20 TV shows with the best soundtracks and music
By Sundi Rose
Friday Night Lights
In terms of cult followings and die-hard loyalty to a show, there are few entries in the canon more well deserved than Friday Night Lights. With Kyle Chandler playing the iconic Coach Taylor and Connie Britton’s hair assuming the role of first lady of the Dillon Panthers, the show hits every single note just right. I swear, I’m not making a musical pun here folks. The show has it all.
In terms of its music, it’s crafted so carefully and artistically that every episode could (and probably has) reduced even the toughest and most cynical viewers to a blubbering mess. Of course, it pulls at your heartstrings. Movies and shows about sports have the power to do that (paging Rudy), but there is something inherently different about this show following the lives of a small town football team and their charming, tough-loving coach.
Musica director, and part-time DJ, Liza Richardson, seems to understand the tone of the show, selecting a cross between Americana, folk, Southern hip-hop, Texas foot-stomp and indie rock. Each song is a love letter to our beloved characters (Tim Riggins! Vince Richardson! Matt Sarencen!! Tami Taylor!!!)
The above selection “Devil Town” is mourning and soulful, yet played over the victorious return of the Dillon Panthers as State Champions. This is just one of the many, glorious examples of the show’s talent for understatement and emotional accuracy.
It’s not just me who fawns all over the show’s music … it’s established a cult following all its own, with bloggers and entertainment journalists creating list after exhaustive list, cataloguing each song and its symbolic contribution. It’s important.