Home / Arts and Entertainment / 80s LA Soundtrack: How 'The Shards' Found Its Sound
80s LA Soundtrack: How 'The Shards' Found Its Sound
10 Sep
Summary
- Music supervisor curated obscure 80s tracks for the series.
- The show is based on Brett Easton Ellis' 2023 novel.
- Authentic 80s LA atmosphere was recreated through music.
For the FX series "The Shards," music supervisor Amanda Krieg Thomas faced the challenge of soundtracking a world rich with 1980s music references. The show, adapted from Brett Easton Ellis' 2023 novel, centers on high school students in 1981 Los Angeles. Thomas received an initial list of approximately 200 songs from the book, requiring a deep dive into music history.
Essential tracks like Ultravox's "Vienna" and Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat" were incorporated due to their script integration. Thomas also sought out less mainstream artists, such as Robin Lane and the Chartbusters, to enrich the series' sonic landscape and evoke the specific Los Angeles atmosphere.
The team aimed for period accuracy, even recreating iconic locations like Hollywood's Hamburger Hamlet. Research into the restaurant's typical Top 40 playlists informed the selection of background music, including the Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed." Thomas found joy in using music to reflect the era and Ellis's unique perspective on 1980s Los Angeles.
