It Was a Very Good Year
R.E.M. on "The Bear" recalls "The Sopranos," the show that best used music to augment the story. I also share two new songs you should hear.
Seeing R.E.M. take full advantage of the use of “Strange Currencies” in “The Bear” made me recall a piece I wrote 23 years ago (gulp!) about the use of music in what remains one of the best shows to do so: “The Sopranos.”
I haven’t watched any of this season of “The Bear” yet — I’ve heard it is less shouty than the first, season, but it took so long to get through that first batch beacuse I was rarely in the mood to feel tense and be yelled at — so I’ll reserve judgement on the use of R.E.M.’s 1994 track. I will say the first season held plenty of pleasant surprises that showed those involved are aware of Chicago’s rich musical history and were able to deftly use it to help tell their story.
R.E.M. may no longer be a functioning band, but it’s marketing team is very much on the job. There is a special remix of the song, a new EP, and plenty of promotion to make sure you are aware that’s an R.E.M. song you are hearing and that you can purchase it at your favorite online retailer.
“The Bear” does music well, but “The Sopranos” did it best. It’s difficult to recall a time before prestige TV, but using music so integrally was not as popular before the show debuted on HBO in 1999, and certainly not from the standpoint of using popular music to consistently lift up (and occasionally supplant) what was being seen on the screen. I wrote the following piece in 2000 for the short-lived web magazine “Ironminds,” a place that seems to have completely disappeared from the Internet but might perhaps best be known as an early home for Deadspin founding editor Will Leitch. Contrarian Sound Opinions host Jim DeRogatis also contributed frequently.
Keep in mind this piece only covers the first season and the first two episodes of the second, so there are plenty of favorite and famous musical moments not covered, including, of course, anything related to Steve Perry’s pealing pipes. As with most of these things I pull from the dustbin of history, this makes me wish I had been a better writer at the time, but if nothing else, it will give you a warm nostalgic glow as you head to YouTube to relive a moment or two.
Stick around at the end for a couple of new songs you should hear.
Hitting a High Note
from Ironminds.com, 2000
When Tony Soprano walked into his Uncle Junior’s house to check on the aging Mafioso after his fall in the shower, strains of the Benny Goodman Orchestra played in the background, the big-band music sounding like an old familiar friend. When Tony carried Junior to the car to go to the hospital and the music swelled to reveal the lyrics “goodnight my love, the tired old moon is descending” — the music and mood meshed even more.
The Sopranos is the “it” show this season, and with good reason. The HBO series about a Mafia boss’ trouble with his two families and his subsequent trips to a psychiatrist is the most sharply written, well-acted show on television. But the show’s true secret weapon is its relatively unheralded soundtrack.
Scenes like the one at Uncle Junior’s house, fraught with unspoken tension, would sink under the weight of extraneous dialogue on other shows. But like many of the best moments on The Sopranos, the fullness of the narrative comes from the music. Again and again, the soundtrack tells the story as much as the characters’ scripted lines.
The power of the show’s music was evident in the first episode, which aired last winter. From the opening theme, Alabama 3’s mesmerizing “Woke Up This Morning,” to the inspired use of several oldies and Nick Lowe’s slow-burning “The Beast in Me,” The Sopranos proved that creator David Chase knows the value of a good tune.
Most television shows rely on bland soundtrack music; the occasional rock song invokes nostalgia or provides the hip credibility a show can’t hope to achieve otherwise via its story and characters. The Sopranos is different. The songs, almost all pulled from existing albums, are chosen carefully to complement and enhance the mood of each scene and to advance the storyline. The most recent episode, the 15th in the series and the second of this second season, incorporates only two notable musical interludes, but both are powerful.
In one scene, Tony’s sister, Janice, attempts to work her way back into their mother Livia’s life. Knowing the power of music, Janice finds some old opera albums to play for her mother, who is in the hospital. As Pavarotti sings, Livia is obviously touched.
“Music has charms, Ma,” Janice tells her. “Thank God, huh?” As she leaves her mother’s room, Janice hums along with Paul Simon’s “Mother and Child Reunion,” the words of this ’60s chestnut offering an understated commentary.
The previously mentioned scene involving Tony and Junior is the only other significant use of music in the episode. This illustrates another strong suit: the show only puts music to work when it’s needed. Some episodes are chock-full — the opening episode played like a hipster Big Chill, for instance — while others feature little music.
The song selection is as clever as it is commendable. Prior to the show, A3 was little more than the first CD in an alphabetized cutout bin at Sam Goody to most people, but The Sopranos has transformed the band’s club song into an anthem. And where else on television can you hear Morcheeba, the Lo-Fidelity All Stars, the Latin Playboys, Tindersticks and St. Etienne? The mix is progressive, blending modern tracks with blues, standards, soul and even “Lick It Up” by Kiss in one episode.
That eclectic mix finds its way to the soundtrack album for The Sopranos, released in December. The only problem with the collection is that it’s limited to 14 tracks, some of which are easily acquired elsewhere. Who needs Cream’s “I Feel Free” or Frank Sinatra’s “It Was A Very Good Year”? Both songs were used to great effect in the show, but more obscure tracks would have made for a better CD.
Despite these disappointments, the soundtrack is a solid album that easily stands alone — sort of like a mix tape made by your impossibly cool friend — even as it captures the feel of the show. Along with Alabama 3 are R.L. Burnside, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos and Elvis Costello. Even Little Steven Van Zandt gets into the mix with his Springsteen-lite “Inside of Me,” a 1982 track with The Disciples of Soul. (Van Zandt also plays Silvio on the show.) All that, and nary a boy band or teen queen to be found.
Given the fervor over the show’s music, this CD and any that follow should be successful.
Of the 22 message boards on the show’s Web site, “About the Music” is one of the busiest. Among the more than 2,000 posts are the usual off-topic back-and-forth messages about the relative coolness of various board members. But many entries are actually about the music. People ask what song was featured in a particular scene, offer interpretations of the songs and even discuss why Tony’s CD player skips in a certain place.
A scene in this season’s opener found Tony rocking out to Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” while driving his SUV. The CD player skips on the song’s line about Frank Zappa and the Mothers, filling the truck with “Zap-zap-zap-zap...” right before Tony crashes into a barrier.
“That was a cool place to jam the CD. The writers gotta be goofing with us a little, doncha think?” writes “Gabagool” on the message board.
Elsewhere on the board, a particularly stirring passage from Andrea Bocelli’s “Con Te Partiro” draws this question about the English translation of the title from “Puzzleheart”: “Would like this song to be played at my wedding and need to know if it’s appropriate.”
A scant 20 minutes later, “Puzzleheart” has an answer. “Ragazza” writes that the title translates as “I Will Go With You.” “Puzzleheart,” obviously pleased, says that the title is fitting and the song will play at the wedding. Bring on the bride.
Oddly, fan-compiled lists like those found on this message board and at a helpful fan site are about the only places to learn what music is used in the show. But keeping up with the music yourself is a good way to enhance the viewing experience.
The Sopranos is a hell of a good show, one worth all the accolades and praise. Next time you settle in to watch, just make sure to listen, too. Otherwise, you’re missing half the fun.
Two songs hit this week that you ought to hear. The first is new music from saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, reunited with his Red Lily Quintet. That group was responsible for Lewis’s 2021 masterpiece Jesup Wagon, a musical homage to George Washington Carver. Here, he pays tribute to Mahalia Jackson, performing songs the singer made famous. The album, For Mahalia, With Love, is out in September. The final track, “Precious Lord,” is out now.
The other tune was a pleasant surprise. The Reds, Pinks & Purples is the twee-pop outlet for prolific songwriter Glenn Donaldson. He has released at least 15 LPs and EPs in the past four years, and all of them are good. His latest, Unloveable Losers, is a grab bag of tracks from singles. It includes a Bandcamp-only cover of “Only Life of Fun,” a song by the Boston band Moving Targets. I am part of that band’s small but passionate fan base, and hearing another favorite tackle one of the group’s songs was a treat. If you like the sound of this one, you’ll have a lot to enjoy as you explore the rest of the Reds, Pinks & Purples catalog.
To hear how faithful Donaldson is to the original despite the completely different sonic canvas, here is the original 1985 demo from Moving Targets leader Kenny Chambers.