Paradise Soundtrack Guide: Why the Music Was Important to the Show

While there's no denying that the Hulu series called Paradise has created a lot of buzz in the media, there are still some facts that spark many debates online. (You may want to finish Paradise before proceeding to read the rest of the article, because, well, spoilers).

For example, some say that the identity of the killer was lazy writing, and some find it absolutely brilliant that the president's murderer was a seemingly distant guy who had his own motives not even remotely connected to the rest of the story.

However, there is another difference of opinion, and it concerns the soundtracks of the 8-episode series. It seems that many older viewers were frustrated by the creators' idea to use long-forgotten music from the 80s.

“What's up with the awful 1980s rock leitmotif? It's not clever if they are trying to pass off MTV-metal as literally meaningful or poetic or apropos, "We built this city," "Here I go again on my own," etc... "Gosh, look, the lyrics are applicable in a deep way." They're not,” Redditor landsnaark said.

One of the running gags on the show was Cal Bradford's obsession with old tracks and creating mixtapes for his son Jeremy, trying to make him a peer as well. And frankly, we understand where this comes from: a closed society of 25,000 people who have left the world is right to feel nostalgic. So while holding to those songs, Cal just longs for the relative simplicity of his youth.

However, many fans of the show felt that the choice of songs was not ironic, but an easter egg in a good way. Especially the choice of Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise, which appeared in the first and last episodes of the season and frankly became a fan favorite.

“The soundtrack is one of my favorite Easter eggs. The soundtrack we hear throughout the season is all the songs Cal put on the mix for Jeremy. It’s like Cal made us a mixtape,” Redditor Pennygrover said.

Here’s the list of all songs played in the series:

Episode 1:

Another Day in Paradise by CAT VS CAT & JOYNER

Episode 2:

We Built This City by Starship

Ooh! Mother by Unicorn

We Built This City by Aron Wright & Jill Andrews

Ever Thought of Coming Back by Kelley Stoltz

Episode 3:

I Think We’re Alone Now by Hidden Citizens

I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany

Easy to Come Home by Dojo Cuts

I’ll Take the Long Road by Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens

Episode 4:

Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Wendy Wang

Episode 5:

Honolulu Hula Band by George Elliott

Here I Go Again ’87 by Whitesnake

Make Believe World by Sandy Szigeti

Eye of the Tiger by Tommy Profitt feat. FJØRA

More Than Words by Extreme

Episode 6:

Knocking on Heaven’s Door by RAIGN

Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by TBA

They Can’t Take That Away from Me by Frank Sinatra

Episode 8:

Another Day in Paradise by CAT VS CAT & JOYNER

We have collected all the songs from Paradise into one playlist, so feel free to dive in: