Penn Badgley always plays the kind of guy who has a lot of opinions about the media you consume. Honestly, you could never let the book-obsessed Joe Goldberg from You know that you binge-watch Love Island, and Gossip Girl’s Dan Humphrey would lose his mind if he knew how much time you actually spend watching Jeffree Star videos. In real life, Penn shares that refined taste...but there’s a little more wiggle room. His musical taste is actually pretty surprising.
From the songs he listened to (and still does) before Joe existed to the ones he uses to get inside Joe’s head and the one Gossip Girl anthem he’ll never forget, here’s Penn’s ultimate playlist.
“Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte,” by Maurice Ravel
“My You character, Joe, carries a sadness with him when he sees something gorgeous—it’s what fuels his mania. I listen to this to get in touch with that—it’s achingly beautiful.”
“Life,” by Saba
“People talk about Joe like ‘He’s a stalker’ or ‘Oh, he’s a bad guy.’ But he’s a murderer! I need to get in touch with experiencing death, loss, and specifically homicide. I take that very seriously, and this song helps get me there.”
“Angels,” by Chance the Rapper feat. Saba
“When I want to feel amped, this is a phenomenal option.”
“Somebody to Love,” by Queen
“Queen has always been good for cheering me up. This one has a desperate humor to it. Or...there is humor in its desperation.”
“Glamorous,” by Fergie
“This song was, like, the campaign of Gossip Girl season 1. They played it repeatedly while we were shooting the pilot. Listening to it feels like another dimension.”
“Love,” by Mos Def
“I’ve wanted to live in Brooklyn since I was 12 because of Mos Def. I was never really from a place—I just continued moving. He says, ‘It ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re at.’ Now, I’ve been in Brooklyn longer than anywhere.”
“Sorry,” by Justin Bieber
“This is an obvious guilty pleasure. It’s such a Top 40 dance number. Top 40 is like an empty plastic bag, but Bieber’s an example of it being good. Nothing but love for him.”
“Take Me to the Light,” by Francis and the Lights with Bon Iver and Kanye West
“It feels like right now. It’s about profound love and, at the same time, standing up against the strangeness of the times we live in.”
“Send It On,” by D’Angelo
“This one is all about adoring someone unconditionally. It’s just so encouraging to me. I really derived spiritual sustenance through music as a teenager.”
Bonus track! “Toxic,” by Britney Spears
“Phenomenally crafted.”
P.S. Follow Cosmopolitan on Spotify for all the playlists you’ll ever need.
