Anne Frank Soundtrack

Drowning in Insecurity 

1.    “I Could Die For You” – Red Hot Chili Peppers

-       Miep risks her life, helping the Franks and the Van Daans stay alive.  She could die for what she's doing, but continues to sacrifice herself for two and half years.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers' song talks about how someone chooses to be with someone, and how they could die for them.  

2.    “In the End” – Linkin Park

-       This song is a bit nihilistic, because it says that in the end, it doesn’t matter what we do, we’re still going to suffer and die anyway.  I disagree with this message to some extent, but it relates to the people in the secret annex since they struggled to survive, but in the end, they were discovered anyway.

3.    “Gone Daddy Gone” – Gnarls Barkley

-       Gnarls Barkley sings about how the love has gone away.  It’s unclear whom the love is for, but I immediately picture Anne lying down with her father, telling him how she doesn’t love anyone but him.  The love she had for her mother has gone away.

4.    “We Didn’t Start the Fire” – Billy Joel

-       The Franks and the Van Daans are caught in a situation they didn’t create, but are suffering nonetheless.  This song by Billy Joel details things throughout history we have had no control over, but that have affected us in various ways.

5.    “The Way I Am” – Eminem

-       “I don’t mean to be mean, but that’s all I can be, is just me” (Eminem, “The Way I Am”), is a line that reminds me of Anne and her struggle to figure out who she is.  At times she’s confident, and at others she regrets the nasty things she does.  Eminem’s song is about accepting who we are, regardless of what that may be.  As Anne matures, she is coming to terms with her own identity. 

6.    “Don’t Panic” – Coldplay

-       Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, tries to reassure us in this song that, “We live in a beautiful world” (“Don’t Panic).  In order for the families not to panic, they had to convince themselves of this as well, and hope that one day they would be saved by the Allied forces.  (Editor’s Note:  In the citation above, the in-text citation does not include the band’s name because it was already mentioned in that sentence.) 

7.    “Paperback Writer” – Beatles

-       Anne aspires to be a writer.  She dreams of having her words published one day, and this song by the Beatles is about different people who want to be writers as well. 

8.    “Young Love” – Chris Brown

-       The song says, “Since we ain’t 21 they be tryin’ to say it ain’t love” (Brown, “Young Love), and this is connects with what Anne and Peter are struggling with.  As they slowly start to fall in love, Mrs. Van Daan and Mrs. Frank question their intentions and their emotions. 

9.    “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” – Tears for Fears:

-       We all struggle for control over our own lives, but it’s obvious that we are at the mercy of others in so many ways.  That’s essentially what this song is about, and it connects to the play because all eight people in the secret annex are desperately fighting to have some sense of freedom.  Anne wants to be treated like an adult.  Mr. Van Daan wants his cigarettes.  Mr. Dussel desires peace and quiet.  They want to rule their own world, yet they must come to terms with the fact that others influence them.

10.                  “Promiscuous” – Nelly Furtado

-       If you don’t know what promiscuity is, look it up.  This song is all about it, and it correlates perfectly with the characterization of Mrs. Van Daan.  She attempts to be a bit promiscuous with Mr. Frank, and he’ll have none of it.