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Reeling in the Years is a cultural phenomenon – one that few other than the Irish truly appreciate. Try to explain the concept to someone who has never seen or heard of the show and more often than not, your enthusiasm is met with blank, glassy-eyed stares. Their loss, am I right?
Heavy-handed on the nostalgia, the series is probably best described as a visual (and audio) time capsule. Gathering together all of the most memorable moments from any given year, each episode gives us the excuse we need to settle in for the evening and discuss all the highs and lows that life in Ireland entails. From Teresa Mannion’s iconic weather report along the Salthill Prom to the moment Rihanna was reprimanded for her outfit choice by a local farmer up in Bangor, Co Down, the series is Irish TV at its best. The gold standard if you will (which… I will).
And with a song like Steely Dan’s Reelin’ In The Years as its theme tune, it’s clear that music was always going to play a central role in the show. As fans of the programme will know, each episode is centred around a specific year, with everything in the episode dating back to that period in time, including the music. A mix of classic hits that many of us forgot ever existed, one listen and next thing we know, we’re down a Spotify rabbit hole – frantically searching for every song to add to our personal playlists.
Songs such as T Swift’s We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Set Fire to the Rain by Adele and From Eden by the uber-talented Hozier.
Saving us all the hassle of making a list and checking it twice to ensure no song has been missed, RTÉ has compiled an “ultimate mix” for each episode of the new series – releasing them weekly in line with the show. Granted, several other Reeling in the Years playlists exist, but it’s very handy to have everything categorised exclusively by year.
Explaining how the soundtrack for each episode is decided up, RTÉ said, “when creating each episode of Reeling In The Years, producer John O’Regan compiles his own unique soundtrack for the year in the spotlight, comprised of songs from that year, some of which then make it into the episode of the show itself.”
So far, only 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 have been covered but there’s plenty more where that came from, and the other playlists will join them on the RTÉ Reeling account soon. The playlists that will help you upgrade your home listening habits, one song/year at a time.
Feature image via RTÉ