Lauren likes TV: What song was that?
I am so far behind on TV it’s not even funny. Between my vacation (holla to my fellow PV Zoo Party-goers), the baseball playoffs, and my day job, I’m a good 2 weeks behind. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I desperately need some rerun weeks in order for me to catch up. So that being said, this week I can’t tell you highlights, lowlights, and what to watch next week (except for Yankee baseball, of course). So what do I talk about today?
Have you ever watched a show and asked yourself, “What song was that?” You know you have. Not only have TV dramas been dominant over the past 5 years, but the music selection behind them have been kick-ass. Some even have full albums which have been nominated for Grammy’s. Most shows have someone called a Music Supervisor who’s job is to select all of the music used in each show and to me, that is the greatest job on the planet. I first learned about this while watching “Bonus Content” on a season of The OC on DVD… go ahead, laugh away. Alexandra Patsavas is the best Music Supervisor out there. She is responsible for Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” and The Fray’s “How To Save A Life” being directly associated with Grey’s Anatomy for eternity. Some of the best examples of good music in shows have been Gossip Girl and The OC (both Patsavas), and believe it or not, One Tree Hill. I‘ve probably purchased more songs from One Tree Hill than any other show.
Since the invention of a teeny tiny music store called iTunes and a useful iPhone app called Shazam, you can instantaneously download your favorite TV tune before the scene even ends. It’s like… magic. One second you’ve never heard of the song… the next second, it’s on your phone. Magic. And if you don’t have all of this wonderful technology available to you, the networks make it easy for us to figure out what songs have been featured. At the end of an episode, most shows highlight 2 or 3 songs and let you know that it’s available for download on iTunes, as if we didn’t assume that already. Also, most networks have webpages dedicated to music heard on their shows, for example the ABC Music Lounge or The CW Music page. They’re very good sources for finding out which obscure songs are heard in the overly dramatic, drawn out scenes we love so dearly. And if that wasn’t enough, TuneFind is another great resource and sometimes lists more than the network sites do… and they’re usually very accurate regardless of their Wiki-style source of authors… the general public.
There will be a new addition to Lauren Likes TV, when applicable, and it will be called Tune of the Week. A song from a show the week before will be carefully selected (taking into account the show, the song and how it impacted the scene… or simply because the song rocks), and featured in the column (and obviously available for download from iTunes). This week’s song comes from singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. Her song “The Story” was made famous on Grey’s Anatomy a few seasons back. As I said earlier, I am really behind on television so I actually don’t have a song that was featured last week. However, in addition to “The Story”, I have selected another Brandi Carlile song called “That Year” because I’m pretty positive that had this song been made 5 years ago, it would have been featured in Felicity. Enjoy!
Go get em Yanks!
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You belong in a cage….with balloons!
Being a music supervisor for a good TV show is like a dream job… I would so be good at that.
Anyway, nice choice with Brandi Carlile – huge fan, her work is timeless, and she is an amazing live performer (bonus points for having twins in her band).
This is, by far, the most useful thing you’ve ever written!
Love this column, Law! I ask myself frequently what I did before Shazam. It also comes in handy during the So You Think You can Dance audtion phase. I also like any time you reference Felicity. Nothing like Ice Cream at the end of the Time Machine althoguh the Like Lovers Do swap out on the DVD because of licensing issues was also extremely well done. Bravo!
Only you would be able to write an ENTIRE column on tv music, and honestly what a brilliant idea. I never knew there was a specific application to find your fav tv music. Thanks Lau!!