List of Music and Songs from The O.C.

It is a known fact that music is the 8th star of the popular TV series The O.C. which came to an end last year after 4 seasons. Power of The O.C.'s songs heavily relies on the wit of Music Supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, whose remarkable choice of music can also be heard at other series such as Grey's Anatomy which earned her a Grammy nomination.

Made up of indie rock bands most of which are not mainstream (either by principle or because they are newcomers), the music of The O.C. can be described as highly emotional and occasionally upbeat. Although one would think that due to the beach and summer culture of California, faster, happier tracks would be dominant, the series is far from being on a merry-go-round trip and the songs simply reflect this fact. We are talking about serious high school drama stuffed with all sorts of adult problems here and that is why Seth and Summer have always been a sigh of relief both as individually entertaining characters and as a couple never short of providing comic relief and irony to the situation at hand.

Apart from that, music of The O.C. is rather characteristic by being acoustic or classic guitar heavy. Classic guitar is an instrument highly suitable for your stereotpical setting made up of a summer night at the beach, a fire, a bunch of teenagers who are eyeing each other for an opportunity and some romantic guy playing guitar singing some romantic songs. I only like these types of settings when they mark the beginning of a movie like Jaws but oh well... Still, a song built on classic or acoustic guitar never fails to bring serene summer nights to one's mind. Thus, it is an extremely clever move from Patsavas to use these type of songs to set the mood for an emotional scene at the pier, an emotional scene by the pool house, an emotional scene at the beach an emoti... you get the idea.

We also have your energetic summer songs such as The Way We Get By of Spoon or Ch-Check It Out by Beastie Boys, which made its debut on the show and became a success right away.

So,, time to throw my 5 cents of favorite songs among the tens that are featured in the series.

Strange and Beautiful (Aqualung): This has been among my personal favorites for ages. It is a song that Coldplay wish they could pull together but they were too busy going down the hill after Trouble and The Scientist that they missed the muse who ended up on Aqualung's doorstep. The song can be heard in the first season while Marissa and Ryan make out in the pool room. These two rarely have three consequent scenes in which they are happy together so I'll not be too harsh with this one and claim that one of my favorite songs is gone wasted.

Orange Sky (Alexi Murdoch): An emotional scene from season one, this time involving Ryan and his brother who is in prison (at the time), is adorned with this soothing peace. The lyrics fit the scene and the relationship between Ryan and his older brother who keeps causing trouble for him well as they go:

"Well I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother standing by
I said brother, you know (you know)
It's a long road we've been walking on..."

It can also be categorized under easy-listening and, like many O.C. songs, is perfect if you're on the road, travelling from one place to another.

We Used To Be Friends (The Dandy Warhols): The Dandy Warhols first caught my attention with their Bohemian Like You in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Soundtrack. Although I can't go as far as saying I'm a fan, I have to admit that their music somehow sticks with you for a while. After hearing We Used To Be Friends during the first season of O.C., in a scene when Anna and Summer team up against Seth, I caught myself murmuring "a long time ago, we used to be friends, a-a-a-a-aaa, a-a-a-a-aaa" during the most unexpected moments. Well, it shows I was not the only one who found this song addictive after all. Thus, it already left its days as a sidekick to comical scenes behind and is now the "main theme" of Veronica Mars! Go figure.

Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt): A song that puts a smile on my face every time I listen to it. I mean who wouldn't giggle at the lyrics:

"Santa honey, one little thing I really need
The deed
To a platinum mine,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight..."

Simply marvelous! Enter Summer dropping her coat off to reveal the Wonder Woman costume (Seth's favorite female comic character) underneath so as to win Seth Cohen over and you'll get the idea why this song and this scene are so good together.

Dice (Finley Quaye feat. Beth Orton): Another season one favorite as it plays on New Year's night when Ryan catches up with Marissa before the clock strikes midnight and kisses her before Oliver (grrrr) does. This is episode further accentuates the fact that it is not going to be flowers and rainbows for Marissa and Ryan as far as her constant stubbornness with befriending guys who end up falling in love with her and causing a stir for her relationship go.

"Nothing can compare
To when you roll the dice and you swear your love's for me..."???

You bet!

If You Leave (Nada Surf): This beautiful cover is heard during one of the most climactic scenes of season one where Anna is about to leave Newport and go back to Pittsburgh. Seth reaches the airport just in time to give her a proper yet teary goodbye. Anna Stern is my girl! She is the only female character who has any sense of personality (aside from pre-alcoholic Kirsten Cohen) throughout the entire first season. Marissa is portrayed as a constantly troubled teenager who leans towards annoying after a certain point while Summer is depicted as somewhat of a "legally blonde" gone dark. Anna's stepping into Newport (she makes her debut during the annual cotillion) finally gives us a teenage character who is witty, funny, atypical (she loves comics and video games yay!) and cool as hell! The scene of Anna and Seth saying their goodbyes accompanied by If You Leave is also a tribute to the movie Pretty in Pink where the song is originally from.

Into Dust (Mazzy Star): Perfect outro for Marissa's overdose in The Escape, Mazzy Star presents us with a song that is as depressing as it gets with its lyrics and minimalism. With her father loosing everything and ending up bankrupt, her parents getting a divorce and her boyfriend cheating on her, Marissa decides to "turn into dust" and takes a handful of pain killers in a bar before passing out in an alley. The song plays when Ryan finds her lying there unconscious and picks her up while they're both accentuated by the light emanating from behind. The lyrics reflect this moment quite profoundly:

"I could possibly be fading
Or have something more to gain
I could feel myself growing colder
I could feel myself under your fate..."

Eastern Glow (The Album Leaf): As soon as I heard this song I fell in love with it. Honestly, so excited was I by the sound of Eastern Glow that I listened to other songs by The Album Leaf and will simply say that I'll stick with this one. Eastern Glow is an extremely dramatic song with a definitive string partition that hits the spot right away! It suits the first episode of the second season perfectly as we are introduced with a separated Ryan and Marissa carrying the burden of circumstances they are in on their shoulders and obviously still in love with each other. Sitting alone at the lifeguard tower (which will be Marissa's favorite spot until the very end) at night, Marissa calls Ryan but cannot talk to him and Ryan does not hang up the phone, most likely realizing where this silent call is coming from. Great scene, great song, enough said.

Goodnight & Go (Imogen Heap): Alex (the punk, wild newcomer who is now in charge of the Bait Shop where our gang usually hangs out at night) and Seth share a kiss but it means nothing to Alex. To prove that, she kisses other members of the staff in front of Seth and walks away. Enter Goodnight & Go, one of the cutest songs ever written about falling in love against your will:

"Why'd you have to be so cute?!
It's impossible to ignore you
Must you make me laugh so much?
It's bad enough we get along so well
Say goodnight & go..."

The song replays at the end of the episode when Alex and Seth share another kiss, indicating it might not be as casual as Alex thinks.

Champagne Supernova (Matt Pond PA): My favorite episode (with its being clad in rain and) since all those that get in the way a.k.a. Ryan's love interest Lindsay, her mother Renee, first love of Sandy Cohen, Rebecca and Summer's perfectly perfect, so-called boyfriend Zach go their ways and leave our main cast alone only to be replaced by others but anyway. This song plays in the background during the most remarkable if not one of the most unforgettable scenes of O.C. where Summer and Seth reprise and pay a tribute to the famous upside down kiss from Spiderman II.

Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap): The song that turned into an overnight success when featured at the second season's finale and has been heard numerous times at other shows ever since. Hide and Seek is an indescribable piece with its digitally constructed a cappella vocals. It has an extraordinary yet very dramatic flow due to its artificial sound. The lyrics as they start flowing with a "Where are we? What the hell is going on?!" suit impeccably to the finale in slow motion which implies the events taking place in the blink of an eye are too unreal and dramatic to be true. Hide and Seek is a song that is worth listening to at least once not because it is the most beautiful song ever but it is a significant attempt in broadening the possibilities in vocal performance.

California, the opening title of The O.C. by Phantom Planet is also a song that deserves mentioning because like many other successful main title songs, it is strictly associated with The O.C. and instantly takes us to Newport wherever we may be.

The music of The O.C. is a character that needs not definition but waits to be experienced by watching the series. It intensifies the moments that are carved in our minds, it carries the show to a new dimension and, when listened outside the series, present us with new meanings depending on the setting and mood we are listening to them in.

One final applause for Alexandra Patsavas, please...