“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” S1 in Ten Songs
Thursday, October 20, 2016 at 11:10PM With Crazy Ex Girlfriend returning Friday evening for Season 2, here's new contributor Jorge Molina surveying season 1's songs
Season 2 premieres Fri 10/21 at 9 pm on The CWMaking a Top 10 Best [blank] is pretty much impossible. Top 10s are never final, accurate, or objective.
So I decided not to do one.
After all, how could I rank and, even worse, decide on the best musical numbers of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s amazing first season? They all represent a different aspect of the show, and it would be unfair to compare them on equal terms. So I instead came up with a compilation of what are not necessarily the ten better numbers, but the ones that best showcase the show’s style, tone, and humor. What would be in a “Crazy XGF 101” course.
TEN SHOWCASE NUMBERS FROM SEASON 1
10. “Put Yourself First”
Crazy XGF constantly tries to subvert the notions of what society tells women they should be like. “Put Yourself First” examines the tricky balance between empowering feminism and appealing to the male gaze. In a parody of a Fifth Harmony-like girl group, Rebecca goes through a makeover as she questions if the things she’s doing are for herself, or for someone else. “Put yourself first for him” her campers answer.
09. “Cold Showers”
Rachel Bloom, like oh-so-many of us, is a self-declared, proud musical theater geek. So it’s no surprised that many numbers are inspired, or are downright parodies of Broadway showtunes. “Cold Showers” just happens to be the best one. Inspired by the patter “Ya Got Trouble” from The Music Man, the song is all about escalation. It’s delightful to see Rebecca try to convince an apartment complex to start a lawsuit because “cold showers are the gateway drug to crack.”
08. “After Everything I’ve Done for You (That You Didn’t Ask For)”
Donna Lynn Champlin has pipes, and the show showcases them anytime it has the chance (see the also incredible gospel “Face Your Fears,” or the subpar jazz number “His Status Is…Preferred”). But it’s with this number that she gets her due. In a showstopping tune modeled after “Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy, Paula finally breaks down at Rebecca’s ingratitude, even though Paula was always doing it more for herself than for her friend, who never asked for her help.
07. “What’ll It Be?”
Most of Greg’s songs reflect the ennui and frustrations of a stuck everyday man going through a mid-life crisis (see “I Could If I Wanted To”). Although “Settle for Me” might be his most recognizable number, “What’ll It Be?”, in all of its Billy Joel-esque glory, perfectly encompasses everything that makes up Greg: jade, frustration, and longing for meaning.
06. “The Sexy Getting Ready Song”
One of Crazy XGF’s strongest suits is its ability to turn small moments or ideas into full-fledged songs (a group hang, a girl crush, or heavy boobs, for example). In “The Sexy Getting Ready Show,” Rebecca is doing her pre-date rituals in a sultry R&B music video, with misogynistic rap included. And we get to see, as she whispers sexily in our ears, that it isn’t sexy at all.
05. “JAP Battle”
Musical numbers should exist to advance the plot in a way that would be harder to do with regular storytelling. So while they could have had Audra and Rachel insult each other or in a rowdy cat fight, they decided to have them battle rap. And hence probably the most lyrically gifted song of the season was born. “…Just how vicious this Westchester alpha bitch is…”, “So Sheket Bevaka, Shut the fuck up!”, “Blowin' frat guys with you’re A-E-piehole!” Take your pick. It’s all genius.
04. “Gettin’ Bi”
Throughout the course of the season, Darryl surprisingly became one of the most complex characters of the show: someone who is forever well-intentioned, but hasn’t found his true identity until he discovers his bisexuality. In this 80s dance pop number, Darryl breaks down all the myths and preconceptions of bisexuality. Representation matters.
03. “I’m the Villain in my Own Story”
There is a point in every anti-hero story, where the protagonist realizes that perhaps their actions aren’t that good and they are hurting people. The fact that Rebecca comes to this conclusion via a Disney villain song, a very specific yet instantly recognizable genre, is yet another testament of the show’s gift to subvert expectations.
02. “West Covina”
Location is central to Crazy XGF. The very premise of it hangs on Rebecca’s cross-country move from bustling New York to Californian suburbia. And in all of its “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Belle,” small-town Broadway glee, “West Covina” welcomes us to the people, places and essence of her new home. It’s our first number ever, and the one that introduces us to the journey we are about to embark in.
01. “You Stupid Bitch”
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a funny show. But it’s also a show that tackles very dark human emotions. And it works best when it combines both. No other number captures best the essence of the series and its protagonist better than “You Stupid Bitch.” In a sweeping, diva-like ballad worthy of Streisand or Dion, Rebecca goes back to that metaphorical sinkhole she too often lives in, and sings a grandiose ode to self-deprecation that speaks beautifully to the big themes of the show. It’s poignant, and self-aware, and pure dark comedy. It’s the single best moment of the first season.
“And lose some weight.”
Ouch.
Reader Comments (5)
She Gives Good parent is my fave song from season 1.
LOVE this list - it's a perfect primer for the show and actually it wouldn't be very far off from my Top 10 Best songs, either (I'd probably just replace "Cold Showers", which I think is great but not GREAT, with "Feelin' Kinda Naughty", which just goes ALL IN on the crazy in the most hilarious way).
I LOVE "I Give Good Parent", too. And "Where's the Bathroom?", "I Have Friends", "Oh My God I Think I Like You", and of course the shoulda-been-an-Emmy-winner "Settle For Me".
i cannot agree more on your pick for #1
such a brutal, heartbreaking piece that Rachel Bloom delivers with tremendous ache and pain
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Keep on sharing more.