By Dominique Tassell
The soundtrack, it can make or break the viewing experience. But have we forgotten the art of them?
Let’s go back in time, it’s the early 2000s. You’re watching The OC, One Tree Hill or Grey’s Anatomy. Vampire Diaries even, if we’re not going back as far.
These are the shows that people search up the soundtrack for on Spotify. They’re the soundtracks that people wished were applied to their own lives.
But while shows like Euphoria and Bridgerton are getting hype for their soundtracks nowadays, it’s for their instrumental covers or their score rather than their normal songs.
We’ve all seen how media like Guardians of the Galaxy and Stranger Things have used movies to set the scene, and I say it’s time we bring back the art of the soundtrack. I want all our normal TV shows to have the emphasis on music they used to.
There was a time when bands got their start playing in concert scenes in TV shows like The OC and Charmed. Who can forget Seth and Ryan casually watching The Killers?!
It says it all that One Tree Hill’s soundtrack is still one of the most played on Spotify, with over a billion streams.
Maybe it’s the cynic in me, but I blame award shows. It feels like everyone in Hollywood is trying too hard to get their original songs recognised. But often it’s the other songs that do all the magic. No one really cares about the song playing in the credits.
They don’t even put bloopers or fun skits in the credits anymore- but that’s a topic for another time.
Take Billie Eilish’s ‘No Time to Die’. It was kind of boring. But her song ‘Bored’ in 13 Reasons Why though? Much better.
The difference? One was actually used in a scene.
I maintain people care more about the songs that create the atmosphere of the actual show than a song attached with it to promote it but never actually heard in it.
Take Euphoria for example.
While parts of Euphoria’s score went viral, it’s Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Right down the line’ that truly went nuts online.
It’s time for Hollywood to stop focussing on what will get them awards and their own unique streams on Spotify and start thinking about the experience again.
