Riverdale – The Core Four Playlist

By starrymag | March 14, 2018

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

As we were all excited for the return of “Riverdale” and our core four, I am always marveling at the music selected for each episode. In fact, I am quite guilty of Shazaam-ing my way through episodes or using Tunefind in order to bulk up my already ridiculously large music collection with some of the show’s musical gems. Whether it be the original numbers, covers or aptly chosen tracks to fill the most iconic scenes, the musical direction of Riverdale is always spot on! So, it got me thinking about what I would find if one were to take a look at Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead’s music collections. How different would each of their styles be? Does their music reflect their outward style? And most importantly, what would I be surprised to find in their collection?

 

Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) – Personally, I view Archie as more of a purist in his music collection. While he gravitates towards acoustic-style ballads in songwriting, I wouldn’t be surprised to find a ton of rock (mainly hair bands) on his playlist, possibly also some tunes courtesy of Veronica Lodge commandeering his iTunes playlist or Spotify. While you may find the occasional “diamond in the rough” in his collection, Archie is not a B-Side cut kind of guy. He goes for music familiar to all those around him.

 

Workout Anthem: Motley Crüe – “Kickstart My Heart”

Songwriting Vibe: Extreme – “More Than Words”

Alone Time With Veronica: Van Morrison – “Moondance”

Archie Gets Dangerous: Kicking Harold – “Gasoline”

Browsing Fred’s Records: Deep Purple – “Smoke On The Water”

Bonus Track: Guns N’ Roses – “November Rain”

 

Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) – Veronica is the quintessential NYC party girl and her collection reflects that. There are lots of pop, hip-hop, trendy Top 40 picks, very dance music oriented. Veronica embraces rhythm within her sexuality and loses all inhibition yet keeps it classy. You won’t find anything quite off-the-wall in her collection. Veronica knows what she likes and isn’t afraid to express herself. But she does love herself some classics!

 

Special Times With Archiekins: MAX – “Lights Down Low”

Let It All Hang Out In The Club: Dua Lipa & Troye Sivan – “Somebody to Love Me”

Clutch My Pearls Anthem: Britney Spears – “Circus”

A B&V Dance Party: Katy Perry – “I Kissed A Girl”

Appease Mommy & Daddy: Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off”

Bonus Track: Prince – “Let’s Go Crazy”

 

Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) – Ah, Betty: a collection based in the known and unknown. With Betty there are always two sides of the coin, as evidenced by the emergence of Dark Betty in recent episodes. Betty aspires to be fun and bubbly with a hint of promiscuity. She listens to Top 40, but finds more solace in music that isn’t quite mainstream. Partially influenced by her boyfriend and the other half fueled by her own drive to figure out herself, Betty’s collection is—as Kevin Keller would say—iconic.

 

Mechanic Betty: Chalk & Numbers – “I Really Want to Work This Out”

Bughead Power Hour: Iron & Wine – “Such Great Heights”

Bedroom Dance Sesh: HAIM – “The Wire”

Dark Betty Rising: Portishead – “Glory Box”

Nancy Drew Strikes Again: Blondie – “One Way Or Another”

Bonus Track: Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce – “Telephone”

 

Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) – Jughead, like Betty, has a collection that proves to be one of duality. This is why I think they work so well together. Jughead’s collection is mainly based in a lot of variations of rock with some influence from Betty. Being a writer, riding a motorcycle and part of the Southside Serpents, Jughead mainly prefers songs with meaningful lyrics and/or a boot-stomping beat. But don’t pigeonhole Jones either—his collection will surprise you! He is not your average teenager, nor should his playlist be considered average in any which way.

 

The High School Blues: Lou Reed – “Vicious”

Angsty Jughead: My Chemical Romance – “Teenagers”

Into the Serpent’s Lair: The Clash – “Straight To Hell”

Betty’s Song: Bright Eyes – “First Day Of My Life”

A Pop’s Writing Groove: The Avett Brothers – “Ten Thousand Words”

Bonus Track: Nick Waterhouse – “(If) You Want Trouble”