Valentine's Playlist

##### **'There's a world inside you, I wanna know what it feels like, I want to go there with you'**

I consider this ballad a personal message to Valentine. He is a fragile man at heart, confused with himself and the world around him. Every time I listen to it, I feel a little closer to him. I love how magical the instrumental sounds, the whispered vocals, how it builds up, like a long lost Disney song. I suppose I just want a Disney ending for him...

> **W€ CHANG£ - Clarence Clarity**
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##### **'I'm stuck in change, I love your cement, but I can't'**

A song that feels straight out of the Beetlejuice cartoon. The instrumental heads these nightmarish synths that become more twisted as the song progresses. Valentine is ever evolving, but not always in the best way. I believe this song captures his journey before, and at the beginning of the campaign. He had no guide and nowhere to call home. Even when he found it, he still resisted.

> **The Ballad of Me and My Brain - The 1975**
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##### **''Oops I Did It Again' started playing, forget my brain, remember my name'**

A song that was an initial inspiration for the concept of Valentine; it's actually hilarious how relevant this song is now. What's less funny is how well this song captures his internal struggle. The first line 'Well I think I've gone mad, isn't that so sad' hits me like a bus. The bombastic yet muddy instrumental is exactly how I perceive his frustrated thoughts to be. One thing is certain, he may forget his brain, but he'll definitely remember his name.

> **Puttin' on the Ritz - Taco**
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##### **'Why don't you go where fashion sits, Puttin' on the ritz'**

It's not all emotional woe in this playlist, lest we forget, this is still Valentine we're talking about. He is tastelessly extravagant, callously impulsive, and a terrible flirt, all of which this song represents perfectly. I could have chosen any of the much more mellifluent versions of this classic, but the tacky instrumental and 'super-duper' cheesiness of the vocals were made for our beloved fool.

> **It's All Coming Back to Me Now - GFOTY**
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##### **'It was lost long ago, but it's all coming back to me'**

This playlist is it's own abridged version of the events surrounding Valentine. Think of this song as a short interlude. Valentine has recovered a memory, and it's all coming back to him.

> **You Win Again - Bee Gees**
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##### **'You couldn't give me what everybody needs, I shouldn't let you kick me when I'm down'**

Unfortunately I can't say too much about this song at this point. I will say however it follows a motif that all the songs on this playlist do, sounding magical and otherworldly. I wanted each song to feel like Valentine, I think I succeeded?

> **Wind Bell - In The Blue Shirt**
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##### **'He's looking for a shooting-star!'**

Valentine is searching for something, he always has, he just doesn't know where to look. A mix that moves from one melody to the other, this song captures his curiosity (and lack of attention) to a tee.

> **Rewrite The Stars - Zac Efron, Zendaya**
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##### **'Nothing can keep us apart, you were the one I was meant to find'**

Finding out you have a sister must be a jarring experience, but the desperation to find your family must be a horrendous one. When the world seems to be against him, only time will tell whether he will be able to find her.

> **Meteor Shower - Owl City**
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##### **'I am not my own, for I have been made new, please don't let me go, I desperately need you'**

Maiwen and Tiberius' reaction to 'New' Valentine upon his arrival effected him deeply, so much so that he was willingly leave the group. Whilst at this point in the campaign relations have improved, let this powerful sombre tune be a reminder of his first feelings of consciousness.

> **Happy Ending - Mika**
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##### '**This is the hardest story that I've ever told, no hope or love or glory, happy ending's gone forevermore'**

To end this playlist, I wanted a song that was reflective of my perspective as a player. When Valentine changed it was a massive shock to me. I suddenly had to reevaluate everything I knew about him, all that influenced his motivations had gone and he was reborn into a character I only knew on paper. The journey I had taken with him was no more, the memories of his friends erased, in the aftermath of it all it was heartbreaking. So this is my swansong to you 'Old' Valentine. As I now walk alongside 'New' Valentine, your memory will not be forgotten, I will cherish it forevermore.

> **Hidden Track: Whole New World / Pretend World - SOPHIE**
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##### **'I looked into your eyes, I thought that I could see a whole new world'**

I decided against adding this song to the playlist. I felt it was too long for it not to be placed at the end, and believed 'Happy Ending' was a better fit. However, I have often thought about Old Valentine's last moments staring into Lesandra's eyes, what was only a matter of seconds feels like an eternity to me. This is a sonic interpretation of Lesandra removing the life from his body, erasing his memories, destroying everything I had come to know.