FX’s Legion rightly gets lauded for its visuals, but one underappreciated aspect of the show is the music. Composed by Jeff Russo, the score is big-screen worthy, and often drives the action in each season. But last night’s (April 24) episode, “Chapter 12,” was another level.
Uproxx has a nice rundown of the songs in their recap, but to break it out for you here:
Songs this week included “22” by Bon Iver, “Turtleneck” by The National, “It Is Not Meant To Be” by Tame Impala, and Jeff Russo and Noah Hawley’s covers of “White Room” and “Burning Down the House.”
The musical tapestry paired perfectly with the episode, which repeatedly looped through the life of Syd (Rachel Keller), and her relationship with her mother (played by Lily Rabe). We get to see Syd at the literal moment of her birth, as a 6-year-old, as a rebellious teenager, and over and over again.
As we discussed on our Legion podcast, the show takes place in an indeterminate time era, and this episode confused things even more. “22” is from 2016, “Turtleneck” from 2017, and “It Is Not Meant To Be” from 2010. Meanwhile, “White Room” is from 1968, and “Burning Down The House” from 1983.
“White Room” seems the closest to the era Legion seems to be set in most of the time. It’s also a not-so-sneaky reference to the White Room where Syd and David (Dan Stevens) are able to share intimate moments on the astral plane.
“Burning Down The House,” meanwhile, matches with Syd’s rebellious punk phase, but is about two decades past whatever timeline the show takes place in… Maybe.
Anyway, we can debate this forever (and will), but while they’re still available take a listen to the “Burning Down The House” cover, and the other tracks from the episode:
Legion’s “Burning Down The House” Cover – Jeff Russo & Noah Hawley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NJDetz3hxI
*Note: I don’t actually know if Russo and Hawley recorded this, I’m just working off the Uproxx story. I’ll update if we find out more.
“The White Room” – Cream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkae0-TgrRU
The Legion cover isn’t up anywhere yet, so enjoy the Cream original!
“22” – Bon Iver
“Turtleneck” – The National
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSJM_dZZ4xE
“It Is Not Meant To Be” – Tame Impala
Be sure to subscribe to our Legion podcast for recaps as soon each episode is done airing!