Entertainment
Hollywood

Netflix's 'Hollywood' Soundtrack Is A Perfect Blast From The Past

by Ani Bundel
Netflix

One of the joys of period-set TV series is all the detailing that goes into them. Watching Mad Men, for instance, is a chance to see an homage to the 1960s and the change in fashion over the decade. Shows like Stranger Things cite pop culture landmarks, including movies and TV shows from the early 1980s. For Netflix's latest foray into period drama, Hollywood, it's a chance to revel in the music of the post-war era. Fans are loving Netflix's Hollywood soundtrack, and all the jazz era goodness spread over its seven-episode run.

The story of Hollywood is fiction. It's a fantasy of what could have been, had the right people come along at the right time, and had the stones to force diversity and change on the industry decades before it came to pass. But for such fictions to feel real, period details have to be dead on, or else, it won't work. For instance, Hollywood makes sure to hand Ace Studios, the fictionalized production house, actual movies made that year. When the movie-within-the-TV-show, Meg, gets nominated for Oscar gold, it goes up against the real nominees from the 20th Annual Academy Awards.

Most important, Hollywood gets the sound of the era right, with pitch-perfect songs that make for a fantastic soundtrack.

Episode 1: "Hooray For Hollywood"

  • "You Better Change Your Way Of Lovin'" - Gerald Wilson
  • "Catch A Falling Star" - Perry Como
  • "It's A Good Day" - Peggy Lee
  • "Embraceable You" - The Pied Pipers
  • "Gold Digger's Song (We're in The Money)" - Dick Powell
  • "Begin The Beguine" - Artie Shaw

Episode 2: "Hooray For Hollywood: Part 2"

  • "Sing, Sing, Sing (With A Swing)" - Benny Goodman & His Orchestra
  • "You'd Be Nice To Come Home To" - Dinah Shore
  • "Just One Of Those Things" - Coleman Hawkins
  • "Let's Misbehave" - Swing Republic

Episode 3: "Outlaws"

  • "I'm Beginning To See The Light" - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
  • "Paper Doll" - The Mills Brothers
  • "Salome's Dance Of The Seven Veils" - Herbert Von Karajan
  • "Omaha Flash" - Johnny Otis & His Orchestra
  • "Angel Face" - Coleman Hawkins
  • "Sometimes I'm Happy" - Jo Stafford
  • "After Hours On Dream Street" - Johnny Hodges

Episode 4: "(Screen) Tests"

  • "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
  • "Slap That Bass" - The Ink Spots
  • "Personality" - The Pied Pipers
  • "Rhapsody In Blue" - Glenn Miller
  • "King Porter Stomp" - Glenn Miller

Episode 5: "Jump"

  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" - Ethel Merman
  • "I Need A Knife, Fork And A Spoon" - Basin Street Boys
  • "I Double Dare You" - Larry Clinton & His Orchestra
  • "Friendship" - Judy Garland & Johnny Mercer
  • "As Time Goes By" - Frank Sinatra
  • "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" - Russ Morgan & His Orchestra

Episode 6: "Meg"

  • "Old Juice On The Loose" - Jimmy Jones
  • "You Do Something To Me" - Lee Wiley

Episode 7: "A Hollywood Ending"

  • "How Bout That" - Louis Jordan
  • "Bounce Me Brother With A Solid Four" - The Andrews Sister
  • "Here Comes Santa Claus" - Gene Autry
  • "Preston Love's Mansion" - Johnny Otis
  • "A Slick Chick (On The Mellow Side)" - Dinah Washington

You can listen to all the songs from Netflix's Hollywood on Spotify and YouTube.