• Crystal Mixtapes #1: Steven



    Hello everyone! Little Ursa here with something a bit new for Beach City Bugle. As we know, music plays a HUGE role in Steven Universe and Rebecca is simply brilliant with writing music (heck, everyone who has a hand in this show is just amazing).

    Music has a huge impact on my personal life and I've always thought wondered what music in the real world would fit the characters of Steven Universe. In this new reoccurring article, which will be called the "Crystal Mixtapes", I will be creating playlists for each character based on what I might think. Of course, you can share your opinions of what you might think could fit! Today, we will start with the title character, Steven Universe!


    (Now remember, this is an opinion based article of Little Ursa pairing songs that he believes reflect the character. You are more than welcome to share your feedback in the comments, and even share what songs you might think could work. Click on the song title to listen, and on the musician name to go to learn more about them.)

    Steven is a happy boy. Half-gem, half-human, all Steven. He's a optimistic hero-in-training who is trying to find his place on this planet Earth. I believe we all see ourselves in Steven in some form or another. I took this in consideration when I was selecting these songs.


    1. "Figuring It Out" by SWMRS 

    I think this song captures Steven pretty well, especially the title itself; he's a bit scared and he's still trying to figure it all out.

    2. "Float On" by Modest Mouse

    Even with all the horrible things that happen to Steven and those around him, he still has a smile on his face and tries to keep his head up high. He is all too often the voice of optimism and is the glue that keeps the gems together, telling all of them that it will all be okay.

    3. "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers

    The Killers are one of my favorite bands and I really think this song would fit for Steven very well. The line "These changes ain't changing me,/The gold hearted boy I used to be", seems to perfectly suit Steven. As the series progresses, everything changes around him, but he doesn't change who he is, the lovable boy that he was since episode one. And despite all of this, he still is asking for help to understand who he is.

    4. "Everything's Magic" by Angels & Airwaves

    There is something about this song that just screams "Steven" to me. Perhaps it's that I can hear Steven singing this song to just about any character in the show, asking them to just believe in him.

    5. "San Francisco" by The Mowgli's

    Don't let the name of this song fool you, this is a very Steven-y song. The song shares the message of how the singer believes that love is strong enough to keep people bound together no matter how tough things might seem. If that's not Steven, I don't know what is.

    6. "Smile" by Mikky Ekko

    Steven almost always has a smile on his face, facing anything that is put in front of him. Sure, everything might seem hopeless to him, but he won't let that stop him from doing his best.

    7. "We're Going To Be Friends" by The White Stripes

    Such a cute song. This is something I see for between Steven and Connie. I really have nothing to add except than just listen to the song.

    8. "Coming Of Age" by Foster The People

    Our little Steven is growing up right before our eyes. It's still a bit surprising to remember what Steven has gone through since the first episode. He's maturing into a fine young man.

    9. "Twilight Galaxy" by Metric

    Speaking of growing up, it's just not exactly Steven's style. He's childish in nature, but that's why we love him. He reminds us it's okay to just be whoever we are.

    10. "The Sun Shines At Night" by The Submarines

    Another optimistic song about love and summer. The lyric "Wherever we go, we'll be alright" really seems to reflect that no matter how bad things might be, Steven will try to see the silver-lining of everything.

    11. "February Stars" by Foo Fighters

    Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters stated that this song is about hanging on, "hoping that you don't slip and fall". I'm sure more than that Steven has felt this way in more than once especially when he was floating in space.

    12. "Somewhere In The Between" by Toh Kay

    Originally written and performed by his main band, Streetlight Manifesto, this is a softer version of this song, which seems perfect for Steven. A song that is saying that our life is what we make of it and who we are with.

    13. "Section 9 (Light And Day/Reach For The Sun)" by The Polyphonic Spree

    This song might sound familiar to some of you. I have nothing to say about this, just listen and imagine Steven singing it to you.

    14. "Deep Water" by Portishead

    And to finish off this Crystal Mixtape, I have probably the most Steven song on the list. A calm, ukulele track by Portishead. I see Steven calmly playing this song about trying to "weather the storm".


    Covers of the albums for the selected songs



    And that will do it for the first Crystal Mixtape! I do hope you enjoyed giving the songs a listen. But what are some song selections you think that would be fitting for Steven?