Happy Music Rec Monday! This week we’re tackling songs you should listen to if you like these TV shows.
Here’s Music Rec Monday (TV Show Edition) where if you watched this → listen to this!
“Freaks And Geeks” → “The Adults Are Talking” by The Strokes
“Freaks and Geeks” follows Lindsay Weir’s high school experience. She’s caught between the titular two groups, trying to find her way amongst the misfits. She joins the slackers, which stirs up conflict with her parents and her mathlete friends. The show is observant, making sure to reinvent the narrative of cliché adolescent angst.
If the show took place after the 80s, we’d imagine this song would live at the top of Lindsay Weir’s favorite mixtape. Like most Strokes songs, “The Adults Are Talking” embodies a rebellious attitude toward those that reside at the top of the societal hierarchy. They sing, “They will blame us, crucify and shame us/We can’t help it if we are a problem/We are tryin’ hard to get your attention/I’m climbin’ up your wall.” Much like that of the high school food chain, The Strokes challenge the unfairness of youth and the naive weight of self-image.
“New Girl” → “Nothing” by Bruno Major
Beloved comfort show, “New Girl,” plays on the dynamics of four roommates and their larger-than-life personalities. When self-proclaimed quirky girl, Jessica Day, goes through a ruthless breakup, she’s forced to move in with three single men that she found on Craigslist. The show highlights the era when friends become family. Audiences are taken through their many amusing mishaps and romantic endeavors.
“Nothing” captures love in a sweet, subdued way. Instead of writing about big grand gestures and over-the-top declarations, Major highlights a night spent doing mundane things with a lover. But things like playing video games or watching “The Notebook” or drinking wine would otherwise be boring without someone to share it with. Fans of “New Girl” would agree that an episode of Jess, Nick, Schmidt and Winston playing video games on the couch would be just as entertaining. The gang and Major both share an understanding that it’s the people you surround yourself with that make the moment special.
“The Last Of Us” → “I Know The End” by Phoebe Bridgers
Based on the popular video game, “The Last of Us” takes place twenty years into a global pandemic. The series follows Joel, a haunted middle-aged man who is tasked with smuggling an immune teenager across the US. The two navigate a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested world in their journey to find a safe haven.
“I Know The End” is one of Bridgers’ longest masterpieces, as the speaker narrates a drive during the end of the world. The first half of the song is a folk ballad, reflecting on the comforts of childhood, whereas the second half builds up to be a borderline metal ending that describes what the apocalypse looks like. However, the most unforgettable part of the song is the cathartic scream that Bridgers unleashes within the final minute. The song sends audiences deep into a dystopia as it questions the flaws in American culture.
“Only Murders In The Building” → “no body, no crime” by Taylor Swift
“Only Murders In The Building” is a comedic mystery that follows three strangers who all share a passion for true crime podcasts. When there’s a murder in their apartment building, the unlikely trio uses their sharp investigative skills to solve the crime. The tension builds as new developments and characters complicate the case.
Although a bit on the nose, “no body, no crime” carries along the dark themes of a murder mystery. In the song, Swift writes about Este, a woman who is the target of a missing person’s case while trying to prove her husband’s infidelity. Indie sister group, HAIM, joins her in the song, serving as both the protagonist and the alibi. Like the show, Swift throws in a twist or two to keep us on our toes.
“Abbott Elementary” → “ABC” by The Jackson 5
“Abbott Elementary” is a mockumentary that follows the lives of teachers at an under-funded inner city school in Philadelphia. With an out-of-touch principal, a group of passionate educators, an uncaring administration and unpredictable students, the show is full of vibrant characters that don’t always see eye to eye. However, one thing most of them can agree on is their desire to see their students succeed. Much like its sibling shows like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation,” “Abbott Elementary” has its fair share of fourth-wall-breaking, dry humor, romance and emotional speeches.
“ABC” by The Jackson Five is the perfect groove to accompany this educational comedy. In the classic 70s song, the group sings about how simple loving is. In fact, it’s just as easy as the stuff we learned back in elementary school.
Thanks for joining us for Music Rec Monday! If there are any TV show and song comparisons we missed, let us know in the comments or on Twitter.
If you missed it, read last week’s Music Rec Monday.
Stay updated on all things music by subscribing to Beyond the Stage!
- Andrew McMahon Talks Rituals, Milestones and Philanthropy - May 5, 2023
- Music Rec Monday: April 10, 2023 - April 10, 2023
- Music Rec Monday: April 3, 2023 - April 3, 2023
