There is magic in a well-placed needle drop, and this season\u2019s 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 \u2014 and leave us wanting more.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u2018Beef\u2019 (Season 2, Episode 3)<\/p>\n
The second season of \u201cBeef\u201d<\/a> is as tension-filled as the first, with every episode ending on \u201can \u2018Oh s\u2014!\u2019 moment,\u201d 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\u2019s \u201cDoomsday,\u201d which closes out Episode 3 playing over a surprisingly dramatic moment for Ashley (Cailee Spaeny). \u201cI f\u2014 love Nero,\u201d the Emmy nominee says of the popular British electronic music trio. \u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Euphoria\u2019 (Season 3, Episode 3)<\/p>\n Gabe Hilfer was excited to join the HBO drama\u2019s third season<\/a> to take \u201csome big swings, musically. The protagonists are older, so there was an idea to include older soul and country music,\u201d he says, which led him to place Ann-Margret\u2019s sultry 1962 track \u201cThirteen Men\u201d over Kitty\u2019s first dance at the Silver Slipper. \u201cIt\u2019s such a cool song,\u201d says the Emmy winner, who also worked on HBO\u2019s \u201cTask.\u201d \u201cNormally there\u2019d be a current charting trap or rap song, but there\u2019s something about that song that I think makes you recalibrate how you\u2019re looking at the scene in general.\u201d Not to mention the opportunity to introduce Ann-Margret, an iconic actress, singer and dancer, \u201cto millions of people in a different demographic than might\u2019ve been exposed otherwise,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u2018The Lowdown\u2019 (Season 1, Episode 2)<\/p>\n Building the soundtrack for FX\u2019s dramedy \u201cThe Lowdown\u201d<\/a> allowed music supervisor Tiffany Anders a chance to showcase an artist she and showrunner Sterlin Harjo wanted to include on \u201cReservation Dogs\u201d: Jesse Ed Davis. His song \u201cKeep Me Comin\u2019\u201d plays over a key transitional scene where Lee (Ethan Hawke) is chatting with friends then drives his van across town. \u201cHe\u2019s a Native American guitar player not a lot of people know enough about,\u201d says Anders. \u201cHe played in Taj Mahal\u2019s band, with John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, on \u2018Doctor My Eyes\u2019 by Jackson Browne. He was kind of a studio musician guy,\u201d she explains. \u201cHe died really young of an overdose, didn\u2019t have family. I had to enlist Browne\u2019s manager to help figure out how to [license] this. It was so exciting to get to use.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Ponies\u2019 (Season 1, Episode 7)<\/p>\n In addition to the challenge of finding the appropriate music for a 1970s spy thriller set in Russia, \u201cPonies\u201d<\/a> music supervisor Kier Lehman couldn\u2019t license any music from the country due to current international sanctions. \u201cI contacted other Eastern European record labels that had music from Russia, Ukraine or other adjacent countries that would\u2019ve been played at that time in that place,\u201d he explains. \u201cMy favorite song use in \u2018Ponies\u2019 is \u201cAll That I Have\u201d by Samotsvety, a \u201970s Russian band that plays at the opening of Episode 7 over a montage of KGB agents retrieving recording devices from hotel rooms,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a super-stylish moment visually, and the track fits perfectly. It\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Shrinking\u2019 (Season 3, Episode 11)<\/p>\n