Warning: This article contains spoilers for Loki season 2, episode 5.
Loki season 2 has consistently kept us on the edge of our seats, thanks in large part to its pervasively ominous tone, and aided in no small part by its delightfully eerie soundtrack.
Episode 5 continued episode 4’s precedent of throwing the rulebook out the window when it decided to substitute its usual instrumental score for a real-life song from a classic 1970s rock album, essentially doing what Stranger Things did with Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and taking a forgotten hit and using it for a pivotal climactic scene.
The melancholy moment begins when Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), having just parted with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) at the bar, shuffles into a vinyl record store to soothe her pain with some music. The attendant, Lyle, suggests a record that “will either cure what’s ailing you, or make it a whole lot worse” — like only good music can.
Sylvie puts the vinyl on the record player as the soft strums of an electric guitar fill the room alongside the rhythmic kicks of a snare drum. It should be soothing, but in the background, unbeknownst to Sylvie, we see a pedestrian enter the record store before disintegrating on the spot. The timeline is eroding, and this otherwise calming ‘70s song is our companion to the end of the world. No, the multiverse.
What is the name of the song Sylvie listens to?
If you’re a child of the ’70s — or heck, if you just appreciate good ‘70s music — then you probably recognized Doug Yule’s voice from The Velvet Underground, a band that is widely acclaimed as one of the early pioneers of punk amid the “The Generation of Love,” or hippie movement. The song Sylvie was listening to is “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’,” the closing track from their fourth studio album, Loaded.
Loaded was commissioned by the band’s record label, Atlantic Records, specifically with the intent to be more commercially accessible to mainstream radio, according to Yule. Its title refers to The Velvet Underground’s attempt to create an album “loaded” with hits, but also serves as a double entendre to encompass the many drug-related songs on the album.
Lightning rarely strikes twice, so it’s unlikely television will experience another cultural reset with “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” the way it did with Stranger Things’ “Running Up That Hill.” Nevertheless, “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” is another example of impeccable decision-making on behalf of the Loki team.
“They threw her out in the street,” sings Doug Yule in the song. “Just like a cat, she landed on her feet.” Indeed, Sylvie — like Loki — continues to thwart fate. To borrow O.B.’s (Ke Huy Quan) method of thinking, if “She ain’t got nothing at all,” then that would mean she has everything she needs.
Loki season 2 is currently streaming on Disney Plus.
