LCD Soundsystem’s “oh baby” is the perfect encapsulation of the play’s first scene on many different levels. The track also serves as the opening number of the band’s fourth album american dream, a concept album centered around motifs of bad dreams and sleeplessness to convey a deeper socio-political message. With those thematic parallels aside, the song is an airy, atmospheric electronic piece with a steady, rhythmic synth arrangement that gives the music an almost hypnotic quality. Lyrically, the song constructs a somewhat cryptic narrative; frontman James Murphy croons over the sparse drum machines and lingering synths as he painfully describes an interaction with someone he loves deeply but knows he cannot be with. In I.i, “oh baby” sets the stage with its dreamy sound and lyrical undertones while introducing Hermia’s inner conflict between her true feelings for Lysander and her arranged marriage with Demitrius.
The Essay + Cover Letter
The Soundtrack + Liner Notes
The following introduction to the liner notes has been adapted from the essay shown above.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play about many things, but its emphasis on the idea of dreams lies at the core of each of its themes and is the most indispensable aspect of the text. The following soundtrack is an accompaniment to a 36 minute short film which tells the story of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream exclusively through music rather than dialogue, emphasizing the play’s defining dreamlike quality by compiling a collection of songs from a variety of atmospheric genres and using shifts in lyrical and instrumental tone to convey the narrative arc. While the soundtrack is intended to accompany a film counterpart, it can also stand on its own as a cohesive listening experience and retelling of the play.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a play about many things, but its emphasis on the idea of dreams lies at the core of each of its themes and is the most indispensable aspect of the text. The following soundtrack is an accompaniment to a 36 minute short film which tells the story of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream exclusively through music rather than dialogue, emphasizing the play’s defining dreamlike quality by compiling a collection of songs from a variety of atmospheric genres and using shifts in lyrical and instrumental tone to convey the narrative arc. While the soundtrack is intended to accompany a film counterpart, it can also stand on its own as a cohesive listening experience and retelling of the play.
Click any song listed below to view its liner notes.
SIDE A
Introducing the rude mechanicals in I.ii is “Revival” by Atlanta-based experimental rock group Deerhunter. Stylistically, the track is a noticeable departure from the first. With a runtime of just over two minutes, its brevity as well as its focus on more organic and acoustic instrumental arrangements give the song a folkier sound that evokes the essence of the rude mechanicals. While instrumentally rich, the production is slightly rough around the edges, further enhancing the depiction of the characters’ lower social class. An uncanny quality permeates every musical nuance of “Revival,” especially in the uniquely bizarre vocal delivery of lead singer Bradford Cox. His lyrics describe the frustrations of not being trusted or listened to (“I know they won't believe me, but I've got favorite memories”), mirroring the harsh realities of lower class life.
“Colder Than Ice” by Australian psychedelic rock outfit Pond opens the second act, abruptly shifting to a much moodier tone upon introducing the fairies for the first time. Originally written as a response to the severe meth epidemic in the band’s hometown of Perth, the lyrics draw parallels to the misuse of powerful substances in the play as the magical love-inducing flower are first presented in this scene. With its glitchy synth textures and distorted samples of a local radio talk show, “Colder Than Ice” is Pond at its most surreal, psychedelic, and downright ominous. However, this dark and haunting tone is complemented by a punchy bass line and drum grooves that are undeniably danceable, recalling that despite the fairies’ unsettling mischief, there is still a sense of cartoonish whimsicality beneath it all.
II.ii contains the song “Stratosphere” by legendary musician and multi-instrumentalist Beck. Taking inspiration from the genres of vaporwave and chillwave, “Stratosphere” combines crisp acoustic guitars with echoing synth pads and beautiful vocal harmonies to create a relaxing atmosphere that elicits the feeling of space and the night sky. Along with its lyrical references to being in the stratosphere, floating in isolation above the rest of society, the spacey bliss of the song emphasizes the comfort that Lysander and Hermia find in seclusion, not having to worry about pleasing others or keeping up with the constant bustle of life in Athens.
FOOTNOTE: For the following tracks 5 and 6, the order of the scenes in the third act is reversed in order to better suit the musical storytelling and listening experience; grouping the lovers’ scenes and the rude mechanicals’ scenes together makes it easier for audiences to follow the plot in the absence of dialogue and improves the flow between songs and overall pacing of the soundtrack.
If “Stratosphere” is the calm before the storm, then III.ii and “My Friend The Walls” would be the hurricane. Written and performed by The Voidz, the genre-fusing experimental rock band featuring The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, “My Friend The Walls” is a dizzying and brooding piece that brings a sudden burst of aggression to the track listing. From the opening moments of the song with its dissonant, warped acapella passage, its tone is eerie, evil, and unsettling, and the lyrics allude to the consequences of the flower’s magic (“For a flower to grow / The seed must rot”). As the rest of the band enters the mix, the fast-paced, complex drum patterns carry the song’s sense of chaos and disorder, reflective of the lovers’ state of confused rage. The lyrics continue to depict the confusion and indecisiveness as a byproduct of Demetrius’ and Lysander’s sudden changes of heart while portraying their self-centered motives (“In the dark changes his mind / Everybody dreams to be a name / On a street sign some day”) before exploding into an anthemic chorus. It’s unrelentingly surreal and experimental, perfectly capturing the lovers’ breaking point as it spins out of control for a bold conclusion to the soundtrack’s A side.
SIDE B
Returning to the rude mechanicals in III.i, “When You’re Small” by MGMT begins side B as a deconstruction of Nick Bottom’s character. The track was written as a reflection on the band’s own sudden rise and sudden fall in popularity, translating powerfully into the context of the play as a depiction of Bottom’s desire for the spotlight. Beginning with a very minimalistic instrumental arrangement with soft acoustic guitar arpeggios and ambient noise, the return to simplicity one again indicates the portrayal of the rude mechanicals. This peaceful sound is capped with blunt lyrics about Bottom’s positive perception of fame in comparison to his shameful view of his own lack of public attention. As the song builds up, however, the lyrics take an unexpected turn, suggesting that Bottom has come to terms with his lack of fame and acknowledged its benefits, but as implied with the dramatic strings and haunting piano scales, his realization comes too late. His self-obsession and stubbornness has already ruined his reputation among his peers, assuming the appearance of an ass.
Serving as a conclusion to III.i and continuing into IV.i, “We Both Go Down Together” by The Decemberists takes on the perspective of Titania as she falls in love with ass-headed Nick Bottom under the influence of the flower’s magic. Described by frontman Colin Meloy in a 2015 interview as a song told from the perspective of “an asshole and a sociopath”, it is a vivid and disturbing look into the twisted mind of someone affected by the love enchantment. It tells the tale of a man from the British upper class who falls deeply in love with a woman who comes from a family of peasants, using his power and manipulative personality to win her over despite the disapproval of his own parents, paralleling the toxic nature of Titania’s feelings for Bottom. Combining indie pop with elements of baroque and gothic styles, it has a distinctly ornate sound evoking images of royalty, and with Colin Meloy’s signature style of verbose lyricism, it boldly establishes Titania’s queenly authority.
As Puck uses the flower’s magic to restore the normal order of the world, the lovers awaken under the impression that the night’s antics were only a dream, an illusion symbolized by the chimes ringing before the first verse of “D.A.R.L.I.N.G.” by dream pop duo Beach House. Concluding the fourth act, the warm guitar tones and airy organ chords create a sound that captures the feeling of the first moments of morning. Lyrically, it has several interpretations within the context of the play, with its theme of familiarity representing the lovers’ readjustment to their true selves (“Where did you come from? / You're no stranger / How I know you will return”) and the refrain in the chorus implying their farewells to the reality they believe to be nothing more than a dream (“In the parting of our ways / May it never happen, any way”).
V.i features English rock band Foals and their six-minute epic “Sunday.” With its lazy shuffled rhythms and airy guitars, the song has an arena-sized sound from the start, fittingly instilling a sense of new beginnings. Lyrically, it’s a carefree track about leaving hard times in the past and enjoying life in the presence of friends (“Time has come and time is done / Cities burn, we got youth to spend / And time to waste and life to live again my friend”), representative of the lovers’ fresh start after the events of the night and enjoying the festivities of the wedding. After breaking into a bombastic and anthemic chorus, the song suddenly makes a drastic stylistic shift, breaking into an incredibly dancy breakdown with pulsing synths and drum machines. Aside from bolstering the fun nature of the scene with its undeniably danceable beat, it is also a reflection of the strange unpredictability of the rude mechanicals’ performance. “Sunday” is the quintessential “grand finale” song, taking listeners on an atmospheric, conclusive, and oftentimes unexpected journey.
Puck’s concluding monologue is an iconic piece of meta-commentary, breaking the fourth wall by having Shakespeare use the character of Puck to speak directly to the audience about the play itself. Similarly, Jay Som’s “Lipstick Stains” acts as the adaptation director’s choice for a final statement to the audience. There may not be a clear or concrete link between the song and the original play text, but the selection was inspired by a personal experience of seeing Jay Som perform the track live. At the end of the encore, as the final notes of “I Think You’re Alright” rang out, the band gradually and seamlessly transitioned into the ambient soundscapes of “Lipstick Stains” to close the show. It was interesting to watch just how softly they were playing their respective instruments, paying close attention to the delicacy of the song, and then, just as they began to build up the song’s momentum, each member of the band slowly dropped to the floor, leaving lead singer Melina Duterte alone in the spotlight to deliver the song’s only verse. The song itself is a beautifully intimate composition on its own, but seeing it performed this way in a venue of only a few hundred people brought it to a whole new level of intimacy. As Melina whispered out the song’s final words (“I pray it lasts a while”), the room remained completely silent for several seconds until she uttered the words “thank you,” and the crowd burst into applause. It was an emotional and deeply personal moment unlike anything I had ever seen at a concert before, and it inspired me to make the same sort of intimate coda in this soundtrack. Matching the dreamy aesthetic perfectly with its sparse yet complex arrangement, reverb-tinged vocals, and mysterious sense of inconclusiveness, it ends the play by reflecting on the themes of love and relationships, refusing to answer all of the audience’s lingering questions and inviting repeated listens.