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Tune!: Best TV Moments Involving Music

DollEyes

By DollEyes
in Everything Else TV

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DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

Delving into original musical score territory...the things Bear McCready did on Battlestar Galactica really stand out for me--other than that Along The Watchtower business. The way he mixed the operatic and the tribal percussion sounds still strikes a cord. The main titles are a good example. I remember actually watching the main titles rather than going and getting something to drink as I usually do. It took me a couple of episodes to figure out they were throwing in clips of what was to come at the end of each one. Here's one from the third episode of S1.

 

 

 

Speaking of opening sequences and Supernatural (see I was paying attention, Hee!)...I usually hate previouslies, but Supernatural did a couple pretty cool ones in S2. This one is one of my favorites, from Everybody Loves A Clown with Time Has Come Today by The Chambers Brothers. The way they edit the clips with the music is pretty damn good, but this clip cuts short a bit (sorry its the only one I could find) and doesn't show the fade into Dean (with his single manly tear) and Sam (the goobering mess) burning their Dad's corpse. Heartbreaking and fantastic.

 

 

Why do I hate previouslies you may (or may not) be asking yourself? Well, I don't think those little clips are really going to help someone who hasn't been watching the show and if you have been watching you already know it, so I think they are a waste of screen time--plus, they usually give away and spoil some of the secrets to come in the episode. I do give Supernatural credit for at least adding a kick ass song to them once in a while. Like Kromm said when he started this thread...everything is made better with music. ;)

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DollEyes
DollEyes

Bumping it up with another powerful musical moment. President Obama gave the eulogy for Reverend Clemenza Pinckney, one of the victims of the Charleston, SC massacre, in which a White, racist thug kil

Lady Calypso
Lady Calypso

This scene from the most recent episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine:   

DollEyes
DollEyes

Aretha Franklin had many iconic musical TV moments, whether it was her singing Nussum Dorma at the 1998 Grammys, her performance at 1998's Divas Live, her singing at President Obama's Inauguration or

ybrik

ybrik

Bear McCready's main title score for Black Sails is great as well.

 

In regards to original scores, I think the music in the Spartacus series finale is amazing. Especially the music from the last two scenes of the series are so beautiful and add so much to the scenes.

 

I would also add the music from Doctor Who. I think the 'Doctor's Theme' for Christopher Eccleston's Doctor fits the character so well.

 

Loved the scene from Smallville with Hurt as well. Works so well there.

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Bort

Bort

(edited)

Hurt gets a little overused these days. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles did a different song of Johnny Cash's, The Man Who Comes Around, and it was 1) used most excellently and 2) helped with the budget because the setup made them able to shoot a climactic scene without having to coordinate fight scenes.

They also did a great sequence with a song called Samson and Delilah and got cast member Shirley Manson to sing it.

Edited by kariyaki
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Tippi

Tippi

On I Love Lucy, when Lucy finds out that she is pregnant she can't get a private moment alone with Ricky to tell him.  She ends up at the nightclub that night and is sitting in the audience.  A nightclub employee hands Ricky a note and says that someone in the audience is expecting and wants to let her husband know.  Ricky starts singing Rockabye Baby and goes up to various women in the audience and they laugh and shake their head no.  When he gets to Lucy she nods her head yes and at first he doesn't catch on.  Then he does and gets very excited and yells to the audience I'm going to be a father!  And then Lucy gets up with Ricky and he starts singing We're Having a Baby, My Baby and Me.  It's a very sweet scene, beautifully played by Lucy and Desi.

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DollEyes

DollEyes

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(edited)

  There were two great musical moments in HBO's version of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's play about the early days of the AIDS epidemic and its impact on a group of gay men in NYC. The first was at a fundraiser, where the Gay Men's Chorus performed "The Man I Love" during a scene that was romantic (couples dancing together) poignant ( one character wistfully watching one couple and wondering if he would ever be as happy as they are) and heartbreaking ( the AIDS victims also watching and remembering who they used to be).

 

  The other was at the end of the film, which was set at a dance celebrating "Gay Week" at Yale, with same-sex couples slow dancing to "The Only Little Boy In New York." That not long before being gay wasn't even mentioned in college (at least, not publically) much less celebrated, for a university, especially Yale, to do so was major in showing how attitudes towards gays and lesbians were starting to change. In that one scene, the founder of ACT UP also epitomized the theme of two other civil rights groups: "We Shall Overcome" and "It Gets Better."

 

 

Like Kromm said when he started this thread...everything is made better with music. ;)

 

   Kromm didn't start it, nor did he say that-I did.

 

ETA: DittyDotDot, Don't worry. It was an honest mistake. No harm, no foul.

Edited by DollEyes
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Bastet

Bastet

When he gets to Lucy she nods her head yes and at first he doesn't catch on.  Then he does and gets very excited and yells to the audience I'm going to be a father!  And then Lucy gets up with Ricky and he starts singing We're Having a Baby, My Baby and Me.  It's a very sweet scene, beautifully played by Lucy and Desi.

 

As much as I couldn't stand that show for the dynamics of their on-screen marriage, I nevertheless agree -- a beautiful moment.  Since heaven forbid we hear the word "pregnant" on television back then, one must be extra creative in delivering the news.  This was perfectly them.

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Tippi

Tippi

The song Moon River was used very effectively in the Sex and the City episode I Heart New York.  Carrie discovers her beloved Mr. Big is quickly and unexpectedly making a change of locale.  One of the few items not already packed is a record player and some records.  Mr. Big finds the record with Moon River and Carrie says something along the lines of That's corny.  Big answers, No, it's classic.  (I can see that reactions to this song might fall along those lines; count me on the classic side.)  They dance to the song, getting closer and closer, until the record skips.  The spell is momentarily broken and plans are made to meet for a last "Old New York" date of dinner and dancing and possibly other good things.  The date is interrupted and when Carrie goes back to Mr. Big's apartment, he is gone.  The episode ends as she walks home, with an instrumental Moon River playing during her voice over.  The voice over is wistful and speaks of change of season and changes in life.  Adding to this was that the episode was aired not long after 9-11 and it ends up being a poignant tribute to New York.

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DollEyes

DollEyes

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(edited)

 In honor of this year's BET Awards, I just had to show some love for the best performance from last year's show, the tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award winner, R&B legend Charlie Wilson, aka "Uncle" Charlie, with a medley of his solo hits, those with the Gap Band and the songs he gave flavor to. India.arie did a great version of "There Goes My Baby" and Stevie Wonder's take on "Burn Rubber" was fun. Even Jamie Foxx (whom I can't stand) did a good job on "Yearning For Your Love."  

 

  But the best part was Uncle Charlie himself taking the stage with Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams (minus the hat) and Justin Timberlake. "Beautiful," "The Sign" and "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" were killer, but when they did "Outstanding," they Shut. It. Down. They even showed audience members singing along, from Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union to Richard Roundtree, Ron Isley, Ne-Yo and Busta Rhymes. When a song is so great that it made Angela Bassett and 2 Chainz-who were sitting together-sing along, it's a classic. Here's a link to the performance (sorry about the sound quality):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnSTCSJFhwQ

Edited by DollEyes
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spaceytraci1208

spaceytraci1208

 In honor of this year's BET Awards, I just had to show some love for the best performance from last year's show, the tribute to Lifetime Achievement Award winner, R&B legend Charlie Wilson, aka "Uncle" Charlie, with a medley of his solo hits, those with the Gap Band and the songs he gave flavor to. India.arie did a great version of "There Goes My Baby" and Stevie Wonder's take on "Burn Rubber" was fun. Even Jamie Foxx (whom I can't stand) did a good job on "Yearning For Your Love."  

 

  But the best part was Uncle Charlie himself taking the stage with Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams (minus the hat) and Justin Timberlake. "Beautiful," "The Sign" and "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" were killer, but when they did "Outstanding," they Shut. It. Down. They even showed audience members singing along, from Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union to Richard Roundtree, Ron Isley, Ne-Yo and Busta Rhymes. When a song is so great that it made Angela Bassett and 2 Chainz-who were sitting together-sing along, it's a classic. Here's a link to the performance (sorry about the sound quality):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnSTCSJFhwQ

The Charlie Wilson tribute was MOST DEFINITELY the best part of the show last year. It seemed like Stevie missed a few words on "Burn Rubber on Me" (my favorite Gap Band song), but it was all good...he had the spirit required to carry it :)

Tippi

Tippi

This is a bit different, since it was from a reality competition and not a scripted show, and I don't even usually watch singing competitions, but Susan Boyle singing I Dreamed a Dream in Britain's Got Talent was an amazing moment. Simon Cowell and the rest of the panel were just waiting to dump on her based on her age and looks, but when she started singing their genuine reactions, especially Simon's, really got to me.

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Irlandesa

Irlandesa

The West Wing had so many great musical moments.  I think my favorite happens to be "Brother In Arms" that took place at the end of "Two Cathedrals."  A lot of it probably had to do with the montage but oh what a montage. 

 

Another moment I remember is Josh Groban singing on Ally McBeal.  I didn't know who he was so when the geeky actor playing the high school boy started singing, I wondered if he was dubbed at first. 

 

In YouTubable moments, I wanted to talk about the opening to the 2013 Tonys.  If people thought Hugh Jackman's "hopping" opening was bizarre, I guess I can't really blame him for trying something different since it's very unlikely he'd be able to top this 9 minutes of pure entertainment from Neil Patrick Harris & supporting cast.

 

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Shannon L.

Shannon L.

I have to give a thumbs up to everyone who mentioned Chuck--I loved how they used music in that show.

 

This one is from a telethon that Jon Stewart did to raise money for studies on autism.  This video is of a young autistic girl who had a talent for playing the piano.  Her favorite artist is Katy Perry and Jon got them together to perform on stage and the result is inspiring.  I could only find the 8 minute video that has Jodi's entire story, so if you want to skip to the performance, go to about 2:50.

 

 

If you're a sap like me, have tissues ready  :)

Irlandesa

Irlandesa

Speaking of Craig Ferguson, before there was Fallon bringing the "lip sync" battle to night time TV, Craig Ferguson was doing his cold open lip syncing with dancing, supporting characters and usually puppets.  Some were huge productions and some were just low key but it usually involved lip syncing to the original track.

 

They were all great. I couldn't decide which one to post here.  "Hey, He loves you?"  "Rocky Horror Halloween?"  "Pour Moi" for the Paris shows?   But ultimately, I think I think one of the best versions of his musical cold opens was one where he was lip syncing to his own voice to lyrics I am pretty sure he/his show wrote--to the theme of Dr. Who.  I don't even know if I'm cheating because I'm not sure if this ever aired.  IIRC, they didn't get the rights to the theme music in time.  But still representative and worth a watch. 

 

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Rick Kitchen

Rick Kitchen

Back in the 90s, One Life to Live had a storyline where evil Todd Manning was revealed to the audience that he was the illegitimate son of multi-millionaire Victor Lord, but nobody in the Lord family knew it.  The show's then-musical director, and I have no idea who it was, was great at coming up with appropriate music for the show, and they used The Zombies' "Time of the Season" as Todd's theme song.  But only the tune.  You had to know the song to know how appropriate it was.  The lyrics go, "What's your name?  Who's your daddy?  Is he rich like me?"

 

I can't find a clip from the show, but here's the song:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL4Zrap5lXo

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Rick Kitchen

Rick Kitchen

(edited)

Before they beat everything into the ground How I Met Your Mother brought us Robin Sparkles which also led to slap bet

 

 

Robin Sparkles - Sandcastles in the Sand

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSMXYF6Y6U0

Robin Sparkles - Two Beavers are Better than One (get your mind out of the gutter, it's a kids' song)

 

Featuring Jessica Glitter

 

Edited by Rick Kitchen
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SVNBob

SVNBob

(edited)

So I was trawling through TVTropes.org, as one does, and hit their pages on Crowning Music of Awesome.  Which reminded me of several great moments to share.

 

A couple from awards shows:

The 2003 Grammys.  The "In Memoriam" segment ended on Joe Strummer, which lead into a powerhouse performance of "London Calling" in tribute, performed by Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Steven Van Zandt, and No Doubt. 

The 1998 Grammys.  Pavarotti was scheduled to receive the Living Legend award and perform, but he was ill and his doctors advised against it.  So with only around 20 minutes notice, they found the one person in the building who not only knew the song Pavarotti was to perform, but was the really the only person who could have filled the spot.  The Queen Diva herself, Aretha Franklin. 

 

And a couple from when MTV was actually in the music business.

 

MTV Unplugged.  A great concept.  Get the popular performers of the day to do acoustic sets of their songs.  Worked great for Eric Clapton and Nirvana.  Then they did something that no one expected and probably shouldn't have worked.  They got a rapper to go unplugged.  LL Cool J.  And he did knock it out, because his mama said so.

 

Then there was Ultimate Mash-ups.  Before abandoning music, MTV tried to capitalize on the popular Internet trend of the music mash-up.  The concept for the show was to get two artists of disparate genres and have them mash-up their songs.  Only one collaboration and thus only one episode was ever made of this series.  But it did lead to some awesome music.

 

 

And of course, there was also this.

Edited by SVNBob
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HalcyonDays

HalcyonDays

Many earlier season episodes of House - either the opening scenes or closing scenes.

The songs they choose always set this amazing mood, or reduced me to tears or made me feel reflective or whatever.

The show seemed to abandon it in the later seasons I think.

 

Castle did this a bit in the earlier seasons also. Specifically, I can think of "Sucker Punch", with the ending scene and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and his mournful voice just making me weep.

Guest

Guest

(edited)

You can find a lot of musical moments on Moonlighting.  They loved their dream sequences where David and Maddie would bust out elaborate song and dance number.  The rest of the time, Bruce Willis was still singing in almost every episode, usually badly, and some times buried neck deep in dirt.

 

But this musical moment was the zenith of Moonlighting and on the other side was the slippery slide down to what would become known on the Moonlighting Curse.  But wow, they were hot.

 

Also, still cracks me up when the credits roll over the freeze frame.

 

Edited by ParadoxLost
Bastet

Bastet

It's a little diminished by knowing how much of that was shot with doubles (thanks to his shoulder and her pregnancy) - or up against a rug-covered wall - and I really hate what leads up to it.  But, to this day, as soon as I hear those opening beats of Be My Baby, I grin like an idiot thinking back on my 1987 self absolutely freaking out that "No more between the lines, tonight's between the sheets" had actually, finally happened.

Kel Varnsen

Kel Varnsen

How to Save a Life on Scrubs (Grey's Anatomy used it too but Scrubs did it first) 

Scrubs even made a joke about that. In one of the clips shows JD's voice over says something like how when he looks back on his life that Fray song starts playing. Then How to Save a Life starts, but JD's voice over interrupts with "no not that Fray song' and a different song of theirs starts.

 

For me a big recent one is anytime I hear Pumped Up Kicks I always think of the climax of the Season 1 Homeland finale.

Tabbyclaw

Tabbyclaw

Having recently been exposed to Due South, I need to add a couple moment from that. Most of the background pop music was utterly unsuitable for the contexts they used it in -- look, I know it was a Canadian production in the mid-90s but that's still no excuse for using that much Sarah McLachlan -- but whenever they got the characters to sing onscreen it was a sight to behold and a sound to behear. And there were two exceptions to the general failure of the non-diegetic music: the use of Captain Tractor's Celtic-punk rendition of "Drunken Sailor" over the previouslies of the third season finale, and ending the series finale with a beautiful rendition of "Northwest Passage."

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twotrey

twotrey

For me, the be all end all is the reveal of Laura Palmer's murder in Twin Peaks, bookended by "The World Spins" performed by Julee Cruise.  The opening usage sets the appropriately somber mood that makes the pure horror of what's the follow that much more unnerving, then when the song resumes, just such incredible sadness.  For me this is probably the best sequence of television, like, ever, for it still knocks the wind out of me as much today as it did when it aired that Saturday in 1991 (and it's pretty unfathomable to think that this actually aired on broadcast network TV).   Needless to say, massive Twin Peaks spoilage in the clip.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aggTrvJc_gs

 

and, while I'm at it, the late, great Jimmy Scott crooning "Sycamore Trees" in the series finale.

 

 

And everyone (understandably) bashes Cop Rock, but this was one notable occasion where music/performance/song placement really came together:

 

amaranta

amaranta

(edited)
The 2003 Grammys.  The "In Memoriam" segment ended on Joe Strummer, which lead into a powerhouse performance of "London Calling" in tribute, performed by Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Steven Van Zandt, and No Doubt.

 

I still get chills from that performance.

 

I haven't watched Grey's in years, but they used a near perfect song choice for the Meredith holding on to the bomb in patient scene (poor Kyle Chandler!), Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick.  "And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table..."

 

Edited due to postus interruptus; life threw me a Rube Goldberg moment and the lid on my laptop closed.

 

Joining the love for the music on Chuck.  The Season 2 finale, Chuck versus The Ring and the use of Mr. Roboto during the wedding / fight scenes was brilliant.  ("Why are you letting Sam Kinison and an Indian lesbian wreck your wedding"?  Love.)

 

 

Also loved the call back in the show finale with Jeffster helping to save the day by performing "Take On Me." 

 

 

Every summer I pick a show to binge watch and this year was "Suits".  I think I've developed a crush on their music person.  While I am really liking the show itself, each time I settle in to watch I grab a pen so I can jot down info on the music  so I can search after the episode. People have set up playlists, but I'll just post one of my favorite finds from the current season (not a clip, but the music video; the actual scene doesn't appear to be there):

 

Edited by amaranta
DollEyes

DollEyes

  • Author

  Bumping it up with one of the best uses of music from the new TV season, "No One's Here To Sleep" by Naughty Boy featuring Bastille from the "Let's Get To Scooping" episode of How To Get Away With Murder, about Annalise Keating, a law professor/criminal defense attorney, her students and her associates. The song played at the end of the episode, which was full of shocking revelations and transformations, the latter of which was done by Annalise herself. When Annalise removed her false eyelashes, her makeup and her wig, she went from powerful to vulnerable in record time. At one point, Annalise seemed downright frail-that is, until she said those "last 9 words." The scene works for two reasons: the song and the extraordinary Viola Davis.

Sandman87

Sandman87

(edited)

One of my favorite moments from Sym-Bionic Titan, whether musical or otherwise, comes at the end of "Lessons in Love." Kimmy is walking home after being treated with respect for the first time in her life and her first kiss with Newton/Octus. She whips out her MP3 player and...

 

 

I get a kick out of the part where she spins around the lamppost while Titan is whirling the monster around.

Edited by Sandman87
DollEyes

DollEyes

  • Author
(edited)

Bumping it up to show some love for the music from Empire, Fox's hit prime-time, hip-hop soap about a hip-hop music label and the Lyons, the family behind it. It features music by Timbaland and has some killer tracks. Two of the best so far are "Live In the Moment" and "No Apologies," both of which feature brothers Hakeem and Jamal Lyon.

Edited by DollEyes
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proserpina65

proserpina65

Grey's Anatomy completely overdoes the "a song for every freaking scene" thing, especially last season with all the 80s remakes, but there have been 3 moments which, for me, rank with the best:

 

Breathe by Anna Nalick playing over the scene leading up to the bomb detonation in Season 3

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol playing as Alex convinces Izzy to let Denny go in Season 3

Like A Virgin playing over Cristina's confrontation in Burke's office near the end of their reunion episode last season

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