even a sexy one!”)

STRIP AWAY MY CONSCIENCE — RACHEL BLOOM

You devil / Lead me to the dark side / Like a lamb to the slaughter /  Then do me in a hot tub filled with evil ‘stead of water / Let’s make war not love all night and day / It’s hot here in hell so… / Strip it all away

Rebecca propositions Nathaniel with sex in exchange for ruining Josh’s life. You know why this one’s here, too.

RISING ANGEL - ORIGINAL MIX — MIGUEL AMARAL

Instrumental

This oh-so-sexy instrumental track is the song that plays in 3.02 when Rebecca receives her dress and then meets Nathaniel on the roof. It’s sultry as hell, and I’m obsessed with it. Just listen to it and try to tell me you’re not feeling fifty shades of sensual.

MIAMI SUNSET CRUISE — BUSTAFUNK

Instrumental

This fun club-esque track plays when Rebecca and Nathaniel arrive at the masquerade. Close your eyes and be transported to a super sweet secret party in a spin-lates gym full of the most powerful people east of the 5, north of the 10, and parts of the 2. (And Craig, from La Cañada Flintridge.)

I DON’T WANT TO WAIT (MAIN) — PÜSH POP

We’re losing time / Still hesitating / Still can’t decide / I don’t want to wait, I don’t want to wait / No more, no more

If this deep, sexy track makes you feel like you should be making out with someone, you’re not alone. Continuing with 3.02 because the masquerade owns my ass, this is the song that plays when Nathaniel and Rebecca finally give into their desire and kiss before going back to his apartment. Rebecca’s always wanted to, and we’ve always wanted her to want to. (Note: This song isn’t available on Spotify, so I’ve provided a download link for you to download it yourself and import it into your music software of choice!)

SHE — BEN ABRAHAM

She’ll tip you over and she’ll drag you under / And she’ll sing that love is a fire / She is a mystery, my heart’s wounded history / And she is my hardest goodbye

The singer of this song describes the woman he loves as a complex, wonderful person. He sings about not only her positive features, but about her darker ones, as well. To me, this song is very Nathaniel-early-season-3. He’s learning to deal with his feelings for Rebecca and with seeing her as an amazing woman while also coming to terms with her past and the very real, negative things she has done and is capable of doing.

BETTER MAN — PAOLO NUTINI

She makes me smile / She thinks the way I think / That girl makes me wanna be better

A man acknowledging that his woman makes him want to be a better person? I don’t know about you, but that feels very Nathaniel to me. This song always makes me think of his confession at dinner in 3.08, where he describes how Rebecca makes him feel like he could be a different person—“a person who expresses their feelings, and cries at movies, and makes eye contact with homeless people.” I feel like he’d relate to this one a lot.

AFRAID WITH YOU — CHRISTON GRAY

I’m not afraid of the games we’ll play / Or of us fading away / With the ups and downs we’ve been through / I’m so afraid of the way I love you

Now this is a Rebecca song through and through. This one is all about a person struggling to figure out how to be in love when they’re so afraid to do it. It just screams Rebecca-at-the-end-of-3.08 (and even parts of 3.11). It’s somber and mournful, and exactly the sort of thing I could see Rebecca listening to as she tries to figure out how to proceed in her relationship with Nathaniel.

UP FOR NOW — KING

When I said I wasn’t up for this / You made it seem like I could love again / You are the first one to make me feel / You put your mark on me when I let you in / … / But I’m giving you up for now

Another 3.08 Rebecca track! This one is about someone letting go of the person they love for their own good before the relationship can get bad. There’s even a line about “We can make it work somehow,” which reminds me of how reluctant Rebecca is to call it a breakup, and how she acts like there’s some way to salvage the relationship even as she’s ending it. (Plus, it’s just catchy as hell.)

HORNY ANGRY TANGO — RACHEL BLOOM, SCOTT MICHAEL FOSTER

I’m clearly not over you yet / I’m clearly not over you either / Our love has transformed into hate / Damn! Sex right now would sure be great

We’ve broken up. We’re heartbroken. What’s the next logical step? We have to get horny, angry, and tangoey. You know why this is here (although it would be better on the floor).

THEN OK — JULIA NUNES

I am trying to be realistic here / I am dying ‘cause I know I can’t resist / We’re gonna be so sorry soon / I can’t keep my hands off you / And I don’t want to / …. / I just wanna touch you / Nothing can stand in my way / So if all you have to say / Is okay / Then okay

And what happens after we’ve danced the horniest, angriest tango ever known? Why, an affair, of course! And this song captures the mood of the affair so perfectly. It’s equal parts acknowledging their inability to stay away from each other, realizing they’ll have to face the consequences one day, and also totally not giving a fuck.

NAKED — JAMES ARTHUR

‘Cause here I am, I’m givin’ all I can / But all you ever do is mess it up / Yeah, I’m right here, I’m tryin’ to make it clear / That getting half of you just ain’t enough / I’m not going to wait until you’re done / Pretending you don’t need anyone / I’m standing here naked

The singer of this song has stripped himself emotionally bare in one last attempt to get the person he loves to be with him, and it is the perfect tune to soundtrack Nathaniel’s own heart-bearing in 3.11. Just like Nathaniel’s speech, this song is beautiful, raw, and a little painful.

NOTHING IS EVER ANYONE’S FAULT — RACHEL BLOOM, SCOTT MICHAEL FOSTER

But I’m glad for the trauma / I’m glad for it too / ‘Cause my past is what led me / To fall in love with you

And just as we began our journey with the first Rethaniel song of the show, we end with the last. It’s beautiful, it’s moving, it raises some eyebrows. It’s all of the best parts of their relationship. You, of course, know why it’s here.