A Spotify Curated Playlist for Witch #1 (@iamabadwitch101)

Every year Spotify allows users to delve into their past listening history by compiling a playlist of 100 songs that you played the most that year.  In this special 2018 Spotify playlist curation, Spotify has created playlists for your fav Shakespeare characters! These are the music compilations I have been needing.  

1. Magic by Coldplay

This is the kind of song I was expecting when I opened up the playlist for Witch #1.  Just hearing the word “witch” invokes the idea of magic and potions and spells, oh my!  In the text when the witches are delivering their prophecy and casting their magical spells Shakespeare writes, “Foul is fair, and fair is foul”.  This representation of the dichotomy of appearance vs. reality is also presented within the Coldplay song. For example, in the opening lines of the song it says, “Call it magic, call it true”.  It is of the common conception that magic is not real and so here again there is a dichotomy representing what is reality and what is fantastical. From this song we can understand that the Spotify playlist curators believe in the idea that the witches and their supernatural powers are not to be taken at face value, they are hiding secrets and mysterious events are to come in the future.  

2. No Pressure by Justin Bieber

I applaud Spotify’s choice of this song, number one because it is by Justin Bieber, but number 2 because in the song Bieber talks about how a girl he likes, doesn’t have to make her mind up (regarding potentially dating him) at the moment.  In his song he sings, “You ain't gotta make your mind up, You ain't gotta make your mind up right now”.  This connects to how the witches deal with Macbeth.  The witches present their prophecy to Macbeth (in a somewhat creepy way I might add) but yet Shakespeare is careful to ensure that the witches do not exert any physical force upon Macbeth.  They didn’t peer pressure him into killing the king….and all the other people Macbeth has murdered, they simply planted the idea into his mind. And this is exactly what Justin Bieber is doing- planting the idea of dating him (*insert heart eyes here*) but not forcing anything that the girl doesn’t want.  

3. Beware by Big Sean (the clean version of course)
   Megan if you’re reading this blog post please know that I am sending you this entire playlist that Spotify made for Witch #1, solely because it includes this song.  With this song Spotify kind of took an indirect blow at the witches, it’s almost as if the compilers of this playlist were indirectly warning the people of Scotland and England about the events that were to unfold- BEWARE CITIZENS OF SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND.  This relates to the idea that the witches were responsible for the outcome of the events in Macbeth- i.e. Macbeth going on a killing rampage and trying to fulfill the prophecy that they presented.  Now I cannot speak on the background of the witches because I am not entirely sure what happened to them or why they possess supernatural powers, but in the song Big Sean sings, “You should beware, beware, beware, of a woman with a broken heart.”  This relates to when the witches tell Macbeth, “The power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth,” This is an indirect warning saying hey Macbeth, you should BEWARE of a man born from a c-section.

4. Something Big by Shawn Mendes

The high beat and tempo of this song helps to develop the feeling of unease and anxiety that made the audience feel on the edge of their seat during the presentation of the witches’ prophecies.  And, as Shawn Mendes sings and as the prophecy foretold…”Something big I (the witches or Shawn Mendes) feel it happening”. Mendes’s song also brings up the idea of the “something” being out of his control.  This is interesting to think about as different perspectives can be taken regarding whether or not the outcome of events of Macbeth was in or out of Macbeth’s control.  

5. Controlla by Drake (again, the clean version of course)

This song once again helps to display the idea of the controlling of actions and emotions.  In this song Drake presents the idea of controlling a girl’s actions by essentially making her fall in love with him.  This parallels ideas presented in Macbeth.  Basically, the witches have controlled Macbeth’s actions by making him believe (and this up for debate whether or not they wanted the events in the prophecy to be fulfilled) that this prophecy was going to come true and he was going to be the King.  Overall another good song choice for this playlist as the slower and methodic tempo helps to reflect the methodic and deliberate presentation of what is going to happen in Macbeth.  For example Shakespeare writes in the stage directions, “Thunder.  First Apparition…” and does this same thing for the consecutive second and third apparitions within the first act of the fourth scene.