Music is a great way to convey emotion, and today’s TV shows are undoubtedly aware of this. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten choked up when a show plays the right song at the perfect moment. With this spirit in mind, I’ve put together a list of some great songs that I love today, but only know because they were featured in TV shows.
Ripple- The Grateful Dead (from Freaks and Geeks)
The Grateful Dead are a staple of any road trip playlist I put together today, but the truth is, I never really listened to them before Lindsey got on that bus to end Freaks and Geeks. I love that show for a long list of reasons, and introducing me to The Grateful Dead is right up there at the top. This song helped create the perfect ending to a damn-near perfect show, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
I Will Wait for You- Connie Francis (from Futurama)
This song put the finishing touch on what I maintain is the saddest moment ever displayed on a TV screen. To this day, I genuinely cannot listen to this song without thinking about that dog sitting on a street corner waiting for Fry. The vocals are beautiful, the instrumental is haunting and the imagery is heart-breaking. I can’t even talk about this anymore without getting sad. Next!
Little Boxes- Malvina Reynolds (Weeds)
It might be cheating, considering Little Boxes is the Weeds theme song, but this song is just so catchy. Its quirky style and critique of suburban America fit the show perfectly, and the song is just so catchy. Plus, the show took to having artists like Elvis Costello, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and so much more come in and cover Little Boxes for later episodes. How great is that? This song is one of the all-time great TV themes and definitely deserves this spot on my list.
Committed to the Crime- Chaos Chaos (from Rick and Morty)
Rick and Morty is a leader in a growing trend of adult cartoons with really great soundtracks. When the show’s not getting schwifty or singing about moonmen, it’s using really great music to punctuate some really impactful moments. This song played during arguably the darkest moment of the show so far (and that’s saying something with Rick and Morty), and the result is a darkly beautiful moment.
It Never Rains In Southern California- Albert Hammond (from Veronica Mars)
I’d be lying if I said I ever really got into this show, but I did get invested in these characters enough to skip ahead and watch the season 3 finale. This song had just the right combination of catchy melodies and sad sentiment to get stuck in my head, and usually sits somewhere alongside Ripple on my road trip playlists.
Blooming Flowers and the Full Moon- Zhou Xuan (from Master of None)
A lot of these songs are used to punctuate sad moments, so it’s always nice when a show can use great music in different, happier and more creative ways. That’s the case with this next song and show combination. This is a genre I would have never listened to in a million years, but Master of None does a really good job of adding emotional weight to this really creative song choice. Master of None has arguably the best soundtrack in any TV show, and this particular episode stood out in my mind as being musically spectacular. Hell, it opens with T.R.O.Y.’s prolific saxophone riff and manages to work in songs like Blooming Flowers and the Full Moon. Any show that can go from great 90’s hip-hop to jazz music from the far east deserves to be recognized for its soundtrack.
Sea of Dreams- Oberhofer (from Bojack Horseman)
From its title track (written by Patrick Carney of The Black Keys) to the end credits song (by Grouplove) to all the great music in-between, Bojack Horseman is a deep well of really great music. It was tough to pick just one song, but Oberhofer’s Sea of Dreams eventually took the top spot. This song put a bow on one of the greatest episodes of TV ever made (in my humble opinion), has had a permanent spot in my melancholy playlists ever since and introduced me to a really great band. Not bad for an animated comedy about a talking horse.
Dayman- Charlie Day (I guess) (from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
Yeah, yeah, I know. This isn’t a real song, but it’s still great. Plus, how many times did you and your friends walk around yelling/ singing this song (I really hope you did, otherwise I’m gonna feel pretty weird).
