Fallout Season 2 Repurposes Another Popular Song From The Video Games

"Fallout" season 2 is full of Easter eggs that will delight fans of the video games, especially those who are into their retro musical cuts. With that in mind, players who tuned into Diamond City Radio while adventuring through "Fallout 4" will recognize Elton Britt's "Uranium Fever," which crops up in "Fallout" season 2's sixth episode, "The Other Player." 

The scene in question offers some comedic respite following a bunch of dramatic sequences in episode 6. In fact, it arrives not long after we witness Walton Goggins' hideous (but still handsome) Ghoul trying to free himself after being impaled on a metal pole, which is quite uncomfortable to watch. By contrast, the "Uranium Fever" scene depicts a fleeting moment of joy, as Vault 33's Inbreeding Support Group eats cake and dances while Reg McPhee (Rodrigo Luzzi) plays piano. Unfortunately, the group's festivities are eventually interrupted by some unwelcome guards, who reveal that the overseer, Betty Pearson (Leslie Uggams), has rescinded its snack budget.

"Uranium Fever" is the latest retro song from the games to make it into the series, with tracks by Nat King Cole and The Ink Spots gracing previous episodes. That said, how did the old-school classic make it into the "Fallout" universe in the first place?

"Fallout 4" contains an interesting selection of retro songs with nuclear-themed lyrical content. Elton Britt's "Uranium Fever" and The Five Stars' "Atom Bomb, Baby" are among the standout cuts — and they were picked for a very specific reason. Despite their inherently disturbing subject matter (nuclear weapons), the tracks are playful numbers that reflect the optimistic nature of the American cultural zeitgeist of the 1950s. This aspect stood out to audio director Mark Lampert when he helped select songs for the game, and he opened up about the thought process in a conversation with Bethesda:

"[Atomic weapons] almost seemed like fun to them. And it showed in the lyrics of the pop music of the time."

"Uranium Fever" is also a perfect musical cut for Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet's "Fallout" adaptation. The series is weird, dramatic, funny, and tonally diverse, hence why a song of this ilk works so well after gruesome moments like Ghoul's aforementioned impalement. The bop also harkens back to the past, which is quite fitting for a show about the denizens of a post-apocalyptic Wasteland longing for a world that's no longer there.

"Fallout" season 2 is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.