Now we know that Connor Roy is a Leonard Cohen guy, but have you ever imagined what music the other fictional, tortured, rich assholes listen to? Succession fans have.
The HBO dramedy’s devoted fan base doesn’t just post memes and make fan edits, they also curate playlists for each character on Spotify. There are almost 20,000 user-generated Succession playlists on Spotify. Nearly 3,400 of those playlists are for fan-favorite Kendall Roy.
Kendall Roy is the internet’s babygirl
The streaming platform shared some of the top tracks on user-generated playlists for the key players of Succession. They are:
Kendall Roy
“L to the OG (feat. Kendall Roy)” by Kendall Roy, Nicholas Britell
“I Bet on Losing Dogs” by Mitski
“Super Rich Kids” by Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean
“this is me trying” by Taylor Swift
“An Open Letter to NYC” by Beastie Boys
“Liability” by Lorde
“Nobody” by Mitski
“Dealer” by Lana Del Rey
“A Burning Hill” by Mitski
Kendall has two top tracks drawn directly from canon: his iconic Season 2 rap, “L to the OG,” and “An Open Letter to NYC,” the song Kendall is embarrassingly rapping along to when he is introduced in the pilot episode. These two picks are juxtaposed with the devastating tracks fans have assigned to him on their own. Three Mitski songs, a Taylor Swift track, one Lorde song, and a Lana Del Rey song?! He’s fans’ favorite loser sad girl.
Roman Roy
“It’s Only Sex” by Car Seat Headrest
“Romulus” by Sufjan Stevens
“short kings anthem” by blackbear, Tiny Meat Gang
“Verbatim” by Mother Mother
“Real Men” by Mitski
“Super Rich Kids” by Earl Sweatshirt, Frank Ocean
“I Wanna Be Your Dog – 2019 Remaster” by The Stooges
“Poor Little Rich Boy” by Regina Spektor
“I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” by Lucy Dacus
Roman’s songs are so specific and moving…and then there’s Cody Ko’s satirical rap, “short kings anthem,” which is honestly representative of how time and time again Roman falls incredibly short. Queue up “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” and some silent tears.
Shiv Roy
“Maneater” by Nelly Furtado
“The Man” by Taylor Swift
“Money Power Glory” by Lana Del Rey
“Me and My Husband” by Mitski
“Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)” by Rina Sawayama
“I Did Something Bad” by Taylor Swift
“King” by Florence + The Machine
Clearly a theme here. Succession‘s resident girlboss —sorry Gerri! — is associated with girl power pop anthems. Lana Del Rey’s “Money Power Glory” feels like the most accurate selection given that Shiv desperately wants what Tom has. Speaking of, her essential Mitski track is “Me and My Husband,” yikes! She’s the only character with not one, but two Taylor Swift songs and they are two of Swift’s least evocative tracks which speaks volumes.
Cousin Greg
“My Cousin Greg” by Houndmouth
“Money, Money, Money” by ABBA
“The Adults Are Talking” by The Strokes
“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears For Fears
“Primadonna” by MARINA
“This Charming Man – 2011 Remaster” by The Smiths
“Material Girl” by Madonna
“Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now – 2011 Remaster” by The Smiths
Mitski is to Kendall what The Smiths (?) are to Cousin Greg, apparently. Fans tap into Cousin Greg’s humble beginnings as a theme park mascot and his climb to the top of the Waystar RoyCo corporate ladder with songs like “Money, Money, Money,” “Everybody Wants to Rule The World,” and “Primadonna.” I can just imagine him listening to “Material Girl” while balling out at California Pizza Kitchen. “The Adults Are Talking Now” gets at his confused demeanor and tendency to be pulled in every direction by the Roys. It’s possibly the most eclectic group of songs of all the characters.
Connor Roy
“Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
“Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen
“Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin
“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
“Don’t Bring Me Down” by Electric Light Orchestra
“Dancing In the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen
“Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” by Neil Diamond
“Got My Mind Set On You” by George Harrison
“Better Than Me” by The Brobecks
Unlike the other characters, the choices for Connor are all rock songs and they have to be ironic. C’mon, half these songs are about the plights of working class America! That being said, Connor is definitely the type to misread “Born in the U.S.A.” as a pro-America track. He is arguably the least-developed Roy sibling: he’s the comic relief. Rather than diving deep into his psyche, these songs lean heavily into his out-of-touch presidential campaign. His relationship with his family is hinted at with “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” and “Cat’s in the Cradle,” and “Got My Mind Set On You” and “Better Than Me” reference his relationship with Willa.
Logan Roy
“My Way” by Frank Sinatra
“First Love/Late Spring” by Mitski
“Punisher” by Phoebe Bridgers
“Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat
“New Person, Same Old Mistakes” by Tame Impala
“Needed Me” by Rihanna
“Come As You Are – Remastered” by Nirvana
“All I Do Is Win (feat. T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg & Rick Ross)” by DJ Khaled
I would rather not enter the disturbed headspace of Logan Roy, but some fans have been so brave. I’ll give them credit, because Logan is going to have it his way! I really don’t see the vision here in these song choices. Perhaps we should keep Mitski and Phoebe Bridgers away from him.
