I have been a fan of actor Jeremy Shada since 2016 and as a result of following him on social media, one day he posted a video that introduced us to the cast of the upcoming Netflix show Julie and the Phantoms that he is involved.
Julie and the Phantoms is a Netflix musical comedy drama series created by Dan Cross and David Hoge with showrunner Kenny Ortega who adapted the series from Brazilian television series Julie e os Fantasmas. The series was released on September 10th, but it took me TWO WEEKS to finally sit down and watch the episodes.
Whenever there is a Netflix show that I want to watch, I usually watch the first two episodes but if it doesn’t get me hooked, I don’t continue to watch it. Julie and the Phantoms however, got me hooked from the first episode.
The songs in this musical series are special in their own way and vary catchy. They can make us feel many different emotions while listening to them but . In this post I will be ranking all the songs that are featured in this musical comedy drama.
*Note: There are no songs that I hate on this list, this is just my opinions on all the songs*
15. Wow
The songs that are sung by Carrie’s group Dirty Candy both have mainly self involved lyrics and are catchy but in different ways. This song introduces us to the rival group and their vey sparkly outfits, which are colour coordinated and designated to the girls in the group. Whilst the song is catchy and makes you want to dance along with the girls, it just misses out on the whole concept of the series.
14. This Band is Back (Reggie’s Jam)
This short but sweet song has a good dance beat and melody. This song is sung by the boys in the second episode and is the first song they sing after discovering that people can hear them play. People around them are swaying to the music and the boys are dancing around them. I wish the song was a bit longer but at the same time, it does okay as a short one.
13. You Got Nothing To Lose
With some amazing guitar riffs, this jazz inspired song is sung by Caleb Covington and is used as a way to control Luke, Alex and Reggie. Cheyenne Jackson’s portrayal of Caleb is one of my favourite pieces of acting in this series and his singing skills, especially the scatting part, are brilliant. The reason why this song is low down on this list, is that it is used as a way to control our boys. It also shows us that Caleb is indeed the villain of the show as he is forcing the boys to perform with him.
12. All Eyes On Me
Another of Dirty Candy’s songs that has a good dance beat and makes you want to dance along with it. The title of this song shows us that Carrie does indeed care about is herself and the title along with the lyrics confirms that. The song is included in a scene that is one of the best moments in the whole series, and makes us love Alex even more (if that is possible). The fact that he got up on stage to dance along with them was comedy gold.
11. I Got The Music
Used as a dream sequence, this song has got a High School Musical feeling to it and as Kenny Ortega is part of this series, it doesn’t surprise me. It is very catchy and has a great beat, alongside some good chorography and lyrics. The more times you listen to this song, the better it gets but it doesn’t really progress the story of the series. This song is used as a way to show off the dancing skills that the rest of the background cast has and Jadah Marie’s (Flynn) rapping skills.
10. Perfect Harmony
As the song that shows off Luke and Julie’s chemistry and is one of the few slow paced songs in the series. Charlie Gillespie and Madison Reyes’ harmony throughout this song is perfect and makes me sing along with them as they dance. There is one line that I adore in the song and that is “We say we’re friends, we play pretend”. The way that their voices go together actually make me like the song more and Charlie’s style in this show is great.
9. Finally Free
We first hear parts of this song earlier in the episode as the band rehearsed but we hear the full version when they perform in front of an audience. After Dirty Candy perform their song All Eyes On Me, Julie and her phantoms perform Finally Free to the best they can and get a standing ovation from the audience, which also attracts the attention of an agent.
8. Stand Tall
The final song featured in Julie and The Phantoms, Stand Tall gives us a sense of achievement and happy to be included in the rise of Julie. Thinking that she has lost the boys, she thinks that she will have to perform on her own. It is the first song that Julie has sang by herself in front of an audience and it shows that she has come far. The song becomes better when the boys turn up and join in with the song.
7. Bright
Bright starts off as a slow paced song when Julie is singing on her own but quickly builds to a fast pop-rock song as it reaches the chorus. When the boys join in, the song becomes fast paced and turns into the type of song that makes you sing along with it at top volume!
6. Unsaid Emily
Earlier on in the series, we are introduced to Luke’s past and it is a real tearjerker. We are near the end of the series and song makes us feel many emotions: sadness, regret and the feeling of lost. Named after his mother, ‘Unsaid Emily’, is the most emotional song in the entire series, making me and many others shed a lot of tears. The way Charlie Gillespie pours his heart and soul into this song, makes me love the song more and the flashbacks that are included in this scene, make me more and more emotional.
5. Now or Ever
As the very first song in this series, it is the perfect song to start off the series and is one of the songs that got me hooked onto this series. Sunset Curve are practicing for their big showcase later that night and this song shows us just how good the main cast are. Jeremy Shada, Charlie Gillespie and Owen Joyner vocals are introduced and even though Luke is the lead vocal of the group, we do get a taste of the other two’s killer vocals. The title and lyrics of the song “Keep dreaming like we’ll live forever, but live it like it’s now or never” does some unfortunate foreshadowing.
4. Flying Solo
Adapted from a poem that Julie wrote about her best friend Flynn, “Flying Solo”, the boys perform this song with Julie in front of Flynn, revealing themselves as ghosts. With the revelation of the boys being ghosts, the band sing to her and show her how Julie feels about her. Julie and Flynn are best friends and it is a lovely thing to see in this series.
3. The Other side of Hollywood
“Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” and this song sure proves that. We are introduced to fellow ghost Caleb Covington and at first he seems like a nice guy, but as the episode goes on we see that there is more to him than meets the eye. The song is to introduce us to the ghost that will soon become the villain of the series and the catchy beat make me love this song as it makes me want to get up from my seat and dance.
2. Wake Up
At only fifteen, Madison Reyes’ vocals in this song are outstanding and was the moment I knew this series was for me. Having very memorable lyrics helps this song stand out from the rest of the songs. It is the first time that Julie plays the piano since her mother’s death and the emotion that she puts into the song is so uplifting and inspirational. As the song says “Relight that spark…” Julie does just that.
1. Edge of Great
Before Julie and The Phantoms was released, this song was on Spotify weeks before the series aired. When I listened to it I knew that the show would be filled with interesting and very catchy song, I was not wrong as I love every single songs. “Edge of Great” however, is my favourite song in the whole entire series. After becoming a band and singing all these great songs, you can tell that the boys and Julie have become close and not just as a band.
What is your favourite Julie and The Phantoms song?
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