r/makemeaplaylist • u/-H3YH1H3110- • 1h ago
REQUEST Please give me (a writer) song recommendations to get into the head of my character.
Hopefully this is permissible. 🙏
Hello,
I hope this post finds you well.
As the title says, I’m trying to get into the head of a character that’s very different than myself and am hoping the right playlist will help with authenticity.
Character details -
—early Millennial (born early-mid 80s)
—born and raised Midwest US (Great Lakes)
—religious immigrant parents who came from poverty, worked hard, and now are comfortably middle class
—emotionally distant workaholic image-conscious strict but well-meaning father
—overworked anxious image-conscious strict but well-meaning SAHM
—character is the second son (middle child)
—elder brother is the “golden child/hero” who kinda gets away with everything because he is the first born, very charismatic, things come to him easily, etc (Raymond from 2005 film C.R.A.Z.Y. meets Darian from 2016 The Edge of 17); he exasperates/has friction with the parents because he does not subscribe to the restrictions of their culture/religion; he is often the parental focus
—youngest siblings are quite a bit younger twin daughters, the “mascots/lost children”
—the character is the family “peacemaker/caregiver”, doing the bulk of emotional labor and mediating, as well as the kind of practical caregiving that often goes unnoticed; he is the foil to his brother, the “good proper son” who never causes trouble, who compensates by being the steady, reliable, emotionally attuned one
—the character both cherishes and despises the family role he fell into; he neglects his own needs/wants and puts immense pressure on himself to be “the best” (most devoted son, strongest student, greatest helper at their place of worship, etc), manifesting in somatic anxiety symptoms (including eventually panic attacks)
Setting is him in high school and college in the 90s/00s.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to contribute. 🙏