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Charli XCX is everywhere! And that’s a very good thing! Equally brilliant is the way in which her music can help facilitate a deeper understanding of the characters in our A-Level Lit texts!

ACTIVITY 1

I have taken a lyric from each of the tracks Charli XCX has been playng on her ‘brat’ tour. Which of the characters you’re studying does each lyric resonate with? (Or, alternatively, you might want to talk about a character that the lyrics are definitely NOT true of). Write down the reasons for your choices – or, if you’re in class, discuss and debate your different ideas. Make sure to support your answers with evidence and, ideally, short quotes.

There is a list of characters further down this page. But feel free to reference any other character you think might be relevant to the conversation.

Charli XCX Lyrics

  1. “Back of the booth, bitch, guest list, VIP” (‘365‘)
  2. “I went my own way and I made it” (‘360‘)
  3. “you get mad because the bank shut” (‘Von dutch‘)
  4. “I just wanna rewind” (‘Rewind‘)
  5. “Door open, let in, but still outside” (‘I might say something stupid‘)
  6. “I wanna be blinded by the lights, lights, lights” (‘Club classics‘)
  7. “We on the surfboard, yeah, we riding waves” (‘Unlock it‘)
  8. “I’m feeling like I’m on fire, ’cause we’ve been keeping this a secret” (‘Talk talk‘)
  9. “I think the apple’s rotten right to the core” (‘Apple‘ swearing at1.40ish)
  10. “Your star burns so bright” (‘So I‘)
  11. “Got my finger on the detonator” (‘Spring breakers‘)
  12. “It’s so confusing sometimes to be a girl” (‘Girl, so confusing‘)
  13. “Pompeii in the distance” (‘Everything is romantic‘)
  14. “Running through the red lights” (‘Speed Drive‘)
  15. “I feel all these feelings I can’t control” (‘Sympathy is a knife‘)
  16. “You wanns guess the colour of my underwear?” (‘Guess‘)
  17. “1000 pink balloons” (‘party 4 u‘)
  18. “Bubblegum-pink Ferrari, yeah, I’m so bossy” (‘Vroom Vroom‘)
  19. “I’m a little scared, but no one ever really cared” (‘Track 10‘ swearing very soon after key lyric)
  20. “You want me down on Earth, but I am up in space” (‘I Love It‘)

Core A-Level Characters

  • Jay Gatsby
  • Daisy Buchanan
  • Tom Buchanan
  • Jordan Baker
  • Stanley
  • Blanche
  • Stella
  • Moira
  • Offred
  • Othello
  • Desdemona
  • Emilia
  • Iago
  • Roderigo
  • Brabantio
  • Lord Henry
  • Dorian Gray
  • Basil Hallward
  • Sibyl Vane

Now might be the time for some lovely creative writing with YUNGBLUD!