Courtesy of HBO
After four seasons and five years on air, HBO’s Succession came to a close May 28, delivering what’s being called one of the most “feel-bad” finales in history. But thanks to all of its striking plot twists, irony-loaded societal commentary and numerous brilliant one-liners — including “Can’t make a ‘Tom-lette’ without breaking some ‘Greggs,’” of course — the series will forever be known as one of the cleverest shows of all time.
That goes for its music use, too. Powered by an award-winning original score by composer Nicholas Britell, the show masterfully balances classical styles with modern influences almost as well as it balances the conflicting ideologies and interests of the American white-collar elite. It’s not uncommon, for instance, to hear a sprawling orchestral suite in the same episode as a heavy 2000s rap diss track. In fact, Succession‘s own theme song is a genius combination of the two.
The show follows the lives of Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his four children — Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Siobhan (Sarah Snook) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) — as they each scheme to take over their father’s billion-dollar media conglomerate once he steps down. There’s betrayal, heartbreak and family civil wars that wreak devastation on the company’s employees — and sometimes, the whole world, as proved by its final season when Kendall and Roman pull strings to help elect a fascist U.S. president in order to protect their own vanity.
And while the characters are capable of atrocious behavior, it’s hard not to love them. So as viewers say good-bye to the hilariously heinous favorite executives at Waystar Royco, Billboard has rounded up all the best musical moments Succession has given us over the years, from Kendall’s iconic “L to the OG” performance to Connor’s endearing Leonard Cohen tribute at sibling karaoke.
See them below, but beware: Spoilers ahead!
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Introducing Kendall
Image Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO Episode: Season 1, Episode 1
Succession absolutely nailed its audience introduction to the idealistic, narcissistic, detached Waystar heir that is Kendall Roy, and that’s thanks entirely to the song featured in his very first scene.
The first time we see Kendall, he’s jamming out in the backseat of his private car to The Beastie Boys’ “An Open Letter to NYC,” shamelessly rapping out loud and obnoxiously punching the seat in front of him to the beat with no consideration for his driver. Then, just after enjoying a song about New Yorkers coming together as a community against social injustice and class divides, Kendall marches into his office to close a zillion-dollar business deal on behalf of his father’s historically exploitative company, all to make himself even richer and more elite. Moreover, the deal symbolizes Kendall’s final test before he gets to ascend to the top spot as CEO — though viewers know exactly how well that turned out.
From those few seconds alone, we learn all we need to know about Kendall to understand why he behaves the way he does throughout the rest of the show. His blind spots, which end up resulting in several brutal failures later on, are revealed to us from the get-go.
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Wedding Dance
Image Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO Episode: Season 1, Episode 10
In a show that thrives on juxtaposition, there may be no greater instance of purposeful contrast between scene and music than at the very end of season one. After crashing his car while driving under the influence and subsequently killing his companion — a young waiter working at Shiv’s wedding reception — Kendall discreetly abandons the scene of the crime and returns to the family’s celebrations as if nothing even happened.
And even though he’s just made one of the most traumatic, life-changing, horrific decisions of his entire life, he has no choice but to jump back on the floor and dance along to one of the most joyous songs ever recorded, Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” It’s a truly harrowing scene, made even darker by the lyrics — just like Whitney, Kendall wants to feel the embrace of love and community, but thanks to his enormous new secret, he’ll always be completely alone in his guilt.
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“L to the OG”
Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO Episode: Season 2, Episode 8
Now a total puppet to the whims of his father — the only other person who knows about his waiter-killing incident — Kendall performs a truly iconic original rap called “L to the OG” at a party celebrating Logan’s achievements in business. And while the lyrics are both hilarious and horrible, there’s actually a very subtle, sad poignancy to this cringeworthy moment: Before, Kendall used hip-hop to soundtrack his desired ascent to power, as seen in the show’s pilot. Now, his favorite genre has been warped into nothing but a pathetic vessel for kissing Logan’s behind.
Listen here.
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Nirvana Nuke
Image Credit: David Russell/HBO Episode: Season 3, Episode 3
Kendall certainly has an unorthodox way of firing back at his siblings when they choose to stick with Logan after the former Waystar heir invites them to join his attempted coup. As Shiv tries to give a press conference covering up allegations of sexual assault on the company’s cruise lines, Kenny blasts Nirvana’s In Utero track “Rape Me” through speakers planted around the room.
It’s a revealing moment for both sides of the sibling dispute. Not only is Shiv and Roman’s carelessness for the victims highlighted, but so is Kendall’s callousness. The crass showmanship of the stunt underlines the fact that he, too, doesn’t really have the victims’ best interests at heart — only his own.
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Kendall Sings “Honesty”
Image Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO Episode: Season 3, Episode 7
Honesty isn’t exactly any of the Roys’ strongsuits. That’s why it’s exceedingly hilarious to open an episode with Kendall singing a rough-around-the-edges karaoke cover of Billy Joel’s “Honesty” that’s somehow both self-aggrandizing and self-pitying.
After he finishes, it’s revealed that he’s preparing the ostentatious musical number for his own 40th birthday party. Once the time comes for him to perform, however, Kendall decides that it’s a little too over the top and on the nose, especially after Shiv and Roman attend the party only to sweep one of his business connections away from him.
Luckily, the cover still made it onto the official season three soundtrack. Listen here.
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Tom Betrays Shiv
Image Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO Episode: Season 3, Episode 9
The Succession score is purely instrumental up until the very end of its second-to-last season, when one of the biggest power shifts happens in a quiet moment in Tuscany after the main Roy siblings’ mother’s wedding. Shiv discovers that her husband, Tom Wambsgans, has betrayed her by relaying her plans to overtake her father, giving Logan time to block them.
Agonizingly soft piano plays as Shiv’s face drops, realizing that her own partner has just sealed her coffin. Then, the scene cuts to the credits, and a grand, operatic movement rages as viewers take in what just happened. This stunning, gloriously dramatic introduction to vocals in the score was of course, very strategic, as explained by Britell.
“Long story short, strings and piano seemed to feel in the pocket for this season of Succession, and then, for literally the last piece we introduce voices for the first time,” the composer told Motion Picture Association. “Jesse [Armstrong] and I talked about, ‘What is the only thing we haven’t done yet to expand the scope of the sound?’ The ending just felt like the right place to introduce [choir] voices, so that’s where I wrote the ‘Amen’ movement.”
Listen here.
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Connor Karaoke
Image Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO Episode: Season 4, Episode 2
Somehow, it just makes sense that Connor Roy, the most self-pitying, bohemian Roy sibling, would be a Leonard Cohen fan. After his future wife Willa flees right before their big wedding, Kendall, Shiv and Roman take Connor out for a fun night of karaoke, where he brings the house down — in a depression way, not a party way — with a cover of Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat” that Roman likens to “Guantanamo level” torture.
Watch here.
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Logan’s Death Sequence
Image Credit: Peter Kramer/HBO Episode: Season 4, Episode 3
One of the most shocking sequences in the entire series — and that’s saying something — demanded an incredible triumph in scoring, and Britell 100% delivered. As Kendall, Shiv and Roman find out that their father, with whom they aren’t on speaking terms, passed away on an airplane, the composer’s sweeping score heightens as the reality of Logan’s death sets in over the course of the episode.
“That sequence is unlike any other music in the whole series,” Britell explained to Vulture. “Often for Succession I’m writing music that, in its structure, is a complete piece; for that sequence, I focused on the emotional POV of the children instead. There’s actually these very rough-hewn string tremolos that have bowings of raw sounds and they’re bent a little bit. There’s also a wobble to the sound. It’s kind of wavy. There is this sense that it’s a moment in any human being’s life when the unexpected happens.”
“I feel like those moments distort your reality, and I wanted the music to do that too,” he added. “The performances of Jeremy Strong and Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin are just stunning to me. I was so moved by them, and I remember wanting the music to be a part of the beautiful work they were doing.”
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Kendall’s “Takeover”
Image Credit: David Russell/HBO Episode: Season 4, Episode 5
Exquisitely mirroring his intro scene, Kendall — now four seasons older and wiser since viewers first met him in episode one — once again rides to work to attempt to prove himself as Waystar’s rightful, post-Logan leader. This time, he’s actually successful; that’s likely why his car-ride hype song of choice is now Jay-Z’s “Takeover,” a fitting title for someone who’s about to take over as head of the biggest company in the world.
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Theme Song
Image Credit: Claudette Barius/HBO Episodes: All
What happens when you combine stately chords, soaring strings, a discordant piano topline and overly dominant 808 bass beats? You get one of the most iconic theme songs ever. It’s an intro-credits track that’s so deliciously sour, it won Britell the Emmy Award for best main title music in 2019.
Since then, its greatness has inspired countless memes and even some high-profile remixes from fans, which, in addition to brilliantly conveying the conflicting attitudes and toxicity running rampant in the Roy family, is just catchy as hell.
“There’s this immediate dissonance from the top of the piece … which gives you this immediate sense that something is potentially off,” he said in an in-depth explainer of the theme for Vanity Fair. “Things are always off-kilter with themselves, like the family in the show.”