Katniss Everdeen makes her grand return in the long-awaited sequel, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Now hailed as the victor from the previous Hunger Games, Katniss, along with fellow survivor Peeta Mellark, must once again participate in the games. Only this time, the game takes a darker turn. This eccentric and fiery soundtrack is brought to life with a variety of artists, including Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, and Lorde with her remake of the Tears for Fears classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

Katniss’s return to battle begins with Coldplay’s “Atlas”, Of Monsters and Men’s “Silhouettes” and Sia ft./The Weekend & Diplo’s “Elastic Heart”. “Atlas”, “Silhouettes” and “Elastic Heart” reflect jubilance of the Victory Tour. Although many were lost in the previous Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta’s surviving the games is cause for celebration. The National’s “Lean”, Christina Aguilera’s “We Remain”, The Weeknd’s “Devil May Cry” and Imagine Dragons’ “Who We Are” represent Katniss’s fear of walking into the unknown for a second time. Lorde’s “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, The Lumineers’ “Gale”, Ellie Goulding’s “Mirror” and Patti Smith’s “Capitol Letter” allow the audience to bear witness to the intended death destruction brought on by the newest Hunger Games. Santigold’s “Shooting Arrows at the Sky” present Katniss and Peeta as the victorious ones once more. Not only do they survive the games, but they are able to renew the hope of the residents of Panem.

This melancholy collection of melodies suits the theme of this movie. Each song is full of sadness, yet beautiful at the same time. While fans of the movie will enjoy this soundtrack, fans of the 80’s band Tears for Fears will be pleasantly surprised to hear a remake of the hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, sung by teen artist Lorde. Although the soundtrack is beautifully done, it is also a bit depressing. These are songs meant to induce sadness and bring tears to your eyes. You are meant to empathize with the main characters and share in their grief and terror. I found myself shedding a few tears while listening to some of these songs. If even one song can bring the listener to tears, then the artists have succeeded.

Final Grade: C

About The Author

Lauren Beverly

Music Reviewer

I love to write and have been doing so since the age of eight. Fictional stories have always been a favorite of mine, because it gives me a chance to be creative and to express myself in a multitude of ways. On more than one occasion, a song proved to be the inspiration to several stories I have written. Believe it or not, some of those songs were on soundtracks! That’s mostly what I listen to, aside from hits from the 1950’s up to the 1980’s. I’ve learned that anything can be the inspiration to a story, even a poster from the 1990’s or a DVD cover.

I’ve lived in Upper Marlboro all of my life and spent much of my childhood watching cartoons of all kinds, and listening to my older sister’s cassette tapes. Growing up, I listened to everything Jackson related, Paula Abdul, Elton John, and even the controversial group Milli Vanilli. As a teenager, I continued to listen to old-school hits and that was pretty much all I liked, aside from listening to all of Michael Jackson’s music. To this day, I still love old-school hits. That hasn’t changed.

I own a variety of CDs from artists such as Styx, The BeeGees, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, and many others. When a soundtrack comes out, there will always be one specific song from that album that I’ll love. It never fails.

I’ve graduated from Bowie State University in December 2013 with a B.A. degree in English.

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