Almost everyone loves TV series, and that’s a fact, but what’s equally certain is that people love them for different reasons according to their interests: some are passionate about storytelling, others watch them because they like one or more actors from the cast, some are interested in the sound effects, in the subject, others are influenced by the popular opinion and advice from their friends.
Moreover, these are some of the elements that contribute to making a TV series memorable and, among others, there’s the soundtrack: the one element that emphasizes the most exciting moments, that makes you understand that something is going to happen, that creates the atmosphere for a speech of the protagonists or that, more simply, makes us jump on the sofa as we hear the theme song.
Let’s be honest: if we asked you to name the TV series with the most beautiful soundtrack, you would probably tell us at least one title: we give you 8 names, instead, that, over the years, have marked us with their songs and to which we come back sometimes, with memories or through a rewatch, to enjoy some good music!
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Westworld
It is one of the most acclaimed and intriguing contemporary titles, which has now reached its third season. In its world dominated by conflicts between humans and residents, where artificial intelligence reigns, the soundtrack is made of modern songs revised in a western key to adapt them to the past and, more often, to the world of saloons. First and foremost, we have Ramin Djawadi who, throughout his career, has composed the soundtracks of “Game of Thrones,” “Iron Man,” and “Prison Break.” Along with the story, the covers of bands such as Radiohead, Rolling Stones, The Cure, Guns N’ Roses, and then Kanye West, David Bowie, and even Giuseppe Verdi are alternated, amplifying the alienating effect aligned with the broken down narrative that characterizes this series, poised between the real world, the artificial and the futuristic one.
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Game of Thrones
Skipping the opening theme is not allowed: once you hear the first notes, you have to listen to it and sing it all the way long while the map of the kingdoms comes to life on the screen. The music composed by Ramin Djawadi plays a fundamental role during the story, “describing” in its way the different families, emphasizing the most important moments (raise your hand if you can’t but think of the Red Wedding if you hear “The Rains of Castamere” or if “Light of the Seven,” the song that you hear during the explosion of The Great Sept of Baelor, still gives you the chills) and following the protagonists on their path towards the end while being more or less appreciated as if it were a character as well. The composer, to emphasize the vastness of this fantasy world, used ethnic instruments such as the taiko (a Japanese drum) and the duduk (a kind of flute), including then original songs sung by artists such as Florence + The Machine, Sigur Rós, and Ed Sheeran, to ensure total immersion in the atmosphere of this legendary TV series.
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Supernatural
“Carry on my wayward son, for there’ll be peace when you are done:” we have chills going down our spine just by reading the beginning of the song “Carry on my wayward son” by Kansas because it makes us (literally) think about all the road that the Winchester brothers have traveled from the first to the fifteenth season, the one currently underway that will mark the end of one of the longest-running TV series ever. The composers of the series, Christopher Lennertz and Jay Gruska, have worked together to emphasize every moment of the series at its best, following a specific mantra: classical rock is the basis and, often, it is Dean himself who reproduces certain songs on his Impala. From Led Zeppelin to AC/DC, from Bob Seger to Metallica, everything is designed to give the idea of a very long road trip that the two brothers have been having for many years now. With a few stops to defeat the evil.
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Stranger Things
A series set in the 1980s must have a soundtrack that collects some of the most iconic songs of the time. To take care of it there are Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon, two members of the SURVIVE who, thanks to their passion for experimental electronic music, gave life with vintage synthesizers to tracks of great tension, where the border between the upside-down and the actual world is increasingly labile. Besides the original songs, the series features hit tracks by some of the most important bands of the ’80s, such as The Clash, Toto and Queen. Among the iconic songs, we find “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash, the one that best represents the events that revolve around Will in the first season, and “The NeverEnding Story” from the “The NeverEnding Story” (1984) that Suzie and Dustin sing together in the third season.
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Normal People
That’s one of the most acclaimed series of 2020: Marianne and Connell’s tormented love story is accompanied by a delicate and deep soundtrack, which manages to emphasize the feelings of the protagonists, creating a highly exciting story inside the story. The credits for this “musical story” go to Stephen Rennicks, who previously worked on titles such as “Frank” and “Room.” The soundtrack also includes some famous by recent artists, such as Frank Ocean, Selena Gomez, and Carly Rae Jepsen. At one point, we can even listen to Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek,” with all its sentimental charge, the one that best expresses all the words and silences between Marianne and Connell: “What the hell is going on?”.
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Twin Peaks
“Diane, 11:30 a.m., February 24th. Entering the town of Twin Peaks:” with these words, Agent Cooper enters Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of Laura Palmer. It is the beginning of a cult TV series that, since the ‘90s, lives even nowadays through its complex storytelling, strange atmosphere, and soundtrack. The music was composed by Angelo Badalamenti, a longtime collaborator of David Lynch, and features songs that mark the course of events with their restless and unreal nature, a constant crescendo that collects all the mystery, the horror, surrealism, and malice of this series. With jazz and ‘60s pop, dissonant and noir touches, AllMusic described it as “One of the most beautiful soundtracks composed for television.”
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Big Little Lies
This series has an amazing cast, amazing locations, an amazing story, and an equally amazing soundtrack! Supervised by Susan Jacobs (“Sharp Objects,” “The Undoing”), it accompanies the characters both in public and private moments, in moments of peace and tension, amplifying the emotional rhythm of a scene. Songs are often introduced by a character, such as young Chloe who’s listening to her playlists or Jane who works out to the sound of music. From the theme song (“Cold Little Heart” by Michael Kiwanuka) onwards, the soundtrack enters you, between highly evocative and emotional soul and R&B references.
The Best TV Series Soundtracks
Empire
A TV series focused on the world of hip-hop and on a record label can’t but have a doping soundtrack! Over the 6 seasons, the Lyon family dramas are underlined by original music written and produced by Timothy Mosley, better known as Timbaland, and played by the actors themselves, with guest stars such as Courtney Love, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. The rapper Ne-Yo also collaborated to the making of the soundtrack of the second season. All the tracks were specifically written for the reference scenes and characters, this way enhancing the events of this difficult, yet important, musical family.
