Playlist no. 4: 13 Songs for Wednesday
Wednesday Adams has undergone many different iterations.
Up until recently, Wednesday was most remembered through Christina Ricci. Ricci’s portrayal helped launch Wednesday into the larger cultural lexicon.
And now the torch has been passed to Jenna Ortega in Tim Burton’s newest Netflix series, Wednesday.
I was never a huge Tim Burton fan, but in recent years I became more and more over his bullshit, especially due to the blatant racism in his films.
Not only does Burton rarely cast people of color, but he also portrays POC characters as bullies, or with cultural inaccuracies, such as the straight up minstrelsy of an indigenous man in The Lone Ranger.
Tim Burton can get fucked.
He has made plenty of mistakes, but he did right in casting Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Adams.
The following songs are not featured in the series. Rather, it is a playlist I feel we could find on Wednesday’s spotify if we were able to take peek. And just like other Fera Cor playlists, this one also spans across several genres and decades.
This playlist is: goth, dream pop, sad girl guitar, paired down punk, hip hop, & more.
Cellar Door- Graveyard Club
The first song is the title track off Graveyard Club’s 2016 album, Cellar Door. I am a suck for infectious synth and a deep voice. According to their bio, the band met and bonded over the short stories of sci-fi author Ray Bradbury and 80s pop music. I can see how these influences come together in their sound. Just as the new Wednesday series brings a modern edge to an old classic, so does Graveyard Club on this track.
Wildflower- Beach House
I first heard Beach House when I was in ninth grade. It must have been 2006 or so (I just checked the release date of the album, and yes, it was 2006). Their self-titled album has one of my favorite covers. It displays a collection of pearls, jewels, and metals in a bunched-up swirl of shiny precious things. It looks like being a child and sneaking into your grandmother’s vanity to play pretend. Did you ever play pretend or dress up? It was probably my favorite way to play as a child. It was a way to conceptualize my life and put memories in order, even when I didn’t realize it.
Here is the official video for “Wildflower” from their album Depression Child
Living Every Dream- Antwon
Here is the playlist’s only hip-hop song. Why do people think goths can’t like hip-hop or rap? Probably the same people who think POC can’t be in a Tim Burton movie (morons). I can’t even name on four hands how many artists sample Suzanne Vega’s 1987 song “Tom’s Diner.” Even Britney Spears has a cover of the song (and it’s pretty good too), and artists such as Fall Out Boy, Tupac, and Doja Cat also sample the hit. I think this goes to show the song’s enduring brilliance.
Here is Antwon’s spin on it.It’s a narcotic blend of sounds, like “White ladies in my nose/interracial date” and the way he yells it and the way Vega’s beat pounds.
Sea, Swallow Me- Cocteau Twins, Harold Budd
Were you a teen goth if you did not listen to Cocteau Twins? They were making music way before they became known through memes of their indecipherable lyrics. With Cocteau Twins, The more gibberish the better. This song, entitled “sea, swallow me” really sounds like a big dark sea raising high up violently before softly crashing down around you. It sounds like newfound love and daydreaming of leaving a place behind.
Pain Threshold- Dalmatian, Elkk
Alright, enough dreamy lovey dovey stuff, here’s Dalmatian. lol. One half of this duo is Kristina Esfandiari, the woman behind King Woman and Miserable. I have featured her songs on some of my other playlists, and I am sure I will on future playlists as well.
Mandinka- Sinead O’Connor
We did Sinead O’Connor so wrong. I don’t know what people these days remember her by, but I remember she was “canceled” before there was a name for it. She sang on Saturday Night Live, and at the end of her set she ripped a photograph of the Pope in half. Apparently the exact photograph she chose to rip was the same one her abusive mother kept on her bedroom wall. Sinead took it and waited years for the right moment.
Sinead chose to rip the photograph because she knew, many years ahead of most, that the Catholic church was guilty of covering up hundreds of cases of child sexual abuse by catholic priests.
Here is the moment, I recommend you watch/listen from the very beginning. It’s devastating to hear it and feel nothing has changed.
This is the track included on the playlist:
Goodbye Cruel World- Shakespeares Sister
Shakespeares Sister was a duo based in the UK, founded by Siobhan Fahey and American Marcella Detroit. Shakespeares Sister is most well-known for their hit single “Stay.” Instead of including that song, which will probably show up in a playlist sooner or later, I chose the first track off the same album, Hormonally Yours. Apparently both band members were pregnant at the time of writing it
I Take It We’re Through- The Cat’s Miaow
This is a heartbreaking song by an Australian indie pop band that was active from 1992 until 1998. I would liken it to the sounds of the pastels, the flatmates, and eric’s trip.
Strawberry Skies- Games
This song is only from 2010, but it sounds like an old 1980s bop. I think its best for late night drives or grey days while walking your dog.
Caught In Time, So Far Away- You’ll Never Get to Heaven
Another dreamy feely song
One More Last One- Wednesday
This song takes a departure from other songs due to its more straightforward indie rock sound, but I thought it was a great palette cleanser. Plus, the band shares the same name as the playlist’s inspiration :)
Ceremony- New Order
Hands down the greatest version of “ceremony” ever. ever. ever….ever.
Trees and Flowers- Strawberry Switchblade
This version is different from the Spotify playlist version, and arguably better.
