If you have yet to binge-watch the second season of Netflix’s Bridgerton, “You must make haste!”
If you have no time to rewatch the first season, there is no better way to refresh your memory than listening to the Grammy-nominated Unofficial Bridgerton Musical soundtrack. In less than 40 minutes, from tracks 1-15, you can get a full rundown of season 1 through angelic songs composed and sung by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear.
With the poise of Queen Charlotte and the critic-like eye of Lady Whistledown, here is how I would rank each track from greatest to great:
- Burn for you
Without a doubt, “Burn for You” takes the number one spot. The lyrics transport fans back to the steamy scene at the end of episode five between Daphne Bridgerton played by Phoebe Dynevor and The Duke of Hasting’s, Simon Basset, played by Regé-Jean Page. I mean, I think we can all say our hearts were burning for the duke after that. But, if the lyrics were not enough for you, the numbers speak volumes. On Spotify, “Burn for You” takes the lead for most streams on the album, at over 5 million listens. Not only that, but if you search for the song on TikTok, it has over 41.6 million views! I would like to think this song is what got them nominated for the 2022 Grammys!
- Ocean Away
Let me set the scene: you made the Winter Olympic Games as an ice skater. You and your partner enter the rink, the music starts and the first sound you hear is your skate grazing the ice. You have a few chemistry-filled counts, until the bridge. He lifts you up and spins you out to the opposite side of the rink, where you land your triple axel. The crowd goes wild as they see the epiphany between you, playing Daphne Bridgerton, and your partner, playing the duke, that love is in the air. All while the music hits the chorus, “we’re dancing in the same room, but you’re an ocean away,” and you reach for one another from afar.
That is how we all imagined it, right? Well, the power of the symphony playing behind the compelling lyrics will take your imagination on a journey. The story of two love-struck, stubborn characters, coming from different worlds, whose hearts align– a true love story– by Shondaland, put to music.
- Tis the Season
Broadway and musical theater fans know a perfect opening number when they hear one– “Tis the Season” executes it with grace and humor. The first track in the album is the perfect mix between word and song that gives the audience an introduction to the characters, and a glimpse of their exciting story to come. This song earns the bronze medal for its artistic genius and the way it truly mimics the first episode. You get both a fast and slow-paced harmony that allows you to imagine the “perfectly perfect” stage cues to your own on-stage production of the musical Bridgerton.
- Penelope Featherington
Penelope Featherington’s character speaks for young girls longing for their own Cinderella story. With fantasy sometimes comes unattainable, real-life comparisons that can be very damaging to one’s self-worth. Barlow and Bear do an excellent job expressing her character’s feelings of always being the second choice, and being dismissed when it comes to picking a partner. Penelope’s innocence, when it comes to personality and experiences, is shown perfectly through the tone and message of the song.
- Alone Together
You would think for a song with a small number of lyrics would not rank so high, but “Alone Together” deserves all the praise. One can truly feel the emotional passion between the duke, and soon-to-be duchess, at this point in the storyline. The most compelling part of this song comes from the moments without lyrics, via the roar of the orchestra. The prolonged symphony transports listeners into their own imagination of them dancing alongside Simon Basset.
- If I were a Man
I mean, who does not love Eloise? Leave it to the fifth child, and second daughter of the Bridgerton family to “stick it to the patriarchy.” She speaks for all women of the 1700s and present times when talking about breaking free of social norms and stigmas put upon women. She longs for a life beyond tight dresses and extravagant balls, but to go out and discover the world as the men do. This is a song for women to imagine a life full of freedoms, “If [you] were a man.” A song about women empowerment? Yes, please!
- Entertain Me
According to Lorde, “we’ll never be royals.” But, it seems for about three and a half minutes we do get to experience the luxury lifestyle. “Entertain Me” gives us a first-person point-of-view into the personality and rule of Queen Charlotte, sovereign of Great Britain during a portion of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds. We even get to experience an emotional monologue in the middle of the song that will make you feel as if you are sitting in the theater seats watching the scene play out. This may be an unofficial soundtrack, but you may even go as far as to say it holds the strength of Jonathan Groff’s storytelling of King George in Hamilton.
- Balancing the Scale
A mother coping with the loss of her husband and having to raise their children on her own. This song goes beyond the storyline of Lady Violet Bridgerton, becoming a universal expression of emotion for single mothers. Balancing the struggles of watching your children leave the nest, not knowing if you have prepared them enough for the outside world, is daunting. The length of the song may be short, but Abigail Barlow’s voice makes it all worthwhile and tells an emotional story.
- Friend Turned Foe
“Boys will be boys” would describe the first part of this song, with its alpha male banter. But what gives it its top 10 placing occurs at 1 minute and 22 seconds. Abigail Barlow gives us a beautiful rendition of Daphne Bridgerton’s emotions during an intense climax of the show. The moment she sings “Tell me where they went, brother. Tell me where they went, Colin,” is not only “pitch-perfect,” but also screams musical theater.
- The Ruse
Need a laugh? Then picture the moment in a show when two characters try to create their storyline. “The Ruse” describes the scene in episode one where Simon and Daphne realize a spark may be present.
This song is yet another opportunity to highlight the talent of both Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. Abigail’s versatility in her voice is astonishing, performing as lead vocalist, background singers, and different gendered roles while expressing two different characters’ emotions. Emily’s song structure is the definition of talent. Shown throughout the entire track, but its shining moment at second 48, listeners get to experience an instrumental interlude. For over a minute, you can picture the chemistry-filled moment between Daphne and Simon on the dance floor.
- Every Inch
“Every Inch” is the moment in a love story when there are no trials or tribulations, just simply two characters completely infatuated with one another. Although the lyrics perfectly embody the newly discovered and lustful love between Simon and Daphne, the tempo of the song is what stands out. Leave it to Emily Bear to execute storytelling through musical composition. She created a fast-paced speed for the song that depicts the true level of sexual passion between the two characters.
- Fool for You
The fifth stage of grief is acceptance. “Fool for You” should be the anthem for all women in that final stage of a breakup when you remember your worth again. Barlow and Bear give us 51 seconds of acceptance turned into the realization that you just cried a river over spilled milk.
13. Burned Me Instead, 14. Lady Whistledown, 15. Worker Bee
I would call these tracks the interludes of the album. Thus, leaving little room to critique. Their order of ranking stems from word choice and tone only. Ranked in 13th place is “Burned Me Instead” as it gave us a more emotional ballad that can go beyond the presence of Bridgerton. Placing “Lady Whistledown” (14th) and “Worker Bee” (15th) lower as they were used as a cushion for emotions and personal thoughts not covered in other songs.
No matter what ranking, as Barlow and Bears’ biggest fan, each song deserves praise – and a Grammy!
Sources: