How The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Engages with District 12’s Appalachian Roots

Image from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

My love for science fiction and folk music collided last fall with the release of The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In this The Hunger Games prequel, the writers and filmmakers embraced District Twelve’s Appalachian roots through the character of Lucy Gray Baird, a performer who uses her music to respond to the horrors of the Games. Truly dedicating itself to a folksy musical theme, some fantastic artists were invited to play on the film’s accompanying soundtrack, interweaving with the incredible songs performed by Rachel Zegler and the rest of the cast of Songbirds and Snakes. The album is brimming with talent from some of the best vocalists, instrumentalists, and storytellers from the current bluegrass revival (or ‘newgrass’!), such as Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, and Sierra Ferrell. The film and soundtrack embrace folk and bluegrass music in a manner that is appreciative, dedicated, and clearly well-researched. The songs created for Songbirds and Snakes not only support the film’s story and themes, but are directly entwined with it.

The most exciting initial release was Rachel Zegler’s rendition of “The Hanging Tree,” the popular tune from the first few films, which has undergone fantastic changes to fit Songbirds and Snake’s tone. In the movie, Zegler’s character Lucy Gray composes the song after witnessing the execution of a man at District Twelve’s hanging tree. This version of the song, which is slightly twangier than that of the original Hunger Games movies, was clearly influenced by traditional folk songs about the American coal mines. The eerie guitar of Zegler’s “Hanging Tree” sounds similar to that of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” written by Darrell Scott in 1997. Scott’s narrative song follows a family that tries to break free from the coal mining monopoly that has left them impoverished in Harlan County, Kentucky. Thematically, “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” is quite similar to “Hanging Tree” and the plot of Songbirds and Snakes itself, as it follows a group of loved ones who attempt and fail to flee a difficult life. The decision to have this film’s version of “Hanging Tree” echo a coal mining song is incredibly fitting, as within The Hunger Games District Twelve is known for producing coal for the rest of the nation; it is even suggested that District Twelve is located in the same region of Appalachia that inspired these real-world folk songs. This ingenious musical direction is just example of why the in-world folk music of Songbirds and Snakes sounds so genuine.

Every element and detail of the soundtrack is dedicated to reimagining this Appalachian sound within The Hunger Games universe. This is perhaps to no surprise; the album was produced by Dave Cobb, who has worked with some of today’s biggest alt-country stars, such as Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson. Many of the songs that were inspired by the film are haunting, stripped-down folk tunes that rely heavily on simple instruments such as guitars and mandolins, with occasional accompaniment of banjos or fiddles. One of the exceptions— and highlights— is the soundtrack’s leading single, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Can’t Catch Me Now.” The track successfully captures a tone similar to Taylor Swift’s “Safe and Sound” and “Eyes Open” from the original Hunger Games soundtrack while centering the characters and themes from the series’ most recent iteration. Like most of the songs written for the soundtrack, “Can’t Catch Me Now” evokes the imagery that occurs throughout The Hunger Games— snow, meadows, fire— but most impressively, it depicts the complex relationship between the film’s protagonists with ease. Rodrigo adds a new perspective to the film’s ambiguous ending, using her song as a clear statement of Lucy Gray's strength and power, even when the story refuses to give her a happy ending. Through this opening track, Rodrigo clearly depicts the intention of this soundtrack; to capture the same energetic, harrowing spirit of the previous Hunger Games films through a more folky soundscape.

This goal is not as simple as “Can’t Catch Me Now” makes it appear to be. In some ways, many of the soundtrack songs struggle because the artists dedicated themselves to crafting songs that could exist within The Hunger Games’s universe; in doing so, the songs lack references to American history and geography, something that has been intrinsic to Appalachian folk for centuries. Therefore, many of the songs are as simple lyrically as they are sonically. Sierra Ferrell’s “The Garden” focuses on themes of work, life, and death, all common concerns of American folk songs, but fails to capture the trademark eeriness of The Hunger Games. On the other hand, Flatland Calvary’s “Wool” stands out by managing to capture some darker tones with echoey instrumentals and clever wordplay. Playing with the familiar image of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, “Wool” utilizes a recognizable metaphor that has populated countless folk songs beforehand and also relates to the film’s exploration of a deceptive antagonist. While other songs on the soundtrack don’t exactly capture the complexity of “Wool,” they manage to impressively mix familiar Hunger Games images with haunting folk and bluegrass melodies.

While the music inspired by the film is good, the songs made for the film are— perhaps surprisingly— better. With the added context of the film’s plot and Zegler’s stunning voice, the songs that were included in the movie are the best on the soundtrack. “Nothing You Can Take From Me” is a protest song like a double-edged sword; during the film, Lucy Gray sings it at the Reaping. It’s emotionally powerful and evokes awe from the viewer. In the “Boot-Stompin’ Version,” it becomes a joyful and playful celebration of strength. Like the traditional folk song of Appalachia, it had different dimensions; it is both a celebration of life and a bitter response to everyone who has knocked you down. Through the different recordings, “Nothing You Can Take From Me” showcases the beauty of the fluidity of folk songs. 

The in-movie appreciation for storytelling through folk song doesn’t stop there; another highlight is “The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird.” In the film, Lucy Gray writes the song before the Hunger Games, recognizing that “it’s sooner than later that I’m six feet under,” and tries to reconcile with a past conflict and simultaneously win over the Games’ viewers. The song that she writes within the film is inspired by “Lucy Gray,” the ballad that she was named after, which comes from a real-world poem by William Wordsworth. By revitalizing a song (and poem) that exists both in Lucy Gray’s world and ours, Songbirds and Snakes presents viewers with an in-world song just as nuanced as real Appalachian music. As scholar Maud Karpeles has said, folk music’s “evolution is dependent not on one person but on many; its conception is a matter of many generations; and, strictly speaking, it never attains a final form.” In this way, “The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird” plays the same role in the world of The Hunger Games that it would in our own. This song has layers of meaning that come from multiple iterations, just like real folk songs, and all those layers of meaning play an integral role in the film’s story. It’s incredible to see these songs written for a dystopian film reflect the real complexities of folk songs, highlighting the importance of music in preserving cultural history as well as current social movements.

Paying homage to a longstanding American folk tradition, the sincerity of the soundtrack of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reminds us that District Twelve is not just an alternate version of Appalachia, but a look into the potential future. Through writing songs with consideration and care that emphasize the parallels between the dystopian world of Panem and our own, the film crafts a cautionary tale while also helping keep this traditional medium alive in popular media today. The music of The Hunger Games— specifically The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes— plays an incredible and under-appreciated role in uniting popular culture with artistic tradition.

Sources Cited

Karpeles, Maud. “Some Reflections on Authenticity in Folk Music.” Journal of the International

        Folk Music Council, vol. 3, 1951, pp. 10–16. https://doi.org/10.2307/835763.