This set of episodes is an absolute goldmine for great music. Not only do we have three tracks from Cream in episode 6, but we have three Billy Joel songs in episode 7! This is a really great week for music in the Freaks and Geeks world.
P.S. If you want to talk Billy Joel, I love Billy Joel. Feel free to comment about it!
P.S. If you want to talk Billy Joel, I love Billy Joel. Feel free to comment about it!
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Episode 6: I'm with the Band
SYNOPSIS
Sam faces having to shower in front of his gym classmates and refuses to do it, but when he finally caves, things backfire and he ends up streaking across the entire school building. Lindsay learns that Nick faces going to the army if he doesn't become a pro drummer; she tries to help, but ends up hurting him in the process and getting more entangled in his life.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Dreams take work, too.
I think that one of the biggest misconceptions about following one's dream is that it's easy. Of course it's not easy! Pursuing any end takes a lot of work, and following one's dream is no exception. Nick faces the fact that he may not be good enough to follow his dream because he isn't putting in the work to do so. The good thing about following one's dream, though it takes a lot of work, is that the rewards are incredibly gratifying, and the road to success is much easier to travel when you know that you love walking it.
MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE
Madness "One Step Beyond" (1979) This freaky, campy song has an almost cartoon feel to it with the upbeat tempo, the minor key of the harpsichord, and the funky saxophone. I think it sounds a lot like "Yakety Sax", which most of us have heard before. This makes it totally appropriate as the song that Sam streaks to.
Cream "Crossroads" (1968) This is the song that Nick has to audition on to join the 'official' band. It's a great song with clean vocals, engaging guitar solos, and a moderately difficult drum part that requires an extensive knowledge of the kit. This song also has lyrical significance in that Nick is at a crossroads. He can continue on his own path, the path of becoming a drummer, or he can take the path towards the army, the path towards which his dad is pushing him.
Cream "Sunshine of Your Love" (1967) This song is already rough around the edges, but Nick's band totally destroys all of its coherency. This song isn't very significant except for that it's well known, so when we hear Nick and the gang trash it, we can recognize just how bad they are.
Cream "White Room" (1968) The beginning of this song sounds something like what would play over the stare-down at the beginning of an old west gunfight. The song plays when Sam is about to face his fear of showering in front of his peers. Then the song picks up the tempo and more of Cream's clean-cut lyrics play with a very progressive feeling.
Rush "The Spirit of Radio" (1980) This song, with an incredibly dense score (lots of notes for all the band members to play) introduces us to the full extent of Nick's commitment to drumming. It's fast and furious and loud, just like Nick's passion for drumming.
BEST QUOTES
Sam Weir: You look a little bit like my grandpa.
Bill Haverchuck: Oh, is your grandpa super cool?
"It's a lot easier for me to drum without fabric on my thighs." -Nick
Neal Schweiber: My mom says women prefer guys with a good sense of humor.
Bill Haverchuck: But you're not funny.
Neal Schweiber: Screw you. I'm hilarious!
"Lindsay, tell your brother what a beautiful body he has." -Jean Weir
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Episode 7: Carded and Discarded
SYNOPSIS
Sam and his friends face a rare opportunity to befriend the incredibly nice and attractive new girl, Maureen. Lindsay gets the freaks fake IDs, but they get called out at the club by the guidance counselor who is also the lead singer of the band they came to see.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be.
We can see this lesson most obviously in Harold Weir's apprehension that his kids are growing away from the family, but we also see it in the Maureen situation. This is a pretty straightforward lesson. If you have to cling to something, it's probably not the most optimal situation.
MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE
Alice Cooper "I'm Eighteen" performed by Jeff Rosso This song is performed by Mr. Rosso at the beginning of the episode as he counsels the freaks and later in the episode at the bar where he performs with a band. There's a lot of irony in the choice of this song. It's funny in the first place because Rosso so isn't 18, and the freaks are struggling with getting into bars because the so are 18 (or under).
This is the first time that I've noticed a character having some sort of musical theme. The new girl, Maureen, has a theme, Billy Joel. All of her montages in this episode are overlayed with Billy Joel songs.
Billy Joel "C'etait Toi (You Were the Only One)" (1980) It's interesting to note that the show only uses the French section of this song. This track plays when the boys first meet see Maureen, and the lyrics are pretty straightforward.
Billy Joel "Rosalinda's Eyes" (1978) This beautiful song is actually a tribute to Joel's mother, Rosalind. This song bookends the geeks' interaction with Maureen; it plays when they launch the rocket, at the beginning of the friendship, and it plays as Maureen walks away from the geeks towards the cheerleaders, ultimately ending the friendship. The exotic feel of the song and Joel's obvious love and care for 'Rosalinda' reflects the geeks' fascination in and admiration for Maureen.
Billy Joel "Don't Ask Me Why" (1980) This song plays during the Iron Horse all-you-can-eat night, which is pretty much the last time Maureen hangs out with Sam and the geeks. It has a feeling of farewell to it, which is appropriate for the situation.
BEST QUOTES
Mr. Rosso: I could get up every morning and go “I don’t wanna go and help a bunch of kids. I’m tired.” But I don’t. I get up, and put on my shirt and my tie and I say, “Hot dog! Lemme at ’em.”
Ken: Do you actually say the words “hot dog”?
Mr. Rosso: Yes, I do.
"Everything fun in this world happens in bars." -Ken
Maureen: God, Bill, your rocket’s huge.
Bill: Oh it is? I hadn’t noticed.
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Episode 6: I'm with the Band
SYNOPSIS
Sam faces having to shower in front of his gym classmates and refuses to do it, but when he finally caves, things backfire and he ends up streaking across the entire school building. Lindsay learns that Nick faces going to the army if he doesn't become a pro drummer; she tries to help, but ends up hurting him in the process and getting more entangled in his life.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
Dreams take work, too.
I think that one of the biggest misconceptions about following one's dream is that it's easy. Of course it's not easy! Pursuing any end takes a lot of work, and following one's dream is no exception. Nick faces the fact that he may not be good enough to follow his dream because he isn't putting in the work to do so. The good thing about following one's dream, though it takes a lot of work, is that the rewards are incredibly gratifying, and the road to success is much easier to travel when you know that you love walking it.
MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE
Madness "One Step Beyond" (1979) This freaky, campy song has an almost cartoon feel to it with the upbeat tempo, the minor key of the harpsichord, and the funky saxophone. I think it sounds a lot like "Yakety Sax", which most of us have heard before. This makes it totally appropriate as the song that Sam streaks to.
Cream "Crossroads" (1968) This is the song that Nick has to audition on to join the 'official' band. It's a great song with clean vocals, engaging guitar solos, and a moderately difficult drum part that requires an extensive knowledge of the kit. This song also has lyrical significance in that Nick is at a crossroads. He can continue on his own path, the path of becoming a drummer, or he can take the path towards the army, the path towards which his dad is pushing him.
Cream "Sunshine of Your Love" (1967) This song is already rough around the edges, but Nick's band totally destroys all of its coherency. This song isn't very significant except for that it's well known, so when we hear Nick and the gang trash it, we can recognize just how bad they are.
Cream "White Room" (1968) The beginning of this song sounds something like what would play over the stare-down at the beginning of an old west gunfight. The song plays when Sam is about to face his fear of showering in front of his peers. Then the song picks up the tempo and more of Cream's clean-cut lyrics play with a very progressive feeling.
Rush "The Spirit of Radio" (1980) This song, with an incredibly dense score (lots of notes for all the band members to play) introduces us to the full extent of Nick's commitment to drumming. It's fast and furious and loud, just like Nick's passion for drumming.
BEST QUOTES
Sam Weir: You look a little bit like my grandpa.
Bill Haverchuck: Oh, is your grandpa super cool?
"It's a lot easier for me to drum without fabric on my thighs." -Nick
Neal Schweiber: My mom says women prefer guys with a good sense of humor.
Bill Haverchuck: But you're not funny.
Neal Schweiber: Screw you. I'm hilarious!
"Lindsay, tell your brother what a beautiful body he has." -Jean Weir
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Episode 7: Carded and Discarded
SYNOPSIS
Sam and his friends face a rare opportunity to befriend the incredibly nice and attractive new girl, Maureen. Lindsay gets the freaks fake IDs, but they get called out at the club by the guidance counselor who is also the lead singer of the band they came to see.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it was meant to be.
We can see this lesson most obviously in Harold Weir's apprehension that his kids are growing away from the family, but we also see it in the Maureen situation. This is a pretty straightforward lesson. If you have to cling to something, it's probably not the most optimal situation.
MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE
Alice Cooper "I'm Eighteen" performed by Jeff Rosso This song is performed by Mr. Rosso at the beginning of the episode as he counsels the freaks and later in the episode at the bar where he performs with a band. There's a lot of irony in the choice of this song. It's funny in the first place because Rosso so isn't 18, and the freaks are struggling with getting into bars because the so are 18 (or under).
This is the first time that I've noticed a character having some sort of musical theme. The new girl, Maureen, has a theme, Billy Joel. All of her montages in this episode are overlayed with Billy Joel songs.
Billy Joel "C'etait Toi (You Were the Only One)" (1980) It's interesting to note that the show only uses the French section of this song. This track plays when the boys first meet see Maureen, and the lyrics are pretty straightforward.
Billy Joel "Rosalinda's Eyes" (1978) This beautiful song is actually a tribute to Joel's mother, Rosalind. This song bookends the geeks' interaction with Maureen; it plays when they launch the rocket, at the beginning of the friendship, and it plays as Maureen walks away from the geeks towards the cheerleaders, ultimately ending the friendship. The exotic feel of the song and Joel's obvious love and care for 'Rosalinda' reflects the geeks' fascination in and admiration for Maureen.
Billy Joel "Don't Ask Me Why" (1980) This song plays during the Iron Horse all-you-can-eat night, which is pretty much the last time Maureen hangs out with Sam and the geeks. It has a feeling of farewell to it, which is appropriate for the situation.
BEST QUOTES
Mr. Rosso: I could get up every morning and go “I don’t wanna go and help a bunch of kids. I’m tired.” But I don’t. I get up, and put on my shirt and my tie and I say, “Hot dog! Lemme at ’em.”
Ken: Do you actually say the words “hot dog”?
Mr. Rosso: Yes, I do.
"Everything fun in this world happens in bars." -Ken
Maureen: God, Bill, your rocket’s huge.
Bill: Oh it is? I hadn’t noticed.
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I have to say I have never heard any of the songs you mentioned but I think it is interesting how you analyze lessons learned from the episodes in which they were played.
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