List of Music and Songs from House

One of the ways artists can showcase their talents to an even broader fan base is through television. I have discovered many new artists thanks to musical interludes on TV shows. This list highlights counts down my top ten picks for songs featured on House, M.D.

#10- "Grey Room" by Damien Rice

This song aired during the third season episode "One Day, One Room" on January 30, 2007. The episode was unusual for House, M.D. regulars as Dr. House (a.k.a. Hugh Laurie) tended to clinic duty without any real medical mystery. There he encounters a young woman whom he diagnoses with an STD and discovers a darker secret. Unbelievably, this young woman insists the taciturn doctor is the only one she will allow to treat her. House is then thrust into a mind-bending trek through discovery and doubt. All he holds dear is shaken by the faith of this lone woman. The haunting melody of "Grey Room" fits perfectly with House's journey of doubt.

#9- "See the World" by Gomez

In season three, episode 15 entitled, "Half-Wit," Dave Matthews guest stars as a piano savant in need of a diagnosis. Ironically, it is not Dave Matthews (of Dave Matthews Band fame) that is recognized in the musical track. Gomez sings an upbeat song, "See the World" for the reawakening of Matthews' character from not having any quality of life to having some. The acoustic guitar track is optimistic and the words bubbly but not over the top. It is a simple song of hope that eased the viewers into the ending credits.

#8- "Little Delia" by Blind Willie McTell

A delightful aspect of the show is House's penchant for unusual music. "Little Delia" was a song that aired during season 1's finale, "The Honeymoon." The down home country blues tune cast a fun glow over the irony of House having to diagnosis his former fiancée's husband's illness. The best part is that House, M.D. does not just showcase current music but that of days long past. "Little Delia" was released in 1949 as part of Blind Willie McTell's acoustic 12 string guitar album, Atlanta Twelve String.

#7- "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera

It may seem cliché to include this song but it was placed so flawlessly into the season two episode entitled, "Autopsy." Sasha Pieterse plays Andie, an usually brave 9 year old cancer survivor who appears to have a new form of cancer. As the show begins, we see young, bald Andie preparing for school while singing along with Aguilera's powerful ballad. Society's view on beauty and this young girl's open acceptance of her appearance merge beautifully with this song.

#6- "One" by Three Dog Night

This hit single from the early 1970's was featured in the second episode of the first season, "Paternity." House, while proving his theory that everyone lies, tried to verify the paternity of a high school patient he's treating. He is certain one parent had an affair...but later learns, thanks to the boy, that he is adopted. The boy's pure love for his adoptive parents moves House and shows the viewers that there is more to the gruff doctor than meets the eye. The end of the show pans out on a lacrosse field and we see Dr. House watching his patient, now healthy, playing the game. The song "One" is played and we see House for who he is, a brilliant mind but lonely. "One" (is the loneliest number) accentuates his aloneness, even in that great crowd.

#5- "Pain in My Heart" by Otis Redding

Even after only two seasons, viewers learned that House loves jazz and R&B soul. In the season two episode, "Safe," we see House enjoying one of the R&B soul greats, Otis Redding. "Pain in My Heart" was a very nice complement to the story line of a young woman, living in a "safe" room due to being immuno-suppressed, who becomes violently ill while kissing his boyfriend.

#4- "All My Life" by DJ Harry

An odd choice for a musical sequence in a TV show as serious as House, M.D. would be a dance mix by DJ Harry. But in season four episode, "Guardian Angel," the song fit in nicely with the sick young woman who begins to hallucinate. House's new medical team is not only taken in, but enthralled with the woman who can "see" dead people. House is determined to get to the bottom of it and along the way "All My Life" is slipped in as a moving yet peppy tune to offset the dourness.

#3- "Not All Me" by Alanis Morrisette

House begins to wonder about life after death when a clinic patient comes in for a follow up after being electrocuted. In his usual devil-may-care but still cautious manner, he too electrocutes himself after paging one of his new doctors. Viewers watch, uncertain as to whether or not House will survive this latest idiocy, as Alanis Morrissette's oddly cheerful tune, "Not All Me" plays. The contrast is disturbingly effective. You cannot tear your eyes away and even though you know he is a moron for trying that, you can also understand why he would try it.

#2- "Desire" by Ryan Adams

Another season two episode, "Skin Deep," highlighted one of the most beautiful song sequences. The show seamlessly wove Ryan Adam's "Desire" into the fabric of the story of a young model besieged by an unknown illness. While the doctors are taken in by her beauty and naivety, they soon discover the beauty hides an ugly truth. Adam's vocals are haunting and a perfect fit for the mood of the episode. You may also recognize Ryan Adam's from October Road. He did the music, "Follow the Lights" for the second season premiere.

#1- "Nessun Dorma" by Pavarotti

In my opinion, this was the best musical sequence to date in House, M.D. Classical music seems an odd choice for a prime TV show about an irreverent doctor, but House, M.D. is a veritable melting pot of genres. This song was played during the most dramatic part of the previously mentioned episode, "Autopsy." The young cancer patient undergoes a dangerous and experimental procedure in which they essentially kill her, drain her blood and hopefully discover what is wrong with her before reviving her. The most famous tenor aria, sung by one of the most famous tenors of all time, is played as the lifeless body of Andie is shown. "Nessun Dorma" is translated as "None Shall Sleep" and is sung by a man who falls in love with the beautiful but Sleeping Beauty-esque Princess Turandot. The effect and parallel to the opera is chilling to say the least.

Sources:

IMDB.com http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1117787/

TV Show Songs http://www.tvshowsongs.com/house4e3.html

Heard On TV http://heardontv.com/