#shoutout to girlmeetsghoul who was i was frantically texting

[solibrie]

ok. firstly. didn't anticipate this getting noticed. if anyone is terribly interested in listening to the playlist here it is.

secondly if you want my thought processes for the songs on there (currently. i love to prune and add to playlists on occasion; forgive me for that at least) click on the read more...!

my goal with the playlist was to be "era-accurate" which just meant "what would BITTY actually listen to in these trying times?" and drawing from the music he listens to re: his hype playlist. you know the vibes. varied pop.

this means i forced myself to only put songs that were out before may 18, 2015. which was INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE—

(AND THE SAME WITH 'NO PLACE IN HEAVEN' BY HIT ARTIST MIKA. BTW. GOOD WIFE WOULD 100% HAVE BEEN ON THE PLAYLIST!!!! LISTEN TO IT but alas.)

anyways. here are my justifications

starts with goodbye - "i guess it's gonna have to hurt / i guess i'm gonna have to cry" — he's starting off ANGSTY!!! it's a breakup song. bitty is convinced that jack will stop thinking about him the moment that he graduates, and bitty preempts his playlist with a hard reality check because this is how he protects himself.

broken-hearted girl - "i don't wanna be without you, babe / i don't want a broken heart" — hi beyoncé. i feel like this one is self explanatory

judas - "i'm just a holy fool, oh baby, it's so cruel / but i'm still in love with judas, baby!" — Never Fall For A Straight Boy :(

it will come back - "don't let me in with no intention to keep me / jesus christ, don't be kind to me / honey, don't feed me, i will come back" — this one is bitty being a little mean to himself. he adds this one bc he's silently pleading for jack to stop being so nice and sweet and taking him out to annie's every morning bc bitty can't deny him!!! he's implicitly calling himself pathetic.

closer - "here comes the rush before we touch / come a little closer" — this one is just straight up pining. also You Construct Intricate Rituals, etc etc etc.

ribs - "that will never be enough" — this one feels really basic??? but i think bitty appreciates the inherent melancholy and longing to the song. if melodrama was out in 2015, supercut would probably take this song's place.

chasing pavements - "i know this is love, but / if i tell the world, i'll never say enough / 'cause it was not said to you" — bitty keeps his confession LOCKED AWAY IN HIS HEART. it is a defense mechanism; he'd rather suffer through his pining than risk humiliation (rejection).

first love/late spring - "please, hurry, leave me, i can't breathe" — LARDO GETS BITTY INTO MITSKI anyways. bitty is down bad and he really would love (he wouldn't actually, but,) if jack was gone so maybe his heart would ache a little less, thank you.

adore you - "are you listening? / wondering where you've been all my life" — a lot of this playlist is bitty being tortured by his own heart??? but this one is another just,,, flat out pining song. he adores jack. and when it doesn't hurt, when he's going grocery shopping w him on the same day he has important nhl meetings, it feels wonderful.

beating heart - "i want to make the best of what is left, hold tight" — a lot of the more blatant love songs are near the end bc bitty was torturing himself with the first half.

see you again - "i will carry you with me / 'til i see you again" — this one is bitty actually being hopeful that he and jack will reconnect in the future (he still assumes jack will head on to brighter pastures). he assumes abandonment and reminds himself of that one last time before finishing off the playlist with...

halo - "i swore i'd never fall again / but this don't even feel like falling" — i mean. i mean. halo being The zimbits song is a given but halo from bitty's perspective is really important to me. like, the jack reading is really obvious (esp. with the "they didn't even put up a fight / it didn't even make a sound" lyrics; his feelings were fucking undercover until bob forced him to think about them for longer than 2 seconds) but bitty's pov is soooo important also. it's a blatant love song, comparing the love interest to an angel, and professing open communication with the "i'm never gonna shut you out" thing. this one was more indulgent, but i do think bitty would add it regardless. he's in love. he knows he's in love. he knows (thinks) doesn't have a chance, but he can't help but indulge himself in this one thing - even if it's not reciprocated, everywhere he's looking now, he's surrounded by jack's embrace :)

jesus christ this got long. after he and jack start dating bitty starts a DIFFERENT playlist (he calls it "051815" and halo is the first song on that one. XO is on that one too. and CARLY RAE JEPSEN IS ON IT!!! let's get lost is sooooo zimbits).

anyways. thanks for reading this far. have a cookie 🍪

(with feeling) I LOVE GETTING INTO THINGS YEARS AFTER THEIR PEAKS