Behind: Draw You Out by Noah Kahan
Written by Taylor Walker
There are certain songs that feel like they belong to a story, as though they have been waiting for the right characters, the right setting and the right moment to find their meaning. Noah Kahan's Draw You Out is one of those songs for me. From the moment it connected with Sunrise on the Reaping, it became something more than just another song in my playlist. It became intertwined with a story that already holds such a special place in my heart, and somehow, it made me love both even more. There is something about the feeling of this song that reminds me so strongly of the world of Panem, and the heartbreaking, complicated story of Haymitch Abernathy. And as someone who considers Noah Kahan my favourite artist in the entire world and Sunrise on the Reaping my favourite book, I don't think I could have found a more perfect combination for the upcoming movie.
One of the things I love most about Noah Kahan's music is his ability to make emotions feel almost painfully human. His songs have a way of reaching into places you don't always know how to explain and putting feelings into words that you didn't even realise you were carrying. Draw You Out captures that kind of emotional depth for me. There is a vulnerability to the song that feels particularly fitting when thinking about characters who have spent so much of their lives learning to hide what they feel. It brings to mind the idea of wanting to understand someone beyond the version of themselves that they allow the world to see. Not just the person they present to everyone else, but the person underneath all the hurt, fear, memories and carefully constructed walls.
And honestly, could there be a more fitting connection to Haymitch Abernathy?
Haymitch has always been my favourite character in The Hunger Games, but Sunrise on the Reaping made my appreciation for him grow into something I can hardly put into words. There is something devastating about knowing the person he becomes while also getting to understand the person he was before the Games took so much from him. He is such a complicated character, and that is exactly what makes him so fascinating. Beneath the sarcasm, the drinking, the anger and the seemingly careless attitude is someone who has experienced more than any person should ever have to endure. Someone who has learned that showing vulnerability can be dangerous. Someone who has been hurt in ways that words could never adequately explain.
This is where I think the connection to Draw You Out becomes particularly beautiful. The song makes me think about the desire to get past someone's defences, to reach the parts of them they have buried and understand what made them that way. When I think about Haymitch, I think about all the things he never says, all the emotions he has learned to swallow and all the versions of himself that exist underneath the person we meet in the original trilogy. I think about the boy he was, the life he could have had and everything that was taken away from him. There is something so heartbreaking about knowing that a person can carry so much love and pain at the same time, while the rest of the world only sees the version of them that survived.
What makes Sunrise on the Reaping so special to me is that it gives Haymitch a story that deserves to be understood. It makes you look at him differently, not because he becomes a completely different person, but because you finally get to see more of what shaped him. It is a story about survival, loss, love, injustice and the terrible things people are forced to become when they are simply trying to make it through another day. Those themes sit so naturally alongside the emotional atmosphere I associate with Noah's music. Both have that ability to leave you thinking about something long after the experience itself has ended.
I also think there is something incredibly special about connecting music to books. Sometimes a song can become the soundtrack to a fictional world, and suddenly every time you hear it, you are transported back to a particular character, a particular scene or a particular feeling. That is exactly what has happened with Draw You Out for me. I can imagine listening to it and thinking about Haymitch, about the events of his Games, about everything he lost and about the person he might have been if the world had been kinder to him. It makes the song feel almost cinematic, as though it belongs somewhere between the pages of Suzanne Collins' writing and the memories of a character who deserves so much more happiness than he ever receives. And perhaps that is another reason why Noah Kahan's music means so much to me. His songwriting has always felt like storytelling. He creates these incredibly intimate emotional worlds where sadness, nostalgia, love and longing can all exist together. His music doesn't need to give you a happy ending to make you feel something meaningful. Sometimes it simply reminds you that there is beauty in understanding sadness, in recognising the complexity of people and in allowing yourself to feel things deeply. I think that is a quality that makes his music so special, and it is why I will never get tired of listening to him.
With the Sunrise on the Reaping movie coming out next week, I honestly cannot put into words how excited I am. This book means so much to me, and the thought of seeing Haymitch's story brought to life on screen is something I have been looking forward to immensely. I know that watching it will be an emotional experience, especially knowing how much his character means to me. I am so excited to see the world of the book translated into a film, to revisit these characters and to experience the story in an entirely new way. I also know that there will probably be moments that absolutely destroy me, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Some stories deserve to hurt a little because of how much you love them.
Ultimately, Draw You Out has become one of those songs that feels personal in a way that is difficult to explain to someone who doesn't understand the connection. It is not simply about liking a song or enjoying the way it sounds. It is about the feelings it brings out, the fictional world it reminds me of and the character I cannot stop thinking about. It is about Noah Kahan, whose music continues to mean more to me than I could ever properly express, and Haymitch Abernathy, a character whose story has permanently found a place in my heart.
And if there is one thing I know for certain, it is that I will be listening to Draw You Out long after the credits roll on Sunrise on the Reaping, thinking about Haymitch, thinking about Panem, and being endlessly grateful that Noah Kahan makes music that makes me feel this much.
Some songs are just songs. This one is a whole story.