The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series

wtf @ no tindersticks

Some great moments on there, but for me missing the greatest: John Cooper Clarke's "Evidently Chickentown" ("No more, Butchie--no more of this").

From the list: "I Feel Free," followed by "It Was a Very Good Year."

I'd also go for "If I Were a Carpenter," "Shuck Dub," and maybe "The Dolphins" ahead of those two.

No 'Oh Girl' from The Chi-Lites also a big ommission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkCbrxPNGsA

I think this came out after the first or second season FWIW. (I would have sworn the William Burroughs spoken word thing was on it but that didn't appear on the show until years later.)

Ah, that makes sense. 'Oh Girl' is one of the first musical moments I think of re: Sopranos.

Pigeonhed’s ‘Battleflag’ was great too but it would of been Tindersticks for me...Alabama 3 from the list

State Trooper, no question. The fucked up psyche of Jersey.

I think this came out after the first or second season FWIW.

Which would explain the most obvious and most famous omission of all (which would be somewhere in a Top 10 for me).

Don't Stop Believin'?

This came out after the second season. After the third season they released a double-disc compilation called Peppers and Eggs.

That's what I meant, yeah. It's probably still the most famous use of pop music on a TV show; "Tomorrow Never Knows" in Mad Men and "Baby Blue" in Breaking Bad are close.

I'll mention I voted half for the song, but also how it's used. "I Feel Free" ends the "Isabella" episode, the stunning exchange student Tony fantasized into existence. The Cream song is inexplicably perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfW5dH3O9b4

Every time I think of the music from the series I want to rewatch the whole thing.

Pretty good piece on The Quietus about Michael Imperioli's favorite music. He talks a bit about the music used in the series:

https://thequietus.com/articles/28701-michael-imperioli-interview-favourite-music-the-sopranos

Always loved this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9lbju1WpsQ

xp It's good, apart from his appalling defense of Morrissey.

my favorite thematic usage was 'the beast in me,' but the best song is either bruce, cream, or sinatra.

It's probably still the most famous use of pop music on a TV show; "Tomorrow Never Knows" in Mad Men and "Baby Blue" in Breaking Bad are close.

― clemenza, Sunday, August 9, 2020 7:54 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

this is probably not the thread for this, but i don't think the latter two are even the most famous musical moments in their respective series.

“dirty work” !

that was the first episode of season 3, iirc

VC: maybe debatable for Mad Men (there's the New Seekers in the finale, plus lots else), but it was newsworthy enough at the time--how much they paid--that I knew about it years before I started watching the series.

But I'll stand by "Baby Blue." That ending actually got it onto the iTunes chart at the time (and again, the story reached me years before I watched the series).

http://www.showbiz411.com/2013/10/01/breaking-bad-badfinger-baby-blue-goes-top-20-in-itunes

can anyone ID the music from the very 1st ep where Tony gets his first panic attack? I swear it's a Muslimgauze track, instrumental with heavy electronic drone and drum loops

oh girl should win this if included but who needs a whole album of this mostly well worn dad music? obv it’s what tony would be into & it mostly works in context, even the finale song which isn’t any more bearable despite rehabilitation. where’s white rabbit? what season was that?

suicidal AJ listening to chamillionaire in S6 is way more funny than it should be

tunefind, while not always completely accurate, is generally a friend in such matters

https://www.tunefind.com/show/the-sopranos/season-1/21299

xp

I think "White Rabbit" was the first season, used twice in the same episode (the flashback to Tony's dad). The way it was used at the end--Tony and his son eating ice cream--was actually the first time music really reached me in the series.

xp THANK YOU it's a Land Of The Loops track

VC: maybe debatable for Mad Men (there's the New Seekers in the finale, plus lots else), but it was newsworthy enough at the time--how much they paid--that I knew about it years before I started watching the series.

But I'll stand by "Baby Blue." That ending actually got it onto the iTunes chart at the time (and again, the story reached me years before I watched the series).

― clemenza, Sunday, August 9, 2020 12:00 PM (twelve minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

'baby blue' is certainly notable because of its use in the finale, just a bummer because there were so many more creative syncs ('windy,' 'crystal blue persuasion,' etc.)

"Windy"'s my favourite too--incredible; I put "Baby Blue" and Tommy James about equal, both great. I singled out "Baby Blue" as the most famous, not quite the best.

the music on BB is fine but Sopanos' music supervision is far superior imo, especially considering there's so many more needle drops as (iirc?) there is no original scoring

later on, "World Destruction"

I'm sure they pay attention to these things but I wonder if there is one song that has been used at least once on all the major "golden age" shows (Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, not counting The Wire because music didn't seem to feature as prominently on that show, as I recall).

I'd almost guarantee no. I can think of maybe three that show up in a couple: "Piece of My Heart," one of the Fleetwood Mac hits, and--ugh--"Don't Dream It's Over."

Hey now.

Now Hank Kingsley was a Wu-Tang man.

Shocked that Morphine's "Buena" was never included on this (featured heavily in the "Boca" episode)

I'd say 'In the Air Tonight's use in the original Miami Vice was a big deal for it's day. I think it is part of the reason it became this ubiquitous tune a few short years after it came out.

Soprano's is notable that it made hits out of RL tune and the title number. I always dug the title track, it was like WaxTrax doing blues rock.

Tony singing along to Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” is all-time.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

xp Always reminded me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sonzBvi97qI

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

that Pigeonhed song (and the remix with Lo Fidelity Allstars) really is one of those time capsule songs for me.

If this does cover the first two seasons, "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" should be in there (suggesting it only covers the first).

I've got to use this to plug a book that's dead in the water and could use a few sales.

http://www.amazon.com/Shouldve-Heard-Just-What-Seen-ebook/dp/B08D58F6QG

There's about 1,000 words on The Sopranos.

Hooray for The Beast In Me!!!

Yup

I think that was the first I had heard of Nick Lowe? I'm not sure I even remembered his name, it was just a song that I loved on that soundtrack. Later on I got into his stuff and came back around to the Sopranos and I was stunned that it was the same guy.

I was just watching S2's "Toodle...Oo" and clocked Janice listening to Pharoah Sanders in her car

woke up this morning
boiled myself an egg
i been walking round
like a chicken leg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2V9LfTKuDs