1. Glittering Cloud by Imogen Heap; Granted this song is literally about a plague it has a whole bunch of lyrics that just remind me of Regina. I'm not always like this it's something I've become a terrible weakness in my nature, in my blood. Regina wasn't always the evil queen, she became the queen. And the evils she does is a terrible nature. This runs in her blood; the whole heart ripping out and what not is from Cora, her blood relative... her mom. The need for power, her former belief that love is weakness--also from her mom. The next verse; save me, oh save me save me from myself before I hurt somebody else again reminds me of season 2 Regina. With Henry and Archie she was reaching out for help. She wanted to stop using magic, to stop herself from harming anymore people. Her entire season 2 story line was her trying to hurt people like she had in the past. Domino motion jump starts when we touch a blackout approaching here it comes now, wish me luck it's all over, it's all over, it's all over in a flash I can't remember what have I done now? Regina's entire life seemed to have been a sort of domino effect. The first domino motion was her relationship with Daniel that started it all. And from there came his death--the reason for her being evil. The blackout would be the initial casting of the curse. She casts it and it's all over in a flash. And I feel like magic is a drug to Regina she uses at and most everything is a blur it becomes hard to keep track of what she's done/doing until it's all over. And then comes the chorus. Though I know the bit about "take me over glittering clouds" is a metaphor in the case of Regina I can take the line more literally. Like the glittering cloud describes the curse seeing as it was this purple cloud of flashing energy. The next part of the song is as the following; the artist's impression looks just like me, only better. In this case the artist would be Regina herself in crafting each person into their second self. Naturally seeing as she designed her other self how she wanted to look so the words "only better" would fit. And finally; don't blame me, don't maim me I can't help what I am. Oh Lord knows I've tried. I feel like this directly describes how Cora and Rumple as well as Whale and Jeff pretty much manipulated her and made her exactly who she is now thus 'I can't help what I am'. She had been conditioned for so long to be some kind of machine of evil that she almost can't help it. As for the "oh, Lord knows I've tried" part; Regina's entire Redemption arc, fits this one. How she failed at first. Like she tried to change what she was. Thank God it ended up working.
2. Jane Doe by Within Temptation. This song is basically about a murder. I wouldn't say this song describes what actually happened between Regina and Snow but rather Regina's vengeful fantasies. So the first lines of the song goes as so;Why, you just won't leave my mind? Was this the only way? I couldn't let you stay? Taking this and applying it to Once, Dan's death would have already happened. And at this point Regina is thinking about her revenge--Snow won't seem to leave her mind and she saw killing her as the only way (until of course coming upon the curse). Run away, hide away the secrets in your mind sacrificed just her life for a higher love is the next part of the song. This reminds me of Regina in that she had her secret love. She hid it away from her mother and tried to eventually run away with him. As for the "sacrificed just her life" part based on Regina saying that she should have let Snow die on the horse she may or may not have sacrificed Snow if she'd have known the outcome. No matter how many stones you put inside she'll always keeps on floating in your mind with every turn of your head you see her face again until the end, over and over again why, you just won't leave my mind? Was this the only way? I couldn't let you stay? This is the pre-chorus and chorus. The first lines I relate to Regina in that she was constantly day dreaming about killing Snow (I'm referring to the scene where she 'choked' her with the necklace). Because of what Regina thought Snow did, she couldn't put the child out of her mind. Going off on a bit of a tangent I can also see this describing her trying to get rid of Emma too and how she literally wouldn't leave. Getting back to the Snow/Gina thing the song offers these lyrics; told the truth she laughed at you something snapped inside she had to go or they would know all you tried to hide. The Snow didn't really do any laughing Regina knew her secret was threatened. Eventually after Dan's death something did snap within Regina and we come to the 'she had to go' bit. The last lyrics (save for the chorus) are; the sins of your life are now catching up with you ou can't stay ahead. There's nothing you can do with every turn of your head you see her face again until the end, over and over again. The takes us back to Storybrooke. After the curse set in. Emma comes to Storybrooke and the things she did in the Enchanted Forest are starting to catch up with her. Regina's vengeance is falling apart and there's nothing she can really do about it.
3. The Promise by Within Temptation. This song is about a lost love. So more Stable Queen. On behalf of her love she no longer sleeps life had no longer meaning nothing to make her stay she sold her soul away. Right off the bat I think it's pretty clear how this one relates to Regina. Losing Dan messed her up pretty bad (obviously) and I would imagine she lost a lot of sleep because of her experience. In 'The Doctor' she states that she's lost without Dan. Based on this she probably felt that her life had no meaning, nothing that was worth staying for. I held you tight to me you slipped away you promised to return to me and I believed, I believed. This part of the song really reminds me of Dan's death scene in general. Though Dan didn't really make any promises, Regina was hugging him very close to her as her mother crushed his heart. As he slipped away. After the night he died
I wept my tears until they dried but the pain stayed the same. This verse probably reminds me the most of Regina...well more like second most. But no less, no mater how much time passed she never really got over Dan (not until season 5 anyhow when they confirmed that she healed). The pain was just as present as when she first shed her tears over his body. The pain stuck with her for well over 28 years. Now the line that I relate most strongly to Regina is the following; I didn't want him to die all in vain I made a promise to revenge his soul in time I'll make them bleed down at my feet. Like is that not what happened? She didn't want Dan to just be dead. She needed to take her revenge. She vowed to kill all the people involved in Dan's death. She tried to kill her mother and she tried to kill Snow. And along the way she ended up making them all essentially "bleed down at her feet" through the curse. Sometimes I wonder could I have known about their true intentions? This part reminded me of how Cora made it seem like she was going to be understanding and loving. And then she just killed Dan. On top of that there was the more sinister fact that Cora made the horse lose control to begin with. And moving away from Dan's initial death we see Rumple, Whale, and Jeff all chip in on a plan to break a young Regina. Could she have known about their true and dark intentions? As the pain stayed the same I'm going to haunt them down all the way I made a promise to revenge his soul in time one by one they were surprised. Again is this not what happened? Just like in the song, Regina's pain remained the same and she hunted all of the people who once hurt her down--literally when she got Graham involved. All of this to avenge Daniel. And of course once the curse hit--though it wasn't one by one--they were all taken down in a sense.
4. Sweet Surrender & Fallen by Sarah McLachlan. Okay so maybe I should call this '7 Songs That Remind Me of Regina' but I kind of decided to lump these two together because they are by the same artist and kind of have a similar lyrical theme. Both songs remind me of Regina's redemption and her regret. From 'Fallen' we hear the following lyrics; Heaven bend to take my hand and lead me through the fire be the long awaited answer to a long and painful fight. Taking these lyrics metaphorically, Regina pretty much went through Hell. Some of it of her own creation and some of it just fate. With people like Henry, Emma, and Robin she started to see the light again. Finally started finding the answers to her "long and painful fight." Similarly we have the first verse of 'Sweet Surrender'; It doesn't mean much it doesn't mean anything at all the life I've left behind me is a cold room. This line reminds me of her dark past and how she left it behind her. "Fallen offers these lyrics; Truth be told I've tried my best but somewhere along the way I got caught up in all there was to offer and the cost was so much more than I could bear. This part is reminiscent (to me) of Regina casting the curse thinking it could get her happiness. But really it just left her emptier than before. She lost her father and her horse (for what it's worth) in making it. And she lost a big part of herself. That hole in her heart was the cost. Moreover after the curse was broken and such she almost lost Henry another cost that was so much more than she could bear. Once again 'Sweet Surrender's' second lyrics are similar to that of 'Fallen'. I've crossed the last line from where I can't return where every step I took in faith betrayed me. Regina felt like she was in a place that she couldn't turn back from. She'd already darkened her heart and had been told from a good many people that once you darken your heart you can't go back. And every time she had faith in something (from in her younger years seeing Robin for the first time to getting Henry back in season 2 only to have her mom frame her) it slipped through her fingers. Her hope betrayed. Though I've tried, I've fallen...I have sunk so low I messed up better I should know so don't come round here and tell me I told you so. This is the chorus of 'Fallen'. For that I think it's the more accurate of the two to describe Regina. She took a pretty big fall and by the time Cora was done with her in season 2, had sunk so low despite her efforts to fix things. She knew she messed up too. And the song suits her to a t in that she kind of did have Gold doing an I told you so; basically I told you that you'd regret this, I told you that the curse would leave you empty. The next part of 'Sweet Surrender' is where the two songs start to take different turns from each other. And sweet surrender
is all that I have to give take me in, no question's asked you strip away the ugliness that surrounds me are you an angel? I relate this part of the song to her redemption. She finally decides to give into the better parts of herself, to the good side. I see Henry as the angel. He was the one to initially coax her into the light. He was able to strip away some of that ugliness that surrounded her. And in a way he kind of took her in despite being the much younger of the two. So going back to 'Fallen'; we all begin with good intent love was raw and young we believed that we could change ourselves the past could be undone but we carry on our backs the burden time always reveals. This part reminds me of the innocent beginning to Regina's tale. Her intention was to only have true love and happiness. Regina and Daniel were young and believed that they can change what Cora had destined for them. Using that same part 'we could change ourselves'; I was reminded of Regina's "people can't change they only fool themselves into thinking they can." And how this belief of her's must have been solidified after Cora muddled with her redemption arc. She had her past naive notion that she could undo what was done in the past only to find that the past is a burden carried over a long period of time. Again at this point the 'Sweet Surrender' took a different path; Am I already that gone? I only hope that I won't disappoint you when I'm down here on my knees. But in a way it's not so different. I still relate this line to her redemption. There are places where Regina had probably asked herself if she was already too far gone to be saved. I think she showed a lot of that in season 3 with Tinkerbell; though she had her hint of optimism at the mention of the good Henry's done for her. She still pointed at her darkened heart and told Tink that once you get to that point there's no going back. So then there's the "I only hope I won't disappoint you" section. I think this one relates to both her relationship with Henry and her relationship with Robin later on. How she tired so hard to be good and not use magic for Henry. How she tried to be her best self for him and hoped she wouldn't disappoint him. The same goes for she and Robin; she constantly asks him what he sees in her and seems to fear that she'll let him down. So here is the last chunk of lines in 'Fallen'; In the lonely light of morning in the wound that would not heal it's the bitter taste of losing everything that I've held so dear. Nowhere left to turn I'm lost to those I thought were friends to everyone I know oh they turn their heads embarrassed pretend that they don't see but it's one missed step one slip before you know it and there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed. Like holy heck this song ends on a pessimistic note. So the first part reminds me of again how she couldn't seem to put Dan out of her mind. And then come the "losing everything" lines and it really reminded me of the curse being broken. At that point she had lost everything; Henry, her power, her control, her chance at happiness. She was lost to people like Henry (and maybe even Gold if you want to go there) that she though were her friends--in Henry's case more than that. She had no one. This lyric can be applied further in season 2 when she was starting to get along with Emma and Snow and Charming. At that one missed step, that one slip, where they thought she killed Archie the people she thought were forgiving her turned on her. And it seemed to her that there was no way for her to redeem herself from there. Thankfully her redemption arch didn't end as Sarah Mclachlan's narrator's did. I think 'Sweet Surrender' ended on a more optimistic note; Don't understand the touch of your hand I would be the one to fall I miss the little things I miss everything about you. Though it's by no means a happy end to a song, it leaves room for hope. These lyrics remind me again of Stable Queen and how she misses the touch of his hand and every single thing Dan was to her. But she can get that again with Robin.
5. Thank You by Dido. This one is a bit of a lighter happier one. I have Outlaw Queen in mind when listening to this one. My tea's gone cold I'm wondering why I got out of bed at all the morning rain clouds up my window and I can't see at all and even if I could it'd all be grey but your picture on my wall it reminds me that it's not so bad it's not so bad. So for me this song doesn't remind me of Regina in it's details but rather it's overall implications. In general Regina obviously has these down and mundane days but with Robin in the picture it isn't as bad. Like whenever things seem rough she likes to look at that folded page of the story book she keeps in her pocket. It reminds her that things aren't so bad. I'm late for work again and even if I'm there they'll all imply that I might not last the day and then you call me and it's not so bad it's not so bad. Again this isn't so much about the details--like I don't really see Regina being late for work or something but sometimes I picture her sitting at her desk just 100% done and ready to leave. And then of course Robin calls and she feels better. But this is more of a behind the scenes image. And even if my house falls down now I wouldn't have a clue because you're near me and I want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life oh just to be with you is having the best day of my life. That's the chorus. It reminds me of Regina because, as mentioned in the show, she loves very deeply and with all of herself. With the metaphor of the house falling down to show that the song's narrator's world could be crashing down around her and she wouldn't notice so long as she had that one good thing--her lover. That idea just reminds me of Regina. Now that she has Robin even if everything went to hell (season 5B pun intended) it'd be okay--especially since she has Henry too. And of course the chorus displays the entire meaning of the song; that no matter how bad a single day is, there will be someone there to lift you up and make things that much better. I think Regina finally found that in Robin.
6. Incomplete And All Alone by Blood on the Dancefloor. I know that this is an odd band to relate to Regina given the other crap they sing about. But I actually think this one fits her quite well. Eternal pain, something I will take to my grave your memory is an image I just can't erase. Ya'll are probably tired of hearing Stable Queen, Stable Queen, Stable Queen. But...Stable Queen. This is another set of lyrics that remind me of said ship. Of course she's pretty much past eternal pain at this point. But she'll definitely never truly erase Dan's memory. I spend my life always walking in the shadows scared, alone, locked away inside my castle. BOTDF meant for this set of lyrics to be completely metaphorical. But in the case of relating it to Gina, I take it mostly literally. For the longest time after losing Dan she was locked away inside a castle--a castle that later became hers. And while she didn't lock herself away in it, she used it to keep people out. The lyrics become a metaphor to me at walking in the shadows--as in the context of the song the narrator uses shadows to symbolize evil or darkness. Regina had definitely walked in the darkness. Giving this a bit of a shift I also think of Storybrooke Regina when listening to that part; how she pretty much hid away in her mansion and her vault in season 2. And of course, at this point she is still walking in the shadows so to speak. And when you love something, they say set it free if it don't come back, it wasn't meant to be. This is where I completely shift from Stable Queen to Regal Believer. These lines always reminded me of that moment when Regina lets Henry go home with David, telling him that "I want you to be hear because you want to be." It literally was a situation where she set Henry free and if he didn't come back then it wasn't meant to be...well Regina wasn't going to settle for 'it wasn't meant to be' but still. I destroy everything I touch even things I love too much I am cursed with these hands they will never understand I don't want to let you go Incomplete and all alone. I think this one kind of speaks for itself. Regina admitted that she didn't know how to love very well. And the harder she tried to make people love her the further away she pushed them. Such was the case with Henry. Hell, I'd even apply this to little Owen. She pretty much did end up destroying Owen, despite just wanting to love him. She didn't want to let Henry nor Owen go. She didn't want to be alone. Here I am waiting for my sacred true love with these hands that will be trapped like a steel glove is the last set of lines before the chorus. While the last line doesn't really remind me of Regina, the first one definitely does. Seeing as she was pretty much waiting for her true love throughout the first 2 and a half seasons. And she, unlike the narrator of the song, finds it.
So those were 6 of the many, many songs on my playlist of songs that remind me of Regina. A lot of said songs remind me of her love life. If there's a song that reminds you of Regina feel free to suggest it in the comments, I'm always down for new songs that remind me of characters.
