Scrubs is 20 years old, so grab an appletini and relive 20 iconic musical moments (2023)

Because of its length (some would sayAlsolong) of nine seasons on NBC,rubwas probably the best sitcom on TV. And yet it's easy to forget how influential Bill Lawrence's ridiculous, absurd, and heartbreaking show about the residents, staff, and patients of Sacred Heart Hospital was in the network's comedy.

Just like Lawrence's Later Show: Current Internet Favorite/Core of the Internet's Surprisingly Bitter Discourseted lasso—rubHe worked tirelessly to string together his quirky, colorful characters and endearing film gags with an essential core of dramatic emotion. you could count on thatrubto make you laugh for twenty minutes, but the last two before the credits roll would probably make you cry.

Much of the success of this themed juggling act was aided by the show's soundtrack, which was usually presented in a variety of montages at the end of episodes that added a poignant button to our characters' respective conflicts during a pop track. . played in the background.

It's a trope that was widespread at the time.rubwent off the air, but nobody did it better than Lawrence and the cabal of the show's music supervisors, who released three official soundtracks during the show. (Star Zach Braff copied some of these artists and this musical approach for his 2004 indie favoritegarden state, which won a Grammy for its soundtrack regardless of age and cemented The Shins in the minds and hearts of anxious white millennials around the world).

Of course, there was the catchy theme song, Lazlo Bane's breathless "Superman," which perfectly embodied the light-hearted imagination his characters would use to settle the stakes of life and death in their hospital environment. But the songs that ended each episoderub(and occasionally tearing up the series' fabric and interrupting the show's diegesis) were the indie pop and rock artists of the 2000s who expanded the musical reach of network television while shaping the musical tastes of millions of viewers of it.

For the show's 20th anniversary (the pilot aired October 2, 2001), we've trawled through every tearful montage, unexpected burst of musical extravagance, and surprise guest appearance to celebrate twenty songs each year since their debut (in order of course ). Put on your stethoscopes, sit back and listen, newbie!

20. Kutless, "All the Words"

Staffel 5, Folge 16, „My Bright Idea“

Despite what I rememberrubsad mondays (and believe me we'll get to that), the songs at the end of the episode weren't always annoying and not always bad news. See Season 5's "My Bright Idea," which ends with Carla discovering that she and Turk are pregnant and the revelation that J.D. and the gang already knows: They were planning a surprise party at the bar. "Who cares?" Carla smiles. "We have a baby." Kutlass' ballad is pure 2000s cheese, but for now it works.

19. Rhett Miller, "Come on"

Season 2, Episode 18: "My T.C.W."

"I don't think people should be alone," reflects J.D. in the voiceover as he ends the season 2 episode, dejected on his luck in love while everyone around him wrestles with his various relationship issues. But as Rhett Miller's fervent vocals and upbeat acoustic chords rumble over a wordless classic,rubMontage, at the end of the day, everyone reconciles in fleeting moments.

18. Nil Lara, "Fight For My Love"

Season 1, Episode 14, "My Drug Partner"

The Love Story of J.D. and Elliott was the fuel for many of therub' early conflicts as they marked their respective doomed relationships, often among themselves. However, season one's "My Drug Buddy" gives them their first real connection after weeks of tension, and shatters that foreboding early in the show. Nil Lara's lively acoustics are a solid accompaniment to this first icebreaker of many in J.D. and Eliot.

17. Citizen Cope, "Sideways"

Season 5, Episode 4, "My Wobbly Ball"

The doctor. Kelso was often accused of not having a heart, and hardly ever displayed one throughout the life of the series. However, in Season 5 (you'll see a lot of this season on this list as it includes many of the show's best song choices), we got a glimpse of the callous Chief Physician's humanity. Away from the rest of the team, Kelso works with clean and calculated numbers, weighing the life of his patience against the financial health of the hospital.

But when a patient dies because he doesn't have the insurance he needs for life-saving surgery, we finally see Kelso walking out the door with a pained look on his face. You can't hold it too long; You can use this vulnerability J.D. do not show. and the others. But Citizen Cope's sad ballad tells us all we need to know.

16. Der Chor, „Dreaming of You“

Season 2, Episode 10, "My Monster"

It's not just painful lyrics and harrowing guitars;rubHe knew when to activate the imagination. As J.D. and Elliott reunite at the end of this episode of Season 2 after a year-long breakup following Season 1, it's sudden and unpredictable that the two frantically strip while the upbeat, rhythmic anthem of The Coral plays. Too bad this song got substituted in some pitches due to rights issues as it is one of the most dizzying and upbeat moments in the show's history.

15. Reise, "Don't Stop B believeing"

Season 3, Episode 2, "My Journey"

In this Season 3 episode, the people of Sacred Heart dig up J.D. for the cheesy karaoke ballad of '80s rock gods, Journey. And yet, when it finally plays in the closing minutes, one is deeply taken in, in all its cloying, telegraphed sincerity. (See!Elliott sits on a train and goes everywhere!) He is delightfully aware of thisrubway, especially when J.D. give theSalt and pepper diner treatQueue 24 times on the bar's jukebox.

14. Clay Aiken, "Isn't she pretty?"

Season 4, Episode 17, "My Life in Four Chambers"

Catchy pop tunes often seeped through the showrub“Love of the fantastic and the absurd. Take this Season 4 episode that envisions the show as a multi-camera sitcom, laughs and stuff. There is a cheesy talent show subplot throughout the series with a cameo appearance by Clay Aikenamerican idol. The episode ends with an in-universe version of "Isn't She Lovely?" by Stevie Wonder, complete with spiky red hair and an oversized black blazer (oh my stuff).

13. Josh Radin, "Closer"

Staffel 4, Folge 19, „My Best Laid Down“

This won't be the last time ballad singer (and friend of Zach Braff) Josh Radin appears on this list, but his contributions to the show are generally supportiverubThe most exciting moments. In this episode, J.D. by his girlfriend after giving up a possible date with Elliott to be with her; his admission of this alternative plan leads to a struggle, Radin's pessimistic lyrics and soft intonation contrasting with the quiet, elapsed aftermath of their relationship.

Meanwhile, Turk and Carla's marital troubles escalate, highlighting the troubles in paradise for both of them. Rudin's approach is deceptively effective in its simplicity, but his work is used even more skilfully elsewhere.

12. The Brawl, "How to Save a Life"

Season 5, Episode 20, "My Lunch"

Speaking of tough guys who don't like to show their good side, Dr. Perry Cox takes a break from his endless sarcasm and J.D. to mourn one of the most disastrous medical decisions he's ever had to make in this episode. As the lonely piano and melancholy voices of The Fray play, we are greeted by a montage of three patients who die when the organs administered to them become infected with rabies.

JD he assures dr. Cox that there was no way he could have known that such an unlikely event could happen and that it wasn't his fault; but it still hits him hard, especially when you know that one of the patients closest to him could have waited another month for a kidney. A beautiful exploration of the emotional stress that healthcare professionals experience on a regular basis.

11. Death Cab für Cutie, "I'll Follow You Into The Dark"

Season 8, Episode 2, "My Last Words"

Season 8 has its issues, not as many as the dreaded Season 9, but it still showed that the series was on the wane and still produced fantastic episodes like "My Last Words" where J.D. and Turk takes the time to comfort a terminally ill man who faces his own impending doom. They stay by your bedside for hours thinking about what will happen when you die. Does it hurt? Where are you going? Concerned? Finally, Death Cab's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" is played for Cutie, and the two honor the man's death with a pint and bubbly. Not a bad way to celebrate.

10. The Butties, "Eight Days a Week"

Season 3, Episode 22, "My Best Friend's Wedding"

Islate, big sam lloydwas one ofrub'pure treasures like the perpetually belittled lost attorney Ted Buckland, whose languid face and listless expression always impresses the driestrubBut the most unexpectedly charming thing about Sam (and Ted) was his golden singing voice, which he brought to a music career with three of his college roommates, such as Beatles cover band The Butties.

Their unique talents were showcased in the season 3 finale when they were asked to perform the first dance song at Turk and Carla's wedding. His perfect rendition of The Beatles' "Eight Days a Week" is an exuberant celebration of the show's steady romance and an energetic farewell to the season.

09. Colin Hay, "Beautiful World"

Season 1, Episode 24, "My Last Day"

Men at Work's Colin Hay feels like the show's missing cast member, his work featured in at least seven episodes of the show. Her particular brand of lucid ballad first appears in the Season 1 finale, her tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition of sombre acoustics with lyrics like "My, my, my, it's a beautiful world / I like to swim in the sea." in contrast to the episode. emotional ups and downs.

On the plus side, a patient gets his life-saving surgery thanks to Dr. Cox to his ex-wife (and hospital board member) Jordan. But it comes at a price, as Jordan reveals the group's secrets over lunch the next day, including admitting he was dating J.D. before dr. cox That emotional tightrope walk is somethingrubit would improve over its lifetime, which is one of its best examples.

08. John Cale, „Hallelujah“

Season 1, Episode 4, "My Old Lady"

Long before his overuse in a slew of movies and television sapped his emotional power, "Hallelujah" had an early impact on the worldrub' runs in its fourth episode as an elderly patient J.D. Don't get too lost in your work. It's a lesson the three doctors must learn quickly, as all three patients die in quick succession. The song's melancholy is a poignant way of selling the harsh truths of death they will face every day. Also, it's the John Cale cover, which hasn't been used as much as the Leonard Cohen original, so there's still something fresh about it.

07. The Polyphonic Spree, „Seção 9 (Daylight / Reach for the Sun)“

Season 3, Episode 19, "My Best Choice Ever"

der polyphone SpreeI don't usually notice them, but their guest appearance on the show here is a treat, especially because it's so unexpected. At the beginning of the episode, a new patient frequently mentions to the doctors that they need to get back to their band so they can tour Europe. To impress another doctor, Dr. Cox asks for a few favors and takes his band to the sickroom... and lo and behold, Tim DeLaughter and a dozen instrumentalists and vocalists enter the room in matching white outfits. Harps, keyboards and trumpets all come out in maximalist glory as DeLaughter picks up the mic and blows balloons off the ceiling.

06. The Blanks, "Over the Rainbow"

Season 5, Episode 7, "My Way Home"

The butties weren't Sam Lloyd's only musical outletrubThe most iconic is probably his a cappella group The Blanks, which sends Technicolor in color tonesThe Wizard of Ozpay homage to "My Way Home" with an enchanting, humming rendition of "Over the Rainbow" high atop Sacred Heart. Watching these clips just a year after Sam Lloyd's death is enough to bring tears to your eyes; The beautiful Schlub really was the centerpiece of the show, and this showcase of her angelic voice proves it.