Please help me with MSCL questionnaire!

General discussion about the nineteen episodes of "My So-Called Life". Note: Our episode guide can be found here.
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soniak

Please help me with MSCL questionnaire!

Post by soniak » Jun 23rd 2004, 2:29 pm

I am at university and am writing a dissertation on music played on TV shows and how it affects people. I was wondering if you could answer these short questions for me. It would be such a great help!
Thankyou!

1.What are you top three favourite songs(or as many as you can name) in MSCL?

2.What are the worst three songs on MSCL?

3.What are your favourite scenes in MSCL and do you feel the music played in the background contributed to your answer?

Thankyou so much for your help...do u watch Buffy, Angel, Dark Angel, ER, Roswell, Party of 5, The O.C.or Smallville? What about music that you remember standing out in any of those shows?

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Nothingman
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Post by Nothingman » Jun 23rd 2004, 3:33 pm

Top three songs:
1. Buffalo Tom – Soda Jerk
2. Billy Pilgrim – Try
3. Violent Femmes – Blister in the Sun
Honorable mention:
Cranberries – Dreams
Ramones – I wanna be sedated
Jordon Catalano – Red
WG Snuffy – MSCL theme
Enigma – Return to Innocence
(there are just so many, the music is so strong in the show)

Top 3 worst songs:
Going through the song list I can’t think of any I disliked. There are certainly songs I wouldn’t listen to on their own from the show, but none I can think of that hurt a scene for me. Some I easily forgot, but I didn’t think, oh I hate this song, anywhere in the show.

Top 3 scenes:
1. Brian in the hallway giving himself the pep talk to go over and talk to Delia. The “Speak!” scene. This could be coupled to the scene where he I standing with Angela at the dance telling himself to “just start a conversation”

2. Angela laying on her bed “This life has been a test, had it been an actual life you would have received instructions on where to go and what to do”

3. Brian in the hallway writing the letter on the back of the poster.

Honorable mention to the talking her hand in the hall in Self Esteem, great scene, but I'll let some of the other people who ablsolutely love it go into it. But I will say the music is inseperable with that scene.


I do watch ER, but the music is more background, I don't remember song names. It certainly helps the show but doesn't play such large part in it. Alias has excellent music too. Part of the great thing about the music in MSCL is it takes you back. I'd say Wonder Years has the most prodominent and important soundtrack of anyshow I know.
Last edited by Nothingman on Jun 24th 2004, 10:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Jody Barsch*
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Post by Jody Barsch* » Jun 23rd 2004, 7:37 pm

What universty do you attend, what country are in? What discipline is this disseration for? What is your thesis?
Sometimes I write a little MSCL fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1039807/Jody-Barsch
Also, after multiple V. Mars reiterations, and finally a Deadwood movie, still wishing for some continuation of The Riches !

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Hunee
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Post by Hunee » Jun 23rd 2004, 11:25 pm

my favorite three scenes from mscl are
1. jordan taking angelas hand in the hall
2. brian and angela have the "sex talk" with graham on the couch
3. when jordan calls out angelas name when she and rayanne are in the cop car

i think one tree hill and dawsons creek are the two best shows for music... otl's theme song by gaven degraw i dont want to be is such a great song!!!... they also had fefe dobson, shyrl crow, switchfoot... just great music

dawsons creek also had great great music... there was this one song by shawn colvin called never saw blue like that it is in season 4 episode 4 stories... at the end of the episode pacey goes to dawsons house where he is cleaning up the yard and it is the first time since season three they have some sort of friendship talk... it is a really great song and scene...
so make the best of this test, and dont ask why
its not a question, but a lesson learned in time its something unpredictable, but in the end is right i hope you had the time of your life

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Nostradamus
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Post by Nostradamus » Jun 24th 2004, 12:23 am

Interesting topic; I have often thought that music can make or break a TV series.

My musical preferences from MSCL are mostly the same as those listed by Nothingman, though I will add "Pressure" by Sunscreem and "What Is Love?" by Haddaway, both from "Life of Brian". That episode also displayed some good dancing by Wilson Cruz, a rarity on TV these days. Other episodes with well-integrated music include "Dancing in the Dark" and "So-Called Angels". I always sit through the end credits to hear Snuffy Walden's slightly modified theme.

ER and The West Wing have both had memorable episodes in which popular music built up tension leading to a shocking plot moment: the stabbing of Lucy Knight and John Carter on ER and the abduction of Zoe Bartlett on West Wing.

The Drew Carey Show has had several large, creative, and well-executed musical productions during its run; again, this is somewhat unusual for modern TV.

Ally McBeal listed a musician, Vonda Shepard, as a series regular on the opening credits. Her renditions of many pop classics were a staple of the series, which also featured singing and dancing by several other cast members as well as musical guest talent such as Sting and Barry White.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer featured many teen-oriented bands and singers, and also stood out with an entire musical episode. Spin-off series Angel was somewhat more somber, but eventually added a lounge singer to its cast.

Composer Mark Snow provided eerie ambient scores for The X-Files and Millennium (though, IMHO, his quality declined substantially in later seasons). He also scored La Femme Nikita with plenty of modern club sounds.

Many of these and other successful series included subtle sub-themes for recurring characters or plot points. This has the effect of providing greater storyline cohesion than is possible with action alone. A few examples are the Buffy/Angel love theme (Buffy), the "Deep Throat" character theme (X-Files), or Trudy's theme by Monk composer Jeff Beal.
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Leo
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Post by Leo » Jun 24th 2004, 5:35 am

The best song in the series is definitely Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun" in the episode where Angela finally gets over Jordan - temporarily, at least. I love that scene.

Nice observations, Nostradmus. I do love that episode of West Wing and its the very last scene olf the season (forget which one - possibly #2?) and the president is making the decision to run for a second term and it's raining hard and Dire Straits "Brother in Arms" starts playing - lightly at first and then louder and louder the guitar becomes. Perfect combination of TV and music.

I also loved the contrast in music between Buffy and its successful spin-off Angel, displayed perfecly by their different theme songs.
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Natasha (candygirl)
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Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Jun 25th 2004, 1:42 am

Leo wrote:I also loved the contrast in music between Buffy and its successful spin-off Angel, displayed perfecly by their different theme songs.
There is an interesting essay about this written by Janet Halfyard.
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Post by Guest » Jun 25th 2004, 11:20 pm

candygirl wrote:
Leo wrote:I also loved the contrast in music between Buffy and its successful spin-off Angel, displayed perfecly by their different theme songs.
There is an interesting essay about this written by Janet Halfyard.
Merci beaucoup. :D

Leo
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Post by Leo » Jun 25th 2004, 11:35 pm

Anonymous wrote:
candygirl wrote:
Leo wrote:I also loved the contrast in music between Buffy and its successful spin-off Angel, displayed perfecly by their different theme songs.
There is an interesting essay about this written by Janet Halfyard.
Merci beaucoup. :D
Ooops, I keep forgetting to log in. :P
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