# Great choices for TV soundtrack moments **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887 "2014-06-28T21:25:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/1 "2014-06-28T21:25:34Z")
What songs _worked_, perfectly (or at least well) played in TV episodes? Two come to mind for me: _Goodbye to You_, Michelle Branch, played at the end of Buffy’s Season 6 “Tabula Rasa.” The lyrics fit the events of the show perfectly, as Tara leaves Willow and Giles leaves Buffy, both struggling with their decisions as they do. _Any Other World,_ MIKA, was the song played at the end of The Good Wife’s Season 2 finale “Closing Arguments,” as Will and Alicia finally consummate their flirtation. The lyrics _say goodbye to the world as you knew it_ are a perfect coda to the change in landscape that this episode starts. What others? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/2 "2014-06-28T22:21:43Z")
Mancini. Whatever he did worked. Things like _Peter Gunn_ and _Mr. Lucky_ were exceptional. If he fucked up, I don’t remember where or how. Others with almost as good a record for shows that worked because of the music: Lalo Schifrin, Nelson Riddle, Mike Post. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Why_Bother)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/3 "2014-06-28T22:28:47Z")
_‘Goodbye’,_ by Apparat was used to great effect in the last episode of season 4 of Breaking Bad when Gus goes to see Hector for the last time. I’m not a big fan of the show but I have to admit that in The Following, _If I Had a Heart_ by Fever Ray worked really well in the scene in episode 6 when Joe Carroll finally met his cult. Keaton Henson’s _To Your Health_ worked really well in the UK Zombie horror/drama ‘In The Flesh’. FYI - Here are some YouTube links the songs in question: 1). [Goodbye, by Apparat](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaWeCNBaDlc) 2). [If I Had A Heart, by Fever Ray](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XuSzQCLjf0A) 3). [To Your Health, by Keaton Henson](http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gxDvUsZsWDo) (slightly NSFW lyrics). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/4 "2014-06-28T22:37:27Z")
The [finale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNwARV9tPUw) of _Six Feet Under_ with “Breathe Me” by Sia. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/5 "2014-06-28T22:47:04Z")
The use of “Crystal Blue Persuasion” during a montage of scenes in the Breaking Bad episode “Gliding Over All” was so perfectly done. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/6 "2014-06-28T22:55:20Z")
I thought [the _Seven Souls_ montage](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNB_Y9cXi4), from the opening of _The Sopranos_ final season, was very effective. ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/7 "2014-06-28T23:08:36Z")
Venture Brothers season 4 finale: [Pulp “Like A Friend”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU2juYxL8tE) Breaking Bad series finale: [Badfinger “Baby Blue”.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r__KtMPSnn4) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/8 "2014-06-28T23:17:22Z")
I may have misread the OP in that I wasn’t focusing on specific moments or episodes when I passed judgment on entire shows and their composers. But this one from _The Sopranos_ was a standout for me: [R L Burnside - Its Bad You Know](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhC8SwuUGjc&list=FLr5Z9EbNm-xwrQfLOvIzt1A&index=268) It’s hard to beat this intro to the series episodes: [House of Cards (2013) Intro Credits Theme Extended - Jeff Beal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zREOQuaqSVk&list=FLr5Z9EbNm-xwrQfLOvIzt1A&index=100) There were several episodes of _House_ where the music worked so well that I had to find the music on YouTube and add it to my Favorites. Two I can remember well were: [Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj6yXxVc21Y&index=370&list=FLr5Z9EbNm-xwrQfLOvIzt1A) [Fiona Apple - Why Try To Change Me Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uf1n1wUfxE) You can hear the actual dialog in the background from the _Sons of Anarchy_ episode where [Fortunate Son instrumental](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C6Y72Yqj6c&index=276&list=FLr5Z9EbNm-xwrQfLOvIzt1A) was so effectively used. There were others as well. I’d give the entire show a **B+** on that aspect. And I surely sat up and took notice of [Fleetwood Mac “Tusk” - The Americans s01e01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUEnClgFXbI). It pretty well hooked me on the whole show! I still watch it as a fan. ====================== One show whose music was so inappropriate _and loud_ that I quit even watching was _Grey’s Anatomy_. There’s an art to matching music to action and that show got it wrong every time. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/9 "2014-06-30T06:35:23Z")
The Sopranos had many great ones but the [“Every Breath You Take/Peter Gunn Theme”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPeIfSrngC4#t=5m41s) mashup at the beginning of Mr. Ruggerio’s Neighborhood was genius. And as a bonus, it starts with Tony doing his cover of “Dirty Work” by Steely Dan. Three from The West Wing • “Angel” by Massive Attack playing over Zoey’s kidnapping during the Commencement episode • [“Brothers In Arms”](http://vimeo.com/92984924) by Dire Straits from the episode Two Cathedrals • “[The Little Drummer Boy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqLIH2UiPXg#t=2m20s)” during the funeral montage from In Excelsis Deo And of course Europe’s “[The Final Countdown](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMRA0r92iac)” on Arrested Development. Come on! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/10 "2014-06-30T12:43:00Z")
The re-use of the TOS _Battlestar Galactica_ theme as the reimagined _Battlestar_ Colonial Anthem. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-choices-for-tv-soundtrack-moments/691887/11 "2014-06-30T16:21:25Z")
The show Scrubs often used music perfectly. One of the best was (before the song became a crutch) “How to Save a Life” in the episode [My Lunch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QjDwE5Q8LY).