My Lady Jane on Prime Video is a feminist reclaiming of the story of a woman wronged by society. It’s a show created by a woman (Gemma Burgess) for women. And wait till you hear its soundtrack—almost all the songs are originals or covers performed by female & femme artists or women-led indie bands!
What is My Lady Jane About?
My Lady Jane is a reimagining of the story of Lady Jane Grey, the daughter of the 1st Duke of Suffolk in 1550s England and cousin to the reigning King Edward VI. When the king dies at the young age of 15 (possibly from tuberculosis), he shocks everyone by naming Jane his successor to the English throne, over his half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, who were first in line before Jane.
This causes political turmoil, and only after nine days of being the Queen, Jane is dethroned by Mary, and sentenced to execution for high treason along with her husband, Guildford Dudley, the son of the Duke of Northumberland.
Sad, right? Well, thank God, for three authors—Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows—who decided to rewrite Jane’s story and give it a fun twist by changing the ending! The show is based on their book and focuses more on Jane being one of the most learned young girls of her time. While history tells us Jane was quite devoted to her husband, the show gives their relationship a “marriage of convenience” trope facelift, making it swoon-worthy romance and Guildford the new fictional man you can crush over because he married Jane for her brain!
The My Lady Jane Soundtrack is all about girl power too
The show’s music is a character in itself, much like in Bridgerton, which repurposes pop songs into string quartet versions that fit perfectly for its era. My Lady Jane, already a rule breaker with its modernized lingo, outrageous humor, and elements of fantasy added to the story, uses the original songs, irrespective of their era.
So you’ve got “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin playing when Queen Jane walks claims her throne for the first time. And in one of my favorite moments from the show, when Jane and Guildford, overcome by their desire for each other, are about to do the nasty for the first time, “Wet Dream” by British indie rock group Wet Leg plays!
What’s more, if you look closely at all of the 45-something tracks that play during My Lady Jane, you’ll notice that the makers have chosen to go with songs by female singers, female duos, or bands that have a female lead singer. You’ve got artists like Chincilla, Poppy Ajudha, Kate Nash, Lizzie Esau, and Griff, and bands like The Go-Go’s, The Donnas, Deap Valley, Hot Wax, Wet Leg, Goat Girl, Black Honey (lead singer/guitarist Izzy Baxter), Nova Twins, Savages, Dream Wife, The Velveteers, and more!
That’s an incredible amount of talent right there! Almost all of these women are rebels like Jane in their own way, making their mark in male-dominated spaces, and speaking for other women through their music and lyrics. As someone who discovers a lot of new music and artists through film and television track lists, these made for such cool additions to my playlist.
All the songs on the My Lady Jane soundtrack
- “I Feel Free” by Poppy Ajudha
“Tainted Love” by Goat Girl
“Wild Thing” by Black Honey
“I’m a Man” by Lizzie Esau
“She’s Not There” by Griff
“The Chain” by Chinchilla
“Sail Away” by HotWax
“Ever Fallen In Love” by Yonaka
“Rebel” by Tegan and Sara
“We Got The Beat” by The Go-Go’s
“Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin
“Wet Dream” by Wet Leg
“Let’s Make Out” by Dream Wife
“Heavy Cross” by Gossip
“Boogeyman” by Dead Posey
“This Town” by The Go-Go’s
“Glory Box” by Portishead
“Vertigo” by Alice Merton
“Dreamer” by Katy J. Pearson
“Supernatural” by Deap Vally
“Dream Baby Dream” by Savages
“Ooh La La” by Goldfrapp
“20th Century Boy” by Girlschool
“So Sweet I Could Die” by Lucia & The Best Boys
“Moon Dust” by Cherry Glazerr
“Angelica” by Wet Leg
“Bring It On” by Deap Vally
“California Screaming” by Liz Lawrence
“All Day and All of the Night” by Kate Nash
“Come Together” by Oneiric
“Swing Low” by Gossip
“I Didn’t Like You Anyway” by The Donnas
“All My Pride” by Black Honey
“Cha Cha Twist” by The Detroit Cobras
“Holy Roller” by Emily Wolfe
“Ready For The Magic” by Honeyblood
“I Got Sol” by Katrina Ford
“You Really Got Me” by Sheena & The Rokkets
“Dark Horse” by The Velveteers
“Beaches” by Black Honey
“Cleopatra” by Nova Twins
“Fear Is Like a Forest” by Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile
“Stayin’ Alive” by Tropical F*ck Storm
“Nights in White Satin” by Moody Blues
“Rill Rill” by Sleigh Bells
Talk about girl power reigning strong!
