In the TV series "The Bear", "New noise" is played by the Swedish hardcore band Refused. In Guy Ritchie's brutal mafia series "Mobland", Prodigy's "Firestarter" is played and in the new season of "The summer I turned pretty", Cranberries' "Dreams" can be heard.
All are songs with at least 25 years on their back.
If you're going to make a guess, the 90s feel super hot, maybe the 00s too, notes Rasmus Thord, music supervisor at Solid Music Supervision.
A milestone
Reusing old songs in TV series is not a new trend. But when Netflix got permission to use Kate Bush's "Running up that hill", a milestone was passed – today the song has been streamed over 1.4 billion times on Spotify.
In November, the fifth and final season of the series will be released, where so far only one song has been revealed: a remix of Deep Purple's "Child in time". But it's not certain that Netflix can surpass themselves.
Personally, I think it will take a lot to succeed in repeating the success of "Running up that hill" – there, all the stars were aligned, says Viktor Waldås at the music publisher Sony Music Publishing Scandinavia.
"Snabba cash" song
Simplified, he belongs to the "sales side" while Rasmus Thord is on the "buying side" in the industry. The latter has worked closely with Lukas Moodysson and was involved in lifting 1Cuz and Greekazo's song "Försent" in the series "Snabba cash", which now has 108 million streams on Spotify.
But it's not many with my job who think "oh, how fun, now this song will be big", but what you think about is how it works in context. It should feel both credible and give a little extra, says Rasmus Thord, whose latest project is Mikael Marcimain's film "Ett ärligt liv".
Is it cheaper to use old songs in TV and film? No, say both Waldås and Thord. Those who want to make a good "deal" are more likely to turn to young, unestablished artists.
Tiktok success
On August 6, the second season of "Wednesday" will have its Netflix premiere. Last season, Jenna Ortega made a Tiktok success with the dance to The Cramps' "Goo goo muck" and now, when Lady Gaga will soon make her debut in the series, the Tiktok clips have been updated with the Gaga song "Bloody Mary".
Just social media affects the songs' ability to break through, notes Viktor Waldås.
Nowadays, it's easier for younger generations to rediscover classics through Tiktok and streaming services, which has led to the songs that appear in film and TV being able to have even greater impact.
"New noise" with Refused from 1998 – used in "The Bear" "Firestarter" with Prodigy from 1996 – used in "Mobland"
"Punkrocker" with Teddybears and Iggy Pop from 2000 – used in "Superman"
"Take on me" with A-ha from 1985 – used in the latest season of "The last of us"
"Child in time" with Deep Purple from 1970 – used in the trailer for the final season of "Stranger things"
"Dreams" with Cranberries from 1992 – used in the third season of "The summer I turned pretty"
"Bizarre love triangle" with New Order – used in the romantic drama "Mix tape"
"My favourite things" by Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers from "Sound of music" – used in the trailer for "Wednesday", season two.
