Music and television have a magical connection. We're diving into the most unforgettable songs that became permanently linked to iconic TV moments, exploring how these needle drops transformed scenes into cultural touchstones that we'll never forget.
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00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the needle drops that instantly became forever linked to TV scenes.
00:15We're diving into some pretty pivotal plot points on this list, so beware of spoilers.
00:26In its eighth season, the long-running medical drama saw the exit of its central physician, Dr. Mark Green.
00:37Green was the show's most stalwart and steady presence. Losing him to a brain tumor was a gut punch for viewers everywhere.
00:56His death scene is almost achingly serene. With his daughter Rachel at his bedside, Green spends his last moments on screen listening to Israel Kamakawewo'ole's version of Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz.
01:09The contemplative ukulele-heavy rendition continues over the dying doctor's memories of his family. It's a proper send-off for a beloved character.
01:389. Exile by Taylor Swift featuring Bon Iver, You
02:04Joe Goldberg is a mentally ill stalker who meets his match in Love, Quinn, a woman with a psyche as broken as his own. There was no way their twisted marriage was going to end in anything other than murder. It was just a question of who would emerge the winner.
02:28Joe's victory lap, in which he stages their house to look like a tragic double murder, is scored by the somber Taylor Swift and Bon Iver duet. Exile, a track from Swift's 2020 Folklore album, provides an eerie underscoring as we watch Joe efficiently stage his own death by his dead wife's hand. It's hard to shake those images when you hear the song again.
02:508. I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany, The Umbrella Academy
03:12The Hargreeves family of dysfunctional superheroes was not in the best place when they were introduced in this Netflix series. But we get a reprieve on the show's high stakes and a look at just how connected these siblings are during an impromptu dance party.
03:41While occupying separate parts of the house, the Hargreeves hear the 1980s Tiffany cover of I Think We're Alone Now, busting a move in their respective rooms. Not only is it the most infectious dance, but it also serves as a thematic point. While they may not be unified right now, they're all dancing to the same beat.
03:597. The Name Game by Shirley Ellis, American Horror Story
04:21Originally recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1964, The Name Game is a fun word game turned novelty song. The tune earned new life in an instantly iconic sequence on American Horror Story Asylum.
04:336. Sister Jude by Jessica Lange Near the end of the horror anthology's second season, Sister Jude finds herself a patient in the very mental hospital she used to rule with an iron fist. Her escape from her tortured reality sees actress Jessica Lange decked out in a splashy retro getup leading a novelty dance straight out of a mod 60s musical.
05:02It's equal parts unhinged, tragic, and hilarious.
05:066. The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields, Scrubs
05:25The show may have continued for another ill-conceived season that switched up the entire dynamic, but die-hard Scrubs fans know the series ended for real in its eighth year.
05:46On a show full of impactful needle drops, the original finale's use of this cover by Peter Gabriel is probably the most satisfying.
05:54Dr. Dorian faces leaving Sacred Heart Hospital and his best friend Dr. Turk behind.
06:16After an episode of premature goodbyes, he says his real farewell to the place as he walks through the corridors seeing visions of his friends, colleagues, and former patients. The Book of Love is the soundtrack of the rest of his life, played out before him on a movie projector screen.
06:325. Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, The Sopranos
06:50It's hard to stake a claim on a song as ubiquitous and beloved as this 1980s Journey classic. HBO's seminal masterpiece may have done just that.
07:06The last time we see mob boss Tony Soprano and his family, they're meeting for dinner munching on onion rings and trying to parallel park, all while the jukebox plays the familiar tune. It's business as usual, except it's not. Every person in the place, we realize, is a potential assassin. Or maybe not. Suddenly, Don't Stop Believin' becomes a haunting soundtrack for Tony's paranoia.
07:364. Breathe Me by Sia, Six Feet Under For five seasons, the Fisher family's funeral
08:02home business has seen corpse after corpse come through. In the series finale, the show flips that dynamic on its head. In a meditative montage, we get a glimpse of each of the Fisher's futures as Claire tearfully drives away. As Sia's beautiful and pensive ballad Breathe Me plays, we see how each of the Fisher's
08:32futures meets their end. It's impossible to unhook the song from the scene because it's such a seamless combination of sound and image. It's one of the show's best moments, and though the song has been used in other projects, this is the scene that most comes to mind when we hear it.
09:023. Long, Long Time by Linda Ronstadt, The Last of Us Even if you played the game, it's safe to say most of us didn't expect the TV adaptation to hit this hard. In the unforgettable third episode
09:30of this post-apocalyptic series, a survivalist named Bill takes in a traveller named Frank. The two fall in love, living out the rest of their years together. The Linda Ronstadt song highlights the emotional depth of their relationship, becoming their theme.
10:00From the moment Bill taps it out on the piano to the last frames when Ronstadt's original record plays over the solemn end credits, it captivates viewers. The song saw a huge uptick in streams after the episode aired.
10:212. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol, Grey's Anatomy Back in the early days when Shonda Rhimes' medical drama had the power to completely shift the culture, it was known for introducing millions to great songs.
10:47Snow Patrol experienced this when their 2006 single, Chasing Cars, was featured in Grey's Anatomy's second season. Used as a seminal movement in the episode, Losing My Religion, it became a theme of profound heartbreak.
11:01Dr. Izzy Stevens tries and fails to save her patient, Denny Duquette. She's carried out of his hospital bed, crying, as the song's chorus kicks in. The song would reappear a few seasons later in the show's musical episode.
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11:501. Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap, The O.C.
11:55You want drama? Look no further than the words, whatcha say?
12:08The teen soap, The O.C., ended its second season with the shooting of Ryan's villainous brother, Trey.
12:14That would've been dramatic enough, but the choice of music ratchets up the melodrama of their brutal motel room showdown about ten notches. Ryan's girlfriend, Marissa, intervenes and shoots Trey. All of a sudden, Imogen Heap is on the soundtrack.
12:29The moment is unforgettably scored by Heap's haunting, vocoder-laden a cappella track, Hide and Seek. Ever since, the moment has been referred and parodied by many.
12:47The most notable and impactful example may be in a Saturday Night Live digital short from 2007.
13:07What song will you always associate with a TV moment? Let us know in the comments.
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