as heard on tv
Sometimes life in eMusic’s Editorial Land is a little rough for me. I don’t fluently speak Music Critic, so often there are jokes that I just don’t get, obscure references that zoom way way way over my head. But if the dudes in my department have knowledge of music that borders on the intimidatingly encyclopedic (I say that with tons of affection!), there is at least one area in which I can school them: I happen to be a bona fide expert on the use of music in TV shows. A soundtrack connoisseur.
From the time “Losing My Religion” blared as a brokenhearted Brenda Walsh broke up with Dylan McKay in a fit of 90210 despair, it became clear to me how the right song can perfectly capture and enhance the mood of a TV scene. And man, I have to call out that awesome moment in Veronica Mars when an estranged Logan and Veronica reunite for a slow dance to “Sway” by The Perishers and prove that their ridiculous chemistry is very much alive. I’m choking up a lil bit just thinking about it.
Alex and I have put together a list of some of the songs featured on current TV shows and in commercials. Check it out! While we’ve laid out some of the hits from Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill, among others, this clearly begs the question: what are your favorite TV soundtrack moments?
Maris, there are many other areas in which you continually school us.
Also, there was a great moment on Veronica Mars three or four seasons ago where she went into a bar and Britt Daniel was singing in the background, covering Elvis Costello’s “Veronica.” That ruled.
Veronica Mars was a goldmine of greatness. I only lost my zeal a little during the third season, but I felt like the network was making it impossible for me to actually watch it consistently at a certain point. I should buy the DVDs.
Hate it or love it, The O.C. had some amazing music moments in its first few seasons.
Veronica Mars had stellar music, especially when they played Alejandro Escovedo’s “Gravity/Falling Down Again” while they blew up Shark Stadium and when they played Air’s “Run” when Veronica and Duncan found out Meg’s sister was being abused. Both are chilling moments. (Yes, I am a Veronica Mars freak. Why do you ask?)
Life is one of my favoritest shows ever. Season 1 pivoted on an episode that ended with “All I Need” by Radiohead. The song builds to a shattering climax on its own, but I swear that the producers also ratcheted up the volume.
That’s the show that most consistently pushes its use of music. Check out this list from Episode 11: Kyuss, X, The Frames…
This site is more complete, even offering Rhapsody playlists of the show. Season 2 includes Stars, Andrew Bird, She and Him, Earlimart, Cat Power, Secret Machines, Low, Blonde Redhead, Kinky, Gogol Bordello, Brightback Morning Light, John Doe, Sloan, and bunches of other emu faves. And for the love of Dog, check out the show itself. A masterpiece. And that Radiohead from ep. 8 — gave me chills again, both times I mentioned it here.
Just to add a British perspective: ‘Our Friends in the North’ was an epic TV drama, told through the lives of four friends, that says a lot about what happened in this country from mid sixties to mid nineties.
The soundtrack enhances the drama from beginning: The Kinks and The Small Faces through to The Ruts, The Undertones then The Smiths and ends with Oasis ‘Don’t Look back In Anger’. I hate Oasis, but it just works where it is…
Thank you so much for the Puma commercial song. It’s been playing here in Korea and driving me absolutely nuts for a week. I’ve been trying to find out the name and there it was.
I will point out that I watch an awful lot of CSI in Korea and have noticed that MarsMobil Call Me featured on CSI Las Vegas, Just a Song About Ping Pong by Operator Please on CSI NY, and also Clint Mansell’s Katie’s Song, featuring Katie Holmes of all people, on CSI Las Vegas.
I live in South Korea. It’s in English.
I want Veronica Mars to be my BFF. Also worth noting on the music front is Chuck, which has featured a buttload of emu bands such as The National, Frightened Rabbit, Pop Levi, Blitzen Trapper, The Accidental, Datarock, Ra Ra Riot, Spoon, Matt Pond PA, Okkervil River, Gomez, and Bon Iver.
Oh, Veronica Mars is the only tv show that I have in its entirety on dvd. If you think that season three was a departure of format, just wait until you get to the S3 dvd extras and see what they had in store for Season 4. It’s totally wtf.
I have a CSI list, it was up to date at one point but I have been slacking on it lately.
http://www.emusic.com/profile/lists.html#/profile/ajax/lists/showlist.html?lid=20438823&p=
That link might be messed, try:
http://www.emusic.com/profile/lists/showlist.html?lid=20438823
Frightened Rabbit Good Arms needs to be added to the Grey’s List (Yancey mentioned it when it was going to be broadcast)
Also anyone know where/how to get the Cat Powers Version of Major Tom from the car Commercial?
Two more votes – for Veronica Mars and Life – both are great shows. I especially enjoy how Life brings interesting songs into the soundtrack from a range of bands – well-known and lesser known – that are typically great picks!
@ptolemy: I saw the spec for what they were going to do with Season 4 and, I have to say, as much as I love V. Mars, I do not like the direction they were gonna take it. I have to say, the few things that went wrong on that show seem to have been purely the result of network meddling. Example: the decision to have shorter, multiple mysteries in the third season as opposed to one overarching mystery. I get why they made those decisions, but it watered down the show IMO.
I think perhaps the greatest Veronica Mars mystery is why they brought back the janitor who died in Season Two to play the TA in Season 3. I kept waiting for the Scooby Doo moment when V would rip off his terrible wig and yell “Zoinks!”
The original (TV pilot) Miami Vice-Phil Collins: In The Air At Night, and also from the same series was the spot-on placement of Don Henley’s “Smuggler’s Blues.”
Yeah, sure- I’m 40 yrs old-I was growing up when the best of the best hit the airwaves (1980′s).
In the air tonight on MV was brilliant and it led the way for tv shows to showcase music. A massive amount of my music collection has come from artists feature on television. My favourite(at this moment in time) is The OC,Finley Quaye-Dice. Perfect song for that scene.
18 and 19 are spamm links :’(
18, 19, 21 are spam do not click links
I know this is an old thread, but I was surprised to see no love for [i]House, MD[/i]. The music here is integral, especially in the closing scene of each episode. I was almost moved to tears by an unfamiliar cover of Leonard Cohen’s [i]Hallelujah[/i] in a recent episode. Nice article on music in House here:
http://blogcritics.org/video/article/the-music-of-house-md-an/