‘Nine Perfect Strangers’: Who Sings the Hulu Show’s Theme Song?
Nine Perfect Strangers may be about a group of individuals healing, but the Hulu series maintains an eerie undertone that suggests something darker is going on at Tranquillum House. That sense of foreboding is present in the show’s theme song, which plays at the beginning of each episode of Nine Perfect Strangers. Who sings the Hulu series’ opening tune, and how does it connect to the overall plot?
What is ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ about?
Nine Perfect Strangers follows a group of individuals embarking on a 10-day retreat at a boutique wellness resort. Each of them is suffering some type of loss, which they hope Tranquillum House can help them recover from. Masha (Nicole Kidman) runs the place and embraces the concept of “suffering” in order to heal. As one might imagine, her strategies for helping her guests aren’t exactly mainstream.
Add in that the current set of visitors is angry and unpredictable, and their stay becomes akin to a “powder keg.” In fact, that’s precisely how Masha’s attendant, Delilah (Tiffany Boone), describes the group. As Masha pushes forward with her dubious methods, viewers will wonder if they’ll actually leave Tranquillum House happier and healthier. At this point, it seems just as likely they’ll simply implode while they’re there. The theme song, however, suggests otherwise.
Who sings the theme song for ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’?
The opening theme for Nine Perfect Strangers is “Strange Effect” by the alternative band Unloved. The group was formed back in 2015. It consists of vocalist Jade Vincent, percussionist David Holmes, and Keefus Ciancia on the keyboard. Unloved’s music has also been used on BBC’s Killing Eve, so they’re no strangers to hearing their songs on the small screen. In fact, the band even created original content for the BBC drama.
According to The Focus, “Strange Effect” is a cover of the classic song “This Strange Effect.” It was written by Ray Davies of The Kinks and released in 1965 by Dave Berry. The song was later revived by Hooverphonic in the ’90s. Unloved’s cover of the song sees singer Raven Violet joining Unloved and providing the vocals. It boasts a mellow tone, with the words “you’ve got this strange effect on me, and I like it” repeating.
Unloved’s take on the song appears in Killing Eve as well. According to Heavenly Recordings, Holmes said it was the first song the band created with the series in mind:
“Strange Effect’ was the first track we created with Killing Eve in mind. I’d had the original Kinks version for years and had the notion of recording it with a female singer (Raven Violet) as the lyrics felt very apt for Killing Eve. It kinda sums up Villanelle & Eve’s relationship in one line: you’ve got a strange effect on me and I like it.”
How does the song tie into the Hulu series?
Of course, the lyrics of “Strange Effect” apply to the characters on Nine Perfect Strangers as much as the ones on Killing Eve. That’s why “Strange Effect” makes an obvious choice for the Hulu show’s theme song.
With Masha ensnaring the guests at Tranquillum House with her promises and bizarre charm, the song could almost be sung directly to her. Likewise, although the nine visitors seem hesitant about her program, they also appear to benefit from it. Perhaps they’re enjoying the “strange effect” Tranquillum House has on them after all.
Only time will tell if things stay that way or if the series will take a darker turn. Masha has eight episodes to change the group for the better. She’s got a lot of obstacles to overcome if she hopes to succeed.
Nine Perfect Strangers is currently streaming on Hulu, with new episodes dropping weekly.
