The new Netflix series from Lisa McGee, the creator of Derry Girls, landed on the streaming platform on February 12, 2026, and viewers are already talking about one thing besides the mystery—the music. How to Get to Heaven From Belfast comes with a soundtrack packed with early 2000s pop hits, Irish folk tunes, and original songs from Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody.
The eight-episode dark comedy follows three childhood friends—Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), Robyn (Sinéad Keenan), and Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne)—who reunite at a wake and get pulled into a chaotic mystery involving an old friend’s suspicious death. The show bounces between their present-day adventure and flashbacks to their school days in 2003, and the music does heavy lifting to set the mood for both timelines.
Here is the complete guide to every song featured in Season 1 of How to Get to Heaven From Belfast.
Lisa McGee on Why the 2000s Pop Hits Matter
McGee didn’t just pick songs randomly for the background. In interviews with Radio Times, she explained that the music falls into three categories—the atmospheric score from composer Sion Trefor, emotional original pieces from Gary Lightbody and Iain Archer, and what she calls the “commercial retro bangers” .
The Derry Girls creator admitted she had extra fun with the soundtrack because the timeline of her previous show stopped in 1998. She said she couldn’t use Girls Aloud in Derry Girls, so for this series, she decided she is “using them now—all the time!” . The girl group has a Derry connection through member Nadine Coyle, which made their inclusion feel special to McGee.
“The music, it’s amazing music but it might not be considered cool a lot of the time,” McGee told RadioTimes.com. “So I love being not cool because my friends weren’t cool, I’m not cool. So I just think, like people hear it and go, ‘I dance to that in the kitchen too!’” .
Original Soundtrack by Sion Trefor and Gary Lightbody
The original score for the series comes from composer Sion Trefor, who previously worked on Say Nothing, Toxic Town, and Death Valley . His atmospheric and creepy compositions balance out the pop hits and give the show its dark comedic edge.
Netflix Music released the official soundtrack album digitally on February 13, 2026. The album includes 20 tracks, featuring three original songs written and performed by Gary Lightbody and Iain Archer .
Full Original Soundtrack Tracklist:
- I Don‘t Want to Go to You – Gary Lightbody & Iain Archer (3:17)
- God’s Business (1:01)
- A Letter Arrives (2:14)
- The Cabin in the Woods (2:22)
- How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (1:05)
- The Manor (2:11)
- We Should Leave (2:18)
- How All This Ends – Gary Lightbody & Iain Archer (3:09)
- Gaye (2:23)
- Nochtadh (2:46)
- Church of Your Fathers – Gary Lightbody & Iain Archer (4:55)
- You‘re Bright (1:03)
- The Doll You Don’t Want (3:26)
- The Duettist (2:09)
- The Subjects (1:46)
- Scartha ach Doscartha – Sion Trefor & Fiona Harte (1:13)
- A Burial (1:45)
- One Chance (1:30)
- The Ponderosa (1:47)
- The Woman in the Window (6:44)
Episode-by-Episode Licensed Song Guide
The licensed music in the show leans heavily on late-1990s and early-2000s pop and dance hits, especially tracks that were popular in the UK and Ireland. Here is every song featured in each episode .
Episode 1: The Wake
The premiere episode sets the tone with a mix of nostalgic dance hits and early 2000s party anthems.
- Hot In Herre – Nelly (3:49)
- Superstar – Jamelia (3:35)
- C’est la vie – B*Witched (2:52)
- Heaven – DJ Sammy (3:54)
- Pump It – Black Eyed Peas (3:33)
- I Don’t Want To Go To You – Gary Lightbody / Iain Archer (3:58)
- Move Your Feet – Junior Senior (3:00)
Episode 2: The Secret
This episode leans into the girl power vibes with multiple tracks from Girls Aloud and other UK girl groups.
- Love Machine – Girls Aloud (3:25)
- Just A Little – Liberty X (3:56)
- Gotta Get Thru This – Daniel Beddingfield (2:42)
- C’est la vie – B*Witched (2:52)
- Sound of the Underground – Girls Aloud (3:41)
- Why‘d Ya Come In Here – Lisa McHugh (2:57)
- Whole Again – Atomic Kitten (3:04)
- Love is Like A Butterfly – Bronagh Gallagher (3:40)
Episode 3: The Ghost
Bronagh Gallagher, who appears in the series, performs Love is Like A Butterfly. The episode also includes some karaoke-style tracks.
- Everybody Get Up – 5ive (3:03)
- Friends In Low Places – Mike Easterday (4:18)
- Spice up your life – Sunfly karaoke performers (2:53)
- Rock and Roll Kids – Charlie McGettigan and Paul Harrington (3:23)
- Emily Magner Hurley – Amhran Na Bhfiann (1:10)
Episode 4: The Girl From Sagres
This episode features one of the most recognizable novelty hits of the early 2000s.
- Black Horse and The Cherry Tree – KT Tunstall (2:51)
- Ketchup Song – Las Ketchup (3:32)
- Where Do You Go – No Mercy (4:18)
- Reach – S Club 7 (4:25)
Episode 5: The Box
The fifth episode runs long on some classic power ballads and Irish folk standards.
- Love of your life – Raye (3:16)
- Scandalous – Mis-Teeq (3:59)
- Da Ba Dee – Blue (3:39)
- Bould O’Donoghue – The Mary Wallopers (3:05)
- Dublin’s Fair City (whistled) – Bronagh Gallagher (2:28)
- To Whom It May Concern – Chris Andrews (2:38)
- It‘s All Coming Back To Me – Celine Dion (7:30)
- The Fields of Athenry (performed in a vision) – 4:39
Episode 6: Separate But Inseparable
The show returns to its pop roots with more Girls Aloud and the controversial Russian duo t.A.T.u.
- Sound of The Underground – Girls Aloud (3:41)
- Whole Again – Atomic Kitten (3:04)
- Gotta Get Thru This – Daniel Bedingfield (2:41)
- Something Kinda Oooh – Girls Aloud (3:12)
- I Don‘t Want To Go To You – Gary Lightbody / Iain Archer (4:31)
- All The Things She Said – t.A.T.u. (3:40)
Episode 7: Outlaws, Liars and Fallen Angels
The darker tone of this episode is matched by some moodier tracks, including Chicane featuring Moya Brennan.
- Reach – S Club 7 (4:02)
- It‘s My Life – Dr Alban (4:00)
- My Perfect Cousin – The Undertones (2:36)
- Saltwater – Chicane Feat Moya Brennan (3:30)
- Calvary’s Mountain – Clem Clark (4:24)
Episode 8: Anagnorsis
The season finale goes all out with 14 tracks, mixing emotional closing pieces with pure nostalgia.
- Black Coffee – All Saints (4:49)
- Move Your Feet – Junior Senior (3:00)
- Livin‘ on Easy Street – Dave Steward with Ron Risney (2:25)
- I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen – Brian Coll and The Plattermen (3:20)
- Calvary’s Mountain – Clem Clark (4:24)
- Rock and Roll Kids – Charlie McGettigan and Paul Harrington (3:24)
- We Like To Party! – Vengaboys (3:42)
- Striptease Con Bajos – Jim Sutherland (2:18)
- My Lovely Horse – The Divine Comedy (1:23)
- A Village in County Tyrone – Philomena Begley (2:49)
- Life Ain‘t Worth Livin’ – Joyce Street (3:25)
- How This All Ends – Gary Lightbody / Iain Archer (4:10)
- Church Of Your Fathers – Gary Lightbody / Iain Archer (4:00)
- Aimee – Luke Jackson (4:05)
- California Poppy – Theo Lawrence (3:32)
Also Read:
How to Listen to the Soundtrack
A single official playlist containing all the licensed songs has not been released by Netflix yet. However, fans have already created their own playlists on streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music . You can search for “How to Get to Heaven From Belfast soundtrack” on these services to find user-generated playlists.
The original score album by Sion Trefor, including the three Gary Lightbody songs, is available digitally on major music platforms starting February 13, 2026 .
The show is available for streaming now on Netflix in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and globally .
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