[For more of Collider’s Best of 2016 lists, clickhere]
Great songs that you hear in a TV episode can have a strong emotional impact, as well as lead you to bands and artists you may not have previously heard of. This has been a great year for soundtracks on TV, and our Best of 2016 playlist covers a wide range of shows across network, cable and streaming platforms. Time-specific tracks from the period a TV show is set in such as Portishead’s “Sour Times” accompany Marcia Clark and her new haircut inThe People v. O.J. Simpson, though more anachronistic picks are also included. And while I am sure there are some I have missed (because in this era of Peak TV it is impossible to watch everything) there are plenty of different genres represented, too.
Twenty-one shows feature on this list, withFleabag,Mr.Robot,Girls,Halt and Catch Fire,Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,The Americansand theLookingmovie getting two entries each (I just couldn’t pick). There are tracks to dance to, like “Velouria” by the Pixes as Cameron and Joe did inHalt and Catch Fire,or you can pull a Patrick fromLookingand dig out your best moves for Britney Spears’ “Piece of Me.”
This really has been a terrific year for both pop songs and scores with the playlist closing out withTHATGame of Thronespiece of music, which I definitely listened to at least five times in a row while I was writing about the episode.Ramin Djawadiis the only artist who appears twice and the composer worked on HBO’s two most talked about shows this year;Game of ThronesandWestworld.
With the latter, Djawadi has taken tracks by bands likeRadiohead,Nine Inch NailsandSoundgardenand given them a Western saloon makeover. Half the fun was how long it took to guess which track was getting the piano treatment withRadioheaddominating throughout. “Exit Music (For a Film) has such a strongRomeo + Julietconnection for me, but it is a fantastic choice as all goes to hell in the season finale.
Exit music is well-covered here, and the track that plays an episode out whether it is over the last sequence or kicking in as it smashes to credits has the power to really land that gut punch or rush of feelings. See the entries forYou’re the Worst(which really excels at this),Orange is the New Black,Black Mirror,Good Girls RevoltandStranger Thingsfor this. Also on the devastating level is “Allistrum’s March” from the fourth episode ofFleabagand this track alone now has the power to produce tears because of the intense sadness emanated from the scene it accompanied.
Songs from finales also feature heavily in this list – including the aforementionedWestworld,Game of Thrones,Good Girls RevoltandYou’re the Worst -and this is when shows tend to pull out their big guns.The Americanshas always used the soundtrack of the era to its strength sprinkling rather than cramming every episode with the “Best of the ‘80s,” and the Season 4 finale added another string to the excellent song choice bow. Leonard Cohen sings “Who by Fire” as we see the characters in each story thread contemplate the weight of the work and whether they are now stuck in an inescapable landscape of their own making or if they still have time to flee. Earlier in the season “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie accompanied a very different montage of release and stress, which also sadly points to another music icon that passed away this year.
The other song choice I have gone for fromThe Americanscomes from Episode 2, where Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” takes on a whole new meaning after Philip’s encounter with an airport security guard on a bus goes horribly wrong.
Mr. Robothad a bit of a messy season, but the soundtrack never let it down asSam Esmailuses a variety of classic tracks, contemporary songs and classical music to enhance the viewing experience. Plus, there was also the moment whenPortia Doubledaydelivereda stunningly melancholic renditionof “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” during a karaoke scene.
On Spotify there is anInsecureplaylist for every episode(because the music is that good), although I am sad to see that “Broken Pussy” – which got Issa into trouble with her best friend Molly and was stuck in my head for days on end – is not featured. In songs that might be considered inappropriate if sung out loud, there is a couple fromCrazy Ex-Girlfriendand this was another case of having too much choice so Rebecca’s love arc with Greg won out for Santino Fontana reasons.
As this almost-30 track playlist shows, there were plenty of music moments this year on television to dance, sob and sing along to. Plus, some songs were also integral to the plot with the sadly one season and doneBrainDeadusing “You Might Think” by The Cars as a way to signify who has been infiltrated. Talk about music that gets in your head, I am now actual very fond of what was aliteralearworm onBrainDead.
The full track listing is below including what episode the song featured in – you can also listen to the playlist in its entirety onSpotify.
https://play.spotify.com/user/frazbelina/playlist/6kODxOvZqa5JiuogQ8nxeO
