Damon Lindelofâs moody psychological thriller/apocalyptic drama The Leftovers is nearing its endâthe season finale airs on HBO this Sundayâand Iâm just as intrigued about what music theyâll be using as I am about what will happen in it.
The showâs elegant, evocative classical music score is by German-born UK-based composer Max Richter, the main Leftovers theme a powerful piece of urgently ascending strings that were used in the first seasonâs opening credits, while a more condensed chamber version pops up in appropriate moments throughout the next few seasons. Richterâs other classical works seem to carry just as much weight and tend to elicit heavy feelings ranging from deep dread to hopelessness, but his fine emotive hand is most notable in the dour, soul-crushing melancholy of the âDepartureâ piano theme; it plays in general reference to the tragedy that is the premise of the showâthe disappearance of 2 percent of the worldâs population (theyâre called the Departed and the event is referred to as the Departure)âand also seems to pipe in when anything truly significant is happening.
But the show wouldnât work so well on an emotional level without a soundtrack that deftly taps (mostly) modern music to carry the mood and narratives along for each episode. Not to mention Season 3âs mode of switching up the tunes that run with the opening credits to set the tone and foreshadow whatâs about to happen. Like the Perfect Strangers theme in the second episode, âNothing's Gonna Stop Me Now," where Nora goes to meet Mark Linn-Baker, the only remaining cast member of that â80s-era show who didnât Depart, who lures her in because he's found a way to potentially join the Departed. (She lost her entire family and spends much of the show coming to grips with it, or pretending she's fine when really she's so, so not.) Or Richard Cheeseâs jaunty version of Depeche Modeâs âPersonal Jesusâ opening âCrazy Whitefella Thinking,â which follows Kevinâs dad on his journey to stop the end of the world singlehandedly (or so he thinks), while also subtly referencing his Jesus figure son, the walking miracle who came back from death multiple times. The slinky sad "This Love is Over" by Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs opens in âGâDay Melbourne,â the episode that culminates in the break-up of Kevin and Noraâand the same episode that delivers three different versions of A-Haâs âTake On Me,â in very different settings, to convey very different moods, the original playing as Kevin drives off with his dad and leaves Nora alone in their hotel room getting soaked by the fire alarm sprinkler. Theyâre both broken but canât seem to reach each other, nor can she reach the âother side,â or where she imagines her broken children have gone.
âCertifiedâ taps the Gravediggazâs â1-800 Suicide.â while in the series of scenes that follow the opening credits and show Laurieâs suicide attempt before she joins the Guilty Remnant cult, a chamber orchestra version of Metallicaâs âEnter Sandmanâ adds a nice bit of drama, its very lack of lyrics and use of double bass making it so much more compelling that the original. (The first season also tapped a classical version of a Metallica song, âNothing Else Matters,â for its last episodeâthe one where the Guilty Remnantâs nefarious and ugly plan comes to a head and the town reaches a riotous boiling point.)
A grave piano version of the Pixiesâ âWhere Is My Mindâ pops up sporadically throughout the second season as Kevin starts realizing heâs definitely not a well person despite leaving the town that made him crazy, and it comes to an epic head in episode 7, âA Most Powerful Adversary,â because Kevin is quite literally losing his mind and only discovers his mental health is truly fucked when he âwakes upâ and finds that his other self (the one that does things he doesnât remember when heâs normal) has kidnapped the leader of the Guilty Remnant.
Whenever Kevin wakes up on the other side (is it heaven or purgatory or⊠something else entirely?), you get the grandiose drama of Nabuccoâs Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Va', Pensiero, Sull'ali Dorate), its chorus's theme of exiles singing about their homeland working on a few levels; and when heâs forced to do karaoke of Simon and Garfunkelâs âHomeâ to get himself back home from the other side, itâs an obvious choice but comes off as utterly poignant and heartbreaking with his trembling, off-key, is-this-really-going-to-work? delivery.
When Kevin has to cut the key from the chest of his âtwin,â to carry on with the end of the world (or, the end of the other side), we get the Beach Boysâ âGod Only Knows,â because essentially, heâs cutting out his own heart as he realizes how broken he truly is and that his priorities are totally fucked and he walked out on Nora when she needed him mostâand the end of the world is probably dead ahead, so he might never get a chance to redeem himself. That penultimate episode also closes with Patty Duke's version of Skeeter Davisâ nostalgia-milking, heavily disconsolate (and in some ways direly prophetic) ode, âThe End of the World,â which drives the heartbreak home ever deeper.
I could go on and on, break down each episode song by song, but itâd be better not to give away too much more, if anyone reading this ultimately decides to stream through all three seasons. Because itâs a pretty epic show and itâs about to end and itâs worth binging, even if it hurts your heart sometimes while doing it, because it can be really heavy and strange, often both at once. But itâs worth it, if only so you can consistently admire the steaming hot hunk of beauty that is Justin Theroux.