WALKMAN REWIND

GLOW turns up the volume with a neon-hot soundtrack, however “there’s so much ironic about the ’80s now. I didn’t want to be part of that,” says music supervisor Bruce Gilbert. “I felt like the music had to land so you could take these characters seriously, even though you were having the time of your life with them.” Here’s how a few standouts made the cut.

“SEPARATE WAYS (WORLDS APART)” by Journey EPISODE 1 “PILOT” Sam’s vision of Ruth and Debbie’s fierce fight—and what his fledgling team could be—almost sounded a lot more dramatic. Gilbert considered some “unexpected” options, like opera or a choral piece, for the slo-mo sequence. But “Separate Ways” fit like spandex: “It soars and expands,” he says.

“HEAD OVER HEELS” by Tears for Fears EPISODE 5 “DEBBIE DOES SOMETHING” GLOW goes John Hughes when teen Justine (Britt Baron) locks eyes with her pizza-boy crush, and this nostalgic favourite gives the scene emotional heft. “It’s cute and it’s kind of funny, but you’re also taking her perspective seriously,” Gilbert says. “You feel like you’re watching a movie.”

“DARE” by Stan Bush EPISODE 7 “LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE” One of the show’s editors suggested setting Ruth and Debbie’s training montage to the song (from the soundtrack to 1986’s animated The Transformers: The Movie), and Gilbert was surprised to find it brought the right intensity. “That song is weirdly inspiring,” he says.

“INVINCIBLE” by Pat Benatar EPISODE 10 “MONEY’S IN THE CHASE” For Ruth and Debbie’s epic battle in the finale, Gilbert saw this fist-pumper as “a bookend to Journey which opens the season.” He’s happy to have played a part in the melding of scene and song, but concedes, “You can’t take much credit for it because it’s ‘Invincible.’”