Scrubs is one of the most popular comedy-dramas in television history. It’s hard to pinpoint what made the show so good and so popular, but very aspects of its production have been continuously praised throughout the years. These include the hilarious and supposedly medically-accurate writing, the hilarious performances, the brilliant character interactions, and the seamless blending between comedy and drama.
With that said, the soundtrack – while a relatively small part of the show’s legacy – remains a big reason for its success. The soundtrack to Scrubs is simply incredible, and the amazing song choices undeniably aided in the show’s greatest sequences.
10 How To Save A Life
The Fray’s “How to Save a Life” is certainly overplayed, but it played a significant role in the widely acclaimed fifth season episode ‘My Lunch’. Following Jill Tracy’s death from an apparent drug overdose, three patients are given her organs in a transplant. However, unbeknownst to everyone, Jill actually died from rabies, not a drug overdose. All three patients who were given the rabies-infected organs pass away while The Fray’s “How to Save a Life” plays over the montage, and it ends with Cox blaming himself for the deaths and suffering a nervous breakdown.
9 Over The Rainbow
Season five contained another brilliant episode in ‘My Way Home’. Directed by Zach Braff and containing numerous references to The Wizard of Oz, the episode received a Peabody Award in 2006 for “fearlessly smashing traditional comic formulas, all the while respecting the deepest emotional and moral issues of its life-and-death setting.” The ending to the episode is simply perfect, as Over the Rainbow plays over a montage of the characters finding what they were seeking. J.D. makes Elliott realize that she has the “brains”, Turk learns that he has a “heart”, and Cox gives Carla the “courage” she needs to have a child of her own.
8 Dreaming Of You
The previous two song choices are guaranteed to leave a viewer in tears. However, that is certainly not the case with Dreaming of You. Season two’s ‘My Monster’ sees Elliott living out of a moving truck after her father cuts her off. When she’s invited to stay with J.D., the two finally get together and engage in a very passionate make-out session. The Coral’s Dreaming of You plays throughout the hot and steamy sequence, and it couldn’t make for a more perfect musical companion.
7 Winter
The third season episode ‘My Screw Up’ is often regarded as one of the series’ greatest episodes – a reputation that is undoubtedly aided by the stellar conclusion. Dr. Cox makes the tragic realization that he isn’t going to a birthday party but a funeral, and that Ben had actually died back in the hospital.
The scene is emotional as it is, but Joshua Radin’s Winter only makes it that much sadder. It’s a brilliant song choice, and it’s enough to leave viewers in tears.
6 Book Of Love
While Scrubs did air a ninth season, many long-time fans tend to ignore its very existence. That’s partly because the ninth season was disappointing, partly because it contained a new cast, and partly because the show ended in spectacular fashion with the eighth season finale. Peter Gabriel’s The Book of Love plays in the background as J.D. watches his potential future on a projector, and the combination of song and beautiful visuals made for the absolute perfect ending.
5 Waiting For My Real Life To Begin
Season two’s ‘My Philosophy’ concerns J.D.’s relationship with a patient named Elaine, who is suffering from a fatal heart condition. During a wonderful conversation, Elaine reveals that she has accepted her impending death and that she hopes it will be like a Broadway musical. When Elaine passes away, J.D. imagines Elaine and the rest of the cast singing Waiting For My Real Life To Begin in Broadway fashion. It’s a gorgeous moment, and it proves one of Scrubs‘s most imaginative and creative sequences.
4 Hallelujah
The use of Hallelujah during a sad scene may be a little cliché and derivative, but in the case of Scrubs, it worked to absolute perfection. Perhaps the first “serious” episode of Scrubs is season one’s ‘My Old Lady’, in which J.D., Turk, and Elliott all experience the loss of a patient for the first time.
The episode won the Humanitas Prize in 2003, and it’s not hard to see why. Hallelujah is the perfect song to play over the depressing montage, and the shot of J.D. snuggling up to his patient is always good for a cry.
3 Sideways
Season five is arguably the most emotional season, and that includes the fourth episode, ‘My Jiggly Ball’. The episode is primarily concerned with the humanity (or lack thereof) of Dr. Kelso. Kelso is always portrayed as the heartless leader of the hospital, and the characters firmly believe that he doesn’t have an ounce of humanity within him. However, that is brought into question during this episode’s closing montage, which is scored wonderfully with Citizen Cope’s Sideways.
2 Eight Days A Week
One of the more upbeat and positive song choices made throughout the show is The Beatles’ Eight Days a Week. Ted and his band The Blanks are hired to sing at Carla and Turk’s wedding (for a whopping $16), and after starting with some Tupac, they break out the instruments for Eight Days a Week. Ted asks the audience to “bear with him”, as they haven’t used instruments in a long time. However, they then break out a perfect rendition of Eight Days a Week, and it serves as the perfect ending to one of the series’ happiest episodes.
1 I Will Follow You Into The Dark
The eighth and final season is a mixed bag, but it contains one of the series’ greatest episodes in ‘My Last Words’. Another winner of the Humanitas Prize, this episode sees J.D. and Turk skipping their beloved steak night to hang out with a terminally ill patient. The man admits that he’s afraid of dying, and J.D. and Turk do all they can to comfort him (like giving him a beer). They talk about the concept of death and how everyone is afraid of it on some level, and Death Cab for Cutie’s I Will Follow You Into The Dark plays while George dies and J.D. and Turk honor his life with a flare and a beer.
About The Author
