Staff Playlist: Fabulation or, The Re-Education of Undine

In honor of our first show of the season, Fabulation or, The Re-Education of Undine, we at the Lyric Stage compiled a Spotify playlist of songs that remind us of the show. Here are some of our favorites!

 

1. “Cardboard Box” by FLO

So I’ma put your sh*t in a cardboard box

Changing my number and I’m changing the locks

When you can’t get in, know your heart gon’ stop

You may be crying, but boy, I’m not

“Cardboard Box” serves as the debut single by British trio FLO, and it was produced and co-written by the UK hit-maker MNEK. The song is reminiscent of 90’s R&B, with the girls going from singing in unison to breaking off into three-part harmonies effortlessly. While the song’s lyrics portray a breakup and bids farewell to ex-partners, this song can also address saying goodbye to a past self and moving on to a better future.

2. “Pick Yourself Up” by Ella Fitzgerald

Nothing’s impossible, I have found

For when my chin is on the ground

I pick myself up, dust myself off

And start all over again

Serving as the twelfth track on Ella Swings Gently With Nelson, “Pick Yourself Up” is an uplifting song that encourages listeners that after every storm comes a rainbow, and while we have hard days, we can pick ourselves up and continue forward. The lyrics are a reflection of its title; Director of Marketing Heather Darrow says, “The song says it all and is a peppy and buoyant reminder that we indeed all slip and can get back up again.”

3. “Secret For The Mad” by dodie

I’ve got a secret for the mad

In a little bit of time it won’t hurt so bad

And I get that I don’t get it

But you will burn right now, but then you won’t regret it

Initially premiering on her YouTube channel doddleoddle back in December 2016, “Secret For The Mad” serves as the fifth track on dodie’s 2017 EP You. The song has a simple accompaniment, nothing more than a single B played repeatedly on a piano to accompany not only dodie’s beautiful harmonies, but also her vulnerability through her lyrics. “Secret For The Mad” expresses the pain that one may go through, particularly those with mental illnesses. Despite the bad things one may go through, dodie encourages her listeners that everything will get better in the end.

4. “Circles” by SEVENTEEN

To cover the sadness with the powerful song

It’s gonna be okay, like the hands on the clock

They’ll go in circles back to their places

“Circles” is a b-side track on SEVENTEEN’s fourth album repackage, SECTOR 17. As one of the album’s few lyrical ballads, “Circles” expresses the idea that music can be a force in bringing people together, specifically in times of sadness and hopelessness. There is a moment after the song’s choruses where young children are singing alongside the members, which is a moment of pure bliss and happiness that will eventually circle back. Though Undine has endured hardship for a lot of her life and is at loss at what to do after the loss of her money and eventually, her business, her friends and family are there for her in the end and are willing to stick by her side.

5. “lessons” by mxmtoon

Don’t look back

Just go forward like you mean it

Say it if you feel it

Life goes so fast

So, go live with good intentions

Today’s another lesson

“lessons” is the third track on mxmtoon’s 2020 album dawn, and speaks to listeners who are living through hardship in their lives. The lyrics of “lessons” emphasize that it’s inevitable that we as human beings are bound to make mistakes, and mxmtoon encourages her listeners to think of today as another lesson. This song is a reflection of Undine’s own growth and path to finding and accepting herself, despite the difficulties she has endured in her past and present.

6. “too late” by UMI

‘Cause feelings have changed, yeah, yeah

Nothing’s the same, yeah, yeah, yeah

Tried to explain to you

But I know you know it too, you know that

If I was to tell you the truth, you’d be over it

And if I was to tell you the truth, you’d think I’m lyin’ to you

Serving as the fifth track on UMI’s first full-length album Forest in the City, “too late” expresses one’s disappointment in a former partner for being too late to reveal their true feelings. It grapples with the circumstances of revealing too much too soon in a relationship, and we see this happen when Undine confronts Hervé and reveals that she was not being honest about what she was looking for in the early stages of their relationship. This song emulates someone wanting proper closure in a relationship in order to move forward to progress with finding themselves.

7. “20 Something” by SZA

How could it be?

20 something, all alone still

Not a thing in my name

Ain’t got nothin’, runnin’ from love

Only know fear

That’s me, Ms. 20 Something

Ain’t got nothin’, runnin’ from love

The final track of SZA’s hit album Ctrl encapsulates a sense of normalcy in a person’s life that may appear chaotic at first glance. “20 Something” expresses how a person in their 20s may admit that they do not have their life together, but it is what many people in their 20s go through in life. It is hard to find one’s way out of the 20s, but it is perfectly normal as we are still young and trying to find ourselves.