As season 4 of Stranger Things proved with their brilliant Kate Bush needle-drop, the perfect piece of popular music can turn any scene into an epic spectacle. Because of this, fans have looked back on some of their other favorite TV shows and discovered amazing needle drops.
From upbeat pop songs to dour country dirges, music can be used to accentuate the emotions of a scene and elevate them to new heights. Though the history of TV is filled with tons of amazing needle-drops, users on Reddit took to the site to put forward the ones that got their toes tapping.
"Lungs" By Townes Van Zandt - True Detective (2014-Present)
Though many fans believed that the show's quality fell off after its first season, True Detective delivered quite an emotional wallop with its premiere outing. User PvtHudson093 picked a needle-drop from the show when they said "True Detective S1E07 at the end of the episode...Townes Van Zandt - Lungs starts playing".
The heart-wrenching moment was made all the more emotional by the use of Van Zandt's folk-country classic. The evocative lyrics about lost opportunity go so well with the scene that it almost feels as if it was penned for that moment. On top of that, the song's plucky country guitar matches the show's Deep South setting as well.
"Let Down" By Radiohead - The Bear (2022-Present)
Even when a show is filled with great needle drops, sometimes one perfect song choice can stand head and shoulders above the rest. User thankit33 got emotional with their needle-drop, writing "'Let Down' in The Bear almost had me in tears. What a show".
The somewhat obscure song from Radiohead was used as somewhat of a capper to the series, and it helped to solidify its place as one of the best FX on Hulu series. Though the tone and lyrics of the song are a bit obvious considering the circumstances of the show, Radiohead's ethereal sound and pleading vocals still pack a big punch.
"Make Your Own Kind Of Music" By Cass Elliot - Lost (2004-2010)
One thing that Lost did very well with its music is juxtaposing dour situations with upbeat tunes. User freedraw turned to Lost for their favorite, writing "The LOST season 2 premier where Desmond throws Cass Elliot's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" on the turntable".
The saccharine silliness of the classic pop hit sticks out like a sore thumb in the depths of Desmond's strange bunker, but that was surely an intentional choice. Lost used music somewhat sparingly, but when a needle-drop happened it was usually used to accompany an important turning point in the show's twisting narrative.
"In The Air Tonight" By Phil Collins - Miami Vice (1984-1989)
If any show represented the breezy, neon-soaked atmosphere of the nostalgic '80s, it was the cop classic Miami Vice. User CarbonPrevails picked one of the most iconic moments from the beloved series when they wrote succinctly "Miami Vice - In The Air Tonight".
Marking the first time that a pop song was ever used to underscore a television show, the episode "Brother's Keeper" was the pilot and used Phil Collins' song to set a tone. Like the show itself, the song is drenched in classic '80s synth and the lyrics have a violent undertone that implies impending action.
"Tusk" By Fleetwood Mac - The Americans (2013-2018)
First impressions are everything, and some shows choose to use a song to add a bit more gravitas to their pilot episode. User lostinthought15 praised one such choice when they said "The Americans kicking off with Fleetwood Mac's Tusk is a pretty damn good start to the pretty damn good series".
While Fleetwood Mac's music has been used in movies and TV shows before, the use of their percussive song "Tusk" was a unique choice. The song builds up slowly, and the lyrics are blurted with an anger that matches the violent outbursts of the characters. The Americans was always praised for their musical choices and the trend started in the very first episode.
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" By Tommy James And The Shondells - Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Though things were rarely ever groovy on Breaking Bad, the show had a habit of using rather mellow songs to underscore the drama. User H20loo-Sunset let the scene talk for itself when they wrote "Crystal Blue Persuasion on Breaking Bad".
Using Tommy James and the Shondells' psychedelic lyrics to utter perfection, the show manages to redirect the purpose of the song into a reference to the series' most famous controlled substance. "Gliding Over All" was already one of the best episodes of the series, but the clever inclusion of the song helped solidify it in fans' minds.
"Welcome To The Machine" By Pink Floyd - Person Of Interest (2011-2016)
Person of Interest mostly slipped by as yet another police procedural, but it was their use of needle drops that helped set it apart. User halfClickWinston had a wish granted, saying "I've watched Person of Interest wondering if they would ever play "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd, and they sure did".
Deftly using the song as punctuation on one of the show's most shocking reveals, the Floyd song about the increasing corporatization of music turns into frightening speculation about artificial intelligence. The song is already eerie on its own, but when played over the credits it almost becomes a dire warning.
"Tomorrow Never Knows" By The Beatles - Mad Men (2007-2015)
The Beatles' music has been used in dozens of movies and TV shows, but Mad Men found a clever way to use a song to make a cultural comment. When talking about a needle-drop, user PhoenixReborn went rather literal when they said "Don Draper listening to Tomorrow Never Knows off Revolver and chucking it in the bin".
The Beatles were a symbol for a new generation in the '60s, and Mad Men used a song off of one of their most progressive albums to make their point. Draper represents the older generation and his rejection of the uber-popular Beatles hit is a brilliant way to show he is officially behind the times.
"Excursions" By A Tribe Called Quest - Station Eleven (2021-2022)
Sometimes a great needle-drop involves a character interacting with a song, and in the case of Station Eleven, it could be a performance. A deleted user went modern with their pick, writing "Frank rapping Excursions by A Tribe Called Quest in Station Eleven. Might be my favorite scene in the entire show".
Station Eleven was a unique dystopian story, and its musical choices were also somewhat unique. Instead of letting the classic hip hop song underscore a moment, they allowed the song to become the moment and Frank expresses himself through the tune. Though the song was somewhat incidental, it was still a great earworm to choose for the show.
"Life On Mars" By David Bowie - Watchmen (2019)
Of all the pop musicians to have their music featured in movies and TV, David Bowie's catalog is perhaps the most popular. User harlenandqwyr picked a one-of-a-kind use of Bowie's music when they said "In Watchmen...when the instrumental of Life on Mars plays, I got chills".
Bowie's "Life on Mars" is no stranger to needle-drops, and most of his songs are thoroughly played out. However, by rearranging the song into an instrumental, it imbued it with entirely new meaning for Watchmen. Stripping away the lyrics left the emotional weight intact and didn't allow words to distract from the important moments happening on screen.