I chose a live version of Beyonce singing Runnin’ and All Night in 2016. Although the lyrics of Runnin’ mostly speaks to personal struggles in relationships, I found it interestingly connected with the theme of migration in the novel, particularly how Saeed and Nadia run from the unnamed city together. The lyrics also echoes with Nadia’s experience of running from a religious family and how Saeed opens up Nadia’s heart. “Together we’ll win it all” relates to how the pair emigrates to a safe place. “If I lose myself, I lose it all” suggests Nadia’s independence and subjectivity. Ironically sometimes the camera chose to gaze at her body instead of focusing on her singing.
Sherrie Chen (sc2289)