Peaky Blinders finally ended and there is now a sequel movie in the works, confirmed to begin shooting in 2023. One of the most attractive characteristics of the series is its magnificent atmosphere; the show grabs the viewer and draws them within like the sirens luring ancient Greek sailors. The movie will then, no doubt, feature an epic soundtrack similar to that which the series was also known.
The best-fitting soundtrack songs, carefully selected for lyrics and tone, launch their visual sequences into cinematic transcendence, supercharging moments of despair, violence, affection, melancholy or ominous street walks pulsing with the story's spirit.
"Devil Inside Me" - Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes
Striding through workshop flames in season 4, episode 3, the angry Arthur Shelby strides into the factory to confront communist agitators: they resist and he brutally assaults them.
The perfect anthem for the physically explosive but mentally fragile Arthur, "Devil Inside of Me" reinforces the murderous rage he experiences. The song's driving beat suggests this anger is not something he can willingly shut off. The blood-colored paint covering him doesn't hurt the effect, either.
"Never Fight A Man With A Perm" - Idles
British fascist leader Oswald Mosely marches past the assembled faithful at his Birmingham rally as the Communists protest outside and Tommy's assassination plot unfolds inside. A critical moment in the final episode of season 5, the producers choose "Never Fight a Man with a Perm" by Idles to accompany his grand entrance.
Joe Talbot, lead singer of Idles, describes the tune as a statement on "toxic masculinity" and the "savage" nature of backwater pub life (Karranga!). This makes "Never Fight a Man with a Perm" an exquisite choice for the sequence: even though Mosely and the elite backing him are upper crust, his methods are as down and dirty as a lowlife alley brawl. If any soundtrack song captures the heart of Peaky Blinders at its rough, frenetic, working-class best, "Never Fight a Man with a Perm" is it.
"To Bring You My Love" - P. J. Harvey
Delivered in season 2, episode 1 Recap, P.J. Harvey's stripped-down, two-guitar-driven song "To Bring You My Love" is so plugged into the dark Peaky Blinders experience that it could have been its theme song.
With Harvey's powerful, growling voice punching out lyrics such as "Cast out of heaven/Cast down on my knees/I've lain with the devil/Cursed god above/Forsaken heaven/To bring you my love," the grinding "To Bring You My Love" is akin to Tommy's willingness to use the devil's methods to pursue success. No matter how much evil Tommy embraces, fans consider him the best character in Peaky Blinders.
"The Mercy Seat (Live from KRW)" - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Showing the aftermath of season 4, episode 1 attack organized by one of the best Peaky Blinders villains, Luca Changretta of the New York mafia, the opening sequence of episode 2 is a painful look at the results of a violent existence.
"The Mercy Seat" accompanies a montage of agony, focusing tightly-framed shots of Esme despairing over John's dead body, Michael's enduring his gunshot wounds, and Polly's pain, as well as Tommy's haunting, shellshocked stare. In one of the show's best sequences showcasing the consequences of Tommy's crusade for power, the bullets cut into the viewer almost as deeply as they do John and Michael.
"You And Whose Army" - Radiohead
There's no better band in the world than Radiohead for music soaked in weird bleakness. Like many songs in the Peaky Blinders musical arsenal, it is used more than once in different scenarios with effective results.
In season 3, episode 1, "You and Whose Army" plays over an affecting montage where viewers see Arthur tangled in Linda's web, Tommy caring for his child, Johnny Dogs burning the pyre, and the Shelby family arriving in Small Heath to go about their daily business in their money-filled vault. As the title of the song suggests, it appears the Shelby clan can do anything they want and nobody can stop them. This sequence is an ode to Tommy's success and the price to be paid for it.
"St. James Infirmary Blues" - The White Stripes
The confident and swaggering marching cover tune, "St. James Infirmary Blues," frames a scene in season 1, episode 3 in which Arthur and the Shelby gang assemble to take down the bookies at Cheltenham Racetrack.
The sequence is heavily influenced by the Peaky Blinder's historically accurate background as former soldiers, who instinctively treat the caper like a military operation with Arthur describing the start as "going over the top." The song highlights the deep legacy of the World War 1 trench experience upon the men of Birmingham, along with showcasing the youthful, heady days of the Peaky Blinders journey.
"All The Tired Horses" - Lisa O'Neill
In the season 6 final episode, Tommy returns to his burning wagon where all of the mementos important enough to carry with him are consumed by flames. He mounts his white horse and departs. "All the Tired Horses," a Bob Dylan song rendered by Lisa O'Neill, plays over the final scene and into the credits. The lyrics are repeated variations of "All the tired horses in the sun/How'm I s'posed to get any ridin' done?"
With shades of ancient, folkloric mystery humming in the background, O'Neill's version of "All the Tired Horses" is an eerie farewell to Tommy plugged into both the Shelby family's Romani heritage and his own destructive legacy. The ending is as gorgeous, sad and complicated as Tommy Shelby himself, providing as many questions as it does answers. Symbols abound: Tommy framed in the fiery wagon doorway can suggest he's either hellbound or rising reborn from the ashes; his white horse provides him the means to leave and start over, but it is also representative of death.
"All My Tears" - Ane Brun
Near the end of season 2, episode 6, Tommy luckily escapes Inspector Campbells' execution squad of Ulster Volunteers, crawls out of his grave and staggers away in shock, weeping. Escaping his own grave deepened Tommy's sense of already being a ghost.
If any sequence perfectly encapsulates the fine but violent line Tommy walks between life and death, this is it. Ane Brun's lilting voice brings a soft, forlorn sound to the simple dirge with lyrics like "It don't matter where you bury me/I'll be home and I'll be free/It don't matter where I lay/All my tears be washed away." For Tommy, survival is a curse as well as a blessing. It's an unforgettable scene, and one of the best in Peaky Blinders.
"Pyramid Song" - Radiohead
Three months after shooting Alfie in the face in season 4, episode 6, Tommy is in a pensive, melancholy mood. His war traumas haunt him as they have throughout Peaky Blinders. He's relapsed into drinking heavily, responding to Francis' concern by saying: "I know what this is. It's just myself talking to myself about myself."
The slow, aching "Pyramid Song," conjuring feelings of sadness and serenity with a shadow of malevolence, builds over time like a wave of encroaching madness. Tommy, struggling with depression and PTSD, deadens his pain with alcohol and opium, but whatever false comfort he finds is shattered when his son sees his pathetic condition.
"Red Right Hand" - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds & Various
As Peaky Blinder's essential track, "Red Right Hand" is a quote from John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost" describing the vengeful hand of God. The song appeared in numerous contrasting versions, with covers performed by the likes of P.J. Harvey, Arctic Monkeys, Jarvis Cocker, Anna Calvi, Snoop Dogg, Laura Marling and Iggy Pop.
"Red Right Hand's" gothic tones and raging organ compliment Cave's growling lyrics conjuring up a shadowy, poetic, demi-god figure ruling a decaying industrial landscape: yet despite his power, the figure is fallible, haunted. The lyrics reflect the complex character of Tommy Shelby, the powerful gangster who believes he is unkillable because he's already dead.