The Emmy for Outstanding Music Supervision was introduced only in the series’ final season, a shame because Girls deserved to dominate the category for six years. The show’s soundtrack, curated by Manish Raval and Tom Wolfe, was a masterclass in music supervision, amplifying emotional beats and elevating comedy to unforgettable heights. Recall any iconic Girls scene; it was likely underscored by a thoughtful selection from Raval and Wolfe. For me, Aimee Mann’s “How Am I Different” closing the Jessa-focused episode “Video Games” remains unforgettable.
When Lena Dunham announced the HBO revival with five episodes, my immediate thought—after a string of expletives—was about the soundtrack. Which song will Marnie sing at karaoke? What will accompany Hannah’s nude photos? Will they play “Girls” by The Dare? Essential inclusions should be a track from Robyn’s new album, an original Jenny Lewis song, and Grace Ives’ “Stupid Bitches,” which Dunham praised earlier this year. Below is a curated list of songs I’d love to hear in the reboot’s soundtrack, with contributions from colleagues.
Amaarae: “Counterfeit”
Audrey Hobert: “I Like to Touch People”
Caroline Polachek: “Bunny Is a Rider”
Christine and the Queens: “People, I’ve Been Sad”
CMAT: “Take a Sexy Picture of Me”
Cute Door: “Screen”
EQ (Estratosfera & Qiri): “B.S.A.S. (Si Alguna Vez te Sentís Sola de Noche”
Fcukers: “Play Me”
Fever Ray: “To the Moon and Back”
Grace Ives: “Stupid Bitches”
Ikeda: “Mapz”
A new original Jenny Lewis song
JT: “Girls Gone Wild”
Junglepussy: “Foreign Exchange”
An LCD Soundsystem song from American Dream that is not “Oh Baby”
Leikeli47: “Carry Anne”
Lucius: “Promises”
Mannequin Pussy: “Drunk II”
Mitski: “Should’ve Been Me”
Pop Smoke: “Dior”
Robyn: “Sexistential”
Smerz: “You Got Time and I Got Money”
St. Vincent: “At the Holiday Party”
Tinashe: “Bouncin”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs & Perfume Genius: “Spitting off the Edge of the World”
Zara Larsson: “Pretty Ugly”
*For the purposes of this list I have constrained myself to songs released after the series finale air date of April 16, 2017.
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