Intense scenes. Epic deaths. Abrupt endings. Cliffhangers. All of these can leave you on the edge of your seat as the theater lights brighten. You are left with burning questions, watching the white text of actors and characters scroll by as the sweet mysterious sound of Olivia Rodrigo’s voice fills your ears.
To add even more excitement to the release of the fifth Hunger Games movie on Nov. 17, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” Olivia Rodrigo wrote a tasteful song matching the peculiar yet mystifying ambiance of the movie. “Can’t Catch Me Now” is part of the film’s soundtrack. The movie, based on Suzanne Collins’ fifth book of the “Hunger Games” series released in 2012, ends with this phenomenal song as a great finishing touch to the breath-taking film. The last scene in the film is very unique, as it is almost the opposite of the popular “enemies to lovers” trope. One of the main characters is shot at by a friend who seems trustworthy, which is shocking and unexpected. Rodrigo’s song helps intensify these feelings, adding the perfect cherry on top to this finale.
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Throughout the song there are dark and ominous lyrics such as the opening line, “There’s blood on the side of the mountain.” This is a gentle nod to the blood-chilling scene of Cornelius Snow shooting at Lucy Gray Baird (main characters in the film) after they run away together. Most of the song is composed of lyrics referring to Lucy Gray and her odd, mysterious ways.
“I’m in the trees, I’m in the breeze/My footsteps on the ground/You see my face in every place/But you can’t catch me now,” Rodrigo sings in the chorus. This is a pretty obvious reference to Lucy Gray’s disappearance and her unknown fate. Rodrigo crafted a song that matches the mysterious fate of Lucy Gray, while simultaneously including lyrics that directly reference specific scenes throughout the film.
The acoustic guitar dominates the silent parts of the song but gracefully harmonizes with Rodrigo’s voice during the vocals. The song captures a feeling that words cannot describe, a beautiful balance between mystery, revenge, hate, and sadness that can only be endured while listening to the song itself.
I wish such a well-done song was incorporated more into the live scenes of the movie, as it would have created such depth and emotion tied with specific characters for the audience. In the end, the song includes so many nods to scenes and Lucy Gray and is a perfect fit for “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
Towards the end of the song, Rodrigo’s voice intensifies and becomes more passionate, repeating lyrics building up to the calm at the end of the song. “You can’t, you can’t catch me now/I’m comin’ like a storm into your/town/You can’t, you can’t catch me now/I’m higher than the hopes that/brought down,” expressing so much emotion of what feels like hatred, frustration, and sadness in the skillfully crafted lyrics. Separated by dramatic pauses in the guitar chords, this climax creates the perfect suspenseful harmony.