Along with the superb performances in the new Netflix drama Boy Swallows Universe, the music supervisors for the series have done a phenomenal job choosing the music for its soundtrack.
Music that is appropriate both for the period the Aussie drama takes place in, and for the people whose lives we follow.
Songs like The Stranglers’ ‘Golden Brown‘, which was the baroque pop track playing in the opening scenes of Boy Swallows Universe, Episode 3 as Eli has been transported to the hospital and suddenly finds himself floating up to the ceiling.
The song continues as his younger self is sitting in the back of a car with his brother as the car flies around in space far above the earth.
When did The Stranglers’ ‘Golden Brown‘ come out?
The song was released as a single from the British new wave band’s sixth studio album La Folie in 1981.
It became The Stranglers‘ most successful single ranking at #2 on the UK Singles chart, while also charting at #3 in Ireland, and ranking high on charts in five other countries.
‘Golden Brown‘ was written about both a girl and heroin — both of which, lead singer Hugh Cornwell once said, made him happy.
In the more than 40 years since its release, the new wave song has been named on several influential music critics’ ‘Best of’ lists, and has remained a fan favorite throughout.
The Stranglers’ ‘Golden Brown‘ also came with a music video of the band performing the song in a 1920s-style bar in an Arab country, while very old stock video of pyramids, camels, and boats on the River Nile are interspersed between shots.
Listen to The Stranglers’ ‘Golden Brown’ as heard on Boy Swallows Universe in that music video, and via Spotify where the song is by far the band’s most popular song with more than 222 million streams so far.
Meanwhile, all seven episodes of Boy Swallows Universe are now streaming via Netflix.