The ‘Rivals’ Season 2 Soundtrack Is an ’80s Masterclass
We'll be updating this post on Fridays as new episodes debut.
During Netflix’s prestige TV heyday, which produced shows like House of Cards, The Crown, and Stranger Things, one of the major line-item budgets of the streaming giant’s shows was music. Up until then, most TV series may have had one pop song at the end of an episode here and there, such as Grey’s Anatomy, but an entire soundtrack’s worth was the providence of movies, not TV. When Disney+ launched in 2019, it followed suit, especially for shows from Marvel Studios.
While not every series can rocket an older hit back to the top of the charts, Kate Bush-style, it’s still a hallmark of big-budget streaming television productions that their soundtracks are filled with high-profile songs, especially when the series is a period piece like Rivals, set during the heyday of British New Wave and Top of the Pops.
The Season 1 soundtrack was a smorgasbord of sound, from Wham! and Robert Palmer to Siouxsie & The Banshees and Depeche Mode. Season 2 is already off to a grand start with the three-episode premiere, featuring everything from the famous songs of the era, like Bananarama’s “Venus,” to the infamous Spitting Image novelty hit “The Chicken Song.”
(Hilariously, the script literally took time to explain the soundtrack choice for those too young to remember when novelty acts were a regular feature of the pop charts.)
As the series continues with weekly episodes, we’ll be updating this list with the bangers that still slap all these decades later.
The Rivals Season 2 soundtrack
Episode 1
- “Alive & Kicking” by Simple Minds
- “Only You” by Yazoo
- “Boys” by Sabrina
- “It’s So Nice to Have a Man Around the House” by Dinah Shore
- “Bamboléo” by Gipsy Kings
- “Your Love Is King” by Sade
- “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie
Episode 2
- “Pop Goes Bach (Ski Sunday Theme)” by The Cavendish Orchestra
- “We Got the Beat” by The Go-Gos
- “Venus” by Bananarama
- “Crazy Horses” by Demented Are Go
Episode 3
- “Making Your Mind Up” by Bucks Fizz
- “The Chicken Song” by Spitting Image
- “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division
Rivals Season 2 Episodes 1 through 3 are streaming on Disney+ and Hulu. Episodes from Season 2, Part 1 will continue weekly on Fridays through mid-June 2026. Part 2 will premiere in the latter half of 2026. Season 1 is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
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