The second season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was brought to a close with a moment of cathartic violence. But one could argue the star of the scene wasn’t Alexis Biedel’s handmaid Emily but instead a voice offscreen: Annie Lennox.

With Emily fearing for her life, the sound of Lennox’s symphonic pop cut “Walking on Broken Glass” breaks the silence, materializing via car radio. The tune’s upbeat tone contrasts with the pain of the character and, in turn, attempts to bring greater emotional weight to the scene by highlighting the show’s extremes. It’s one example of how the Hulu series throughout its second season used familiar pop music not as a cause for celebration but as a tool to torture.

With “Broken Glass,” the desired effect was to make the audience uncomfortable. What at first starts as a simple juxtaposition soon becomes somewhat menacing.

As Emily sits, not knowing what, if any, punishment she will be dealt by Joseph Lawrence (Bradley Whitford), the latter dances along to the song. He’s either oblivious to Emily’s situation, or perhaps he’s hyperaware and purposely tormenting her. The music can play tricks on the characters as well as the viewers.

Often, the upbeat, instantly recognizable songs showcase the disparity and dark themes of the show by capturing what’s absent from the world of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Music, in fact, is banned by the fictional authoritarian regime of Gilead.

“Handmaid’s” music supervisor Maggie Phillips and showrunner Bruce Miller debated at length as to what song would close out the season.

“Annie Lennox was originally Madonna’s ‘Borderline,’ which was played on set,” Phillips said. “I tried a ton of stuff there. It was tricky because Bruce wanted something iconic — female — really poppy (and) recognizable. It’s a tough scene with Emily — you don’t know what’s going on.”

Phillips had to find a song that not only matched the editing but also highlighted an intense situation and underscored Lawrence’s creepiness.

“With ‘Walking on Broken Glass,’ the key to that song was tone-deafness,” Miller said. “If you’re Emily, you’re sitting in the back after you’ve done something violent. You basically assume they’re going to tear (you) apart like warm bread.

“And from Lawrence’s point of view, he’s like, ‘Why is she so nervous? I’m helping her. Can’t she get that?’ ”

If done incorrectly, songs incorporated into the dystopian universe of “The Handmaid’s Tale” could remove the viewer from the experience. Phillips and Miller strive to make difficult choices, avoiding religious cues or coldly distant music to simply reflect what’s on screen. The second season, with its state-sponsored attacks on personal freedoms, religious intolerance and women’s reproductive rights, already hit home for many viewers, and such familiar songs further connect the terror of the show to present-day reality.

Earlier in the season, when Elisabeth Moss’ June/Offred listened to Motown favorite “Easy” by the Commodores with Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), it was done to allow the characters to put their aggression aside and remember a time before Gilead.

Phillips likens the hunt for songs to a research project. Once a possible list of songs is compiled, the rights needed to be obtained, a process that could take days to months to complete. For instance, Rihanna’s “Consideration,” which features Sza, took four months to secure.

Phillips said one of Miller’s top song choices for this recently concluded season was Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart,” which took “forever” to get approved. The song played in the 11th episode when June listens to a radio broadcast hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The live version of the song also appears in the end credits.

Springsteen was chosen to give the audience, and Gilead, hope. Phillips said by having a “strong American icon” heard with a crowd, it tells the people of Gilead that, with persistence, things could be OK.