One of the most memorable parts of Netflix's The Umbrella Academy is the soundtrack. Whether it's a fight scene, an emotional montage or an actual dance sequence, the show's key moments often feature some excellent songs. However, the music in The Umbrella Academy isn't there just because it sounds nice, as the soundtrack helps set the tone of the show and emphasizes certain character traits and narrative themes.
The Umbrella Academy is an odd show, to say the least, but the music really helps define the tone of specific scenes, as well as the overall feel of the series. This is especially prevalent in fight scenes, which are almost always accompanied by a song. In some fights, an upbeat song lightens the mood and adds an element of fun to the scene, such as Five and Lila's fight to the Interrupters' cover of "Bad Guy," or Luther's first fight in Season 2 set to "Rocket Fuel," but they can also enhance the drama of a particular scene. In Season 2's montage to the Swedish cover of Adele's "Hello," the music perfectly sets the mood as Vanya, Allison, and Klaus all deal with their relationship problems and the Swedes have a Viking-style funeral for their fallen brother. While audiences were already invested in the Hargreeves siblings, the song choice also highlights the stoic Swedes' first display of emotion.
Conversely, some songs enhance the scene by standing in stark contrast to what's happening on screen. For instance, Hazel and Cha-Cha's big fight scene is set to the 1960s pop song "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" by Lesley Gore. Because the especially happy music and lyrics don't match up with the ongoing brawl, the fight feels more tense and violent by comparison. Another good example of this is Allison and Ray fighting the Swedish assassins to the Backstreet Boys' "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)."
In some cases, the right song can be emblematic of a particular character. In his first fight scene, Number Five takes down a group of men to "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by They Might Be Giants. While this may seem like a weird song choice for a fight scene, it fits both the tone of the scene and Five as a character. The song was originally written by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon in 1953, but the show used the 1990 cover of the song that sounds more modern and fun. Similarly, Five is about fifty-eight years old but emerged in 2019 in his thirteen-year-old body due to time travel complications. In other words, the song is much like Five himself because it's something old that was made new again. Also, the song's upbeat sound fits Five's mischievous and laid-back attitude as he expertly kills the men in the diner.
Music can also emphasize the themes at play in a particular scene. Some of them are more on the nose like the young Five vs. old Five fight set to "Dancing With Myself," or Diego breaking out of his padded room to "Crazy." Others are a little more subtle, such as when Season 2 opens with a montage of the siblings landing in Dallas at different points in time throughout the 1960s set to "Right Back Where We Started From" by Maxine Nightingale. This song encompasses one of the biggest themes of the season, which is returning to the place where one started. For the Hargreeves, this means getting back to their own time in 2019. On a deeper level, Season 2 also returns the siblings to where they were at the beginning of Season 1: separated and alone. In this way, the series' soundtrack really adds to the experience and the audience's understanding of the story and characters.
Streaming now on Netflix, The Umbrella Academy Season 2 stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin H. Min, with Ritu Arya, Yusuf Gatewood, Marin Ireland, Jordan Claire Robbins, Kate Walsh and Colm Feore.