Songs from The Americans

Last week, FX aired the final episode of The Americans, one of my all-time favorite television shows.  (There are no spoilers in this post, so read on without worry.)  The concept of the show is intriguing (especially considering that it is based in part on a true story), the spy adventures are exciting, the dynamics between the main characters are interesting and sometimes heartbreaking, the acting and writing are first-rate, and I enjoyed watching a show set in the 1980s.  On top of all of that, the music in The Americans is amazing, with great songs from the 1980s and others that fit in perfectly with each scene in the show.

I put together an Apple Music playlist of some great songs from The Americans, and everyone can enjoy these songs, regardless of whether you ever watched the show.  This isn't every song that was ever used in the series; I just included my favorites, and I even left out a few which I like but which seemed out of character with the rest of the playlist.  At the end, I added a song by Sting that I was surprised to never hear on The Americans.  All of these are fantastic songs, and if you grew up in the 1980s like I did, you probably have specific memories of your own life associated with many of these songs.

If you want to listen to these songs on your iPhone, you can click here to get the Apple Music playlist.  In fact, even if you don't subscribe to Apple Music, I believe that you can click that link and hear previews of every song, and you can also sign up for a free Apple Music trial.

The songs on the playlist are as follows, and I included an indication of the season and episode in which each song was used.  Total running time is 2 hours and 51 minutes.

1. Main Title from "The Americans" by Nathan Barr
2. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac (S1, E1)
3. Harden My Heart by Quarterflash (S1, E1)
4. In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins (S1, E1)
5. Roller by April Wine (S1, E1)
6. Queen of Hearts by Juice Newton (S1, E1)
7. Love Will Find a Way by Pablo Cruise (S1, E8)
8. Slap and Tickle by Squeeze (S1, E11)
9. Rough Boys by Pete Townshend (S1, E11)
10. Mississippi Queen by Mountain (S1, E12)
11. Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel (S1, E13)
12. Passion by Rod Stewart (S2, E1)
13. Beer Bar Blues by Lloyd Conger (S2, E1)
14. Here Comes the Flood by Peter Gabriel (S2, E3)
15. I Melt With You by Modern English (S2, E4)
16. The Gambler by Kenny Rogers (S2, E5)
17. Rock This Town by Stray Cats (S2, E8)
18. It Must Be Done (from "the Americans") by Pete Townshend & Nathan Barr (S2, E10)
19. Twilight Zone by Golden Earring (S2, E13)
20. Every Breath You Take by The Police (trailer for Season 3)
21. All Out of Love by Air Supply (S3, E3)
22. Don't Go by Yaz (S3, E4)
23. Only You by Yaz (S3, E4)
24. Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant (S3, E4)
25. I Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock of Seagulls (S3, E5)
26. The Chain by Fleetwood Mac (S3, E7)
27. Stand and Deliver by Adam & The Ants (S3, E10)
28. Tainted Love by Soft Cell (S4, E2)
29. Under Pressure by Queen & David Bowie (S4, E5)
30. Winter Kills by Yaz (S4, E9)
31. Major Tom by Peter Schilling (S4, E9)
32. Out of the Blue by Roxy Music (S4, E13)
33. That's Good by Devo (S5, E1)
34. Old Flame by Alabama (S5, E3)
35. Slave by The Rolling Stones (S5, E5)
36. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John (S5, E13)
37. So. Central Rain by R.E.M. (S5, E13)
38. Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House (S6, E1)
39. Louisiana Saturday Night by Mel McDaniel (S6, E1)
40. Gold Dust Woman by Fleetwood Mac (S6, E1)
41. Drivin' My Life Away by Eddie Rabbitt (S6, E4)
42. With or Without You by U2 (S6, E10)
43. Russians by Sting

Enjoy the playlist.  And if you created your own playlist which is worth sharing with iPhone J.D. readers, feel free to post a link in a comment to this post!