So Long, Farewell

Saying goodbye is often hard, especially when it is a television series that you have been binge watching for weeks or months.  Fans usually rave about the writing or actors in their favorite shows, but I am sure it’s no surprise that I focus on the music.  Here is a list of my 10 favorite songs in series finales:

1.  Breaking Bad     Baby Blue by Badfinger

I started watching this show specifically because I wanted to see the series finale  (entitled “Felina”) and the final song, Baby Blue. My musician friend John started to work it out on his guitar, so of course I wanted to learn all about the song.  I was hooked by the show almost immediately and was mesmerized by the fantastic writing, binging on multiple episodes every day for two weeks.  I may have been a little dark and morally ambiguous by the last couple of days.  Incidentally, this song led me to my new favorite Pandora radio station, the Badfinger station.

2.  Freaks and Geeks       Ripple by The Grateful Dead

I found Freaks and Geeks on Netflix and savored every episode of their one season.  I thought the finale told such a compelling story of how these characters had grown and expanded their horizons throughout the series.  “Discos and Dragons”  had the cool kid role playing with the geeks, the frustrated rock drummer branching out into disco dancing, and the good girl taking a walk on the wild side.  The Grateful Dead seemed so appropriate for Lindsey’s next chapter.  I found a great version of this song that is part of the Playing For Change movement, which takes musicians from all over the world and puts them together playing popular songs,

Continue reading “So Long, Farewell”

Top 10 TV Themes I Love To Sing To

Billboard.com came out yesterday (10/6/15) with a list of 50 TV Theme Songs That Have Hit The Billboard Charts.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6715359/50-tv-themes-songs-chart-hits

I compiled my own list of TV theme songs that I love to sing along to. While perusing the Billboard list, there seem to be a disproportionate number of songs from cop and detective shows,  In the end, I did find that we had several songs in common.  I have put the Billboard list number in bold if a song appeared on their list.  Here are my picks with accompanying videos:

10.  Growing Pains: As Long As We’ve Got Each Other, performed by BJ Thomas and Jennifer Warner (# 35 on the Billboard list).  I loved how this psychiatrist had such dysfunctional kids, just like real life.

9.  One Day At A Time: This Is It, performed by Polly Cutter.  One of the original girl power TV shows, I loved the spunk of Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and the sweetness of Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli), and how their mom Ann didn’t take anything from anyone.

8.  7th Heaven, performed by Steve Plunkett (from the band Autograph, best remembered for the hit, “Turn Up The Radio”).  Even though I did not watch this show until I was an adult, as a PK (preacher’s kid), I enjoyed the storylines and antics of the Camden kids.  My sister also enjoyed watching this show in reruns, she saw so many that her toddler son knew the words to “seven kevin”, or so he thought.

Continue reading “Top 10 TV Themes I Love To Sing To”