Here’s Why Television Is The Peanut Butter to Music’s Jelly
More than ever, shows like “Insecure” and “Grey’s Anatomy” are just as dependent on their musical choices as their storylines.
There are two types of people in this world: those who put more peanut butter than jelly, and those who favor more jelly over peanut butter. Which ever way you put it, two slices of bread need both to make a flavorful, tasty sandwich.
The same can be said for television shows and music.
Music has always been an integral unit in the making of television. Yet now, more than ever, it is not only an accompaniment but has become a significant tool in driving the story of a show. We’ve come a long way — from featuring one song or artist and labeling it a “special episode” to throwing a whole album into a show because, well, why not?
In some of my most favorite series like The Cosby Show and A Different World, there were episodes that featured artists Stevie Wonder, Bebe King, Gladys Knight, and En Vogue. These artists would appear in the episodes as themselves or even written-in characters, but it would always end with them performing in some type of way.
Now, it’s not so much who is featured in the episode that makes it a “special one,” but who’s music is heard throughout the show. Television holds a new avenue and a bigger audience exposure for many artists across all genres.
Just this past summer, HBO’s Insecure maintained a master soundtrack filled with mostly indie/new school R&B artists like NAO, KING, Bryson Tiller, and a lot of SZA. Averaging a million-plus viewership (which is big for a premium cable show), Insecure became notorious for its collection of music: spring boarding soundtracks, as well as episodic Spotify playlists.
It was evident that music would be a big contributor when the series enlisted the new school’s pack leader, Solange Knowles, as its music consultant for the first season, and continued with Raphael Saadiq as the music supervisor (who also scores the series) for its second season. Yet Insecure is not alone in having a popular artist on staff for its series — R&B artist Meshell Nedegeocello is the voice behind the opening credits of OWN’s Queen Sugar and its score.
These kinds of influences point towards how much music has collectively grown to hold sway throughout a show. Nowadays, one scene from an episode can be forever marked with a certain song if chosen right.
In Insecure’s season two finale, a heart-wrenching montage was tied to Daniel Caesar’s “Blessed,” and whenever I hear that song in the future, my heart will drop a little as it did when I watched the sequence. This same connectedness, a song to a scene, happens to me with songs like Ray Charles’ “Night Time (Is the Right Time)” from The Cosby Show, and “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today” by Nina Simone through ABC’s Scandal. But the show with the most memorable cases is the long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
The genesis of the Shondaland empire, Grey’s remains to be the show with the largest musical collection. And if you’re a fan of the series, you already know there are certain tunes you hear and can automatically relate back to an episode, especially in the show’s earlier seasons.
Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” instantly takes me back to character Alex Karev carrying Izzie Stevens away from her fiancé at the end of the season two finale (sorry, trying not to spoil for those lost souls who haven’t watched the series). Even Anna Nalick’s “Breathe (2AM)” directly correlates back to that tumultuous “bomb” episode. Because of this, I cannot listen to these songs without wanting to marathon-watch that season of Grey’s for the tenth time!
Grey’s has mastered the musical game so well, that for the back half of its tenth season, its music solely featured well-matched covers of popular songs from the 80s. Not corresponding too closely to its sister-show, Scandal, with its era-specific music ranging from Motown 60s to disco 70s, Grey’s chose to compile the 80s pop genre from strictly covers. Capital Cities’ “Holiday” cover? Thank you very much.
Despite the solid choices shows like Grey’s and Insecure have made throughout their seasons, no show can be perfect at all times. There have definitely been episodes from Grey’s and other shows with musical choices that made no sense whatsoever and seemed to be more of a ploy towards pop culture than aiding the storyline.
I horribly remember Grey’s using Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools (Drank).” The bass-heavy song was way too dark and mismatched what was going on onscreen. And we won’t even talk about that “musical event,” where an episode was made into some sort of off-off-off Broadway musical. I simply cannot.
There was also the awkward inclusion of five tracks from Frank Ocean’s channelORANGE in the final season of The CW’s Gossip Girl, a show that had prominently featured pop and electronic music throughout. Although Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids” could be specifically aligned with the main characters of Gossip Girl, the other choices seemed out of place and were a distraction more than a collaboration.
But the best example of how music has seamlessly integrated into television? FOX’s Empire. Two years ago, it was a soapy, musical-drama that became the biggest show of the season. With musical production from Timbaland, the music was probably one of the (unexplainable) reasons why the show developed into a monumental hit. That first season is unmatched with songs like “Drip-Drop,” “Conqueror,” and “You’re So Beautiful,” which specifically set the stage for a penultimate episode in the series. Though the show has since depleted in ratings and popularity, its music still stands on its own featuring songs from Jussie Smollett, Swizz Beatz, and Mariah Carey.
Popular music has definitely become one of the more recognizable matches for television, but many shows still depend on scores and non-lyrical songs to correlate with the tonality of the show.
Alongside its mind-bending storylines, HBO’s Westworld put viewers through another loop when using the show’s saloon piano to play popular songs like The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black.” I recently re-watched NBC’s This Is Us, and I know for a fact I wouldn’t have teared up so much if it weren’t for the folky, serene compositions during specific scenes. Lastly, I always like to use CBS’ The Good Wife as the perfect example of using classical music and orchestrations to heighten the show’s action. When I die, please play this YouTube compilation at my funeral — because if I’m going out, I’m going out with a classical bang.
With the return of primetime television, it will be interesting to see what new or old music is used to support the episodic stories. Through all the season premieres and series premieres, or even if you’re streaming a show you’ve never seen, or returning to a favorite one: I challenge you to listen to the choice of music the episode uses to fit what’s on screen. Is it amplifying the action? Enhancing your reaction? Distracting you from the story? Or just ambient noise?
Because whatever it’s doing, it’s definitely doing something.
Music can provoke an endless variety of emotions and the same goes for television. Though still different in other ways, naturally fitting the two together elevates the mediums into one complete entertainment experience.
Just like a perfectly-balanced peanut butter & jelly sandwich.
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