Back in time with song cameos on Netflix

| Seyi Ebiesuwa

As we are all forced to lay low for another period of time, Netflix is aiming high with their rapidly renewing video content. I have devoured dozens of films, series and documentaries to only fill the emptiness of where once my pre-2020 lifestyle had been flourishing my agenda. Also, graduating and receiving my Bachelor of Music through the mail, as if this crisis wasn’t piteous enough, made me start writing again. Lyrics, Christmas cards, and music-related notes and thoughts. I started this blog in 2018, stressed myself out due to my busy schedule, developed an unexpected interest for music marketing and quit the blog again. However, it’s 2021 and the motto is: we’re still in lockdown so let’s just pick up an old (unpaid) hobby. So, during the editing of this fantastic new day of COSMIC NOISE I, bored to death, was watching one of my favourite ‘don’t-think-just-laugh’-series ‘Community’ on Netflix. While enjoying a slightly insulting conversation between my favorite fictional study group characters, I noticed the calm and soothing voices of Agnetha an Anni-Frid fading in. Oh yes, ABBA’s ‘Fernando’ made way as the backing track of the scene in the most fortune-telling episodes: S2, E6: Epidemiology. I absolutely love a great track synchronization and admire the art of absurdism, sarcasm and cynicism in one big artsy melting pot. So here you have it, five great song cameos to be found on Netflix (spoiler alert).

ABBA – Fernando (1976) in Community (2009)
This song plays a hilarious role in episode 6 (S2): while Greendale Community College is dealing with a fast spreading epidemic (which results in students biting each other and acting zombie-like) Dean Pelton left his iPod on the main speaker system. The students are forced to go down under the everlasting sound of ABBA’s album, while our favourite study group is trying to kill the virus and pause
the somewhat cringy playlist of the Dean.

Bow Wow Wow – I Want Candy (1982) in Marie-Antoinette (2006)
Although I don’t have a sweet tooth, watching the scene where Marie-Antoinette (played by Kirsten Dunst) and her entourage excessively consume pastel-colored cakes and candy makes me want to bake cakes all day while playing dirty punk through my humble KRK Rokits. It is the combination of the 18th century fashion, colorful sweets and fizzy drinks for me, topped off with the recognizable Bo Diddley Beat in the merry sound of Bow Wow Wow’s cover of ‘I Want Candy’.

Daryl Hall & John Oates – I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) (1981) in Modern Family (2009)
This song is definitely a gem on its own, but when Phil Dunphy starts playing it in the car while dropping of the children at school, then you just know it’s the best song to put in your start-the-day-playlist. Catch our favorite tv-dad Phil trying to calm down his hyper family while singing this chill song along in the first few (but hilarious) seconds of S6: E11.

Billy Joel – Uptown Girl (1983) in The Crown (2016)
It must have caught your eye, if you have been a fan from Netflix series The Crown, or at least stole your heart. Princess Diana, played by the talented and ultimate look-a-like millenial Emma Corrin, dancing her way through her husbands birthday celebration on the 80’s hit ‘Uptown Girl’. Nineties girls like myself may only know the song as performed by Westlife in 2001, but it is never too late to start enjoying this original classic.

Shocking Blue – Venus (1969) in The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
While I was highly infatuaded by the game of chess, so was main character Beth Harmon by alcohol, money and.. good music. During her both liberating and tragic moment of self isolation, Beth changed her image from a brainy girl to a rebellious woman, with an unstoppable stubbornness every teenager could relate to. This melodramatic scene was complimented with this one hit wonder of a tune, Shocking Blue’s Venus (including the fabulous visuals).

Please, let me know if you have found some hidden vintage gems during your binge session, always curious where music editors put history’s finest classics.

Why did I start a music “review” blog?

| Seyi Ebiesuwa

As an executive artist and songwriter, I am constantly working on creating art. Art is a lifestyle that you must adhere to and dive into completely in order to get the best experiences. While working on this never-ending project, called music, I have become aware that in this contemporary music industry I have to sell a product to make myself successful as an artist. In this case, I am the product and I have to come up with a (marketing and promotion) strategy to receive the desired appreciation and success. After months of researching the careers of both small and large artists in the current pop culture, I have come to the conclusion that there are currently a number of factors that can make your music a successful product. The most interesting means are playlists and blogs. Nowadays it is quite normal for artists to submit music to have it featured in a playlist on streaming services, it is also called the new radio. Blogs are different, someone describes your music with the aim to stimulate readers to listen to your tracks. This way of advertising music is interesting to me and is the main reason I started COSMIC NOISE. I know a lot of musicians and artists who struggle with submitting their new music to platforms that are able to reach the larger audience. In my country, the Netherlands, there are blogs and online platforms, but in my opinion, not enough accessible pages that take time and effort to listen to your music. This isn’t a famous blog page or well-known platform (yet), but upcoming artists deserve a serious written article about their new music which they can share on their own social media. Besides writing for new talent, I will also share my view on today’s music and reflect on the past and future of music’s industry. With COSMIC NOISE I want to reach the listeners of today, who will become the audience of the future.