Bless This Mess: Warriors Concept Album
THE SET-UP
So, we’re going to do something a little different this week.
(I know it’s been a while, and I am working on that A Court of Silver Flames post, but that book broke me a little, and I deserve a little treat in the meantime.)
A couple of months ago I made a post about the film The Warriors, which I recommend reading first because this will all make a lot more sense if you do. I watched The Warriors originally because I became aware that Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis were writing a musical about it, and if there’s one thing I love, it’s a big musical about a topic that does not seem like it would lend itself to music.
I adore this album, I am obsessed with this album, and if you’re reading this, I’m going to subject you to a track breakdown, because I can. I’m breaking my rules a bit here because in my opinion, this is neither trash nor mess, but this is my blog god damn it.
Functionally, this album is a faithful musical adaptation of the movie, with one major exception: many of the roles are gender-swapped. The Warriors are now an all-woman gang. Cyrus is now a woman. This rules, and fixes most of the problematic pieces of the movie. Furthermore, we’re actually TALKING about something! Let’s get into it:
THE MESS ACTUAL GOOD MUSIC
Survive The Night: We start out with a call from the DJ, played by Jamaican singer Shenseea, who will be playing a sort of Greek Chorus role, like in the film. She provides the invitation from Cyrus to all (most?) gangs in New York, to meet for a truce in uptown Van Cortlandt park. The five boroughs of New York are represented by famous rappers (Chris Rivers, Nas, Cam’ron, Ghostface Killah, RZA, and Busta Rhymes). This mostly just serves to set the scene, but it also introduces two important musical themes: the extremely apt “survive the night” and “Warriors, come out to play-ay”. Here, the latter serves as a rallying cry by Cleon and Swan. Does this potentially pull one of the most famous lines from the movie too early? Maybe, but it does work as a lead-in to the introduction of the Warriors.
Roll Call: Here, the Warriors all sound off: Cochise, Cowgirl, Fox, Cleon, Ajax, Rembrandt, and Swan. We’ve downgraded to seven instead of nine, from the film, but honestly, that’s probably for the best, nine is too many people. They’re all played by excellent singers: respectively, Kenita R. Miller, Sasha Hutchings, Philippa Soo, Aneesa Folds, Amber Gray, Gizel Jimenez, and Jasmine Cephas Jones. We also get a little of their personalities, and the gang’s own credo: “we keep it safe/we keep it clean/when shit goes down, we intervene.” This is the first direct reference to the idea of safety and community, which I think grounds the story and makes sense for this all-woman gang: of course safety would be a huge concern for them. Ajax and Swan both voice discomfort in going to a meeting so far away from their own territory, Coney Island. Cleon, the leader, who believes very deeply in Cyrus’ mission to unite the gangs, overrides them.
Warriors’ Cypher: A little more Warriors intro, with each member getting their own rap verse to distinguish themselves. These don’t really give a ton of new information beyond what we learned about Ajax and Swan already, but I like Cowgirl’s verse: “Turnstile, here’s a token, gotta get inside/They call me Cowgirl ‘cause I like to ride.” I’m amused by the reminder of how all the gangs in the film politely use their tokens to get onto the subway legally, and I’m kind of obsessed with how Sasha Hutchings delivers “I like to ride ;).”
Make Way For Cyrus: This just leads into the meeting, with Cyrus’ gang, the Riffs, introducing her.
If You Can Count: Naturally, this is Cyrus’ speech. I honestly think it’s really fun that Cyrus is played by Ms Lauryn Hill herself, she totally fits this reimagined version. Most of the lyrics here are just taken straight from the film (“Can you dig it” “Do you count”), which I think works because this scene is so iconic. One of the notable changes is the line “Imagine what I had to do to stay on top”, which I love especially in the context of Cyrus being a woman. She’s speaking from her own experience, she’s speaking from this genuine desire for community over conflict. There’s a few subtle differences that, in my mind, shift this scene and Cyrus’ message from “let’s take over New York” to “let’s keep each other safe,” which I think both makes slightly more sense and also gives all these characters something to believe in. We also hear Cleon clearly echoing Cyrus’ lines a few times, showing her own buy-in to this message. And then, of course, Cyrus is cut off by a gunshot.
Derailed: Genuinely one of my favourite tracks. I am such a sucker for a) songs that are combos of a bunch of other themes and b) songs that build, and this is both. Cleon starts us off with a haunting recollection about a train crash she witnessed as a child, comparing it to the chaos about to be unleashed with the death of Cyrus. The music starts with a beat like a pulse, which gradually increases, and then is joined by more instruments. She makes the choice to defend herself as the Warriors are accused of killing Cyrus, but she tells the others to GTFO. Meanwhile, the chorus of Riffs scream out Cyrus’ name in agony and grief. We get bits of Ajax’s theme (“I don’t love runnin’/I guess we’re runnin’”) and Fox’s (“Now every move that we make is a move to survive, keep us alive/When you woke up today you didn’t think you could die/Neither did I”). Finally, it caps with Luther (our villain, the person who did kill Cyrus) screaming “Warriors, come out to play-ay-ay-ay-ay” which serves to twist the melody we’ve already heard, making it threatening. Again, do they pull this too early? Maybe, but I was here for it.
Woodlawn Cemetery: Like in the film, the Warriors run from the meeting, and end up in a graveyard, where they discuss the next step. Swan, as second in command, steps up and encourages them to “get back home alive.” Ajax challenges her authority, but ultimately falls in line, and the Warriors move on.
Leave The Bronx Alive: Here, the Warriors encounter their first enemies, the Turnbull ACs. Not really a ton to dissect here; this song is very salsa-inspired, and as someone who for some reason listened to a lot of Latin American pop growing up, I was excited to hear Marc Antony’s voice. He plays a sort of narrator role for the gang, all in Spanish. Specifically, he sings “El mundo te mata la esperanza (The world kills your hope)” which is something we’ll hear a variation on a bunch of times in reference to Cyrus/Cyrus’ goals.
A Track Fire & A Phone Call: This is a bit of dialogue establishing that the Warriors are forced off the train they managed to catch by a track fire, and then also includes Luther’s confusing phone call from the film. No, I don’t know who he’s calling here either.
Going Down: This is Luther’s big number, and it’s done in what I’ll call a light-metal style. I’m not really a metalhead, but I really like the composition on this. First, I’m low-key obsessed with Kim Dracula’s vocals as Luther. They really manage to capture the unhinged tone of the character, and the fluctuation between metal screaming and more lyrical singing really works for me. Also, they’re paired with Alex Boniello, a stage actor, and the counterpart between the two voices is really tasty. Aside from that, this mostly just serves to illustrate Luther’s character as an agent of chaos, and to introduce the “watch the world burn” outlook on life that he has. Also, he keeps making slightly anachronistic Pacman references.
Orphan Town: Like in the film, the Orphans are a crew of small-time gangsters who were not invited to the summit, but whose turf the Warriors have to pass through. The Warriors, again as in the film, attempt to talk their way through, but are thwarted by the efforts of a woman called Mercy. In my opinion, this is a great example of how well-done gender-changes can shift meaning in a story. The Orphans mock the Warriors (calling them “a late night cosmetology class”) and the Warriors, in turn, attempt to make themselves submissive and non-threatening. I think a lot of marginalized folk can relate to this tactic; Swan and Fox even affect a falsetto at one point to drive this home (“we were just so lost and lonely/what do you suggest we do?”). Then, Mercy calling the Orphans out as “chickens” is satisfying because of course she knows exactly what the Warriors are doing. All of this builds to the point where the Orphans demand the Warriors take off their vests, which they refuse, and end up throwing a molotov cocktail, which hits so good (literally and figuratively). Also, this song is clearly meant to sound like ‘90s pop punk, particularly it sounds very Blink-182 to me, and Utkarsh Ambudkar, the main singer on this track, does such a good job at both evoking Mark Hoppus and also sounding like a dweeb.
Call Me Mercy: Here is Mercy’s solo, or her “I want” song. I love that Mercy’s gender is not changed in this adaptation, not just because it makes her later romance with Swan sapphic. As I said in my post about the original film, Mercy’s character is treated (at least by the script and the narrative) seriously: she wants to live her life to the fullest, and she is not really shamed for this. Here, that is deepened by her clearly seeing this gang of women and wanting to be one of them, wanting what they have. I really like the key change in the middle of this song where she goes from “I want to go to the place where you’re going” to “Hey, let me go to wherever you’re going.”
Still Breathin’: The first of honestly very few actual plot divergences from the film, we learn here that Cleon survived the initial aftermath of Cyrus’ death. Here, she is being questioned by Masai, who is now in charge of the Riffs. He repeatedly frames Cyrus as a messianic, godlike figure, and I like that he’s given time to really grapple with the fact that vengeance has taken precedence over grief (“Cyrus, I’m sorry, you dreamed of peace but we still beefin’”). This also song has one of my favourite wordplays: “May our saviour forgive me/But it’s deicide and we decide if you get to live, see.” Furthermore, this back-and-forth between Masai and Cleon is great. In the film, neither is given much depth: Cleon exists to be the perfect leader-figure who is then killed, leaving the Warriors to grapple with who should lead them next; Masai is the ultimate figure of justice who comes in to end things. Here, they are both allowed to be people. Masai is clearly struggling in the aftermath of Cyrus’ death, and Cleon urges him to keep going: “What do you do when they kill everything you believe in?/You grieve ’n’ you keep breathin’/You keep believin’.” Also, damn, it is so cool that Colman Domingo is here as Masai.
Quiet Girls: Another slight divergence from the film! Here the Warriors encounter the only gang who will be at all friendly to them, the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are apparently on roller skates (as referenced in the lyrics) and they’re definitely meant to be a group of queer people, though I’m not sure if they’re specifically drag queens or not. There’s a lot of references to drag/ballroom culture, also Billy Porter plays one of the members. In any case, when Swan tells the Hurricanes that they didn’t kill Cyrus, the Hurricanes believe her! Then they begin to make the case that the Warriors should be speaking up more. This is both a “we’re here, we’re queer” kind of message, but also one about violence, and one about political activism more generally: speak up. “If you want to survive, burn bright.” The only way to survive, in fact, is to speak up, be loud, because “quiet girls don’t make it home.”
Outside Gray’s Papaya: After leaving the Hurricanes, the Warriors stop for a moment to get some food. Fox is shaken by their words about “quiet girls,” a little bit of foreshadowing. We also see Mercy and Ajax at odds, with Mercy wanting to be part of the group and Ajax harshly rejecting her. Unfortunately, they’ll never get their meal: the DJ comes on to tell them hauntingly that the Furies are coming for them. In the film, the Baseball Furies’ appearance is quite comical in my opinion, but here they’re described as having “faces painted in a scream.” The Warriors take off, and a sick ass guitar riff plays the melody from Derailed. Eventually, Cowgirl gasps, “I can’t keep running,” and Ajax returns, “Good. ‘Cause I’m sick of being wimps.”
Sick of Runnin’: Unable to run, Ajax finally turns and brings her might against the Furies, aided by the other Warriors. Not much to say about this song honestly except for the fact that it kicks ass, literally and figuratively, and that I’m obsessed with Amber Gray (but who isn’t). I especially love that they kept the line about “mak[ing them] a popsicle”, high-key one of my favourite Ajax moments from the film. Another interesting thing is that the other character who gets highlighted in this number is Mercy, whom Ajax has up until now clashed with and distrusted. Yet here, they harmonize, and on Mercy’s tune, as well. I think this is meant to show Mercy becoming one of the Warriors and fighting alongside them, but it also draws a clear and really fascinating parallel between their characters.
The Park At Night: This may be my favourite number in the category of “functionally the same scene as the movie but the genderswap makes its context COMPLETELY different.” Here, after fighting off the Furies, the Warriors run across a man on a park bench. He calls out to them in a distinctly creepy way (“Yoo-hoo, ladies/you’d look prettier if you smiled”) and Ajax, hot off her fight, decides to engage with him, despite the others warning her off. As in the film, this person (who turns out to be an undercover cop) says to Ajax, “show me how you play,” at which point Ajax begins to physically assault him. And while we’re not really supposed to be pro-Ajax in this moment (don’t beat people up unprompted, kids), damn does this scene hit different with her as a woman. Here, she’s not interested in rough sex, but in punishing a person she sees as a predator. I legit got chills when I listened to this part for the first time: “Stay right there, smile, motherfucker/You done catcalled your last child, motherfucker/This is judge, jury, and trial, motherfucker.” Of course, she ends up getting arrested, and the rest of the Warriors scatter in order to escape the other cops. Oh, also, a fun fact is that this cop is played by James Remar, who played Ajax in the original film.
Luther Interlude: I love that this is just called “Luther Interlude.” Yep, he’s still here, just in case you forgot. Somehow he knows that Ajax has been arrested (I guess he’s watching them), and is excited about it.
Cardigans: Another spoken piece; Cochise, Cowgirl, Fox, and Rembrandt arrive at Union Square after fleeing the cops, and are approached by a gang of pretty boys in cardigans (called the Bizzies, heh).
We Got You: Here the Bizzies convince the Warriors to come back to their place and hang out. The song is very boy-band inspired, and one of the members, played by Daniel Jikal, does his verse in Korean, giving them a K-pop vibe as well. I can just picture them all doing synchronized dance moves. I love this song because I’m struggling to think of a similar scene in any other story, wherein men play the role of the siren, the ones doing the seduction. Moreover, they’re trying to convince the Warriors that they’re safe, which obviously has to hit a slightly different note than the Lizzies do in the film; women on guard will not just go off with random hot men typically. So we get lines like “if you want to/do you want to” and “take your time” — they’re not pressuring, and they’re waiting for consent. They’re interested, but non-threatening. It’s really excellent. It’s also quite hilarious to me; early on, Cowgirl asks, “Can I have one as a snack?” and there’s a line about “we’ll make French toast, girl.”
A Light or Something: Alone in a subway tunnel after being separated from the others, Swan and Mercy connect. Just like in the film, Mercy flirts with Swan, and is mostly rebuffed. In the song, though, we get a little more backstory about Swan (mostly that she was in juvie, and has always had to fight to survive, not unlike Ajax). Mercy’s lyrics about “want[ing] to live, not just live to survive” also echo the theme that we’ve heard from Cyrus, that perhaps there can be more to life than merely survival, as well as questioning who we put our trust and our faith into. Also, I’m deeply obsessed with the part where Swan says “you’re more than beautiful” and Mercy, very softly, echoes, “more than beautiful?” as though nobody has ever given her a non-physical compliment before.
We Got You (Reprise): Back with the others, we see Rembrandt (and also Fox) questioning the Bizzies’ motivation. The song builds really gradually to this uneasy note when the music twists, and “we got you” goes from being a phrase of support to one of threat (“…with your back to the wall”). Then we switch from a slow, soothing vibe to fast and hard as the Warriors realize they’re in danger and escape from the Bizzies, and the match of music to tone is so, so delicious. As in the film, the Bizzies are not really portrayed as bad guys, and it’s made especially clear that they truly believed in Cyrus and want to avenge her.
Somewhere In The City: Back to Cleon and Masai, who have clearly come to an understanding. Cleon determines that Cyrus’ killer must be heading to Coney to ambush the Warriors, because “damage is his kink.” This tracks with what we, the audience, know of Luther, but I’m not entirely sure how Cleon comes to this conclusion (hey, what’s that over there on the ground, is that the script?). In any case, she does a little reprise of “If You Can Count,” and then expands it into a longer number about her crew and her desire for them to survive. In particular, I love the lines “they deserve a city where they’ll be alright/where they all come home alive.”
Reunion Square: The Warriors (minus Cleon obviously and, now, Ajax) reunite at Union Square. This feels really lovely and genuine, and also Cowgirl is oddly excited about the fact that one of the Bizzies bit her in their struggle. She’s having a NIGHT. They do a reprise of their Roll Call/Warriors’ Cypher, with Mercy included this time! Unfortunately, they’re cut short by the appearance of a cop. Fox, however, is done with being a quiet girl, and she stands up to him. Here, we get samples of many of the songs that have come before, reminding us of the messages around survival the characters have received over the course of the album, as they run for the train to Brooklyn. Fox urges them all onwards, and realizes that the officer can and will stop the train if he isn’t distracted. She decides to stay behind, and picks a fight with the cop. Unfortunately, just as the Warriors get away, the cop launches her over the side of the platform, and she is killed by an oncoming train. Obviously this is taken from the film (kind of) but given a VASTLY different context, and I’m here for it. Fox’s death in the movie seems incredibly random (because it was), but here we’re given a clear arc for her, one in which she finds her voice and her strength and ultimately risks her life for her crew. Fox gets a fairly long soliloquy here that I love, and in particular, I love that she and the cop harmonize on the repeat of her theme, “When you woke up today you didn’t think you could die/But you don’t decide.” The official lyrics on Genius imply that the Warriors see her die, but this isn’t actually confirmed by anything within the album, so it’s unclear whether or not they know that she’s dead. Also, as a fun little Easter Egg, this cop is played by David Patrick Kelly, who played Luther in the original film.
Same Train Home: This song is delivered mostly by the DJ, and tracks the journey from Union Square to Coney Island. She notes the class differences between the Warriors and some of the other passengers, who are “safe in the night.” She narrates the scene in which the other passengers clearly cast judgment on the Warriors, particularly Mercy, and Swan stops her from shrinking in on herself: “Let them stare in judgment, let them witness this/Swan leans into Mercy, pulls her deep into a kiss.” I love this, and I can very much relate to the experience of being with a partner, being stared at and judged for it, and I love that here Swan becomes defensive of Mercy. The DJ zooms out again, and asks, “Make space for us/We’re all on the same train home.” Again this idea of community, of taking care of each other. “All we got is us,” indeed.
Finale: Okay, big finale time! First, the Warriors get back home alive (mostly…), and mourn their lost members (again, it’s unclear if they know that Fox is dead, when asked later they just say “the cops got her”). Just then, as in the film, Luther arrives, clinking bottles together and demanding, “Come out and play-ay!” They lead him to the beach for a final confrontation, and they have this hilarious back and forth where Luther starts to ramp up into his song and Swan just goes, “Stop. Who the fuck are you and why are you here?” He goes, “Don’t you know?” No, Luther! You’re a maniac! Anyway, we get the great “No reason! I like doing stuff like that” explanation for murdering Cyrus (which Kim Dracula kills, by the way). Anyway, as in the film, Swan handily defeats him, and she has a great solo, “Sand in your eye/hate in your heart/you only know how to break shit apart/Your crew is scared of you/see how it scatters/My crew would die for me/loyalty matters” and finally, she uses his own words and melody against him (“You’re going down”). This is good shit. Also Jasmine’s voice is perfect for this part. Then, of course, Masai and the Gramercy Riffs show up, and I love Colman Domingo’s delivery of “Yeah, hi/it’s Masai.” He takes Luther away, and then Cleon appears! She gets to take Swan’s line from the film in the “You Warriors are good,” “The best,” exchange from the film. Naturally, the Warriors are all pretty shook by this. She accepts Mercy into the group, and then they once again contemplate what to do next. This leads into a reprise of Somewhere In The City and the hope that maybe someday, they can have a city where “we all come home alive.” It’s a little saccharine, but honestly no more so than that fucking Eagles song from the film, and I appreciate that it’s hopeful. Like yes, some shit has happened, but we still have each other and we can keep going and keep trying to make things better.
IN CONCLUSION
I fucking love this album. It manages also to be a fully comprehensive story told completely through auditory information, which I love and seems difficult to do, and it touches upon themes of community and activism that I deeply care about.
Also, YMMV but I think Miranda and Davis do a really great job of hitting a midpoint with regards to sexism. The Warriors of this story don’t live in a world completely without misogyny, as seen in how the Orphans and the cops interact with them, but they’re also never subject to anything dehumanizing or the threat of sexual violence. They get called “girls” or “ladies” condescendingly, but there’s no “bitch” or “cunt.” The closest anything gets to that is the interaction with the cop in the park, but they’re not threatened by him, and Ajax beats the shit out of him (and she was so valid for that, frankly). This is refreshing to me without being unrealistic, and still feeling like it takes the whole “Warriors but they’re women” thing seriously.
Anyway, I deeply love this album, I would love to see a staged version of it, and I want more people to know about it and love it too. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.