Why '80s Coming-of-Age Songs Are Suddenly Everywhere on TV
Tiffany, Billy Idol, and Phil Collins are just a few of the artists whose songs are turning Gen X nostalgia into some of TV's most emotional moments.
Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth.” Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Billy Idol hits (and not just at Coachella with sombr). No, this isn’t the playlist for an ’80s dance party — it’s the soundtrack to today’s TV shows, from Margo’s Got Money Troubles to Stranger Things to Industry.
So why are songs of our childhoods suddenly amping up the suspense, romance, and drama in so many series — and especially on shows set right now?! I spoke with music supervisors to find out what’s behind the revival.
As Cher sang in 1989, “If I could turn back time …”
xo Fawnia
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The expository voiceover introducing season two of Your Friends & Neighbors kicks off with the Talking Heads’ bombastic 1983 anthem “Burning Down the House.”
“We’re in for nas-teee weather …” sing — or shout, rather — a trio of middle-aged Westchester bros at a Midtown karaoke bar.
Disgraced financier-turned-thief Andrew “Coop” Cooper (Jon Hamm) busts out his meme-able moves in the center, flanked by his best friend/co-conspirator Barney (Hoon Lee) and former pro basketballer Nick (Mark Tallman), who also happens to be his ex-wife’s ex.
The classic track’s manic energy foreshadows the next shady predicament Coop inevitably lands himself (and his friends) in. It’s kinda on the nose, too — especially for his ex, Mel (Amanda Peet), who’s raging and sweating through perimenopause.
“It was the idea of things going up in flames — figuratively, not literally,” says music supervisor Michael Hill, who owns bragging rights to seeing Talking Heads perform the song on their final Stop Making Sense tour in 1983.
He points to the segue into Canadian DJ Tiga’s sexy, synth-heavy cover for a Coop hook-up montage and the original’s return to bookend the premiere: “We end the episode with Coop looking across the pool. There’s the fire pits going up and Ash [James Marsden’s enjoyably sketchy billionaire character] looking through the haze of smoke. Then boom! ‘Burning Down the House.’ Thematically, it works for us and launches us into the season.”
It’s not just Coop and co. over in Westmont Village: ’80s songs are popping up all over today’s favorite shows — even ones set in the dystopian near-future — helping tell stories, set moods, and sometimes even doing some emotional heavy lifting.
In season two of Paradise, assassinated POTUS Cal Bradford’s (more Marsden) legacy lives on through Joyner’s breathy rendition of Phil Collins’ “Another Day in Paradise,” which feels both literal and ironic. Speaking of the former Genesis drummer, Coop’s Millennial sister Ali (Lena Hall) performs an acoustic version of “In the Air Tonight” at an open mic night. Meanwhile, a high-energy heist episode of High Potential opens with catsuited burglars, on a time crunch, cracking bank vaults to “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie.
On Margo’s Got Money Troubles, ’80s classics underscore emotionally charged family dynamics. Former Hooters waitress Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer) worries that her college-dropout daughter and new mom, Margo (Elle Fanning), may be repeating what she deems as her past mistakes.
The euphoric synths and driving drums of “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle swell over a sweeping shot of Shyanne holding court at her church ladies’ hosted bridal shower. Margo watches as her mother prepares to marry dorky, devout Kenny (Greg Kinnear). The moment echoes an earlier scene, set to the bouncy, guitar-heavy beats of “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits, when Shyanne looks on as an elated Margo opens gifts at her baby shower.
“We have this mirroring with another big ’80s throwback track,” says music supervisor Ciara Elwis. “Now Margo’s watching Shyanne, and you can see the slight doubt in her eyes, but also the joy for her mom in the choice that she’s making. There’s a warm irony to the moment.”
Margo, a self-professed “cheesy” person, loves ’80s bops — also as seen in a cinematic singalong to Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning” during a road trip to Vegas with her mom.
“Margo’s music taste would be based on her relationship with her parents,” says Elwis, also referring to Margo’s former pro-wrestler dad Jinx (Nick Offerman). “So there was always going to be this throughline of older classic tracks.”
During her impromptu bachelorette party the night before her wedding, Shyanne rallies Margo to down shots and join in a raucous rendition of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell.”
“I’d sell my soul… for you. For money to burn… for you,” Shyanne sings to Margo, as the song leads into a debaucherous mother-daughter montage on the Strip.
“It’s so beautiful — them singing it to each other,” says Elwis.
It’s not just audiences feeling nostalgic hearing songs from their formative years on today’s favorite shows — the characters are feeling it, too. The Billy Idol classic also expresses Shyanne’s wistfulness about a more carefree, uninhibited time — before settling into a staid future with Kenny.
Gen X-ers like Coop, Barney, and Nick would obviously have “Burning Down the House” on their guys-night-out karaoke list, explains Hill. Similarly, Mel, also suffering from writer’s block, takes comfort in her young adult years by listening to Garbage’s 1995 song, “Only Happy When It Rains.” (The ’90s are everywhere on TV, too. See: Isa Briones and Taylor Dearden nailing Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know” on The Pitt, a trippy dance sequence to my own clubbing anthem, “Rhythm of the Night” by Corona, on Widow’s Bay, and, well, all of Love Story.)
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Of course, there are shows set in the 1980s, like Stranger Things, which introduced new generations to the joys of Limahl’s “Never Ending Story” and Bon Jovi’s “Runaway” — the latter soundtracking a rebellious Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown1) taking a bus from Hawkins, Indiana, to gritty Chicago in a sequence that feels straight out of late-’80s hair metal video.
Stranger Things music supervisor Nora Felder explains that the decade offers a wealth of options, from lesser-known indie gems to evergreen chart-toppers that may feel brand new to Gen Z and X alike. But ultimately, it all comes down to story and beloved characters — like Holly (Tinsley Price) dancing and baking a cake to Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” over a pink boombox that I definitely had. Or Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on repeat to break through to a comatose/Vecna-possessed Max (Sadie Sink).
Kate Bush’s 1985 synth-pop single went viral after boosting Max’s emotional story arc in season four — not only initiating the TikTok generation to the song, but also Sink herself.
“[The young cast] were often encountering this music for the first time in the context of the scenes they were performing,” says Felder. “That tends to create a very immediate, personal connection to the material, because the music becomes tied not just to a character’s journey on screen, but to their own experience of making it.
So what is it about ’80s music, across all genres, that continues to appeal to multiple generations?
“A lot of ’80s music — just the way it was written — has this sheen. It’s really bold and unapologetic,” says Elwis, connecting the distinctive sounds and attitudes to the fearless, risk-taking spirit and visuals of Margo. “It’s very colorful and bright.”
And for music supervisors, the era continues to present a seemingly endless archive of overlooked treasures to introduce to new listeners of all ages.
“I will say, as someone who absolutely loves ’80s music, we haven’t drained that well yet. I just have lists of obscure songs I would someday love to use,” says Hill, bringing up “that corny song, ‘I Ran,’” by Flock of Seagulls. “They had another called ‘Space Age Love Song.’ That is way better than ‘I Ran,’ but a lot of people don’t know that one. That’s really high on my list.”
What ’80s anthems do you want to pop up on your favorite show? Share in the comments!
In a real life ’80s plot twist, Brown went on to marry Jon Bon Jovi’s lookalike son Jake in 2024.
80s music was so awesome! It’s such a flashback to hear those old songs. 💕Thanks, Fawnia!
Music supervisor is my dream career besides writing! So really fun to hear their insights on their choices and other songs that were in the running too.