A Playlist for Boy21 by Claire

by Claire



The book Boy21 is about Finley's struggles is his Senior year of high school. Many past events cause new problems, and new faces cause even bigger problems. Finley's problems are very relatable, in the way that he is very human and he shares his emotions freely in this book. The events make you think about scenarios that may have happened to you or someone you know about. Many songs are similar to the things happening in the book, but these are the ones that spoke to me



The first song for an event in the book Boy21 by Matthew Quick is “The Way” by Ariana Grande. The song describes how she needs a certain someone in her life in order for it to be complete. This compares to how Erin has to have Finley in her life, especially when she wants to stay with him during basketball season, even though they had the agreement to break up for the season. The lyrics “You give me that kind of something, want it all the time, need it every day,” describes how she is basically addicted to him, and “Never get enough, I can’t stay away,” also proves this and adds to the dimension that perhaps the boy is unwilling, as is Finley.



The second song to describe a point in the book is “I’ll Show You” by Ailee. This Korean Pop song is about how a girl changes herself to prove someone wrong. Even though when Russ challenges Finley is about showing someone up, the point of the song is the same as the plot; to prove someone wrong and make them loath you. It’s a reach, but the song came off to me as a perfect match. They both talk about trying to be the best them, or at least better than you, and the song captures this part of the book.



The next song for the playlist is “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” by She & Him is about why someone has abandoned you, even though you trust them. This is how Finley feels when Coach has left it to him alone to help Russ. The lyrics describe leaving the girl on the shelf, and her being okay with it, because she trusts the boy. She wants to know and progressively gets upsets how he leaves her out, even though he claims to love her. This song’s progressive tone over the time tells how Finley gets confused later on.



“What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts tells of how you love someone, but can’t see them for a long while. This person finds out that their lover is hurt, even though they haven’t seen them for a while. This is about how Russ hasn’t seen his parents since they were murdered, but still loves them and looks up to them. He is waiting for their final coming and is denial of them being gone. He didn’t have a final goodbye and this is what “What hurts the most was being so close, and having' so much to say,” really gets to me in this song and how it relates to the book. He wants to be able to be with them, just one more times and is depressed because of this.



The fifth scene in the book is when Finley finds out that his girlfriend’s been put in the hospital. He is so mad about why and the circumstances she is hurt and is reviewing how much he misses her since he can’t see her. The song “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion is about missing her loved one to an accident and reminiscing about them and how they felt about them. She goes through phases of lovesickness and so does Finley, even though they are more frequent.



“Bullet with Butterfly Wings” is a song about feeling trapped and wanting to get out of the boundaries. He wants to be independent and not compared to other people that do what he does, because he is a different person. During the basketball game Russ shows off his skills and Finley is embarrassed of how he isn’t as great as Russ and feels like people think of him poorly now. He’s nervous and wants to just do what he wants to do. “Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage” explains the trapped and excluded feelings that Finley feels, as well as the writer from Smashing Pumpkins.



“Lovefool” by The Cardigans is about a girl who is madly in love with someone who refuses to be with her. This is like how Erin wants to be with Finley even though she knows she can’t be. The situation prevents them from being together and she wants to still be with him. It’s a Romeo and Juliet story, but in this book, it is as if Romeo is already dead. The lyrics “Love me, love me. Just say that you love me” tell us that the boy doesn’t want to be with her, and that is how Erin’s situation is.



The song “Push it to the Limit” is a very up beat song about doing a sport and the adrenaline rush that you feel during the exercise. Since the book is about basketball players, this song is a very good representation about how intense a game can be if you enjoy it. Corbin Bleu sang this song for a Disney Chanel movie about boxing and multiple other sports, and I think this shows how competitive while playing basketball. This supports how Finley feels when he plays basketball and never wants to stop, because he just loves it so much.



These songs represents these points in the book thoroughly and present the want to be more in-depth and understand the interworking of each character's thoughts and tells of how each person interprets what they are reading. Overall, this assignment has helped me understand that there is more to what you are reading then just words and events.