Top Ten: Musical Moments on Television
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By Rachael Darmanin
There's nothing I love more than a great moment of television. More often than not, its combined with the perfect soundtrack that can make you laugh, cry, or some combination of the two. I've always told myself if my current occupation doesn't work out, I'll head into music supervision because there's a number of folks that I deem geniuses on a weekly basis (Gary Calamar and Alexandra Pastavas, to name a few). Below are the top ten moments I've experienced in my TV viewing history, feel free to add your own in the comments below!
10. Grey's Anatomy: Ingrid Michaelson - "Keep Breathing"
This wouldn't be a Pop Tarts Suck Toasted blog without some local love and for Staten Islander Ingrid Michaelson, she owes a lot of her recent popularity to Grey's Anatomy. In this poignant scene in Season Three, it's hard not to get a little bit choked up...I mean the girl got stood up! But thanks to Sandra Oh's performance, and this über-dramatic song by Miss Michaelson, the scene feels less forced and very real.
9. Mad Men: The Decemberists - "The Infanta"
Mad Men has had some fantastic moments with its music, evoking the time period not only with its sets and costumes but in the ambiance of a cocktail crooner, or old-timey jam. Kicking off my personal favorite episode of this critically acclaimed show, "Maidenform" was a surprise -- The Decemberists?! And yet it fit so beautifully. By pairing these three drastically different women, who ultimately are enduring similar struggles, with a song outside of its decade, Mad Men set the stage for a story of dueling personalities and a major transition for woman's rights.
8. My So-Called Life: Buffalo Tom - "Late at Night"
For any female, Jordan Catalano is the quintessential high school bad boy crush. In this short lived, but nonetheless brilliant television series, we felt every pain of this all-too-real high school girl, and we cheered along her victories all the same. Buffalo Tom will always be associated with this television show for me (they even appeared in an episode!) and they are perfectly placed along this huge moment for both Angela and all of its fans. When he goes to grab her hand...that 15 year old girl wouldn't have any other song to sing and squeal along to.
7. The Wire: Tom Waits - "Way Down in the Hole"
Over its five seasons, we were privy to watch the true underbelly of the city of Baltimore, starting out with the local drug dealers and later delving into crooked politicians and the journalists that feed them. Each season of The Wire featured a different artist covering the Tom Wait's tune, "Way Down In The Hole" for its opening credits, but there was no better way to end the series run then with the man itself. Proving that montages can be effective without being corny, the lives of the characters we'd grown to love and hate came full circle. There was no better way to end this truly powerful show without letting us know what happened to all of them (at least those who survived), with the all appropriate Waits singing his soul in the background.
6. Lost: Damien Rice - "Delicate"
Unfortunately this clip is not available online, but you probably remember this moment if you are a fan of the show. There isn't a lot of non-instrumental music on Lost (other than our faves, Drive Shaft) but in the first season we had a rare uneventful moment where the characters were going about their new mundane tasks. Hurley presses play to Damien Rice's dreamy "Delicate" and we watch the characters have their private and peaceful moments. It's too bad when the batteries run out, however it makes for quite a memorable scene.
5. Skins: Cat Stevens - "Wild World"
It's unfortunate that they couldn't get the rights to this song when Skins aired in the US because having the cast sing this tune at a rather inappropriate moment (dude just got hit by a bus), perfectly represents the dark and twisted nature of this addicting British show. In their world it's nothing but wild, and why not have this charismatic cast bring the house down? Brilliant.
4. Weeds: The Thermals - "Here's Your Future"
Nancy Botwin is one of my all-time favorite anti-heroes, and what better way to show her mental breakdown than matching it to The Thermals' "Here's Your Future." Equal parts sexy and harsh (just like our favorite female), the song builds up in just the right amount time for her to take off her clothes, jump in the pool, and scream. Click here to watch this awesome scene.
3. Six Feet Under: Radiohead - "Lucky"
I was a huge fan of Six Feet Under when it was on the air, and basically bowed down to music supervisor Gary Calamar with each episode. The bonfire scene during season four was a huge cathartic for the Fisher family, and Claire always was the one character to set the ambiance of a scene. She runs up to her run, sets the speakers out the window and blasts Radiohead's "Lucky". The slight glimmer of hope that this could be a "glorious day" was a brief relief in this often heavy show.
2. Freaks & Geeks: The Who - "I'm One" tied with Styx - "Come Sail Away"
It was way too hard to pick just one episode from this landmark series. Music played such a huge roll in this early Judd Apatow project, so much so that it delayed the DVDs from being released. The Who's "I'm One" paints a pretty sad picture of a lonesome kid, who doesn't quite realize the sadness of the scene. And in the pilot episode who could forget when Sam gets to dance with his crush, hoping for a little closeness until the Styx's "Come Sail Away" picks up the pace. There's no denying that Freaks & Geeks would be a very different show without its stellar soundtrack.
1.The Sopranos: Journey "Don't Stop Believin'"
The last 30 seconds made television history, culminating an epic story of a man from Jersey. The Sopranos made its mark in multiple ways, and maybe I should have expected a classic choice like Journey's "Don't Stop Belivin'" to finish off the season. What no one expected was this drawn out scene in a diner watching the family arrive and chat with no major punch (or whack), just tensions at an all-time high. And all of a sudden it went black, the music had stopped, and we all just sat and stared.
(Editor's Note: My lovely girlfriend came to me this week and asked me if she could submit the Top 10 for the week. Of course I allowed her to do this, one because I love her and two you should see her if she doesn't get her way! Kidding, she actually is a whiz when it comes to TV and pop culture and by the looks of this list she has been keeping up on it! Now I'm sure you all have your own favorite musical scenes from TV shows (no opening theme songs allowed!) so drop 'em in the comments. For the record I'd have to agree that the last scene of The Sopranos would have topped my own list! Enjoy!)
There's nothing I love more than a great moment of television. More often than not, its combined with the perfect soundtrack that can make you laugh, cry, or some combination of the two. I've always told myself if my current occupation doesn't work out, I'll head into music supervision because there's a number of folks that I deem geniuses on a weekly basis (Gary Calamar and Alexandra Pastavas, to name a few). Below are the top ten moments I've experienced in my TV viewing history, feel free to add your own in the comments below!
10. Grey's Anatomy: Ingrid Michaelson - "Keep Breathing"
This wouldn't be a Pop Tarts Suck Toasted blog without some local love and for Staten Islander Ingrid Michaelson, she owes a lot of her recent popularity to Grey's Anatomy. In this poignant scene in Season Three, it's hard not to get a little bit choked up...I mean the girl got stood up! But thanks to Sandra Oh's performance, and this über-dramatic song by Miss Michaelson, the scene feels less forced and very real.
9. Mad Men: The Decemberists - "The Infanta"
Mad Men has had some fantastic moments with its music, evoking the time period not only with its sets and costumes but in the ambiance of a cocktail crooner, or old-timey jam. Kicking off my personal favorite episode of this critically acclaimed show, "Maidenform" was a surprise -- The Decemberists?! And yet it fit so beautifully. By pairing these three drastically different women, who ultimately are enduring similar struggles, with a song outside of its decade, Mad Men set the stage for a story of dueling personalities and a major transition for woman's rights.
8. My So-Called Life: Buffalo Tom - "Late at Night"
For any female, Jordan Catalano is the quintessential high school bad boy crush. In this short lived, but nonetheless brilliant television series, we felt every pain of this all-too-real high school girl, and we cheered along her victories all the same. Buffalo Tom will always be associated with this television show for me (they even appeared in an episode!) and they are perfectly placed along this huge moment for both Angela and all of its fans. When he goes to grab her hand...that 15 year old girl wouldn't have any other song to sing and squeal along to.
7. The Wire: Tom Waits - "Way Down in the Hole"
Over its five seasons, we were privy to watch the true underbelly of the city of Baltimore, starting out with the local drug dealers and later delving into crooked politicians and the journalists that feed them. Each season of The Wire featured a different artist covering the Tom Wait's tune, "Way Down In The Hole" for its opening credits, but there was no better way to end the series run then with the man itself. Proving that montages can be effective without being corny, the lives of the characters we'd grown to love and hate came full circle. There was no better way to end this truly powerful show without letting us know what happened to all of them (at least those who survived), with the all appropriate Waits singing his soul in the background.
6. Lost: Damien Rice - "Delicate"
Unfortunately this clip is not available online, but you probably remember this moment if you are a fan of the show. There isn't a lot of non-instrumental music on Lost (other than our faves, Drive Shaft) but in the first season we had a rare uneventful moment where the characters were going about their new mundane tasks. Hurley presses play to Damien Rice's dreamy "Delicate" and we watch the characters have their private and peaceful moments. It's too bad when the batteries run out, however it makes for quite a memorable scene.
5. Skins: Cat Stevens - "Wild World"
It's unfortunate that they couldn't get the rights to this song when Skins aired in the US because having the cast sing this tune at a rather inappropriate moment (dude just got hit by a bus), perfectly represents the dark and twisted nature of this addicting British show. In their world it's nothing but wild, and why not have this charismatic cast bring the house down? Brilliant.
4. Weeds: The Thermals - "Here's Your Future"
Nancy Botwin is one of my all-time favorite anti-heroes, and what better way to show her mental breakdown than matching it to The Thermals' "Here's Your Future." Equal parts sexy and harsh (just like our favorite female), the song builds up in just the right amount time for her to take off her clothes, jump in the pool, and scream. Click here to watch this awesome scene.
3. Six Feet Under: Radiohead - "Lucky"
I was a huge fan of Six Feet Under when it was on the air, and basically bowed down to music supervisor Gary Calamar with each episode. The bonfire scene during season four was a huge cathartic for the Fisher family, and Claire always was the one character to set the ambiance of a scene. She runs up to her run, sets the speakers out the window and blasts Radiohead's "Lucky". The slight glimmer of hope that this could be a "glorious day" was a brief relief in this often heavy show.
2. Freaks & Geeks: The Who - "I'm One" tied with Styx - "Come Sail Away"
It was way too hard to pick just one episode from this landmark series. Music played such a huge roll in this early Judd Apatow project, so much so that it delayed the DVDs from being released. The Who's "I'm One" paints a pretty sad picture of a lonesome kid, who doesn't quite realize the sadness of the scene. And in the pilot episode who could forget when Sam gets to dance with his crush, hoping for a little closeness until the Styx's "Come Sail Away" picks up the pace. There's no denying that Freaks & Geeks would be a very different show without its stellar soundtrack.
1.The Sopranos: Journey "Don't Stop Believin'"
The last 30 seconds made television history, culminating an epic story of a man from Jersey. The Sopranos made its mark in multiple ways, and maybe I should have expected a classic choice like Journey's "Don't Stop Belivin'" to finish off the season. What no one expected was this drawn out scene in a diner watching the family arrive and chat with no major punch (or whack), just tensions at an all-time high. And all of a sudden it went black, the music had stopped, and we all just sat and stared.
(Editor's Note: My lovely girlfriend came to me this week and asked me if she could submit the Top 10 for the week. Of course I allowed her to do this, one because I love her and two you should see her if she doesn't get her way! Kidding, she actually is a whiz when it comes to TV and pop culture and by the looks of this list she has been keeping up on it! Now I'm sure you all have your own favorite musical scenes from TV shows (no opening theme songs allowed!) so drop 'em in the comments. For the record I'd have to agree that the last scene of The Sopranos would have topped my own list! Enjoy!)
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