Music has a mystical way of making us laugh, cry, sing, scream, and absolutely melt whenever we hear that initial cord that strikes us directly through the heart. Truth be told, this occurrence typically takes place whenever a specific channel or streaming network decides to include a particular heart-stopping anthem in a specific episode. On the other side of the spectrum, specific songs that are included in a movie’s soundtrack evoke equal emotion in all of us. A handful of these instances would be Nirvana’s “Something in the Way” from Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” from Fight Club.
Nevertheless, there’s something extremely special and endearing about a particular tune helping to craft an episode’s significance and resonate with music-loving viewers all around the world. In fact, many of these songs were first heard of thanks to its appearance in a special television event. And while there are undoubtedly a plethora of these anthems that have maintained a permanent place in our hearts, here are the 7 best songs that soared to steaming success thanks to a TV show.
Grey’s Anatomy — “Chasing Cars”
Known for its heart-wrenching moments, it comes as no surprise that Grey’s Anatomy would be featured on this list. Over the years and through an abundance of seasons, showrunners have utilized a healthy amount of heart-stopping songs that have aided in a particular moment’s intensity or emotion. Of course, all of this was initially kickstarted by original showrunner Shonda Rhimes, who, after including Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars” during the show’s season two finale, helped catapult the song to mainstream stardom back in 2006. As a result, the song went on to become Snow Patrol’s biggest hit and eventually peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Breaking Bad — “Baby Blue”
Without question, Breaking Bad is considered as one of the greatest television shows of all time. Revolving around the highly dysfunctional and power-hungry protagonist Walter White, the series eventually gained a strong cult following in the aftermath of its fourth season. Eventually, all of that success led to Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” rocketing back into stardom after playing during the closing minutes of the ever-popular series finale. Part of the song’s success is its ability to personally connect with Walter White’s story, which was coming to a dramatic end that saw Walt succumb to a gunshot wound. Flash-forward 10 years later, and the song still strikes a powerful chord now, just like it did back in 2013.
The Umbrella Academy — “I Think We’re Alone Now”
As one of the most profitable and popular shows on Netflix, it would feel like a travesty to not include The Umbrella Academy on this list. Without skipping a beat, the series got off to a tremendous start by including Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” in the very first episode — establishing a strong sense of teen rebellion and divine unity amongst its main characters. For those reasons alone, the song immediately jumped back into mainstream success and became an even bigger sensation all across the boards on TikTok.
The Sopranos — “Don’t Stop Believin’”
Journey’s iconic anthem “Don’t Stop Believin’” is surely one of the most implemented rock songs in all of entertainment media. With a knockout cover by the cast of Glee to numerous appearances in a broad range of commercials, the aforementioned tune is simply too hard to ignore. Furthermore, its success increased tenfold when the song played during the closing minutes in the thrilling series finale of HBO’s The Sopranos. As the lyrics of the haunting medley matched up with the events happening in real-time to Tony Soprano, it was no wonder the tune received an overabundance of downloads following the episode.
Wednesday — “Goo Goo Muck”
Speaking of critically acclaimed Netflix series, one would be terribly mistaken to not include Tim Burton’s supernatural phenomenon Wednesday on this list. And while the show’s cast of characters have been an absolute delight, it was the inclusion of The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck” that kickstarted the show’s success. More importantly, the series helped The Cramps’ own personal success, with the song being used in countless viral TikTok videos and being turned into an interactive dance. Moreover, Wednesday’s influence eventually helped the song to be streamed over 2 million times and crack into the Billboard charts.
The Last of Us — “Long Long Time”
One of the biggest tear-jerking moments in all of television came during a recent episode of HBO’s ever-popular series The Last of Us. The aforementioned episode, which temporarily drifted from the show’s traditional narrative, included the song “Long Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt in the most heartwarming of ways. Following the song’s appearance in the episode, Ronstadt’s anthem immediately started trending worldwide and saw an 11% jump for downloads and streaming within a few hours. Even now, the song peaked at number 6 on the Hot Trending Songs chart as folks continue to hype the tune’s haunting feeling.
Stranger Things 4 — “Running Up That Hill”
Aside from Stranger Things 4 delivering a top-notch trailer which featured Journey’s “Separate Ways,” the true winning anthem came in the form of Kate Bush’s iconic ‘80s song “Running Up That Hill.” Included in the massive season as Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) favorite song, the tune immediately blew up online. As a result, the song re-emerged on charts all around the globe — and eventually ended up at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Almost a year later, and the song has yet to waver in its divine popularity. And with Stranger Things 5 shining brightly on the horizon, it’s only a matter of time until the Netflix hit boosts another credible tune.