I don't have enough fingers to count the things I love about Derry Girls.
There's the fact that it captures the niche sense of humour of the Northern Irish people. And the fact that it's subverting stereotypes about Northern Irish women. And the fact that it shines a light on what life during the Troubles was really like. But, one thing that is particularly wonderful about this absolute gem of a show is the music.
If you grew up during the '90s — or if you just so happened to be alive and in possession of a radio during this decade — then watching the show feels like taking an utterly delightful meander down memory lane. At times, the track list sounds like a paean to the school discos of your childhood, featuring songs like Gina G's "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit", Whigfield's "Saturday Night," CeCe Peniston's "Finally," Ace of Base's "All That She Wants," Shampoo's "Trouble," and En Vogue's "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)." Season One happens to feature my favourite song from 1993: 2 Unlimited's "No Limit." (Apparently five-year-old me was heavily into Dutch Eurodance.)
"People were like, oh God remember The Cranberries? Remember how brilliant they were?"
The very first episode of Season Two opens with Enya's "Caribbean Blue." Erm hi, talk about kicking off the new season with an absolute banger. I'm still digesting the honeyed tones of Enya's vocals when one of my all-time favourite songs comes on: "Ode to my Family" by The Cranberries, the indie band from Limerick, Ireland. Now this one is really special. When I was growing up back in Ye Olde '90s, my parents would play their favourite album "No Need To Argue" by The Cranberries on repeat. Every car journey we had — to school; to swimming lessons; to the hockey club they sent me to try to make me athletic — was accompanied by the eerie, mellifluous vocals of Dolores O'Riordan. It wasn't long before this ethereal album became my favourite too — and it has remained thus ever since.
At a screening of the first two episodes of the new season, I counted at least three songs by The Cranberries — the majority of which were from the aforementioned album. I asked Derry Girls writer and creator Lisa McGee if this was intentional. "Well, I'm a big fan of The Cranberries and last year we tried that song ["Dreams"] and, to be honest, I wasn't definitely sure about it, I thought it was a bit too Irishy," says McGee.
McGee said that viewers responded really well to "Dreams" being the theme song, and that response has given them more confidence to use more songs by The Cranberries. "People were like, oh God remember The Cranberries? Remember how brilliant they were?" McGee told me. McGee also shares my love for "No Need To Argue." "That album is amazing," she said.
Never before in my history of watching television have I been moved to tears by a soundtrack. But here I am, sitting on my sofa as a (supposedly) fully-grown, 30-year-old adult, blinking back tears at the sound of "What Can I Do" by The Corrs. But, Derry Girls has this effect on me — and that's why I love watching it.
Hearing the songs that defined my childhood for the first time in decades goes beyond your average bit of '90s nostalgia (which I am very partial to, btw). I think that's because the soundtrack curates the very specific listening tastes of kids growing up in the UK and the Republic of Ireland during the '90s by blending really-well-known songs with a few obscure one-hit wonders.
You have the feeling, watching Derry Girls, that you're back in your village hall in 1995 mouthing the words "ooh ah just a little bit" with your best mates, back when all you wanted was to be grown up.
