Yesterday, Zendaya and Labrinth unveiled the sprawling song, “I’m Tired,” that played at the end of the overwhelming Euphoria finale. A version was released in early February after the fourth episode without Zendaya, but her vocals caught the attention of the watchers who lingered during the credits of the show on Sunday night, especially since the lyrics seemed very relevant to Rue’s character.
After tweeting the track, famous rapper Kid Cudi quote-tweeted it and noted that he wants in: “Please dear GOD put me on a remix of this @Zendaya @Labrinth,” he wrote. Zendaya responded by saying, “Yoooo! What a dream that would be… @Labrinth ???” Labrinth agreed: “Let’s open a new dimension,” he wrote.
Even though the Euphoria season is over, hopefully we’ll at least get some new music to hold us over while the cast prepares for the next season. Fans, meanwhile, are still wondering about the ballad that Dominic Fike’s character Elliot launched into for five whole minutes which sparked a lot of talk online. It sparked so much talk that Fike reacted to it, saying he’d been humbled. The full soundtrack for the episode included Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” Francis Lai’s “Concerto Pour La Fin D’un Amour,” and more.
Euphoria just wrapped up its second season and is already the second-most-watched show in nearly two decades. According to Variety, the series is only second to its titan series Game of Thrones.
The series, which stars Zendaya, drew 6.6 million viewers in the season 2 finale. HBO states Euphoria season 2 episodes bring in an average of 16.3 million viewers. The premiere episode of the season is now closing in on 19 million views. For the seventh week in a row, Euphoria was the top show on HBO Max.
Showing the power of the series, Euphoria notched its highest rated episode while airing opposite of the Super Bowl. Euphoria also is currently the most-discussed show on social media.
Alongside Zendaya, Euphoria stars Hunter Schafer, Nika King, Eric Dane, Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, Algee Smith, Sydney Sweeney. Creator, writer, and director, Sam Levinson leads a team of executive producers including Drake, Kevin Turen, Adel “Future” Nur, Ravi Nandan, Zendaya, Will Greenfield, Ashley Levinson, Ron Leshem, Daphna Levin, Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein, Gary Lennon, Mirit Toovi, Tmira Yardeni and Yoram Mokady.
Apparently, unpaid internet content creators had such an impact, that plenty of the reaction made its way back to Fike, who had no choice but to laugh along with the audience at the surreal moment, sharing plenty of his favorites on Instagram stories today. He also shared a selfie after a few of the better video clips, letting fans know that he appreciates the roasting. “The internet remains undefeated,” he wrote. “I am humbled.”
Instagram
Since Euphoria is over for the moment, perhaps those who did enjoy Dominic’s turn as an acoustic-guitar-wielding snitch would be interested in listening to the real Fike’s output. What Could Possibly Go Wrong is a great place to start, and I especially recommend checking out “Chicken Tenders.” If you’re just in it for the memes though? Check out our roundup here.
Every second of a show’s season finale is precious, especially when it’s a show with such a jam-packed plot and massive audience like Euphoria. This is why watchers found it funny and a little weird that Dominic Fike, playing the role of Elliot, took up a whole scene performing a song.
When Rue (Zendaya’s character) visits Elliot, she’s coming to forgive him for snitching on her; his response is to play a song he wrote on acoustic guitar… for five whole minutes. The song, which remains untitled, is about creating distance from someone you care for with the hope that they’ll use the time to improve themselves and return as a better person.
While many fans were fawning over this emotional moment, most were posting memes to Twitter about how he was getting too much screen time for promoting his own music rather than being his actual character. (A lot of fans were also wondering what happened to the plotline with the suitcase…). All in all, the online conversation made Fike and other Euphoria-related keywords trending topics on Twitter.
sam levinson after leaving half the storylines this season unfinished while still managing to spend 3 whole minutes of the finale having dominic fike sing an original song unprompted pic.twitter.com/pTqKk0v8ZV
To be fair, Fike has previously said that his character Elliot is “exactly like me.” So maybe Elliot is just the type of guy to break out into song at the most inappropriate of times. You know the type. The situation, at least, provided a lot of meme content, so check out some more of that below.
They sacrificed Kat’s entire storyline for a 4 minute Dominic Fike spotify unplugged performance I’m gagging
Not Dominic Fike tryna plug his music career right now when all we want is to see Maddy beat Cassie’s ass after that perfect slap #Euphoriapic.twitter.com/MyEOy5ENva
If you’ve been keeping up with Season 2 of Euphoria, you’ve probably been on that emotional roller coaster for the past few weeks. Since the start of the show, Euphoria has always been known for its stunning cinematography and innovative approach to music. Sam Levinson’s vision in each character for Season 2 wouldn’t have been possible without Labrinth’s innovative scoring, resulting in another successful season. The 33-year-old singer-songwriter-producer is known for his ability to span across hip-hop, R&B, gospel, among other genres, allowing him to innovate storytelling, giving each scene a unique moment of its own. Over the past two seasons, Labrinth’s thrilling score earned him a 2020 Emmy win for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for “All For Us” as well as a Music Composition for a Series nomination.
It only went up from there as Season 2’s record-breaking launch had the strongest digital premiere of any episode of an HBO series and dominated Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart. The hype for the show’s original music only grew stronger as Spotify streams on the official Euphoria score increased by 260 percent since the Season 2 premiere and with listeners creating more than 600,000 Euphoria-related playlists on Spotify. Surprisingly, the show’s capability to bring back older music and mix it with current artists elevated this season in a modern and fresh way, which was interesting to see Gen Z engage and revive these old hits on their TikTok videos. Levinson’s script seamlessly blends with Labrinth’s experimental approaches, bringing back the season that was worth the wait. From the montages to the intense plot lines we’ve seen with our favorite characters, here are the top ten iconic music moments that were as powerful as the characterizations and storylines.
Check out the unranked list of the best songs from Euphoria Season 2 below.
Notorious B.I.G. — “Hypnotize” (Episode 1)
The beginning of Season 2 lived up to what we were all waiting for…a lit party. The first episode brought back a series of hip-hop classics as it kicked off the high-energy NYE party, exposing a lot of new and continuing storylines like the Cassie-Nate-Maddy situation, the start of ‘Fexi,’ Rue meeting Elliot, and many others. Choosing this ’90s classic hit was on-point as it gave a hint of nostalgia, feeling like a memory of high school even though our parties looked nothing like it…
Laura Les — “Haunted” (Episode 2)
In an interview with Paper Magazine, Laura Les discussed the inspiration behind hyper-pop hit “Haunted” which is about “getting overwhelmed by a feeling and how it changes things around you.” For people that love Lexi and are 100 Gecs fans, this song caught fans by surprise as she threw in her headphones and blasted this song to pump herself up for her bike ride to Fez’s store. It was interesting choice as revealed more of Lexi’s unique personality and it was definitely one of her more relatable moments.
Bobby Darin — “Call Me Irresponsible” (Episode 3)
The lyrics of this timeless jazz song fits with Rue’s intention of not staying clean as she dances around her bedroom. Initially watching Rue’s blissful moment led up to showing the reality of how her choices will affect the people she loves and cares about the most. Zendaya told Decider: “Those moments remind us of why she does it in the first place… When we live inside of her brain that’s joyous and beautiful until we zoom out and remember what’s happening. There’s a very harsh reality to what’s happening to her. “
Townes Van Zandt — “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” (Episode 4)
Episode 4 starts with Rue’s love note to Jules — a visually stunning montage — portraying pop culture’s most iconic love stories and artwork – including Annie Leibovitz’s famous photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Titanic, and Snow White. “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” flowing through the montage signifies Rue’s real love for Jules as she states: “This may be the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Labrinth — “I’m Tired” (Episode 4)
In a scene that was reminiscent of Rue’s overdose in the Season 1 finale, Rue continues her downward spiral, having a drug-induced hallucination of her own funeral, powerfully executed with Labrinth’s gospel-inspired vocals. Labrinth’s “I’m Tired” lyrics correlate with Rue and her journey with substance-abuse as this scene almost feels close to horrible, inevitable consequences. This ethereal scene was beautifully crafted as it constantly switched between Rue embracing Labrinth and her father, depicting how much the loss of Rue’s father has affected her.
Labrinth — “Left Behind” (Episode 4)
Even though this song isn’t officially released yet, I had to include this. After Cal’s confrontation to his family, the sequence at the end of Episode 4 showed the lowest points of all the characters. While we see Cassie feeling trapped, and the state of Kat and Ethan’s relationship, Rue’s narration returns, continuing her love note to Jules from the beginning of the episode. Creator Sam Levinson told Vanity Fair the visuals throughout the sequence was inspired by “Mexican murals from the turn of the century.” Once again, this proved that a Levinson/Labrinth collab always delivers as a masterpiece.
Labrinth — “Yeh I F*ckin’ Did It” (Episode 5)
This was where fans called for Zendaya to win another Emmy after her incredible performance. Even though it was devastating to see Rue hitting rock bottom, the overall episode stood out and further pushed boundaries from anything else on TV right now. Adding Labrinth’s single “Yeh I F*ckin’ Did It” had all of us at the edge of our seats as it added to the feelings of Rue’s helplessness and anxiety. At this point, we are patiently waiting for another Labrinth album.
INXS — “Never Tear Us Apart” (Episode 3)
We finally see Cal’s backstory in this season which reveals his secret relationship with his best friend Derek. INXS’s “Never Tear Us Apart” describes that instant connection with two people which further represents the significance of Cal and Derek’s story and how it’s affected him over the years.
Tove Lo — “How Long” (Episode 4)
Tove Lo’s featured track “How Long” is about love, denial, and betrayal. Season 2’s ongoing theme in our favorite friendships and relationships revolves around secrets. Whether it’s Rue and Jules’ relationship or Cassie/Nate/Maddie love triangle, this song perfectly depicts the good and bad of keeping secrets from the people you love and care about the most.
James Blake — “(Pick Me Up) Euphoria” Feat. Labrinth (Episode 4)
The collaborative “(Pick Me Up) Euphoria” track is unique in its own way as it relates to every character. Lyrics including “no control,” “escape,” and “sweet relief” are expressed through dissonant pitches and Blake’s falsetto, reflecting the different emotional extremes that we see each character throughout the show.
All in all, there were definitely more notable moments throughout the season that were done effortlessly. Labrinth previously stated, “Euphoria gave me the freedom to be whatever artist I want to be.” From the innovative music and cinematography to the revival of old classics, Euphoria is crafted from pure inspiration. Check out the full playlist below.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Dominic Fike is in the midst of a major moment: His music career is going swimmingly and he’s a star of one of the biggest shows of the moment, Euphoria. He brought both those sides of himself to The Tonight Show yesterday, where he performed and sat down for a chat with Jimmy Fallon.
Fallon presented a few Euphoria fan theories to Fike, and the first of them is one that Fike said had him really thinking about it. Regarding the idea that Fike’s character Elliot is actually Nate’s estranged brother, Fike said, “I’m not even going to lie: I saw this one online, and I looked at it for a while and there were so many things connecting and so many people were talking about it all through these Reddit threads, and at the end of it, I was like, ‘Am I Nate’s brother?’ I almost called him up and asked him.”
He wasn’t as convinced by the idea that Elliot doesn’t actually exist and he skirted a question about whether Tom Holland, Zendaya’s Spider-Man co-star, would appear on the current Euphoria season.
Fike also spoke about working with Paul McCartney on his McCartney III Imagined album and said that he initially blocked McCartney’s phone number, telling Fallon, “Naturally, when you get a call from anything that you think is spam, you block the number, you delete it, you know what I mean?” Fallon asked, “You blocked Paul McCartney’s number,” and Fike responded, “Immediately, yeah.”
He also performed “Babydoll” on the show and smoothly found his way through a minor mishap. About a minute into the performance, he accidentally knocked down a microphone stand while turning around. When he realized what happened, he slipped a quick “Oh, that fell” into his lyrics and didn’t miss a beat as Fallon helped out by picking the stand up.
Just like the rest of us, Megan Thee Stallion is glued to the screen when Euphoria is on. With the recent announcement of her big screen acting debut in the A24 film F*cking Identical Twins with hilarious people like Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, and SNL’s Bowen Yang, the “WAP” rapper is starting to make the rounds talking TV and movies.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Megan Thee Stallion talked about watching Euphoria and that “they got me on the edge of my seat,” and praised all of the HBO Max show’s acting performances. She then perfectly verbalized what everyone is thinking when they watch Euphoria: “I know these are characters and the show is not real, but they got me yelling at the TV like, ‘Girl, get it together! What are you doing?!”
Meg also talked about being a “film buff,” who not only wants to act, but to also direct in the future. She also said Zendaya is “the best actress, and perfectly cast.” Preach, Meg. While her current acting resume includes mostly music videos and a round of Cheetos commercials she filmed for this past Super Bowl, that’s all about to change.
Megan Thee Stallion is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
(SPOILERS for this week’s Euphoria will be found below.)
This week on Euphoria, Lexi is at centerstage (quite literally) and she debuts her play, Oklahoma. She’s spent most of the season working on it, and this week marks the grand opening for it. Oklahoma is a direct reflection of Lexi’s life as it includes characters that play Rue, Maddy, Kat, Cassie, Nate, and more. In episode six, Lexi expresses concerns with Fez about how her friends would feel about the way they were depicted in the play. All in all, Oklahoma strikes as an honest tale of the world that is Euphoria and its respective dynamics from Lexi’s point of view.
Just like last week’s episode, which featured songs by Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Ben E. King, and more, this week on of Euphoria also featured a great selection of songs. The aforementioned events in this week’s episode are soundtracked by carefully curated songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.
What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E7?
The songs that soundtracked the standout moments on this week’s episode of Euphoria are Captain & Tenille’s “Love Will Kep Us Together” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero.” Captain & Tenille’s record plays in the background as Lexi reveals the cast to Oklahoma, and as Rue, Maddy, Kat, Cassie, Nate, and others sit in attendance, they quickly realize that the cast looks a lot like them. Bonnie Tyler’s song plays as Nate’s football team is emulated with a shirtless dance routine that’s set in the weight room. It’s one that causes Nate to walk out of the theater before the play concludes.
The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes the following songs:
Piero Picconi — “Amore Mio Aiutami”
Ennio Morricone — “Uno Che Grida Amore”
Air — “The Word Hurricane”
Francis Lai — “Vivre Pour Vivre”
Activa — “Daydream (Original Mix)”
Bobby Darin — “More”
Alex North — “Spartacus Love Theme”
Tweet — “Oops (Oh My)”
Armando Trovajoli — “Surrender (From II Commissario Pepe)”
Labrinth — “What’s Up”
Riz Ortolani — “Cannibal Holocaust”
(SPOILERS for this week’s Euphoria will be found below.)
This week on Euphoria, Rue Bennett returns home where she continues to deal with her withdrawal symptoms. After fighting it initially, Rue has committed to the idea of returning to rehab to overcome her addiction. She also apologizes to Ali for her hurtful comments towards him in the fourth episode. Elsewhere in this week’s episode, we follow Maddy as she expresses her hurt and anger towards Cassie (her best friend) and Nate (her ex-boyfriend) after she discovers that they’ve been seeing each other for some time.
Just like last week’s episode, which featured songs by Labrinth, Sharon Cash, and more, this week on of Euphoria also featured a great selection of songs. The aforementioned events in this week’s episode are soundtracked by carefully curated songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene.
What Songs Were In ‘Euphoria’ S2E6?
The standout songs on this week’s episode are Ben E. King’s classic record, “Stand By Me,” and Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s “I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need To Get By.” The former track appears during a slightly intimate moment between Fez and Lexi as they discuss the 1986 film Stand by Me. As for Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s record, that appears after Nate goes to extreme lengths to retrieve the CD with Cal and Jules’ sex tape on it from Maddy.
The soundtrack for this week’s episode also includes Bill Evans’ “Peace Piece,” Mazzy Star’s “Quiet, The Winter Harbor,” and En Vogue’s “My Lovin’ You’re Never Gonna Get It.”
(@itseIishabitch) 
