For The Win
Soundtrack to the motion picture
Thank-Yous/
Dedications
Many thanks to the directors, producers, actors, set
designers, cameramen, and everyone else involved in
making the movie. You all are truly a talented group of
people.
Also, thanks to the artists who wrote and performed these
songs. Because of you all, we can brag about how cool this
soundtrack is.
And finally, the biggest and most sincere thank you to Cory
Doctorow, for writing the novel For The Win. Without you,
absolutely none of this would have happened.
Track one:
“Barnacles” by Ugly Casanova
Sample lyrics:
“We clung on like barnacles on a boat;
even though the ship sinks you know you can't let
go”
“I don't see how you see out of your window
i don't need to see, i'll paint mine black”
When choosing the song that would play for the opening credits, at first we were going to go for something
that would fit the theme of gaming, winning, something along those lines. But then again, the movie was
bound to be filled with songs of that type. So we went for a song that described each character’s expository
situation. These were people who, despite changes here and there, had one routine thing they did every day:
Gaming. And despite how bad each labor character’s situation may have been, they were all dependent on
online games, weather they earned money from it pr played for enjoyment. “Barnacles” could be interpreted
many ways, but some of the lines hint at a sort of dependance on something. When applied to this situation, of
course, it implies a dependance on games, which was what made it so fitting.
Track two:
“Machine” by Regina Spektor
Sample lyrics:
My eyes are bifocal
My hands are subjointed
I live in the future
In my pre-war apartment
And I count all my blessing
I have friends in high places
And I'm upgraded daily
All my wires without traces
This song plays in the background as Mala’s rise to the
powerful and ambitious General Robotwallah takes place.
I felt “Machine” was the perfect song for this part. As she
becomes stronger, Mala becomes more robotic and
routine. The line, “I have friends in high places” describes
her connections with Mr Bannerjee, who is making her
rich. “And I’m upgraded daily” describes the daily praise
and pay she gets from Bannerjee.
Track three:
“The Whale Song” by Modest Mouse
Sample lyrics:
“I guess I am a scout
So I should find a way out
So everyone can find a way out”
“Instead of seeing a neighbor out,
I wish I’d found a way out”
This song plays at the scene where Nor, Justbob, and The Mighty Krang are chased out of their
hideout during the strike at Boss Wing’s factory and the in-game battles against the Pinkertons
and they are beaten. For most of the song, “I guess I am a scout/ So I should find a way out/ So
everyone can find a way out” is sung repeatedly. I figured this is how Nor felt at the time, and
also all the times she started strikes at factories in the past and didn’t necessarily succeed. But
she sees herself as the “scout” and is trying to find a way out for everyone who has to work in
unfair conditions or has been wronged by their bosses somehow.
Track four:
“Dots on Maps” by Say Hi
Sample lyrics:
“And the ebbs of traffic
patterns recede
And we played our only
record front to back
Infinity
When it's dark like this
All that I can see is the
whites of her green eyes
When she says,
"Oh, tell me, this is all it's
gonna be?"
And I say, "Oh, I don't
know just how it's gonna
be"
This song plays when Ashok takes Yasmin to Mumbai on his scooter. We chose this
song for this scene for a few reasons. First of all, the overall theme is travel, something
Yasmin has rarely experienced and is fascinated with. The line “When she says ‘oh,
tell me, is this all it’s gonna be?’ and I say ‘Oh, I don’t know just how it’s gonna be’.”
describes the little conversation they had on the way over there. Mala was confused
and didn’t know why Ashok needed her to work with him, and he didn’t really tell her
until later.
Track five:
“Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” by She and Him
Sample lyrics:
“Why don’t you sit right here and stay a while?
We like the same things and I like your style.”
This song plays when Jiandi meets Lu and is bringing
him back to her apartment. Lu is a little confused, thus
the title of the song, “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”.
The lyrics “Why don’t you sit right her and stay a
while/We like the same things and I like your style”
describes how Jiandi brought Lu home because they
both had a role in fighting for workers rights, and she
was fascinated with the fact that he was a protester.
Track six:
“Cover Up The Man” by The Fallout Trust
Sample lyrics:
“Long as you think you’re free, you’ll
never say what you mean
Cover up the man, make him crosseyed, make him numb”
“I can hear the flood coming in from
the sea, I can’t help thinking it’s
coming for me”
This song plays while Leonard is smuggling himself to China in
the storage container on the boat. Overall, the tone of the song
has a sense of danger and urgency, which is how Leonard felt
when he snuck out of his container to have some fun and
ended up setting off a sensor. “I can hear the flood coming in
from the sea/I can’t help thinking it’s coming for me” Is how he
feels when he waits, panicked, in his container, thinking the
crew is coming for him. It’s also storming and they’re on the
sea, so you could interpret the lyrics as relating to the storm.
Track seven:
“Dear Ronnie” by Take One Car
Sample lyrics:
“As you stood while the Winter’s
cold
And you sold everything that we
had in our little home”
“My once tender shoots are now
brittle roots,
And despite my demand I will
end where I began.”
This song is from the scene where some Webblies, who
are living in Jiandi’s spare flats, are raided. “And you sold
everything that we had in our little home” relates to the
destruction caused by the police raid. “My once tender
shoots are now brittle roots, and despite my demand I will
end where I began” That line, especially the last bit, fits
how they can’t help but feel powerless of in the face of the
police. In addition, the heavy guitars and intensity in the
music helps build tension in the scene where Jiandi and
Leonard are running from the police.
Track eight:
Sample lyrics:
“Handlebars” by Flobots
“Me and my friends understand
the future
I see the strings that control the
systems
I can do anything with no
assistance
I can lead a nation with a
microphone
With a microphone
With a microphone”
This song plays when Ashok crashes the game economies and
blackmails Connor Prikkel and the other people who are in charge of
games. Throughout the song, the lyrics show a rapid rise in power. In
the beginning, the singer brags about being able to ride a bike with no
handlebars, by the end he talks about ending the planet in a
holocaust. Even though that wouldn’t happen with the Webblies, the
“rise in power” theme definitely fits, because at first, the Webblies
barely had a voice and no one would listen to them, but by the end of
the book, they were finally getting what they wanted. Also, the lines
“Me and my friends understand the future/I see the strings that
control the systems” describe the Webblies’ knowledge and attitude
towards their work.
Track nine:
“My Life Is Like A Chase Dream (And I’m Still Having Chase Dreams)” b
Moving Mountains
Sample lyrics:
“This house is burning
down.
The waves are flooding
out.”
“In your breath, I tried to
hear, I never thought
that anyone would fall.
I never thought that you
could save them all, so
don't look down now.”
This is the song from the climax scene of the movie, when the arsonists burn down
Nor’s hideout. If you listen to the lyrics, it fits the given situation almost perfectly. The
lyrics, “This house is burning down/The waves are flooding out” are pretty spot on as to
the physical situation, since in this scene the building is on fire. “The waves are flooding
out” also makes sense if you listen to it- the “waves” could be seen as Nor, Justbob, and
Krang, and with the fire they, and everything they do, are forced to leave the hideout. “I
never thought that anyone would fall” is the attitude the trio seemed to have on the
situation. Throughout the book, they always risked it all, and they never seemed to
think that anyone would die in their efforts. “I never thought that you could save them
all” is how many people felt about Nor throughout her life, since there were so many
skeptics, The next to last line in the song is “Just know that I found a better place to rest
my head”. In her last moments, Nor seemed to be at peace with the fact that she was
dying. Even the title of the song describes Nor’s life- always moving quickly from one
place to another, escaping the police.
Track ten:
“Like Home” by Musee Mecanique
Sample lyrics:
“Take precious things away,
With clouds and tape,
Strike up the bell to play,
And walk down to the lake”
“Hold this ghost,
Feels like home”
This is the song that plays during the credits. It was chosen because it fits the resolution. The “Like
Home” theme of the song relates to how the characters all meet in Mumbai at the end of the
movie. . Even though only a few of the characters lived in India to begin with, there is a sense of
security similar to the one people usually feel when they’re at home. The line, “Take precious
things away” describes how many of the characters had to leave their former homes to come to
Mumbai