More about: Bridgerton

There have been many a phase in the Netflix calendar this pandemic. There was The Queen's Gambit phase, the Emily in Paris cycle, that minute when we all reacquainted ourselves with Princess Diana as Series Four of The Crown dropped - and of course, the Tiger King craze was a cultural phenomenon all its own.

For winter 2020/2021, we have Bridgerton, the softcore porn Gossip Girl/Pride and Prejudice mash-up we never knew we craved. It's sexy, silly and wistful - plus, there's some Easter Eggs hidden in there among the tafetta and butt cheeks. Across the eight episodes of the new show, some modern pop songs appear within the nineteenth century string score. Here are all of them:

Ariana Grande - 'thank u, next'

The break-up song, interpreted by the Vitamin String Quartet - a group whose raison d'être is to reinterpret modern songs on strings - plays as Daphne Bridgerton is lead through her first ball as a debutante with baby bangs in episode one of the show. It's there of course, to represent the fickle dance suitors and debutantes must make in order to settle on the right person.

Maroon 5 - 'Girls Like You'

The 2018 pop song sounds almost as if it was made for a string quartet as it's played in episode one, just as Daphne and Miss. Thompson are deluged with suitors in their respective drawing rooms. Light and fluffy, just like the show - it's an inspired choice for a montage with makeover undertones.

Shawn Mendes - 'In My Blood'

A suitably emo accompaniament to the moment when Daphne and the Duke dance for the first time and his bruised hand finds the bare skin of her upper back. In the Vitamin String Quartet's hands, it's far more of a tender affair and dare we say it: maybe even better.

Billie Eilish - 'bad guy'

Seeing as this number one was such an inescapable mega-hit with a very distinctive riff indeed, you might have noticed this rendition of 'bad guy' as it plays near the beginning of 'Art of the Swoon'. Just as the Duke 'feigns' jealousy, it reaches its hysterical chorus - pretty neat.

Sufjan Stevens - 'Love Yourself (Short Reprise)'

Whoever was tending to the music in this series got their rocks off doing so. They chose this short and distinctively modern original by Sufjan Stevens for the wedding between Daphne and the Duke, a mix of modern synth keys, gentle piano chords and moving vocal turns.

Celeste - 'Strange'

Daphne and the Duke get their wires crossed here, before crossing wires in a different way. Daphne loses her virginity to Celeste's haunting ballad 'Strange', which though certainly beautiful is still undeniably a break-up song. The cover is performed by American composter Kris Bowers, who wrote and performed the original score for the show. 

Taylor Swift - 'Wildest Dreams'

A suitably swooning choice for the soft porn montage in episode six, in which the Duke and Daphne have sex all over the manor. This cover is performed by the mysterious Duomo.

JPLND - 'The End'

Another original composition, this track is likely to continue taking off big time since its use in a central scene in episode six of the series. 

More about: Bridgerton