After watching the show “Stranger Things” on Netflix and listening to the soundtrack on repeat to cope with finishing the series, I’ve realized just how essential perfect music is to any television show.

I’ve had never been so aware of music in shows until this very moment. I never realized how much a song could impact the viewer’s emotion and each character’s portrayal.  Without music, any horror show or movie wouldn’t have the same fear effect. Any emotional moment wouldn’t have the same impact.

Take the classic TV show “One Tree Hill,” for example. When two of the main characters — Haley and Nathan — share their first kiss, the song that plays is “Dare You To Move” by Switchfoot. It’s a slow song, playing low in the background, and once the characters kiss it becomes louder as the passion between them grows.

This was the first time I was introduced to Switchfoot, an alternative rock band that I have eventually became a huge fan of. But the only reason I was exposed to them was because of “One Tree Hill.”

Every time I hear “Dare You To Move,” I associate the track with a moving and emotional scene that made me feel something so strong when I watched it. Music in TV shows is more than just background noise. It has the power to take you to a certain place, make you feel a certain thing — and that’s special.

A song has the ability to affect you so much. It can remind you of a memory, a person, or even a conversation. A mere line in a track can take you back days, months or even years.

“One Tree Hill” also introduced me to Nada Surf, another alternative rock band. Their track “Always Love” is used several times throughout the series. After hearing it multiple times on the show, I now associate the track with love, heartbreak, passion and teenage angst.

Television shows are the ultimate music discovery method because of the emotional connection you have to the characters, and then eventually the music that’s played. Hearing a song on SoundCloud or Spotify doesn’t have the same emotional affect as visually seeing characters and scenes while a song is playing.

Unsurprisingly, “The OC” also has many great music moments. Imogen Heap’s “Speeding Cars” is featured in the graduation day episode. These characters, ones that we’ve seen grow up, go through heartbreak and undergo several life changing experiences are graduating high school. It’s an emotional scene for viewers because we’ve seen these characters mature and grow so much.

When I hear “Speeding Cars,” I feel pleased and instant bliss because it reminds me of this very scene. It’s crazy how a song can do that.

More recently, “Empire,” which just started its third season, has had notable music moments. Each character’s song gives off a different sentiment, whether it’s the emotional and powerful Jamal, or the intense, rap star, Hakeem.

In the series kickoff, Jamal sings a very powerful and touching number called “Need Freedom.” The song is about gun violence, and how the world needs love, not war. This song is mixed in with the various other songs on my library, and when it comes on it’s an instant mood changer, as well as the other songs featured on “Empire.”

I feel music deeply. There have been times where I’ve had to stop what I’m doing because a song puts me in an entirely different mood. Each song places me in a moment, whether it’s a song about family issues, love, or hate, I am instantly taken back to a scene. It’s like magic, how a single song can do that.

Phoebe Smith is a junior public relations major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email her at phsmith@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @phoebesmithh5.

 

Published on October 2, 2016 at 9:10 pm

contact Phoebe: phsmith@syr.edu