Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Sweetpea.
Alongside having a fantastic opening theme song, Sweetpea is full of great music that helps give the show a memorable tone, adding to its quality. The balance between comedy and drama can be hard to get right, but Sweetpea‘s exciting cast of characters helps bring a light-hearted feel to the British drama, while Ella Purnell’s Rhiannon Lewis brings some sinister vibes. Despite developing murderous tendencies, Rhiannon maintains her endearing traits, creating a twistedly complicated protagonist. However, these qualities are what makes Sweetpea‘s reviews so good and the show’s excellent soundtrack compliments the action and humorous moments perfectly.
While the series is filled predominately with pop music, the songs are used in a clever way that often conveys an intense and even unsettling atmosphere on occasion. Sweetpea episodes 1 and 2 use these catchy tracks to help build an identity, treating the audience to some bangers in the process. Although the story and characters alone are more than enough to make Sweetpea a popular project, the killer soundtrack is a key part of making the series so iconic, and with its theme song also standing out as a major talking point, Starz’s hit show looks like a classic.
Every Song In Sweetpea season 1 | |
---|---|
Song Title | Artist |
“Do You See Me Now” | CHINCHILLA & Isobel Waller-Bridge |
“I’m On Fire” | The Staves |
“New Rush” | Gin Wigmore |
“Destroy Everything You Touch (Vector Lovers Lost Version)” | Ladytron |
“Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying” | Labi Siffre |
“Round Round” | Sugababes |
“Who Do You Think You Are” | Spice Girls |
“Kids” | Sleigh Bells |
“Sh*t Makes The Flowers Grow” | Folk Uke |
“The Time Has Come” | The Untouchables |
“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” | Bonnie Tyler |
“Fight For This Love” | Cheryl |
“It Must Have Been Love” | Roxette |
“Roar” | Katy Perry |
“One Love” | Blue |
“You Should See Me In A Crown” | Billie Eilish |
“Fall In to Me” | Emanative & Liz Elensky (ft Ben Hadwen) |
“My Love For You” | ESG |
“Get Some” | Lykke Li |
“Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” | Baccara |
“Rose Garden” | Lynn Anderson |
“For Your Mind” | Honey Ltd. |
“Boys Wanna Be Her” | Peaches |
Sweetpea Opening Song Explained: Who Sings “โDo You See Me Now”
CHINCHILLA & Isobel Waller-Bridge Created Sweetpea’s Intro Song
Sweetpea‘s opening song is a catchy introduction that helps perfectly set the tone of the series, and CHINCHILLA is the artist responsible for the vocals of “Do You See Me Now”. The British pop singer has produced hits such as “Little Girl Gone” and “Cut You Off”, with her powerful voice lending itself perfectly to Sweetpea‘s theme song. Additionally, Isobel Waller-Bridge co-wrote the track and also created the show’s score. Having already crafted an impressive resume while working alongside her sister Phoebe on Fleebag, her experience was on full display as Sweetpea doesn’t disappoint in the music department.
Although “Do You See Me Now” has a trendy alternative pop sound, there is also a slightly sinister vibe that helps capture Rhiannon’s transition into a killer. The song starts off relatively mellow but bursts into life, reflecting Rhiannon’s journey from the shy and quiet type into a rage-induced killer. Although there is far more to her character, Sweetpea‘s intro is a subtly great indicator of how the protagonist will change over the course of the season, and thankfully, Waller-Bridge combined with CHINCHILLA to create an iconic theme song that nails the show’s overall vibe.
Sweetpea Season 1 Episode 1 Songs
“Sorry for Your Loss”
“Iโm On Fire” by The Staves: Outside of Sweetpea‘s theme song and score, “I’m On Fire” is the first song to feature in the show. The track plays during Rhiannon’s father’s funeral, who passed away at the beginning of the episode. It acts as a tribute to his legacy, and Rhiannon’s sister, Seren, even acknowledges that it’s a nice fit despite her otherwise cold attitude.
“New Rush” by Gin Wigmore: Gin Wigmore’s energetic pop track also plays at the funeral, albeit under very different circumstances. “New Rush” kicks in as Rhiannon spots her childhood bully Julia alongside her friends at the event. Bringing back bad memories, she asks her sister why Julia is even invited in the first place before walking away and reaching for her hair out of stress while the music plays in the background.
“Destroy Everything You Touch (Vector Lovers Lost Version)” by Ladytron: Ladytron’s appropriately titled song plays while Rhiannon is looking at Julia’s profile on her phone. The song starts right after Seren informs Rhiannon that she plans to sell their father’s house and has hired Julia as the real estate agent. While Rhiannon rides home on the bus, she angrily scans Julia’s real estate account, and the song continues to play as she gets off the bus before walking home with her dog, Tink.
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“Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying” by Labi Siffre: The emotional piece of music plays as Rhiannon pulls the knife that belonged to her dad out of her bag and begins cleaning it. After falling asleep on her dad’s chair, the music continues, providing a sentimental feeling as Rhiannon attempts to move on with her life while still remembering her father.
“Round Round” by Sugababes: Sugababes’ classic dance song plays as Rhiannon arrives at a local club. Having heard her dog die after getting distracted by a billboard of Julia, she goes home to bury him and gets drunk before heading out to confront her former bully. Spotting Julia laughing and drinking with a man and a woman, the song plays over the club’s speakers while Rhiannon builds up the courage and waits for the opportunity to speak with Julia one-on-one.
“Who Do You Think You Are” by Spice Girls: Spice Girls’ iconic “Who Do You Think You Are” quietly plays in the background as Rhiannon finally confronts Julia. Letting out years of emotion and frustration, Rhiannon angrily tells Julia about all the reasons she resents the bully, yet Julia seems disinterested and claims Rhiannon has no significance in her life. The song distorts as Rhiannon has flashbacks about an incident where Julia pulled her wig off in school, prompting Rhiannon to leave the club.
“Kids” by Sleigh Bells:Sweetpea episode 1’s final song begins right as the credits kick in. After killing the man by the canal, Rhiannon returns home and looks in the mirror while her shirt is covered in blood. As she growls aggressively into the mirror, the screen fades to black before “Kids” starts playing while the credits roll.
Sweetpea Season 1 Episode 2 Songs
“This Sort of Thing Needs Some Feminine Energy”
“Sh*t Makes The Flowers Grow” by Folk Uke: Episode 2’s opening song is accompanied by an upbeat scene featuring Rhiannon waking up after taking her first life. Feeling great after what seems to be a peaceful sleep, the protagonist happily starts her day before realizing the blood stain on her neck. The music quickly stops as the events of the previous night catch up with Rhiannon, but Folk Uke’s song highlights how great she was feeling after the event.
“The Time Has Come” by The Untouchables: There’s a long gap between episode 2’s opening song and “The Time Has Come”, but the track plays an important role. After being praised by Norman and invited out for drinks, the music kicks in and once again provides an uplifting tone. With Rhiannon gleefully accepting her boss’ offer, she begins to wrap up her work and heads out with the rest of her colleagues for a rare night out.
“Total Eclipse Of The Heart” by Bonnie Tyler: With Rhiannon and the rest of the Gazette’s staff arriving at a pub, Bonnie Tyler’s classic track is heard being sung by a woman. She seems to be the owner/manager and is hosting a karaoke night with her rendition of “Total Eclipse Of The Heat” kicking off the performances. In the meantime. Rhiannon settles down with her coworkers and they all share a drink while the music plays in the background.
“Fight For This Love” by Cheryl: Moments after the first performance, another woman hits the stage and sings “Fight For This Love” by Cheryl. The song continues as Rhiannon heads over to the bar where she orders a drink for herself and AJ. While waiting for her drinks to be poured, she spots Craig by a pool table, before being interrupted by a rude man at the bar who Rhiannon recognizes from episode 1.
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“It Must Have Been Love” by Roxette: Not long after making eye contact with Rhiannon, Craig makes his way over to talk about his offer to buy her dad’s business. With Rhiannon realizing it’s the only reason he’s interested in her, she blows him off and claims she’s unsure if she can trust him with such a responsibility. “It Must Have Been Love” plays quietly in the background during this scene before cutting to Norman on stage as he passionately performs the song.
“Roar” by Katy Perry: “Roar” is Rhiannon’s song choice as she finds the courage to sing. Given she has been timid her whole life, performing the song is not only a huge step forward for her, but the track has a more symbolic meaning. Her roar at the end of episode 1 signaled she had much more fire about her after killing someone, making the song a subtle nod to her change in attitude. Her performance is interrupted as the police walk into the bar, causing everyone to go silent as Rhiannon slowly stops singing.
“One Love” by Blue: With the police’s arrival killing the atmosphere, Rhiannon heads off-stage where the pub owner/manager tries to lift the mood with some Blue. The song plays briefly as Rhiannon quickly heads towards the toilets in panic, clearly worried that the police could be there after finding some sort of evidence about the murder she committed.
“You Should See Me In A Crown” by Billie Eilish:Sweetpea episode 2’s final song comes after Rhiannon claims her second life. The music begins as she walks away from the crime scene and back towards the town center, where she spots another ad for Julia’s real estate business. Rather than being flustered after her kill like she was in episode 1, she smiles menacingly at the advertisement before both the credits and the chorus kick in.
Sweetpea Season 1 Episode 3 Songs
“Black Spots in the Garage”
“Fall In to Me” by Emanative & Liz Elensky (ft Ben Hadwen): After Rhiannon tampers with Jeff’s drink and the reporter is sent home, Rhiannon wishes him a speedy recovery before beginning to do her make-up where “Fall In to Me” begins playing. Her spike in confidence allows her to happily prepare for her dinner with Craig during work hours, something she would have been unlikely to do before her murders. The music plays as she applies her beauty products, before stopping abruptly as AJ begins questioning her.
“My Love For You” by ESG: “My Love For You” plays as Craig and Rhiannon’s friendly dinner turns into something more. After they share a kiss, Rhiannon ends up going home with Craig, where the two hook up before spending the night together. The music cuts off when Rhiannon exits the house and begins celebrating after the evening went exactly as planned.
“Get Some” by Lykke Li: With Rhiannon canceling her real estate meeting with Julia after getting cold feet about killing her, she instead asks Craig if he wants to hang out again. Unfortunately, he tells Rhiannon he has to work late, which prompts the protagonist to make a surprise visit. Dressing up nicely and bringing a bottle of alcohol to Craig’s garage, Lykke Li’s song plays in the background as she prepares herself for the impromptu visit. However, the music cuts off as Rhiannon arrives to see Craig already chatting with Julia.
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“Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” by Baccara: Having sabotaged Julia’s car after leaving Craig’s garage, Rhiannon offers her school bully a ride home. With very few other options, Julia reluctantly agrees and gets in Rhiannon’s car as the two have an awkward conversation. The topic of music comes up, where Julia claims she likes Magic FM. Rhiannon replies “Yeah me too” before turning on the radio, which happens to be playing “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” as Rhiannon drives them to her own house while beginning her plan to kill Julia.
“Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson: Episode 3’s final song doesn’t get introduced until the credits. Having once again confronted Julia about the pain she caused the protagonist in school, Rhiannon reveals she was the one who killed the two victims. Pulling out a knife, she attempts to murder Julia and store her body in a freezer that she prepared earlier. However, without the element of surprise, Rhiannon struggles, leading to a messy fight between the duo inside Rhiannon’s house. Just as Julia looks to get away, she slips and falls, allowing Rhiannon to smack her over the head.
Unfortunately for the protagonist, this isn’t enough to kill her long-term enemy, as Julia opens her eyes right as the episode ends and “Rose Garden” begins to play.
Sweetpea Season 1 Episode 4 Songs
“Everybody Loves Julia”
“For Your Mind” by Honey Ltd:Sweetpea episode 4 didn’t feature much music, but Honey Ltd’s “For Your Mind” can be heard in the background as Rhiannon is getting ready for her night out. After stealing Julia’s clothes, Rhiannon applies her makeup in the bathroom while Julia tries to make noise from the garage after being kidnapped. The protagonist then tells Julia to be quiet while drinking the wine stolen from her bully’s house, before she eventually heads down to address Julia, who continues making noise until Rhiannon arrives.
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“Boys Wanna Be Her” by Peaches: The only other song to feature in Sweetpea‘s fourth episode comes during the end credits. Having spent a large part of the episode investigating the murder cases, Marina believes Rhiannon could be involved and finds out some vital information in the closing moments of “Everybody Loves Julia”. Realizing that Julia had gone missing and Rhiannon had written an article about the incident, Marina seemingly connects the dots and makes Rhiannon her prime suspect, setting up an exciting fifth episode as the credits role while “Boys Wanna Be Her” plays.