The story behind the Yellowjackets theme song
AW: The vocal hook ended up softening it, I started dragging the phrasing a bit.
CW: Then we discovered the farfisa sound of the B-52, which helped sell the “mean guy” vibe. He needed that punishing rhythm below while being more spooky above.
AW: It’s so rebellious, all these different factors lead you to this feeling of, Fuck you, I’m gonna jump a fence and smoke a cigarette!
Christina Ricci as Misty, Melanie Lynskey as Shauna, Juliette Lewis as Natalie and Tawny Cypress as Taissa in “Yellowjackets”. Photo by Brendan Meadows / Showtime.
How did the lyrics come together?
AW: The lyrics were written very quickly, that’s how I started writing music, just like barking things. We knew they had to come from a place where things were immediate and came out of the tongue. We’re both seasoned songwriters, we know how to work on the lyrics, but we had to be 19 again.
CW: There had to be that kind of ’90s thing where the lyrics only to feel as if they made sense.
The words signal the invincibility of youth. Anna, how did it feel to channel this feeling about your teenage years?
AW: I was a little cranky when I recorded the vocals, which was probably good because I was a very cranky teenager. It was a little weird singing solo because Craig and I love to sing together when we work, we have a really cool vocal mix. A lot of the songs I wrote when I was younger came from anxiety and depression, so it was easy to channel that when I was working on it. Also, I had just made this dog a new one. record after 20,000 years, so it was an interesting way to open my safe. Like, what happens when you come back to that state of mind?
CW: There’s also a blasé attitude that’s unique to Gen X, like you’re at arm’s length but clearly very passionate about everything. Guess it’s all the rage because the ’90s are… back?
AW: For me, it’s not something from the 90s, it’s timeless.
Without too many spoilers, can you tell us something else about the rest of the season leading up to the finale?
AW: I really became obsessed with the show with episodes 9 and 10. I think those are the best episodes. Everything that happens takes the show to a whole new level. In episode seven we were like, How are they going to answer all of our questions by the end of the season ?! With episode nine we realized it wasn’t, we’re going to need 10 seasons. I haven’t felt this about a show since Twin peaks!