A huge part of what setsEuphoriaapart from the competition is its soundtrack. Mixing an original score bythe legendary and multi-talented Labrinthwith an anthology collection of funk, soul, hip hop, gospel, old school rock, and folk,Euphoriacreates iconic audiovisual moments throughout its two seasons.
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The show already basks in high drama not seen since the heyday ofBreaking Bad, but its soundtrack elevates the emotional tension to new heights. Whether it’s a throwback to 1960s gospel or an original track by Labrinth, the show seamlessly blends music with the action happening on-screen. Read on to learn all aboutEuphoria’s best soundtrack moments.
Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead
8Elliot’s Acoustic Guitar Song
The finale ofEuphoriasees Rue making the rounds apologizing to her friends after recovering from her addiction and withdrawal. One of her best friends from Season 2, Elliot seems to accept her apology while doubling down on the idea that he and Rue aren’t good for each other — after all, Rue is trying to stay clean, and Elliot’s bedroom has got more drugs than a Grateful Dead concert.
It’s an emotional moment for Rue, who’s simultaneously experiencing the catharsis of forgiveness alongside the pain of a goodbye. Elliot is of course played by Dominic Fike, a real-life singer-songwriter (whose track “3 Nights” has topped music charts across the globe). Bringing Fike onboard has added great talent to theEuphoriacast for diegetic music moments like this one.
7Cal & Derek’s Flashback Dance
Any fan ofEuphoriaknows thatCal is a complicated villain, but Season 2 Episode 3 offers a deeper dive into his backstory. Fans learn that before Cal turned into the serial creep that he is today, he was a popular high school wrestler whose best friend Derek also turned out to be his secret crush.
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Although Cal eventually learns that his girlfriend is pregnant with their first son, for a brief moment it looks like Cal and Derek could have found happiness together. The two of them sing along and slow dance to INXS’s 1988 song “Never Tear Us Apart,” revealing a gentler side to Cal that later gets buried under piles of toxic masculinity. It’s a bit of a heartbreaking moment, considering that — in another life — all the pain that Cal inflicts on himself and others might have been avoided.
6Cal’s Second Slow Dance & Cassie’s Solo Dance
Fast forward to the present, and Cal seems to be having a pretty bad week. First, his own son decided to blackmail him, and then he got beat down by Ashtray. Desperate to find a little happiness one more time, Cal returns to the same bar where he danced the night away with his friend and would-be love interest Derek all those years ago.
There, while Sinéad O’Connor’s “Drink Before The War” plays, Cal finds another lonely soul willing to share an intimate moment with him. To add to the emotional resonance of the night, the scene also cuts to Cassie dancing alone with a bottle of champagne in hand. Maddy’s assertion that“when she drinks, she’s tragic”fits not just Cassie’s attitude but Cal’s as well. Moments after “Drink Before The War” ends, Cal — who is totally wasted at this point — starts hallucinating that his dance partner is none other than Derek, and starts a bar fight.
5Rue’s Church Hallucination With Labrinth
Labrinth — the artist behindEuphoria’s original score — makes a personal appearance in one of Season 2’s most moving scenes. In Episode 4 of Season 2,Rue is fast approaching rock bottom. She’s relapsed into drug addiction even harder this time around, now that she’s got thousands of dollars worth of pills fronted to her by Laurie, the town’s local drug lord.
It’s no wonder then that while strung out at home, Rue hallucinates herself walking into a church where none other than Labrinth himself is singing his song “I’m Tired,” just for her. While the gospel-inspired track plays overhead, the two share a heartwarming moment where Labrinth hugs Rue like a father. It’s a touching moment of weakness that resonates with anyone who’s rooting for Rue’s recovery.
4The Moment Rue Gets Caught Breaking Into A House
During her forced withdrawal from opioids, Rue runs away from her family in the hope of finding drugs, wherever she can find them. Desperate but characteristically patient and witty, Rue waits for a suburban family to leave for the night before diving under their closing garage door — as if she were Indiana Jones.
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Once she’s inside, Sharon Cash’s “Fever” (a soul cover of a 1958 song by the same name) plays while Rue ransacks the house, clearing it out of cash, jewelry, and any meds she can find. What makes this moment iconic is how the show immediately cuts the music the moment the family returns home. Rue’s fantasy that she’s somehow acting cool and not like a drug-addicted criminal lowlife is instantly shattered, reminding audiences that while Rue’s antics seem funny to us,they have real consequences for Rueand her family.
3Cassie & Nate’s Make-Up Moment
After treating her like garbage and practically ignoring her existence, Nate calls Cassie and brings her over to stay at his house. A very gentle, slow song — “Quiet, The Winter Harbor” by Mazzy Star — plays as the couple reconciles.
On the surface, it seems like a relatively innocent, maybe even sweet moment. But fans will recall that just moments earlier, Nate had broken into Maddy’s house and threatened her at gunpoint to give upa DVD incriminating his dadof a sex crime. Only true psychopaths are able to flip from a cold and calculating criminal into a romancing, apologetic boyfriend in an instant. One of the best musical moments inEuphoriaSeason 2, the dramatic irony in this scene would make Shakespeare himself proud.
2The Police Raid At Fez’s Apartment
Arguably the tensest moment inEuphoria’s controversy-packed history, the SWAT raid at Fez’s apartment brings a tragic conclusion tothe show’s Fexi (Fez and Lexi) story arc. With Fez bleeding out on the ground and his adopted brother Ashtray emptying mag after mag into the approaching police force, the scene needs some dramatic music worthy of this all-out ending.
Labrinth doesn’t disappoint, with a very cinematic track featuring Gustave Rudman that perfectly fits the tragedy unfolding on-screen. “The Lake” is a pretty tame song byEuphoriastandards, but it lets the action of the moment take center stage. With Fez’s anguished cries for Ash to give himself up drowning under the sound of gunfire, the quiet chords and steady beat of a single drum make for a fitting end to Fez and Ash’s saga.
1Rue’s Hallucinatory Season 1 Finale
Season 1 ofEuphoriawent out with a bang. After Rue decides not to travel to LA with Jules, she finds herself alone at home snorting a line of coke. Before she knows it, Rue is in the middle of a dream montage with Labrinth and Zendaya’s banger “All For Us” playing.
Unlike some ofEuphoria’s other musical moments, the music takes center stage. In fact, the finale is more of a music video than anything else, with a full-sized marching band and church choir making their way onto Rue’s quiet cul-de-sac. It’s an interesting take on how Rue sees her own life even as she embarks on a dangerous return into addiction.
