I don’t know about you guys, but when Katniss was preparing for the Hunger Games, there was one vital thing missing. Sure, she practiced her archery, observed her competitors and maintained a healthy diet, but you know what the girl could’ve really used?

A MIXTAPE OF SONGS TO PUMP HERSELF UP!

Haymitch totally dropped the ball on this one. I mean, how dare he ignore the inspirational potential of music when there are lives at stake? Y’all THIS IS WHY JOCK JAMS WERE INVENTED. In fact, I’m sure every one of you has a special song you listen to whenever you need to psyche yrself up, whether it’s for a big interview, important presentation or first date. Why should Katniss be robbed of the power of hair metal and ’80s pop just cos she’s a poor kid from District 12?

And so today, FYA humbly offers Katniss the only weapon missing in her cache: a survival mix! And just in the nick of time, too. (Cos you can’t expect to lead a revolution without a catchy theme song, right? Right.) Crank it up on Spotify, cos we all have our own battles to fight. Thankfully, mine do not involve mutant wolves and cracked out monkeys.

The Survival Mix:

  1. “Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses
  2. “If You Want Blood You Got It” – AC/DC
  3. “Another One Bites the Dust” – Queen
  4. “Hungry Like the Wolf” – Duran Duran
  5. “Crazy” – Seal
  6. “Common Disaster” – Cowboy Junkies
  7. “Animal Instinct” – The Cranberries
  8. “Died In Your Arms” – Cutting Crew
  9. “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
  10. “Stayin’ Alive” – Bee Gees
  11. “Love Is a Battlefield” – Pat Benetar
  12. “Bizarre Love Triangle” – New Order
  13. “Die Another Day” – Madonna
  14. “Survivor” – Destiny’s Child
  15. “When the Ship Goes Down” – Cypress Hill
  16. “The Distance” – Cake
  17. “Revolution” – The Beatles
  18. “Danger, High Voltage!” – Electric Six
  19. “Tubthumping” – Chumbawumba

As you can see, this mix features some pretty obvious choices, but like any good mixtape, some of the tracks are actually DEEPLY CONNECTED to the subject material. Like, LISTEN TO THE LYRICS YOU GUYS. OMG THEY ARE SO TRUE.

Also, I really love the idea of a battle-prep montage of Katniss and Peeta to the tune of Cypress Hill.

Sarah lives in Austin, and believes there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure, which is part of why she started FYA in 2009. Growing up, she thought she was a Mary Anne, but she's finally starting to accept the fact that she's actually a Kristy.