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Some songs become so linked to a TV moment that you can never hear them the same way again. Join us as we count down our picks for the most unforgettable music moments ever used in a television scene! Which song and TV pairing do you think deserves the top spot? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best, most effective, and or unforgettable uses of
00:11music within a TV show.
00:12Some spoilers ahead for the following shows.
00:27Cousin!
00:28Yo!
00:31Help!
00:32How do you end the first season of an intense show?
00:34You play one of the most peaceful songs from OK Computer.
00:37After a tough time trying to revive a sandwich shop, Carmi Bersato finds himself cooking again and opening a can
00:43of tomatoes.
00:44He then ends up finding money that'll change his life forever.
00:47This happy moment shows the restaurant staff joining in to help, discovering loads of cash, while Radiohead's Let Down plays.
01:01It's a calming and satisfying scene, compared to the chaos of previous episodes.
01:06As Bersato and company embrace the future, they look especially relieved to be this lucky.
01:10The 90's track only highlights the catharsis at work.
01:21Number 19
01:22Livin' on the Edge by Aerosmith
01:24Yellow Jackets
01:25Sometimes, a literal needle drop only adds to the scene.
01:29For the season 3 finale of Yellow Jackets, the creators decided to tap into a classic rock band's catalogue.
01:35The show embraces its 1990 setting, for this last scene involving Natalie on a clifftop.
01:40She sneaks away in order to make a desperate call, apparently contacting someone on a satellite phone.
01:53Aerosmith's living on the edge sets the mood for this cliffhanger.
02:03With snowy mountain vistas, Steven Tyler's voice plays over a promising moment.
02:08It also makes you even more pumped up to see the fourth season.
02:12Can you hear me?
02:15Can anyone hear me?
02:19I can hear you.
02:21Number 18
02:21Hallelujah by Imogen Heap
02:23The OC
02:24Even after so many covers of this song, this one by Imogen Heap still packs a punch.
02:29It also adds to this emotional scene in the OC.
02:32Baby I've been here before
02:37Following a car crash, Ryan carries a mortally wounded Marissa away from the wreck.
02:43Heap's unforgettable vocals only enhance the somber atmosphere.
02:48Marissa.
02:52Marissa.
02:53Hallelujah might seem like a cheat code at this point, but we couldn't imagine any other way to eulogize this
02:58character.
02:59Marissa later dies from her injuries as the song returns.
03:03Hallelujah.
03:08Hallelujah.
03:15Even out of context, the combination of music and flashback images creates an incredible send off for this hero.
03:21Number 17
03:22At This Moment by Billy Vera and the Beaters
03:25Family Ties
03:26What did you think I would do at this moment?
03:33For the start of season 4, this series followed Alex P. Keaton's love life.
03:37This led to the character confronting Ellen Reed.
03:40At a dance, the two try to work their way through an awkward conversation.
03:44Billy Vera's tune, At This Moment, hits the spot as a sincere and slightly cheesy track from the 80s.
03:50She'd make I could hate you
03:54Or raise my hands to you
03:58We wouldn't have it any other way though, watching as Keaton and Reed take the dance floor.
04:02Vera's soulful performance sells this romantic meetup.
04:06I would say at this moment
04:11When I'm faced with the knowledge
04:13With the would-be couple finally kissing, this music helps to create an impactful sitcom scene.
04:19It's even better knowing that the actors married each other in real life.
04:22Number 16
04:23Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas
04:26Supernatural
04:38Longtime fans of this show grew to love this signature Kansas track.
04:41After being used throughout the series, it was only fitting to use it in the last episode.
04:46Dean's trip to heaven wouldn't be complete without a car ride set to this track.
04:50Carry On Wayward Son scores a final montage, highlighting Sam's remaining journey through life.
05:00Living into old age and raising a son, the surviving brother lives out a peaceful existence before seeing his sibling
05:06again.
05:06Once I rose above the noise and confusion
05:10Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
05:14The show wouldn't have been as satisfying without at least one more piece of fanservice.
05:19Number 15
05:19Forever by John Stamos
05:21Full House
05:22Unless you had an extensive knowledge of the Beach Boys, you might not know Forever as their song.
05:27Many millennials probably remember this as the one Uncle Jesse performed on Full House.
05:32For this wedding ceremony, John Stamos' character serenaded Becky at the piano.
05:45Stamos' cover ranked among the most emotional scenes in the series' history.
05:48Setting a high bar for romantic gestures, this sequence proved that this couple was meant to be together.
06:02It also spoke to the power of the original band that this tune endures after all these years.
06:07Along with the choir, the scene featured a sentimental montage that tugs at the heart strings.
06:12Number 14
06:13With or Without You by U2
06:15The Americans
06:16It was only a matter of time until this family got found out.
06:19During the Jennings escape, they encounter FBI agent Stan Beeman before convincing him to let them go.
06:25See the storm set in your eyes
06:29See the thorn twist in your side
06:33The two parties go their separate ways as U2 provides the soundtrack.
06:37And I wait without you
06:40With or Without You scores a montage, with Beeman playing his part as the anti-heroes leave by train.
06:47It's a mournful sequence, asking viewers to consider the characters' choices up to that point.
06:58With the chase coming to a close, the main family find themselves heading for the USSR without their kids.
07:04It's a bittersweet finale that asks tough questions about political allegiances.
07:08The creators use one of the best songs of 1987, hammering home the vintage setting.
07:13Number 13
07:14Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits
07:16The West Wing
07:17It's a question!
07:19It's time!
07:21It's time!
07:21Approaching the end of the second season, the West Wing heads straight into tragedy and scandal.
07:26President Bartlett and his team reel from a funeral and make their way to an important press conference.
07:31On a stormy night, Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits fills the soundtrack.
07:36Someday you'll return to me
07:42Perhaps to show the unity of the administration, this song feels vital in emphasizing the pivotal moment.
07:47It all comes down to whether or not Bartlett will announce his re-election.
07:57After hiding his MS diagnosis, the commander-in-chief prepares to answer tough questions.
08:02The guitar and vocals of Mark Knopfler accentuate the massive turning point of the season finale.
08:07Number 12
08:08I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys
08:11Brooklyn Nine-Nine
08:12It's fair to say that Jake Peralta has a special way of doing his job.
08:16He was singing along to the music at the bar.
08:18Do you remember what he was singing?
08:18I think it was that song, I Want It That Way.
08:21Backstreet Boys, I'm familiar.
08:23Okay.
08:24Number one, could you please sing the opening to I Want It That Way?
08:27Really?
08:28Okay.
08:29During a police lineup, the detective asks men to try their best impressions of the Backstreet Boys.
08:34Ain't nothing but a party.
08:38Tell me why.
08:40Ain't nothing but a mistake.
08:43The singing starts one by one, as each person accepts the assignment.
08:47Before too long, Peralta joins in with his finest rendition of I Want It That Way.
08:52I Want It That Way.
08:55Tell me why.
08:57Ain't nothing but a heartache.
09:00Tell me why.
09:02It slowly becomes more of a sing-along rather than a serious scene.
09:05In a surprise tribute to a 90s boy band, Brooklyn Nine-Nine knows how to have fun in some absurd
09:10moments like this one.
09:11I Want It That Way.
09:15Ah, chills.
09:17Literal chills.
09:17It was number five.
09:19Number five killed my brother.
09:20Oh my god, I forgot about that part.
09:22There's also some dark comedy to finish out the musical sequence, bringing the characters back down to earth.
09:27Number eleven, Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamaka-Vivoli, ER.
09:32Generous.
09:37Always.
09:41I will.
09:42Since the early days of ER, Dr. Mark Green was an essential character on the show.
09:47His character later suffers a terminal diagnosis and lives out his final days in season eight.
09:59The episode On the Beach features Green's last moments, finding the doctor in a peaceful setting as a cover of
10:05Over the Rainbow plays.
10:09Somewhere over the rainbow.
10:13It seems like the best way to send off one of the cornerstones of the series.
10:17As Israel's voice carries the character into the afterlife, the dream sequence allows the physician to return to the hospital
10:22one more time.
10:23The fact that his daughter Rachel gives him this song makes it even better.
10:32Number ten.
10:34Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps.
10:35Wednesday.
10:36Bringing back characters from the Addams Family, this Netflix show takes the gothic concept for another ride.
10:42I turned into a teenage, Goo Goo Muck.
10:46Tim Burton directs the episode with some nods to 80's punk.
10:49Most notably, The Cramps cover of Goo Goo Muck plays during the school dance.
10:54The lead character stands out at the event in more ways than one.
10:57Taking the floor by storm, Wednesday throws in some erratic moves to prove her rivals wrong.
11:02Yeah, I'll get you baby with a little bug.
11:05She might not show it on her face, but the hero might be having more fun than anyone else.
11:10The inclusion of this throwback track helped the program go viral and bring renewed attention to the cramps.
11:16Do me a favor.
11:21Number nine.
11:22Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.
11:24Grey's Anatomy.
11:25Working in a hospital can be stressful, with shows like Grey's Anatomy balancing emotions with clever music choices.
11:31The first season alone has some notable needle drops, including one with Keen's Somewhere Only We Know.
11:40Welcome back.
11:42There's also one powerful scene, including Snow Patrols chasing cars, and an episode that includes several other needle drops.
11:49If I lay here, if I just lay here.
11:57Song Beneath the Song follows the aftermath of an accident, with two surgeons hurt.
12:02We'll do it all, everything.
12:10As the other medical staff race to save their colleagues, various people start singing the track instead of singer Gary
12:16Lightbody.
12:16It might be startling at first, until the lyrics start to parallel the story.
12:21Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
12:27Number eight.
12:28In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins, Miami Vice.
12:31If you grew up in the 80s, you probably remember hearing amazing songs on Miami Vice.
12:36In the Air Tonight could very well be the show's greatest needle drop.
12:45Not only that, it happened in the very first episode, Brother's Keeper.
12:49Playing over a night drive, the Phil Collins track builds slowly, as the detectives make their way to a job.
12:55But I've been waiting for this woman, all my life.
13:00The setting, the car, and the actress' expressions only add to the scene.
13:05Interrupted by a phone call, the meaning of the music changes as the minutes tick by.
13:09You don't even need much dialogue when you have Collins setting the mood.
13:12Number seven.
13:16Breathe Me by Sia, Six Feet Under.
13:26Given that the entire series is based around death, the finale ends up showing you the fates of the remaining
13:32Fisher family.
13:33Clear leaves Los Angeles, while the show cuts forward in time.
13:42Using the Sia song, the beauty and pain of life washes over the viewer.
13:47Help, I have done it again.
13:52It's a lot to take in as so many beloved people grow old and die.
13:56Breathe Me and his piano part carries off the ensemble into new eras, tragedies, and fitting ends.
14:02Along with some striking images, the soundtrack delivers a gut punch in the program's last few minutes.
14:08Number six.
14:09Overkill by Colin Hay, Scrubs.
14:18Starting off the second season with style, this episode of Scrubs includes Men at Work's Colin Hay.
14:24His cameo in music provides the subtext of this plot.
14:27While the doctors all struggle through their day, the vocalist sings an acoustic version of Overkill.
14:31The music perfectly sums up the troubles, personal problems, and uncertainties of life.
14:37It's a surreal direction that more than pays off.
14:40You don't know exactly where the story is going, but Hay's work here gives the comedy an emotional center.
14:45Even the singer's appearance as a corpse walks the line between sincerity and humor.
14:50It all adds up to a major highlight for the series.
14:53It's just overkill.
14:56Number five.
14:57Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles.
14:59Mad Men.
15:00This might be one of the more expensive music choices in television history.
15:04It's not often that you hear a Beatles track on any TV show either.
15:13For the Mad Men episode, Lady Lazarus, it helps to represent the countercultural wave in the 1960s.
15:19Don Draper and his traditional ways aren't prepared for the change.
15:23The experimental song from Revolver feels like the perfect encapsulation of this point in history.
15:32On a more personal note for Draper, his character comes face to face with another thing he can't control.
15:42The psychedelic production also fills the gaps between the antihero and his distant relationships.
15:48Number four.
15:49Baby Blue by Badfinger.
15:50Breaking Bad.
15:52While he seemingly got away, Walter White couldn't resist going back for one more fight.
16:01The episode, Felina, finds him confronting neo-Nazis, rigging a homemade weapon, and saving Jesse Pinkman's life.
16:12Then, Badfinger chimes in to help finish up this finale with a brilliant cue.
16:16All alone once more, the mortally wounded White spends his last moments among lab equipment.
16:22Baby Blue rings out as one more ironic joke before Breaking Bad ends.
16:26In a nod to Heisenberg's distinct recipe, Vince Gilligan and crew deliver with this slick music choice.
16:31You couldn't have asked for a better way to watch this man go down.
16:39Number three.
16:40Make your own kind of music by Cass Elliot.
16:42Lost.
16:43Say what you want about the finale, but the earlier episodes of Lost knew how to build suspense and set
16:49up great cliffhangers.
16:55The second season starts with a bang, as an unseen man goes about his morning routine.
17:00With the bubbly pop sounds of Cass Elliot, everything seems hunky-dory for a working man.
17:08Little do viewers realize that this guy will become a major focus of the show,
17:12or that he's in the fabled Hatch.
17:14Desmond Hume's reveal would be incomplete without some sunshine 60's music.
17:18Nobody can tell ya, there's only one song worth singing.
17:26By the time the music cuts out, you're watching with bated breath to see what'll happen next.
17:30This opening establishes mystery and tension, along with an awesome music cue.
17:35Number two.
17:36Don't Stop Believing by Journey.
17:38The Sopranos.
17:39It might be the most famous cut to black in TV history.
17:42The Sopranos ended with a shocker, but not before hearing the sounds of Journey.
17:47Don't Stop Believing gives fans a hopeful feeling for what could be a violent conclusion.
17:58But we'll never know what happens after.
18:00We do know this 80's staple will be forever associated with the moment.
18:04Tony and the family prepare to eat with an iconic tune as a background.
18:10This show was no stranger to notable music either, picking momentous scenes to deploy classic rock.
18:22Whether it's sincere or ironic, this needle drop sends an epic series out on a high note.
18:27The mystery lives on, and TV was never the same.
18:32Number one.
18:33Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush.
18:35Stranger Things.
18:36Given it's nostalgic 80's setting, Stranger Things doesn't mind shouting out great singles from the decade.
18:42This means everything from the never ending story, to the thrash metal sounds of Master of Puppets.
18:51The show also helps shine a light on older tracks for a younger generation.
18:55Max's escape from Vecna only works with a powerful track behind it.
19:06Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill scores the dramatic sequence, turning a harrowing moment into one brimming with excitement.
19:17Bush's hit infuses this action set piece with all the urgency it deserves.
19:21In reviving one of the best songs of its era, an even wider audience can appreciate this pop star's contributions
19:27to music.
19:28Did we forget another piece of music that made a TV show better?
19:31Let us know in the comments below.
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