Top 10 Musical Moments in TV Shows That Give Us Chills
Why speak when you can sing? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the musical numbers and needle drops that made unforgettable TV moments. this list does contain some spoilers, so proceed with caution.
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00:00Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the musical numbers and
00:14needle drops that made unforgettable TV moments. We're keeping things live action oriented,
00:20so the bubble bowl is ineligible. Also, this list does contain some spoilers, so proceed
00:26with caution.
00:36Number 10. What's Up? Sense8. The prematurely cancelled Netflix series about strangers who
00:42become aware of their mental and spiritual connection to one another is full of synergy.
00:47They experience these moments of perfect harmony with each other, despite being separated by
00:51great distances. In the first season, this is communicated through the entire cast singing
01:01along to four non-blondes. What's Up? Parallel editing turns it into a sing-along.
01:21It's a moment that made many fans fall in love with the show, and what it was trying
01:25to say about human connection and empathy. The song itself, while over two decades old
01:30at the time, would almost become synonymous with the show.
01:47Number 9. Where Do We Go From Here? Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy was never one to
02:00shy away from a risk, but doing a musical episode when the season's storylines were
02:04reaching an emotional climax is a risk almost unparalleled in genre TV. It paid off big
02:10time. The final number, Where Do We Go From Here?, finds the characters dealing with all
02:29the emotional fallout of the previous season, and the secrets that have been brought to
02:34light. Friendships are broken, confusion is rampant, and Buffy and Spike's ending kiss
02:39jumpstarts a whole new storyline. The song drives home the fact that this is no filler
02:44episode. It's season 6's emotional climax.
02:59Number 8. True Colors. Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist. In a twist on two different genres,
03:17this short-lived musical dramedy is about a woman who can hear people's thoughts, but
03:21they appear to her as songs. In the pilot episode of Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist,
03:27Zoe uses her newfound ability with her father, who has progressive supranuclear palsy.
03:57His song, True Colors, is the first time they've been able to fully communicate since
04:07the disease has progressed. She finally has her dad back, even if it's just for a song.
04:13The look of happiness on Zoe's face is proof that it's just what they both needed.
04:28Number 7. Running Up That Hill. Stranger Things. The right song can make your whole day better,
04:35and on Stranger Things, it can give you the strength to fight off an evil interdimensional
04:39monster called Vecna. A traumatized Max spends most of season 4 distancing herself from her
04:58friends. Music becomes her escape. Her favorite song, Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, becomes
05:04the one her friends use to try to free her from Vecna's influence. She makes her daring escape
05:21from Vecna as the Upside Down crumbles around her with the music. Nearly four decades after
05:27Running Up That Hill was released, it dominated the charts like never before, largely thanks to
05:32Stranger Things. Number 6. Hide and Seek. The O.C. Full of eerie vocoder effects and layered
05:53harmonies, Imogen Heap's semi-a cappella breakup song soared to popularity on The O.C. In the show's
06:00second season finale, Ryan confronts his brother, Trey, after he attacks Ryan's girlfriend, Marissa.
06:13The two end up in a dangerous struggle on the floor, and Marissa shoots Trey to save Ryan.
06:18Heap's haunting Hide and Seek underscores the dramatic scene. While the scene's melodramatic
06:23slow motion and its accompanying song were memorably spoofed by The Lonely Island,
06:28seeing it in context is still a really powerful experience. The song became an instant classic
06:33as a result. Number 5. If I Die Young. Glee. Star Cory Monteith's tragic death already made
06:54the emotional send-off for his character that much more agonizing. In one scene,
06:59cheerleader Santana Lopez covers If I Die Young by the band Perry in tribute to him.
07:12Sad enough, at the time it aired, Santana actress Naya Rivera's death in Lake Piru in 2020
07:18made her musical tribute to him that much more prescient and profound. In retrospect,
07:23her performance now feels like her own farewell, a heartbreaking glimpse into the future.
07:36Fans returned to the clip of the song on YouTube when news of her death broke,
07:40leaving tributes to her memory. Number 4. How to Save a Life. Scrubs. Some of the medical
07:47comedy's most emotional moments came courtesy of its earliest doctor. In the classic episode
08:02My Lunch, the irascible Dr. Cox blames himself for the deaths of three patients who received
08:08rabies-infected transplanted organs from another patient. The phrase,
08:12How to Save a Life, plays as the three patients pass away, one by one.
08:26The shock and grief of so many deaths at once shatters Dr. Cox's practiced,
08:30professional distance from his patients. Even more, it causes him to break down in
08:35front of his subordinate physician, J.D., who tries to help his mentor through it.
08:42Number 3. Chasing Cars. Grey's Anatomy.
09:07Shonda Rhimes' medical drama helped popularize several contemporary songs,
09:12and Annalick's Breathe assisted with one of the show's most memorable episodes.
09:16But Chasing Cars will forever be associated with one of its most devastating deaths.
09:20Izzy Stevens had fallen in love with transplant patient Danny Duquette,
09:24only for him to die after receiving his new heart.
09:27This song by Snow Patrol, played as the weeping Izzy, was pulled from his hospital bed,
09:43and carried out of the room. When Grey's was at its height,
09:46few shows could compare when it came to drama, emotion, and great soundtrack choices.
09:57Number 2. Long, Long Time. The Last of Us.
10:17HBO's post-apocalyptic series produced a more powerful romance in just one hour than a lot
10:23of shows can do over multiple seasons. Episode 3 of The Last of Us was a two-hander bottle
10:29episode starring Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman as Frank and Bill.
10:33The episode chronicles their meeting and falling in love.
10:47Their love story plays out over 20 years until the two die together.
10:51In the episode's most famous scene, Bill plays and sings Long,
10:55Long Time by Linda Ronstadt on his piano. The song instantly becomes their theme,
11:00reappearing at the close of the episode to make sure we're weeping through the credits.
11:21Number 1. Breathe Me. Six Feet Under.
11:36Hell, I have done it all again. I have been here many times before.
11:50The Fisher family's funeral home business kept them and us constantly surrounded by
11:54death throughout the series. At the close of Everyone's Waiting, the series finale of Six
11:59Feet Under, Claire Fisher tearfully drives away from her home in Los Angeles and the
12:04family she's leaving behind. As she does, we're treated to vignettes and
12:08glimpses of each character's future and eventual death.
12:22Under this, Sia's poignant and heartbreaking Breathe Me plays.
12:26It's an unforgettable send-off for an unforgettable show.
12:29This ethereal and moving conclusion is widely considered one of the best closing scenes ever.
12:42What's a TV music moment that you'll never forget? Tell us in the comments.
12:47Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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