Netflix has created several great original series over the years. Many of them have earned international acclaim and sparked a monoculture, with everyone watching the same show at the same time. These shows often have incredible soundtracks that create a sense of time and place as well as sparking comparisons for their specific scenes. Here are five songs from Netflix original series that elevated their episodes.
Videos by American Songwriter
‘Black Mirror’: “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” — Belinda Carlisle
Season 3 of Netflix’s sci-fi anthology Black Mirror featured the episode “San Junipero,” which has since become a cultural touchstone. The episode has been referenced in other shows, and sometimes just saying its name can evoke strong emotions. It was a rare bittersweet episode for the usually bleak series, and made a strong impact on viewers.
The song “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” by Belinda Carlisle was featured in the end credits of the episode. “San Junipero” is a queer love story between Kelly and Yorkie that also deals with aging and death. It’s too complicated a premise for just a short description, but the inclusion of “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” essentially represented the characters’ relationship outside of the San Junipero simulation.
‘Wednesday’: “Goo Goo Muck” — The Cramps
The dance scene in Netflix’s Wednesday took the internet by storm when it premiered in episode 4. The students of Nevermore Academy attend their annual dance, and Wednesday takes it to the next level with a spooky dance.
Dressed in a delightfully goth gown and with a straight face, Wednesday took the floor at the Rave’N dance. With “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps as her soundtrack, she performed Monster Mash-esque choreography, looking like a zombie in one moment before transitioning into The Monkey. As her teachers and classmates looked on, Wednesday put on this elaborate mating dance for her date, Tyler, who seemed confused yet, possibly, charmed.
‘Stranger Things’: “Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)” — Kate Bush
Netflix’s sci-fi masterpiece, Stranger Things, was responsible for bringing Kate Bush back to the charts decades later. In season 4 episode 4, “Running Up That Hill” helped Max Mayfield deal with the death of her step-brother, eventually becoming her favorite song. When she’s captured by Vecna, the song actually helps save her life.
Max’s friends played the song through her headphones as she was enduring Vecna’s psychic attacks. This allowed her to retain an anchor to reality, breaking the psychic hold the villain had on her mind. Once again, Kate Bush proves that she’s forever an icon.
‘Mindhunter’: “Fly Like An Eagle” — Steve Miller Band
One of the standout scenes from Netflix’s psychological crime series Mindhunter occurred early in the first season. In episode 2, agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench take their FBI classes on the road, creating a stellar montage to “Fly Like An Eagle” by Steve Miller Band.
The montage mostly serves to set up the agents’ road school as a transition between scenes. However, it’s visually and musically striking and creates a sense of time and place for the show. It also serves to show the strain the road school has on Holden and Bill as they try to balance it with their new interview project.
‘Ozark’: “N.Y. State Of Mind” — Nas
On Netflix’s original series Ozark, rap and hip-hop served as character development for Ruth Langmore. The genre, specifically the music of Nas and Run The Jewels, showcased Ruth’s worldview as someone forced into criminal activities.
In season 4 episode 8, Ruth even has an interaction with Killer Mike of Run The Jewels. In a scene that fans speculate may have been a hallucination, Ruth and Killer Mike discuss Nas’ song “N.Y. State Of Mind.” The two speak of the simultaneous hope and cruelty of that song and Nas’ connection to his neighborhood. Ruth is seemingly connecting Nas’ mindset in the song to her own cursed family, making comparisons and diving deep into her messed up past.
Photo by Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Image
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