Playlist

These are songs that we think fit the character Maria!




1. With a Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles

I thought that this song was a good choice for Maria, because she has helped Matt get through everything, and continues to do so when the vast majority of people that live in the house still truly hate him. She has been a good friend to him, and the lyrics in this song are completely about how sometimes if you just get a little bit of help, advice, and spontaneous fun from your friends things can get at least a little bit better and that is exactly how I feel Maria has helped Matt. -Mikayla

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBDF04fQKtQ


2. Never Known Love by Thieves Like Us

To me, this song signifies Maria because it talks about "deep blue sea, calling me," yet you'll "never known love." I feel as though Maria was calling Matt the whole time to be her friend (by bringing him food and comforting him when he was in the cell) and he'll still never know love because he's a clone.

I interpreted this song as first-perspective from Matt about Maria. Since the song itself is sung in first perspective, it's being sung to Maria about Matt's suffering and how she's the only spark of love in his world. Like I said, her affection alone will never be equal to the acceptance of everyone at the Alacran Estate. -Jenny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mouDCaS5Fc


3. I'll Stand by You by The Pretenders

I choose the song I'll stand by you because I think that many things in this song relate to the relationship between Maria and Matt. "Let me see you through 'cause I've seen the dark side too." This quote reminds me of how Maria would feel about Matt, because she has seen a darker side of Matt. At one point in the story Matt is angry at Maria so he makes her pick up the present she threw on the ground, and come over and kiss him. He orders her around, and this shows a very different side of Matt. "I get angry too... well I'm a lot like you" This quote fits the book because Maria has gotten angry at Matt as well. Matt and Maria can both be very kind, but also will sometimes get angry at each other or others, so they are similar in that way as the song says. Lastly the song says "I'll stand by you. Maria has gone out of her way to help Matt by bringing him food, and comfort even when she knew he was a clone. Having someone stand by Matt really helped Matt to learn the value of friendship. - Rochelle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhFfEqpzHBg


4. Believe by Blood On The Dance Floor

This song is about having someone to believe in, and being able to let others believe in you and trust you.  I thought that this song had a great message and really fit into the theme of Maria.  I thought this because Matt and Maria have fought, but they are friends and Matt believes in Maria and they can trust each other.  "Maria hung on his words as though her life depended on them." (Farmer, page 31).  There is one line within the song that I really love and I think describes perfectly the relationship between Matt and Maria. "We all fall down, we'll pick you up."  I think that Maria is a little bit complicated at points but at the end of the day she has really helped Matt and in doing that, it has helped Maria.

-Mikayla

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK3UQXFoTl0 

5. A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans

I chose this song because Maria is definitely going through a hard time in this book. In the beginning of the book when they find out Matt is a clone, everybody betrays him. No one likes him anymore because he is a clone. But there is one person in the book that still think of Matt the same way before they found out he is a clone. And that is Maria. When Matt is thrown in his cell, Maria goes and visits during the night and she even sleeps in the cell with him. Matt is going through a terrible time and Maria helps him and makes him feel stronger. One of the reasons why Matt has a smile on his face is because of Maria. -Alysha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m8GSnIkxPM


6. Lean on Me by Bill Withers

I chose this song because I think it really conveys the relationship between Matt and Maria. Maria is a very strong character who speaks her opinions, but she also gets very emotional. So sometimes Matt is the shoulder that she would lean on, as the lyrics in the song say. "Lean on me When you're not strong And I'll be your friend I'll help you carry on For it won't be long till I'm going to need somebody to lean on." These lyrics also apply to Matt and Maria because the mean that both people will need to help the other at some point. Sometimes Maria is upset, for example when she was afraid of the chupacabras and Matt then tried to comfort her. Maria also gives Matt someone to lean on because she listens to him and does not change her opinion of him because he is a clone. - Rochelle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPoTGyWT0Cg


7. It's Us Against The World by Coldplay

I picked this song to represent Maria because it really shows the connection between Matt, Maria and the rest of the world. In this book, most people in Matt's life right now don't like him. And this is because of the fact that he is a clone. There are only a couple people in Matt's life right now that still think of him as a human. And one them is Maria. "Its us against the world" really fits there relationship. This is because Maria is not allowed to see Matt. But she doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks. She does what she thinks is right. - Alysha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA6iXvyH3Oo&feature=fvst


8. The Fallout by The Epilogues 

I think at times Maria felt as though she's "falling out" of her family's trust by showing support towards Matt. Her father forbid her from seeing Matt and she was the only one that didn't hate him. When Matt treats her poorly by forcing her to kiss him and humiliating her, she now genuinely feels "fallen out," by have making a mistake ever trusting Matt and betraying her family and friends. -Jenny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF-Ik41SJVI 

9. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall by Coldplay

This is an upbeat song that I believe reflects Maria's personality. She seems to always be in the scene but not really in the moment. Her positivity takes her to another world, (such as "recalling" she had a dad, according to Matt). The lyrics "I turn the music on, I got my records on, I shut the world outside until the lights come on." This song definitely fits Maria's personality. As it described in the book Maria is a very emotional person, and she is not in between emotions, she is either very happy or very sad. Here is a quote from the book when Matt is describing Maria: "She was overflowing with life. Everything delighted or devastated or fascinated her." So with Maria she would not just shed a tear, she would cry a waterfall. -Jenny and Rochelle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijO9lAUtscQ 





10. Clocks by Coldplay

There are many parts in this song that reflect Maria. At the end of the song it says "Home, home where I wanted to go." And to Maria, I think that her home is with Matt. Maria's father won't let Maria see Matt. And they ended up being really close friends. But Maria misses Matt. I don't think  she just misses Matt, but she misses her home, which is with Matt.

I think a line that very well represents maria is "confusion that never stops" because Maria seems to be kind of stuck between opinions, and trying to find her way but things almost get worse.  This song could also reflect Matt's confusion about Maria at this point in the book. -Alysha and Mikayla