KirstenL4W

One of the first TV shows I really remember being influential in helping shape my musical taste was Felicity. It was a show that debuted in 1998, about 4 years after I had given up on college but still while in the midst of my wanderlust and general dissatisfaction with my place in life, at least, geographically speaking. Felicity was a young woman about to start college who threw away the sensible plans and followed her crush to a school all the way across the country. I could never relate to the following your crush thing, but the moving cross country thing struck a chord with me. I watched that show and lived vicariously through her. The show was on for four years, one for each year of college, and a year after the show ended I finally packed up and followed my dream.

There have been TV shows on in the past that featured popular music of the day. Felicity was, in my mind, a bit of a trendsetter because it not only featured the music, but did so prominently. At the end of each episode, there would be an announcement that showed the artists and albums where one could find the music. The show produced not one, but two soundtracks - Freshman Year and Senior Year. These two albums don’t even come close to the tip of the iceberg as far as music that was featured on the show.

Now I know, some of you will argue with me about which show really was the first to put music in the forefront like this. But Felicity was the first show that I can remember watching that made such a musical impression, and this is my blog, so my memories rule here.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, the music. The music set the theme for the show, or scenes within the show. I think like that a lot - depending on the situation, I might have a song in my head that goes along with that scene in my life. Often times, music in a scene, be it theater, tv, or a movie, helps cement the mood of the scene and make it that much more memorable. Unlike the days of yore, music is no longer just a means of entertainment or a way to show off some talent. It is so intertwined with our lives. Can you imagine life without music? Try watching some of the deleted scenes on one of your favorite DVDs. You’ll notice that many times, the special effects are missing but so is the music. It’s a bit odd watching the deleted scenes right after watching the movie, having the song or background music in your head, and not hearing it from the speakers. My life without music would be…flat.

I’ve found some sites online that claim to have complete listings of all the songs played during the course of the Felicity series. One is here and the other is here. There are some discrepancies between the two lists, and some of that may be owing to the fact that when the DVDs came out, some songs were replaced because of licensing issues. Just look at it this way: it’s that many more songs you can check out for your collection.

Other Posts Like Me:

• Music on Mondays - Soundtracks
• Music on Mondays - Nostalgia
• Music on Mondays - Richard Cheese
• Chantal Concert
• Music on Mondays - Breakup Mix Exchange

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