“Scrubs,” a medical comedy following young doctor John “JD” Dorian and fellow hospital workers, was a show that utilizes music to its greatest extent, using it to score everything from JD’s wacky fantasies to big romantic hook–ups to sad scenes tainted by death. The show released three official soundtracks throughout its run. It all started with the theme song, Lazlo Bane’s “Superman,” which emphasizes the themes of community and individual limitations that were so important within the show.
When it came to big romantic moments, “Scrubs” often chose fast–paced and exciting music to match the action on–screen. The show’s main couple, JD and Elliot, had an on–and–off type of relationship, and any time they got back together was momentous. When they first get together in “My Drug Buddy,” Nil Lara’s “Fighting for My Love” served the scene perfectly. The song builds as the resolution to Carla’s plot with Dr. Kelso reaches its crescendo, and the music pauses as Elliot reveals her feelings for JD before finally continuing as the couple finally kiss. Unlike most instances where the songs are chosen after the episode had finished taping, The Coral’s “Dreaming of You” was chosen prior to filming the scene, according to series creator Bill Lawrence, so that they could choreograph JD and Elliot’s frantic hook up to the music. The effort really shows as the pair slams against walls and knocks over lamps in rhythm with the music.
The show also used music to emphasize some of its most devastating moments, usually centered around JD’s mentor, Dr. Cox. At the end of “My Screw Up,” the use of Joshua Radin’s haunting “Winter” is the perfect accompaniment for the moment when Dr. Cox finally allows himself to show emotion following the surprising death of his best friend. The show’s other dramatic episode, “My Lunch,” manages to use the most fitting song for a medical show: The Fray’s “How to Save a Life.” In the final moments, as three of Dr. Cox’s patients begin to die, the song starts as the doctors unsuccessfully attempt to save them and ends just as Dr. Cox finally explodes into a rage and trashes the medical equipment. It may seem cliché now to use the song for a medical show, but it was cutting–edge at the time.
The show even brought its musical performances on–screen. Sam Lloyd, who played bumbling lawyer Ted, was also a member of the a cappella group “The Blanks,” who would occasionally show up as Ted’s in–show band “The Worthless Peons.” At the end of their first appearance in season one’s “My Hero,” they perform their cover of the “Underdog” theme in time with Dr. Cox stepping up to comfort his ill best friend. The song ends just as Dr. Cox pauses in the hallway, his medical coat blowing like a cape on his back. Other notable covers by Ted and his band over the course of the show include “Over the Rainbow” in the show’s Wizard of Oz themed episode, Outkast’s “Hey Ya” at the Janitor’s wedding, and their own take on the show’s theme song “Superman” in the series finale.
In the season six episode “My Musical,” a patient with a brain aneurysm sees everything going on around her as songs in a musical, allowing the entire cast to perform throughout the episode. Featuring songs that parody “Grease,” “Les Miserables,” and “The Pirates of Penzance,” as well as songs like the tango performed by Turk and Carla, the episode is an absolute joy. Of course, the seminal song in the episode was “Guy Love,” an innuendo–laced duet between Turk and JD as they express the deep passions that made them TV’s greatest bromance.
Having used exceptional songs throughout the show’s run, the show also needed a great number to exit on. Peter Gabriel’s “The Book of Love,” which focuses on love, family and weddings, was a wonderful choice for JD’s final fantasy, which served as a pseudo– epilogue about his future marriage and children. While “Scrubs” was a perfect mix of comedy and drama, music brought the performance of the actors to a higher level; they couldn’t do it all on their own.
