Chloë Sevigny’s favourite songs of all time
Chloë Sevigny’s reputation for being effortlessly cool seems limitless. After her breakout as an actor and model in the 1990s with the movie Kids, Sevigny has endured as a cultish figure with a legion of dedicated fans, obsessing over not just her talent but her all-encompassing aura.
Sevigny is one of the most beloved it-girl figures of the last decades. As an actor, she’s appeared in iconic movies like Boys Don’t Cry and American Psycho. But as a fashion inspiration, her work in the modelling world and her personal style solidified her status as one of the industry’s most unnervingly, nonchalantly relaxed women.
Throughout her multi-talented career, Sevigny has always had tight links to music. In the 1990s, at the height of Britpop, she dated Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker. In 2007, she rocked up to a major Hollywood Halloween party dressed up in a Joan of Arc costume inspired by The Smiths, complete with a walkman in reference to ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’. Sevigny has also appeared in music videos for the likes of Sonic Youth, The Lemonheads, The Slits, and Beck.
Part of Sevigny’s allure is inseparably tied to her music taste. She’s taken on several projects deeply connected to music, such as the 2003 indie sleaze classic Party Monster or Beautiful Darling, the Andy Warhol-inspired biopic of his muse Candy Darling. Therefore, it’s no surprise that she has impeccable taste.
In conversation with Harper’s Bazaar, Sevigny curated a playlist of her essential listens. Based on the theme of reinvention, she associates the tracks with moments of change in her life. “When I was younger and going out to clubs, every night was an opportunity to reinvent myself,” she said, packing the playlist with songs that remind her of her youth, such as The Velvet Underground’s ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’ or David Bowie’s ‘Changes’.
It’s an eclectic mix of rock, indie, new wave and disco. Sevigny’s deep love for the 1960s and ‘70s comes through clearly as she includes Bowie alongside The Zombies and Neil Young. There is also a heavier streak as she adds songs from Black Sabbath and The Cramps or wades into more left-field waters with Depeche Mode.
Sevigny also included some sing-along classics, such as anthems from Diana Ross and Nina Simone. The Smiths are also in there as one of Sevigny’s favourite bands of all time.
Chloë Sevigny’s favourite songs:
- Black Sabbath – ‘Changes’
- Diana Ross – ‘I’m Coming Out’
- The Velvet Underground – ‘Beginning To See The Light’
- The Zombies – ‘This Will Be Our Year’
- Amanda Lear – ‘Follow Me’
- The Cramps – ‘New Kind Of Kick’
- Eminem – ‘Without Me’
- The Velvet Underground + Nico – ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’
- Tears For Fears – ‘Change’
- Bad Brains – ‘Re-Ignition’
- David Bowie – ‘Changes’
- Nina Simone – ‘Feeling Good’
- Nas – ‘I Can’
- The Smiths – ‘Oscillate Wildly’
- Orange Juice – ‘Rip It Up’
- Depeche Mode – ‘New Life’
- Neil Young – ‘Out On The Weekend’
