Why "Derry Girls" has the best T.V. soundtrack of all time
Graphic by Julia Norkus
By Lauren Larking
It’s been six years since Derry Girls first premiered on the British Channel 4, but its soundtrack remains as one of the best of all time. Featuring artists from Blur to Björk, the music in Derry Girls reflects the ultimate coming-of-age experience through a slew of genre-spanning anthems.
Set in the mid to late 1990s, centered around five teenagers (four Irish girls and one British lad) as they navigate life during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, Derry Girls balances comedic genius with evocative needle drops to express the duality of this era. The show’s creator, Lisa McGee, kicks off soundtrack excellence by choosing The Cranberries’ “Dreams” as the show’s theme song. McGee and fans of the show agree that there is no better band to set the scene in the small Irish town of Derry than iconic Irish band The Cranberries.
European anthems from the ‘90s are littered throughout all three seasons of the show. Blur’s “Girls & Boys” and Supergrass’ “Alright” are featured standout Brit rock tunes that match the chaos and optimism of adolescence. The dance music scene of the time is represented perfectly by tunes such as “Finally” by CeCe Peniston and Vengaboys’ “We Like to Party” that accompany mischievous montages of the Derry gang protesting their parents, Catholic school administrators, and each other.
The show’s soundtrack fluctuates between being at the forefront and in the background of episodes. Enya’s “Caribbean Blue” kicks off season two as the backing track to one of the main characters, Erin Quinn, reading a dramatic soliloquy in the bathtub about the teen experience of the Troubles. Two episodes later in “The Concert,” the friend group forgoes a series of roadblocks on their way to a Take That concert in Belfast. Five of the boyband’s songs feature in the episode, along with others by Kylie Minogue and East 17. The soundtrack thrives off unpredictability, as the next song could be anything from Édith Piaf’s French ballad “La foule” to “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys (both are featured in season one episode two, just ten minutes apart).
McGee centered many of the show’s plotlines around her experience growing up in Derry in the ‘90s, and the prominence of live music in her life is an element that stands out. One of the musical highlights of the series is an episode titled “Halloween,” which follows the Derry gang getting tickets to see Fatboy Slim. The five teens risked embarrassment, a physical fight, and lying on public television to initially lose and then secure tickets. To them, even in the midst of political chaos, this Fatboy Slim concert was Northern Ireland’s event of the year.
The resilience, stubbornness, and camaraderie of being young is emphasized by the intentional eclecticism of the show’s needle drops. Derry Girls leans into every trope of a real coming-of-age experience and doesn’t shy away from throwing in cheesier tracks by Take That, The Spice Girls, and Mariah Carey. The soundtrack provides a holistic picture of Derry in the ‘90s by merging the music of the time with influential bands and songs from the decades before.
Much of the show is focused around being a comedy, but the soundtrack adds a tear-worthy touch and dimension of visceral emotion that makes Derry Girls incredibly special. With many modern television releases stacking their soundtracks with trending tunes for sensationalism, the music of Derry Girls stands out as evergreen and true to its core.