Wayward soundtrack: Full tracklist for Netflix thriller
From Pink Floyd to Weezer.
Comedian Mae Martin has pivoted rather dramatically from Feel Good to bring us Wayward, a Netflix eight-part limited-series about Tall Pines Academy, which is billed as a "therapeutic" school for "troubled teens".
But shortly after police officer Alex Dempsey, played by Martin, moves to the small Vermont community where the school is based, he is under no illusions that the institution, which is run by the terrifying Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette), isn't revealing the full picture in its promotional material.
"My teens were so visceral, and I remember forensically every moment of that period of my life, and I particularly remember feeling a keen sense of injustice at the world," Martin said of their motivations to write the series (via The Wrap).
"I wanted to explore how young people know who they are and they have a strong moral compass, and then we all, as we get older, have to suppress our critical thinking to participate in the world. So I wanted to make a thriller out of that and explore the troubled teen industry. I had a best friend who got sent there."
In an interview with Dazed, Martin recalled their friend being "sent from Canada to an American 'troubled teen' institute" and coming back with "crazy stories about unregulated practices and therapy".
"I've been researching it for 20 years," they added. "The germ for that industry was cults in the 1970s, like Synanon, that were doing behavioural modification. It's bizarre! It writes itself!"
Chatting to Gayety, Collette described it as "definitely not one note", adding: "It's really balanced in terms of hilarity and shocking behaviour that’s disturbing."
As well as a compelling plot and top tier performances, Wayward also boasts a killer soundtrack, featuring a wealth of much-loved classics, plus some tunes you might not be familiar with.
Lead Belly's In the Pines, which was covered by Nirvana during their 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, and has become the anthem, so to speak, of Tall Pines Academy, also features prominently throughout the series in various renditions and remixes – sung in one scene by Collette.
For a full rundown of the show's tracklist, read on.
Wayward soundtrack
Episode 1
- Time - Pink Floyd
- Say It Ain't So - Weezer
- Get Free - The Vines
- Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
- (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult
Episode 2
- Dear Prudence - The Leslie West Band
- Is Anybody Home? - Our Lady Peace
- North Dakota - Thrush Hermit
- Hurdy Gurdy Man - Donovan
- Riot - Hugh Masekela
- Perfect Day - Al Green
Episode 3
- Just Dropped in (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Kenny Rogers and the First Edition
- Tiger the Lion - The Tragically Hip
Episode 4
- Bad 'N' Ruin - Faces
- Origin: Orphan - The Hidden Cameras
Episode 5
- No Surprises - Radiohead
- Fragile Bird - Jim Wold
- Highway Star - Deep Purple
- Happiness/The Gondola Man - Elliott Smith
- I Only Have Eyes For You - The Flamingos
- Graduate - Third Eye Blind
Episode 6
- What You Do to Me - Teenage Fanclub
- Butterfly - Crazy Town
- Zorba's Dance - Mikis Theodorakis
- Someone Who's Cool - Odds
- I'm In The Mood For Love - Julie London
- Life's A Gas - T-Rex
Episode 7
- The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band
Episode 8
- Help I'm Alive - Metric
- Time - Pink Floyd
Wayward is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
