10-07-2025
The best needle drops in Outrageous Fortune, ranked
Gareth Shute counts down the best music moments to ever grace Outrageous Fortune.
Outrageous Fortune's soundtrack created its own canon of local rock music from the 70s to the 00s. Classics by Th' Dudes and Hello Sailor rubbed shoulders with contemporary hits by Goldenhorse and Opshop, though also in the mix were underappreciated indie tracks by the likes of The Tutts, Minuit, Sola Rosa, and Cut Off Your Hands.
The show was also inventive in how it juxtaposed music with its visuals. Take its decision to use the quirky instrumental 'Sea World' by Phoenix Foundation as the soundtrack for a porn film shoot or when 'Jesus For The Jugular' by The Veils added a dark energy to the moment when Munter was too wasted to stop Van from sleeping with his mother.
The producers of Outrageous Fortune were able to draw from a rich library of pre-cleared tracks supplied by music supervisor, Mana Music. 'We'd introduce new artists into the library during the course of each season like Christchurch's The L.E.D.s or Auckland's New Telepathics,' says Jonathan Mihaljevich, who worked at Mana at the time. 'It was a total personal thrill to see them being picked up for a scene, as much as it was seeing The Veils or Dimmer come through.'
The strength of music in the series also led to Mana Music and the show's producers working together on an album. 'Because the show was so iconic, I thought the idea of doing a soundtrack album would be an easy sell, but no labels were interested at first – they couldn't see why it would sell,' says Mihaljevich. 'Finally Warner said 'we totally get it, we're fans of Outrageous Fortune and music is one of the characters of the show!''
The compilation debuted at number one on the charts and led to a successful follow-up. Nature's Best was the other top-selling local compilation of the era, but that only focused on established classics. The Outrageous Fortune albums created a connection between the past and the present, unearthing should've-been-hits like '80s Celebration' by The Reduction Agents and 'Want U Bad' by The Rock'n'Roll Machine in the process.
Whether it was used on the show to capture the mood or cunningly create friction with it, the music of Outrageous Fortune always boosted the power of what was being portrayed on screen. Here's 10 of the most stunning examples.
10. '(I'll Say Goodbye) Even Though I'm Blue' & 'Home Again' (S2, E12)
The first two seasons of the show were more sparing in their use of original music and largely relied on incidental music written by Joel Haines. This made it stand out when it unleashed a New Zealand classic – or, in this case, two on the trot.
Just prior to this moment, we find Cheryl worrying that Pascalle might be breaking her parole by not completing her community service at a retirement village. Meanwhile, Van has been outfoxed by his brother Jethro and he's also fallen out with best friend Munter.
Yet, Cheryl discovers Pascalle enthusiastically teaching the elderly residents to dance while ' Even Though I'm Blue ' blasts over the stereo. Then, Van and Munter are shown chatting happily inside a car – soon revealed to actually be just the two doors they've stolen off Jethro's car as revenge. They ride them down a grassy hillside as ' Home Again ' plays. The double-hit of classic Kiwi rock reiterates that all is right in the world.
9. 'Dadada' by The Naked and Famous and 'Eye of the Needle' by The Datsuns (S5, E10 & E11)
The turning point of season five was a twinned pair of events, which each had their own accompanying song. Sheree loses her patience with playing the long game, so she empties Pascalle's bank account and sets her against Nicky by supplying information to crooked cop Zane Gerard. The ominous pulse of ' Dadada ' throbs along underneath, with very fitting lyrics – 'there is no light outside / I think I'm about to lose control.'
Then we hear the pounding tom drums of ' Eye of the Needle ', which evoke a sense of danger. Grandpa West is in the midst of a robbery with Hayden, when the police turn up in force. Munter tries to radio him, but Grandpa has removed his earpiece to focus on opening a safe. For such a lighthearted show, it was impressive how brutal the mood could get in moments like these, with the music altering the mood in an instant.
8. 'Nobody Else' by Rikki Morris (S5, E15)
One of the best comedic characters was Aaron, who went from being a racist cretin to a kindly sweetheart over the course of the show. His unrequited love for Pascalle was a long-running plot point, which reached its zenith when he turned up at the West house with a massive ghetto blaster, cranking 80s ballad ' Nobody Else ' by Rikki Morris (recreating the scene from Say Anything).
The song is so catchy and earnest that you can't help being drawn in, despite the saccharine, overdramatic production. The same could be said for Aaron himself, always gormlessly appearing with his heart on his sleeve.
7. 'Feels So Good' by The Spelling Mistakes (S3, E1)
Outrageous Fortune was audacious and playful in its use of sex scenes. The third season opens with interspersed shots of the show's three main couples going at it (Cheryl with Judd, Van with Aurora, and Loretta with Hayden), soundtracked by the rollicking 80s pop-punk of The Spelling Mistakes.
Despite the catchy melody, the lyrics of the song are decidedly dark – 'hurting you feels so good / I don't know why.' And sure enough all of the couples are headed for trouble. What's more, like all the seasons of the show, this one begins with the cops turning up to the house, so the joyful passion is soon brought to an abrupt stop.
6. 'East of Eden' by Graham Brazier (S2, E6; S2, E17)
Cheryl's relationship with ex-policeman Wayne Judd was central to the show. It was hinted at in season one, so it was satisfying when they finally hooked up halfway through the second. The next morning, they are utterly content lying in bed together, while this mellow, late-period track by Graham Brazier plays softly underneath. Brazier sings of feeling like he's not quite in heaven but close ('east of eden, six miles north of hell').
The pay-off comes a full 11 episodes later. The Wests are at their usual holiday spot, having finally gained access to their regular New Years beach, and the upbeat mood is captured by the Finn Brothers song, ' Won't Give In.' However the sentiment isn't quite right because Judd hadn't made it – he is still waiting to be released on parole.
The family gather around a bonfire with two guests – Graham Brazier and Dave McCartney (whose presence remains unexplained). Rather than launching into the theme tune of the show, the musical pair first play a bit of 'East of Eden,' sweetly marking the moment when Judd finally arrives and the star-crossed lovers are reunited.
5. 'What Greater Love' by Nash Chase (S4, E18)
It's always great when a needle drop instantly gets you asking – 'what's this fab song?' Grandpa and Ngaire's marriage is heralded by blasts of funky horns and the booming voice of 1970s kiwi crooner, Nash Chase. The show always did well to give its two eldest characters their own solid story arcs, so it's nice that their special moment also had a unique theme tune.
4. 'B Your Boy' by Voom & 'Hine E Hine' (Goodnight Kiwi version) by Fanny Howie (S2, E3)
The hectic desperation of ' B Your Boy ' perfectly aligns with Van's jealousy at seeing Aurora nursing her ex-boyfriend ('I want to be your boy so bad'). The song repeats as Van increasingly loses control and seems to be considering destroying Tyson's motorbike. However, the show is toying with us – the motorbike has a different part to play.
Van instead narks on Tyson for selling drugs, so Aurora is forced to escape with the stash on the motorbike, only to crash full force into a bus. In the intensive care unit, she is declared dead and a hauntingly familiar tune plays, 'Hine E Hine' (written by Fanny Howie aka Te Rangi Pai in 1907).
The version we hear is the arrangement by Bernie Allen that accompanied the ' Goodnight Kiwi' at the end of television broadcasts up until the 1980s. This would've struck a nerve with viewers of a certain age, who still associate it with the bittersweet feeling of an evening coming to an end. A fittingly nostalgic send off for this much-loved character.
3. 'You Oughta Be In Love' by Dave Dobbyn (S5, E19)
Dobbyn's yearning love song is used for the ultimate bait-and-switch. After Loretta and Hayden's backyard wedding, they are dancing in the lounge with their friends and family. This Dobbyn classic reassures us that it's a happy ending, but suddenly Zane Gerard shows up with a unit of police officers. He wants revenge for Pascalle breaking up with him, so finds excuses to arrest her and Van.
Cheryl tries to stop him dragging her daughter away, but ends up hitting him with a bottle and stabbing him. The sweet melody continues to play in the background, even while Gerard clasps his bloody neck and pulls out his gun to fire at them. Love has given way to violence and the pieces were in place for a dramatic final season of the show.
2. 'Be Mine Tonight' by Th' Dudes (S1, E4; S5, E17; S6, E18)
Halfway through the first series, Wolf returns from prison for a single day to attend a funeral. He sees his wife Cheryl in the backyard just as this song comes on and he says 'oh babe, do you remember this?' Fittingly, the lyrics refer to a one night stand, since Wolf and Cheryl will only have a brief moment to hook up in the bathroom before he returns to his prison.
Jumping forward from season one to season five, we find Wolf commiserating with Cheryl, who has lost her baby (fathered by Wayne Judd). Suddenly a familiar tune comes through the speakers and they both remark – 'this fucking song!' – before jumping up to dance. However, it actually turns out that Cheryl was just imagining Wolf being there and was actually processing the loss on her own.
By the final episode, Cheryl is resolved to being single. Wayne Judd has fallen in love with her daughter and Wolf is long gone. However most of the family now seem happy, so she leaves them dancing in the lounge to have a quiet moment on the deck. When 'Be Mine Tonight' plays, it has a new meaning – it no longer reflects Wolf and Cheryl's ongoing relationship, but instead represents her looking back on the past. She is finally free of his exciting, but toxic influence.
1. 'Save Yourself' by Greg Johnson, 'Gutter Black' by Hello Sailor (S1, E1)
Has there ever been a show so closely related to its theme tune as Outrageous Fortune is with 'Gutter Black'? It even set up the theme of the entire show in the first episode. The ending seems to show the West family going straight – Loretta is acting like an attentive student at school, while Cheryl, Van, and Pascalle work at legitimate jobs. The uplifting singing of Greg Johnson floats over the top: 'first you save yourself, then you save the world…'
But then we cut to the prison, where Van is telling his father Wolf about Cheryl's law-abiding aims for the family. Wolf breaks into laughter – 'I'm sorry, she actually thinks this is going to happen?' Then we hear those familiar chords strumming over the top as he continues to cackle to himself and we know that their fortunes are bound to go a different way.
'My luck in the gutter black…'
