This might appear like a departure from my usual subject matter, but if you’ve paid close attention to my earlier posts, you may have noticed that TV is a subject close to my heart. It just so happens that music is also a subject close to my heart, so when the two come together, I get pretty excited. Musical montages may seem like an easy way to tug on the heartstrings, but when they’re done well, they can cause an emotional response so strong that it inveigles itself into your subconscious, until you unexpectedly find yourself weeping whilst washing up, or struck by sudden searing chest pains on your daily commute or - on the flip side - feeling absurdly elated about renewing your car insurance, simply because that very same song happened to be playing on the radio or came up on a playlist. In the spirit of these emotional earworms, I present to you here six of my favourite small screen musical montages.
Warning: may contain spoilers!
1. 'Brothers in Arms' by Dire Straits used in The West Wing (Season 2, Ep 22, “Two Cathedrals”)
Aaron Sorkin tells a tale of driving around LA when ‘Brothers in Arms’ came on the radio, inspiring him to write the climactic storm of Season 2 of The West Wing, simply so that the dialogue could move seamlessly into the opening of this song. It worked. Just the opening rumble of thunder gets the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. “Two Cathedrals” is 45 minutes of the most sublime television ever written, during which Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet rants in Latin at God in Washington’s National Cathedral after the untimely death of his long-time secretary Mrs Landingham. Amongst this comes the revelation that he has concealed his MS from the American public, leading to the cliffhanger of whether or not he will run for re-election. A storm – metaphorical, literal and musical – is brewing over the White House. The President, rain-soaked and coatless, makes his way to a press conference to face the question everyone wants answered, and, as he does so, his own brothers in arms fall in behind him, accompanied by the swelling chords and bluesy riffs of Mark Knopfler’s guitar. If you’re not moved by this scene then, God Jed, I don’t even wanna know you.
2. 'Wonderful! Wonderful!' by Johnny Mathis used in The X Files (Season 4, Ep 2, “Home”)
Ok, so this one isn’t so much moving as it is chilling. I still feel my heart speeding up accompanied by a creeping sense of dread every time I hear it. In fact, this episode was so graphic that Johnny Mathis refused permission for his version to be used and the song on the soundtrack is actually sung by a Mathis impersonator. Perhaps Mathis had a point – this is one of the most disturbing X Files episodes (and that’s saying a lot). I won’t go into too much detail here (it’s too terrifying to type), but suffice to say, the episode features an incestuous family who try to murder anyone who gets too close to discovering their terrible secret. ‘Wonderful! Wonderful!’ plays on the car radio as they drive to one of their victim’s houses, and continues to play as they bludgeon him and his wife to death. Completely incongruous and totally effective – the music makes the scene 100% more nauseating. 10/10 for the chill factor.
3. 'I Can’t Decide' by The Scissor Sisters used in Doctor Who (Series 3, Ep 13, “The Last of the Time Lords”)
Although there have been other villains in Doctor Who who have danced to pop tunes (including the Master themself), it was John Simm’s Master who set the trend, back in 2007, when he burst onto the deck of the Valiant, lip-syncing to this banger whilst pushing a wizened David Tennant around in a wheelchair. The first actor to play the Master in the new series (yes, with the exception of Derek Jacobi – I’ll get in there before the pedants do – since Jacobi only really consciously played the Master for a few minutes), Simm really brought the Master’s insanity into the twenty-first century, and somehow makes bopping along to the Scissor Sisters whilst toying with the Doctor’s life seem entirely fitting behaviour for the Time Lord’s camp arch nemesis.
4. 'It’s Raining Men' by The Weather Girls used in Queer as Folk (Series 1, Ep 8, “Punchline”)
Because that’s the thing about unrequited love – it’s fantastic! It never has to change, it never has to grow up and it never has to die! So says Vince Tyler as he sprints through the streets of Manchester, away from boring boyfriend Cameron to persuade his best mate and love of his life Stuart Alan Jones to join him up on the podium in a club, thus saving him from the lurking menace of the drug pusher who killed their friend earlier in the series. This disco classic builds in flawless synchronicity with the scene, bursting into the jubilant chorus at the very instant the two friends leap up onto the podium, dancing wildly in a perfect moment of absolute freedom and euphoria.
5. 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac used in Our Flag Means Death (Series 1, Ep 8, “We Gull Way Back”)
If I’m honest, there are several musical moments I could pick out from this show. In fact, I could probably write a whole blog post just about the music in Our Flag Means Death. The romantic comedy about 18th century pirates was full of anachronisms, not least in its use of twentieth century pop and rock music, and, despite being a comedy, was one of the most profoundly moving shows I’ve ever watched. In the end, I plumped for this scene, which should have won some kind of award for its painstaking editing, which managed to synch grappling hooks, drumming sailors and Frenchie's lute playing with the pulsing tempo of one of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest songs. Forget the heartbreak that followed, all it took was an improvised foot touch and an intense held gaze, to the soundtrack of that iconic bassline, and we were all sold on the Stede Bonnet/Blackbeard romance. You came back? Never left. Epic.
6. 'Dreams' by The Cranberries used in Derry Girls (Series 3, Ep 7, “The Agreement”)
Derry Girls was one of those rare television shows that both educated its audience (in this case about the Northern Irish Troubles) whilst still managing to be laugh-out-loud funny throughout. A rare thing, but such is the genius of Lisa McGee. Irish rock band The Cranberries featured heavily on the soundtrack, but the award-winning sequence that ends the final episode is undoubtedly the most exceptional use of their music. The episode is set around the Good Friday Agreement and, as our characters all turn eighteen and begin to head off into the world, ‘Dreams’ plays over a montage of them in voting booths, interspersed with archive footage of the Troubles. The final shot of them all leaving the polling station, lingering on Grandpa Joe and his little granddaughter jumping joyously out of the door, whilst Delores O’Riordan’s distinctive vocalisations fade out and a newsreader voiceover informs us that the agreement has been voted for, encapsulates an enduring hope for peace that never fails to move me to tears.
Thoughts? To be honest, I could have included numerous other scenes from most of the television shows above, without even starting on different shows. Feel free to comment below and let me know what TV musical montages you consider the most moving!
