What songs would be on Frank’s and BJR’s playlists (if they had them)? The Outlander Cast staff has curated character-specific playlists. Frank and Black Jack Randall are next in our three-part series.

A few months ago, we decided to create playlists for our favorite Outlander characters. To read more about the birth of that idea, you can read our blog post for Claire’s Playlist. We knew that we had to do a playlist for Frank—a man desperately in love with a woman who can no longer return that love is ripe for a collection of music. That left us with Black Jack Randall. Does he deserve a playlist? Could we even find songs that would capture his dastardly combination of evil and slow-burn lust? We did, and I’ll warn you that the result is just as disturbing as the character we’ve all grown to hate… well, everyone but Blake. We found interesting twists on beloved songs (“You’re the One That I Want” ) and perfectly innocent songs that took on new meanings when we put them in the head of BJR (“You’re Beautiful” ). We split the songs into two playlists so that you can wallow in misery with Frank and then, separately, walk through the creepy corridors of BJR’s twisted mind. Enjoy!

Frank’s Playlist

“I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt
Every word of this song is for anyone trapped in a one-sided relationship…er…I mean Frank. Yes, this one is definitely for Frank. It’s recognizing that the other person will never love you the way that you love him/her but wanting to pretend for just one more heartbreaking night that there could be feelings. “I can’t make you love me if you don’t. You can’t make your heart feel something it won’t.” – Nikki

“Heartbreak Warfare” by John Mayer
This is for all those angsty Season 3 scenes between Claire and Frank. The opening line “lightning strike inside my chest to keep me up at night…dream of ways to make you understand my pain” reminds me of miserable Frank lying on the couch in the middle of the night. – Nikki

“Come Pick Me Up” by Ryan Adams
Frank would take Claire even if she was half-hearted about it—even if she screwed all his friends and smashed all his records. – Nikki

“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
This is the ultimate break-up song and tale of a woman wronged, but I just couldn’t help hearing it in every Season 3 moment where Frank tried to re-connect with Claire. “I’m here to remind you of the mess you left when you went away. It’s not fair to deny me of the cross I bear that you gave to me.” –Nikki

“Persuasion” by Teddy Thompson
Maybe you’re noticing a theme, but Frank really would do most anything for Claire to open her heart up to him once more. “After all the foolish things you put me through I could always make a start on something new and I’ve always been a man who’s open to persuasion.” – Nikki

“We Don’t Talk Anymore” by Charlie Puth
If you’re fighting, you’re at least still communicating but what happens when the fighting stops and the silence sets in? – Nikki

“Ain’t No Reason” by Brett Dennen
Really, this could be Claire’s come to Jesus moment with Frank, imploring him to accept their situation for the sake of Bree all the while allowing memories of Jamie to set her free from her new norm. Or it could be Frank’s, in finally accepting that the relationship is what it is but maybe, just maybe Sandy Candy is the love that will set him free of his “Claire prison.” “There ain’t no reason things are this way. It’s how they’ve always been and they intend to stay. I can’t explain why we live this way. We do it every day…love will come set me free.” – Ashley

“Make You Miss Me” by Sam Hunt
“You’re cold and hot, you burn out like a match, you keep a slipknot in the strings you attach… well I ain’t goin’ out like that I’m going to make you miss me.” Poor Frank held on for years. – Bobbi

“Please Stay” by Bryan Adams
Because as Dr. Candy Sandy pointed out, Frank always loved Claire. – Karen

“Can’t Go On Without You” by Kaleo
These lyrics fit so perfectly for Frank after Claire returns. “Well they thought they were made for each other, one thinking of one another. Never thinking just for one second she would take a different attraction.” – Blake

“At This Moment” by Billy Vera and The Beaters
This song has always gutted me with thinking about a man so much in love that there is no anger in him, not even when he’s faced with losing that love. “What did you think I would do at this moment when you’re standing before me with tears in your eyes? Tryin’ to tell me that you found you another and you just don’t love me no more.” – Nikki

“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
I always think of this as the theme song of middle aged women (yes, I’m talking to myself) but it fits pretty well for Frank too. “I’ve been afraid of changing because I’ve built my life around you but time makes you bolder, even children get older, and I’m getting older too.” – Nikki

“Amazing” by Josh Kelley
The first line made me think of Claire and Frank in the hallway scenes in Boston where we could see them on opposite sides of the same wall. They both had so much to say and either feared the other’s reaction or assumed that they knew what it would be and, in the end, they said nothing at all. “Cuz I saw you walking down the hall and I had a lot to tell you but I didn’t think you could say it better. Oh baby, you’re good at making me feel so small and I know you made your point but I just don’t want to remember.” – Nikki

“Someday We’ll Know” by New Radicals
“Poor” Frank, he just can’t seem to grasp how he lost his hold on Claire and never had a chance in hell of getting that grip back… if he ever really had it at all. This song makes me picture him truly clinging to the fleeting thought that he might have a chance, and dammit he’s going to crash into the moon and burst into a million flames trying. “Someday we’ll know if love can move a mountain. Someday we’ll know why the sky is blue. Someday we’ll know why I wasn’t meant for you.” – Ashley

“Parachute” by Chris Stapleton
When Frank said that he would take Claire back and raise Bree as his own he was offering to be Claire’s parachute. “You only need a roof when it’s raining. You only need a fire when it’s cold. You only need a drink when the whiskey is the only thing that you have left to hold. Sun comes up and goes back down and falling feels like flying till you hit the ground. Say the word and I’ll be there for you. Baby, I will be your parachute.” – Nikki

Black Jack Randall’s Playlist

Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for any nightmares caused by listening to this playlist.

“Gives You Hell” by The All-American Rejects
“When you see my face, hope it gives you hell. Hope it gives you hell. When you walk my way, hope it gives you hell. Hope it gives you hell.” – Ashley

“You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt
On the battlefield at Culloden, what was BJR thinking? “I saw your face in a crowded place and I don’t know what to do ‘cause I’ll never be with you.” – Holly

“Every Breath You Take” by The Police
Yes, we’ve always known this as a stalker song, but now imagine the lyrics as thoughts running through BJR’s head. Creepy, right? “Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take I’ll be watching you.” – Holly

“Obsession” by Animotion
“You’re my obsession… who do you want me, to be to make you sleep with me?” – Bobbi

“Good Man” by Lee Brice
This one actually does weird me out because I love this song, but I can put this in BJR’s head. Think about it–the way he twistedly loves Jamie and thinks he should want him, and when he is so dismissive and almost repulsed in Wentworth as he tells Jamie he can’t fathom why anyone would tie themselves to a *sniff’* woman. “I heard you looking for a good man, to hold you with some good hands, someone to get you through the Badlands. Well you looking at a good man now.” – Bobbi

“Hello” by Adele
BJR will always be on the outside. “Hello, it’s me. I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet to go over everything. They say that time’s supposed to heal ya, but I ain’t done much healing.” – Karen

“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys
I love this for BJR–especially as he reaches out to touch Jamie on the battlefield of Culloden. “I may not always love you but as long as there are stars above you, you never need to doubt it. I’ll make you so sure about it.” – Blake

“You’re the One That I Want” by Lo-Fang
This is a creepy alternative to the Grease version and perfect for BJR. I love the irony of it. “I’ve got chills, they’re multiplying. And I’m losing control ‘cause the power you’re supplying, is electrifying.” – Blake

“Smells like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
This is another creepy interpretation for BJR. “I’m worse at what I do best. And for this gift, I fell blessed. Our little group has always been and always will until the end.” – Blake

“Animals” by Maroon 5
This song has always left me feeling unsettled, but more so when I thought of it as BJR preying on Jamie. “Maybe you think that you can hide. I can smell your scent for miles, just like animals.” – Nikki

“I Want You” by Elvis Costello
I asked my guy if he could think of any creepy/stalker-ish songs. He immediately rattled off this one. While I am impressed at his encyclopedic knowledge of music, I’m disturbed that this one was just sitting there inside his head. “I want you. You’ve had your fun. You don’t get well no more. I want you. Your fingernails go dragging down the wall. Be careful darling you might fall. I want you. I woke up and one of us was crying. I want you.” – Nikki

“Creep” by Radiohead
The title says it all, and I have no other words. “I don’t care if it hurts. I want to have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul.” — Nikki

What do you think of our choices, and what songs would you add to Frank’s or Black Jack Randall’s playlists?