There is magic in a well-placed needle drop, and this season’s TV soundtracks include several standouts. Whether in use as memorable transitions, to deliver a sonic hit of nostalgia or to underscore a jarring cliffhanger, songs pack emotional punch — and leave us wanting more.
The Envelope recently spoke with six music supervisors about their favorite needle drops from their own series. The songs in question span genres, decades and continents, and include new artists, unsung heroes and more.
‘Beef’ (Season 2, Episode 3)
The second season of “Beef” is as tension-filled as the first, with every episode ending on “an ‘Oh s—!’ moment,” which made for an exciting challenge, according to music supervisor Jen Malone. Culling from a playlist of 600 songs she created with showrunner Lee Sung Jin before filming began, Malone says a favorite selection is Nero’s “Doomsday,” which closes out Episode 3 playing over a surprisingly dramatic moment for Ashley (Cailee Spaeny). “I f— love Nero,” the Emmy nominee says of the popular British electronic music trio. “There was a little hiccup with [clearing] that one because they do sample the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra but their management was [incredibly collaborative] and we got it done.”
‘Euphoria’ (Season 3, Episode 3)
Gabe Hilfer was excited to join the HBO drama’s third season to take “some big swings, musically. The protagonists are older, so there was an idea to include older soul and country music,” he says, which led him to place Ann-Margret’s sultry 1962 track “Thirteen Men” over Kitty’s first dance at the Silver Slipper. “It’s such a cool song,” says the Emmy winner, who also worked on HBO’s “Task.” “Normally there’d be a current charting trap or rap song, but there’s something about that song that I think makes you recalibrate how you’re looking at the scene in general.” Not to mention the opportunity to introduce Ann-Margret, an iconic actress, singer and dancer, “to millions of people in a different demographic than might’ve been exposed otherwise,” he says.
‘The Lowdown’ (Season 1, Episode 2)
Building the soundtrack for FX’s dramedy “The Lowdown” allowed music supervisor Tiffany Anders a chance to showcase an artist she and showrunner Sterlin Harjo wanted to include on “Reservation Dogs”: Jesse Ed Davis. His song “Keep Me Comin’” plays over a key transitional scene where Lee (Ethan Hawke) is chatting with friends then drives his van across town. “He’s a Native American guitar player not a lot of people know enough about,” says Anders. “He played in Taj Mahal’s band, with John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, on ‘Doctor My Eyes’ by Jackson Browne. He was kind of a studio musician guy,” she explains. “He died really young of an overdose, didn’t have family. I had to enlist Browne’s manager to help figure out how to [license] this. It was so exciting to get to use.”
‘Ponies’ (Season 1, Episode 7)
In addition to the challenge of finding the appropriate music for a 1970s spy thriller set in Russia, “Ponies” music supervisor Kier Lehman couldn’t license any music from the country due to current international sanctions. “I contacted other Eastern European record labels that had music from Russia, Ukraine or other adjacent countries that would’ve been played at that time in that place,” he explains. “My favorite song use in ‘Ponies’ is “All That I Have” by Samotsvety, a ’70s Russian band that plays at the opening of Episode 7 over a montage of KGB agents retrieving recording devices from hotel rooms,” he says. “It’s a super-stylish moment visually, and the track fits perfectly. It’s one of those gems we uncovered in the research process that I still go back to, and I love how it turned out in the show.”
‘Shrinking’ (Season 3, Episode 11)
“Shrinking” music supervisor and star Christa Miller knew that Brandi Carlile’s moving “You Without Me” was a perfect fit for the series, but had to wait two years to make it happen. “My daughter’s fiancé, Andrew Watt, is a successful producer and musician who worked on an album with Elton John and Brandi Carlile. I heard the song two and a half years ago and knew it was a ‘Shrinking’ song but Andrew said it wasn’t available,” she recalls. Coincidentally, Carlile is a fan of the series and contacted Miller and her partner Tony Von Pervieux about using her song. “I’m so glad I had it for this season because the writers wrote for that song in the finale,” she says. “It plays when Alice goes off to college and then for the end credits. It gave me chills when I saw it.”
‘The Testaments’ (Season 1, Episode 1)
Although her experience working on “The Handmaid’s Tale” gave her plenty of exposure to the dystopian world of Gilead, music supervisor Brittany Whyte was excited to explore a more youthful side of that story with “The Testaments.” “I wanted the music to have a much more whimsical take, at times, than some of the darker cues in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’” she says. “’Summer Song’ is one of my favorites because it is such a different sound for the show. It really sets the tone for the whole season. It’s the first song you hear and it’s just perfect for that. [Remy Bond] has that smoky, almost aloof vocal. It’s like she’s a teenager in this song and it really does present Agnes [played by Chase Infiniti] to us in an ideal way.”