MUSIC FOR YOUR FOOTBALL BRAIN - In Universe Playlist

Listen on Spotify (Incomplete) //

Just something to keep you company on the bus - Adam

[LS: So this playlist may not need that much explanation from me. Adam already gave his reasons for picking each song, which he wrote down on a note and gave to Caleb. These notes are the first bullet point after each song and are followed by any additional notes by myself or selected lyrics. 

In general, I think this is one of many playlists Adam gave to Caleb at the beginning of their friendship. Adam wanted to introduce Caleb to a lot of different bands, so he would send him Spotify playlists, YouTube videos, etc. But this is the first mix that Adam made with very distinct intention - he wasn't just sharing music he liked, he was crafting something specifically for Caleb to listen to while on the bus to an away game.]

• Notes from Adam, in character

• [LS: author notes from Lauren Shippen]

• Selected lyrics

1. "Can't Feel My Face" - The Weeknd

• I don't know if you even realize you're doing it, but you mouth along with the words every time this song comes on the radio.

• [LS: I know everyone is sick of this song but, goddamn, I still love it. I absolutely love The Weeknd and I think Adam would have put this song on here pretending it was just for Caleb when he actually secretly adores it and dances around in his bedroom to it.]

2. "Hard Out Here" - Lily Allen

• yeah, yeah, it's a girly song, but Lily speaks true. 

3. "Here" - Alessia Cara

• I don't think anyone has ever described so well what it's like to party with our classmates. At least, I assume, I don't know, you're the one who actually gets invited, you tell me.

• [LS: Adam spent a lot of time early in his friendship with Caleb convincing himself that the friendship wasn't going to last - that Caleb would get bored and go back to his cool parties. Listening to this song was a way of assuring himself that he didn't want to be part of that world anyway, thank you very much.]

4. "Strawberry Swing" - Frank Ocean

• I know you love Coldplay, but trust me - once you hear this, you'll never go back to the original

• [LS: unsurprisingly, this is also my view - this cover blows the original so far out of the water, it's unreal.]

• say hello/then say farewell to the places you know

• NOTE: This song is not on Spotify - I recommend building your own playlist in your music app of choice!

5. "Grade 8" - Ed Sheeran

• idk, this song just reminds me of you. 

• [LS: oh my god, dumb, dumb boys. This is a song that doesn't sound romantic, but the lyrics sure are - if someone sent this to me and said it reminded them of me, I would definitely think twice about what that meant. And yes, Adam was very aware of his own feelings for Caleb at this point and I think this was his way of testing the waters - if Caleb picked up on it, then maybe...he clearly was overly confident about Caleb's ability to read between the lines at this stage.]

• hold my heart to stop me bleeding now, now, now/and I'll never let you down

6. "Water Under the Bridge" - Adele

• all hail Adele - this is my favorite off her new album

7. "You're Not the Only One" - Jamie Cullum

• words to live by.

• [LS: This is Adam telling Caleb, "I don't just think of you as the hot jock who punched that guy that one time. I know you have hopes and dreams and interests and layers and I want to see you succeed in life". This song is a really bittersweet reflection on starting out in life and trying to achieve your dreams and how lonely that can be.]

• NOTE: This song is not on Spotify - I recommend building your own playlist in your music app of choice!

8. "Super Trouper" - ABBA

• I'll be in the crowd in spirit. Have a good game.

• [LS: boy, did I not expect this song to become as much of a thing in the fandom as it has but boy, am I happy that it did. A large portion of my heart belongs to ABBA and it brings me great joy to share the love. Also, this is just a really sweet, supportive song. And yes, for those of you wondering, Adam does still call Caleb "super trouper" on a semi-regular basis.]