As Season 1 of Hulu’s “Paradise” came to an end, showrunner Dan Fogelman alerted his co-music supervisors, Tom Wolfe and Manish Raval, that Graceland was going to be featured in the new season.
The dystopian show’s sophomore season kicks off in Memphis, Tennessee, long before the extinction-level event that would eventually level the planet. Viewers are given a glimpse into the life of Annie Clay (an exceptional Shailene Woodley). After spending her childhood as a caretaker for her mentally unwell mother, Annie perseveres, getting to her third year of medical school before a mental breakdown forces her to withdraw. Floundering and distraught, she takes a job giving tours at Graceland (Yes, Elvis Presley’s sprawling mansion) and befriends Gayle (Angel Laketa Moore), one of the property’s security guards. Annie and Gayle are together at Graceland the day a black cloud blankets the world.
Armed with that knowledge, Wolfe created a collection of Elvis covers rather than using actual Elvis songs. Speaking with Variety, he explained, “It’s in keeping with the tone of the show; we’re watching a world that seems familiar but really isn’t.”
With no shortage of Elvis covers, he says, “We split them into two camps. One was re-imagining — songs that were covers but sounded completely different than the original versions — and then ones that were faithful to the original versions and would be recognizable.” Because Elvis didn’t write any of his songs, obtaining the license to use the music proved easy. Aside from Elvis, Wolfe also dives into the stories behind finding covers of Phil Collins and Counting Crows songs.
