In the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss Everdeen is now a symbol of the rebellion as the Mockingjay. Now what’s a Mockingjay you might ask? Well, according to the books, the Capitol created a genetically engineered bird called jabberjays in the Dark Days of the first rebellion. These birds were used for surveillance, designed to remember and repeat human conversations verbatim with human voices. As anyone with a parrot would know, avian espionage is probably not a good idea if you do it with talking birds. The rebels quickly discovered this and fed them lies instead, which upset the Capitol that they let these jabberjays die in the wilderness. But the jabberjays didn’t and because they were exclusively male, they ended up breeding with female mockingbirds to create a new species. And that’s the Mockingjay, a bird that wasn’t meant to exist. During the Hunger Games, Katniss wears a Mockingjay pin and as she wins the 74th Hunger Games through defying the Capitol due to her unwillingness to kill Peeta when she could, districts start rebellion and associate her with that bird for the rest of the trilogy.

Now for the parody, I once again took from Jesus Christ Superstar with the “Superstar” song. Now I had it sung by Katniss’s hunting partner and longtime friend, Gale Hawthorne. Sure he has a romantic interest in her, but let’s face it, he doesn’t have a chance mostly because Katniss saw him as a big brother. And by Mockingjay, the only way’s he’s ever going to end up with her would be if Peeta dies. Yes, the love triangle gives Gale the short end of the stick. However, Suzanne Collins really didn’t want to include one in the first place and intended Gale to be her cousin. But Twilight happened so she didn’t have much choice from her publishers. In the original, the voice of the dead Judas Iscariot asks Jesus questions that are on his (and almost everyone else’s minds), many of which have not been fully understood in over 2000 years. Of course, there’s a reference to Muhammad who didn’t come to the scene until 5oo years after Jesus, but I didn’t write the song so don’t ask me. For the Hunger Games version, I have Gale asking Katniss about whether she meant her actions lead to mass Capitol defiance and why she let her image get so out of hand. And whether she is the icon so many people at Panem think she is. Still, I didn’t change a lot of the song though.

 

“Mockingjay Superstar”

Sung by Gale Hawthorne

 

Every time I look at you

I don’t understand

Why you let the things you did

Get so out of hand

You’d have managed better

If you’d had it planned

Why did you use such a deadly game

To make your own stand?

 

Now you’re Mockingjay

You could now reach the whole nation

District 13 now has great mass communication

(Don’t you get me wrong)

Don’t you get me wrong

(Don’t you get me wrong, now)

Don’t you get me wrong

(Don’t you get me wrong)

Don’t you get me wrong

(Don’t you get me wrong, now)

Don’t you get me wrong

 

(Only want to know)

Only want to know

(Only want to know, now)

Only want to know

(Only want to know)

Only want to know

(Only want to know, now)

Only want to know

 

Chorus:

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

Who are you? What have you got to say?

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

Who are you? What have you got to say?

Mockingjay

Superstar

Do you think you’re what they say you are?

Mockingjay

Superstar

Do you think you’re what they say you are?

 

Tell me what you think

About your friends at the top

Now who d’you think besides yourself

Was the pick of the crop?

Finnick is he where it’s at?

Is Peeta where you are?

Could Johanna move a mountain

Or was that just PR?

Did you mean to win like that?

Was that a mistake or

Did you know your messy act

Would be a record breaker?

(Don’t you get me wrong) Don’t you get me wrong

(Don’t you get me wrong, now) Don’t you get me wrong

(Don’t you get me wrong) Don’t you get me wrong

(Don’t you get me wrong, now) Don’t you get me wrong

(Only want to know) Only want to know

(Only want to know, now) Only want to know

(Only want to know) Only want to know

(Only want to know, now) I only want to know

 

Chorus:

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

Who are you? What have you got to say?

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

Who are you? What have you got to say?

Mockingjay

Superstar

Do you think you’re what they say you are?

Mockingjay

Superstar

Do you think you’re what they say you are?

 

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

Who are you? What have you got to say?

Mockingjay

Mockingjay

Who are you? What have you got to say?

Mockingjay

Superstar

Do you think you’re what they say you are?

Mockingjay

Superstar

Do you think you’re what they say you are?