BSG- Kara- Not The Carefulest of Girls
Spoilers through Daybreak
Download the mix Here
Bad Reputation by Halfcocked
An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
An' I'm only doin' good
When I'm havin' fun
An' I don't have to please no one
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my bad reputation
Attitude. Kara’s pretty much always been a bit of a fucked up puppy, but it’s interesting to see how her problems change of the course of the series (and how even though she grows she’s still pretty screwy.) I chose this song, especially as an opener, because I think it really describes the Starbuck we see in the card game in the miniseries, just the kind of off the bat impression we get of her there. But in reality she’s so much more.
White Light by Vienna Teng
All of a sudden the conversation turns
And everyone concerned is looking down
Guilty party is right here in the room
But no one can assume the high ground
Oh it almost caught up with you
Caught up with you then
Oh you should've thought of this my friend
If you knew it was wrong why did you do it
You don't know, you didn't mean
to, it slipped your mind
And it feels so good to feed a habit
you're just making the most of your borrowed time
Waiting for the white light
Guilt. Early in the series, Kara didn’t seem to have a lot of respect for her own life, especially after what happened to Zak. I feel like this song not only summarizes her guilt over what happened to Zak, but I think the line “You’re just making the most of your borrowed time” really summarizes her attitude towards life early on.
Girl Anachronism by The Dresden Dolls
You can tell
From the glass on the floor
And the strings that're breaking
And I keep on breaking more
And it looks like I am shaking
But it's just the temperature
And then again
If it were any colder I could disengage
If I were any older I could act my age
But I don't think that you'd believe me
It's
Not
The
Way
I'm
Meant
To
Be
It's just the way the operation made me
Recklessness. In short this is another “early Kara is a fucked up puppy” song, but it’s also one I’m just really fond of. I think this one focuses a bit on her reckless nature as well as her attitude towards herself.
Lost in Space by Aimee Mann
But I'm the stuff
Of Happy endings
Though mostly bluff
Belief suspending
But close enough
For just pretending to care
And I'm pretending to care
When I'm not even there
Gone, but I don't know where
Distant. Seeing a theme? I certainly am. I also think that “Gone but I don’t know where” is a pretty decent summary of several events of Kara’s life (or unlife as the case may be) specifically at the end of Maelstrom and Daybreak.
I'm not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance
Well if you wanted honesty, that's all you had to say.
I never want to let you down or have you go, it's better off this way.
For all the dirty looks, the photographs your boyfriend took,
Remember when you broke your foot from jumping out the second floor?
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
I'm not okay
You wear me out
Brutally honest. I think I have this secret desire to put a MCR song on every fanmix I make, except I usually end up taking it out cause I can think of a fanmix it would be better suited to. Kara is incredibly outspoken and I think there are elements of that song that really point it out, and let’s face it… Kara is not okay. Also I think the thing about the foot is humorous considering Kara’s history of leg injuries.
Dilate by Four Star Mary
When I see your face
My eyes just dilate
But I can't erase
That I want to violate
Every bit and everything and
Every part of you
I've suffered enough
It's killing me
I've suffered enough
What have I seen?
What have I seen?
Scarred. I feel like song kind of sums up her really bizarre relationship with Leoben. He has really frakked with her mind and it messed her up on many levels, yet there’s still that kind of Stockholm’s she develops towards the end of the series.
Bitch by Meredith Brooks
I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way
I'm a bitch, I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
When you hurt, when you suffer
I'm your angel undercover
I've been numbed, I'm revived
Can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it any other way
Layered. I don’t remember the link but I saw a really fantastic Kara video to this song. I know it’s one of the most typical strong woman songs, but it really does fit for Kara as she does fit all these things, especially as she begins to become a little bit more comfortable with herself as the series goes on. And I gotta say, the line “Can’t say I’m not alive” kinda give me the giggles when I think about the end of Crossroads Pt 2, and I think on many levels this song aptly describes what Lee thinks about Kara.
I Need Some Sleep by Eels
I need some sleep.
I can’t go on like this.
I try counting sheep,
But there’s one I always miss.
Everyone says I’m getting down too low
Everyone says: "You just gotta let it go"
"You just gotta let it go"
I just gotta let it go
Stressed. Kara’s gone through a lot that would keep her up at night, between abuse, ovary theft, and being held captive by her stalker… and let’s not forget the wonderful “We’re going the wrong way” arc.
Where Will You Go? by Evanescence
You’re too important for anyone
There’s something wrong with everything you see
But I, I know who you really are
You’re the one who cries when you’re alone
Special. Kara has a special destiny. And I feel like this is another song for Leoben and Kara. How did I end up with two of these on one mix?
The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars
I tried to be someone else
But nothing seemed to change
I know now: this is who I really am inside
I Finally found myself
Fighting for a chance
I know now, THIS IS WHO I REALLY AM
Searching for herself. Though Maelstrom breaks my heart, it really does show the culmination of Kara searching for who she is, and I feel like finding herself was always a huge part of her journey through this series.
Another Place to Fall by KT Tunstall
Find yourself another place to fall
Find yourself up against another brick wall
See yourself as a fallen angel
Well I don't see no holes in the road but you
Find another place to fall
Are you proud
To have founded a brand new behaviour
With hatred and hurt as your saviour
But nobody's choosing to follow
So you choke back the tears and you swallow
Trying. I don’t know why but this song just keeps reminding me of the “We’re going the wrong way” arc. I know so many people found it to be annoying but let’s face it, if you had the key to what everyone was looking for, would you give up fighting as hard as you could to get people to listen to you? Plus the fallen angel line… she was their guardian angel in the end.
Every Girl A Slayer by Robert Duncan
(Instrumental)
Strong. Because Kara the Vampire Slayer would be the awesomest thing to ever awesome. It’s also a very angelic sounding piece.
Basket Case by Green Day
Do you have the time
To listen to me whine
About nothing and everything
All at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it
Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up
Am I just paranoid?
Or I'm just stoned
A little bit crazy. Especially in season 4.5 with her identity issues after finding her own dead body, but damn… I still love her despite her crazy.
A Place Called Home by Kim Richey
Well, it's not hard to see
Anyone who looks at me
Knows I am just a rolling stone
Never landing anyplace to call my own
To call my own
Well, it seems like so long ago
But it really ain't you know
I started out a crazy kid
Miracle I made it through the things I did
The things I did
Someday I'll go where there ain't no rain or snow
‘Til then, I travel alone
And I make my bed with the stars above my head
And dream of a place called home
Searching for Home. Kara never really had a home, her early family life was incredibly screwed up. In all honesty the closest people to her family were Bill Adama, Lee Adama, and Laura Roslin. But she finds more than just her own home, she finds the home for the human race, something she was more or less responsible for since way back in Season 1 when she went back for the Arrow of Apollo.
Good Old Girl by Marian Call
She's a good old girl, my little girl
She's lived too long and seen too much
But still responds to the right touch
And she's a pretty girl, such a pretty girl
In the presence of her pain,
You can't hear nothing but the rain
A good old girl. This song was written specifically about Starbuck and it’s one of my favorite songs so I just had to include it in the mix, especially as a final song because I think it just sums her up so well.