Hundreds of TV shows both new and old have been marathoned during quarantine, ranging from Trinkets to old Star Trek episodes. The Emmy award-winning musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one of the shows to binge, and no one has to be a musical fanatic to get into it.
The show premiered on The CW in 2015 and focuses on big-shot lawyer Rebecca Bunch (played by Rachel Bloom) dropping everything to live closer to her high school boyfriend. All 62 episodes feature at least two original musical numbers performed by a diverse cast with a range of personalities and styles. While every song has its own unique flair, some of them manage to be frustratingly catchy.
“In my soul I feel the fire
‘Cause I’m heading for the pride of the inland empire!”
The very first song of the series features a Broadway-esque sequence that tells the audience what to expect in the show: this is Rebecca Bunch. She’s obsessed with West Covina. She’s going to move there! Not to get back together with her high school sweetheart who casually mentioned he lives there, oh no. It’s hard for anyone to not break out into song with the chorus and pretend for just a moment they’re moving to the magical place that is Los Angeles (county)!
“Might be an uphill climb
But I just gotta find
What’s at the end (please don’t make me say this)
Of this rainbow!”
An apathetic Heather sings about graduating from college, but it’s not as exciting as she thinks it is. Her actress Vella Lovell, who also played Mermista in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, is becoming known for her bored, monotone voice that perfectly fits Heather’s character. The song still maintains the happy beat that took inspiration from High School Musical songs, despite the lack of enthusiasm on Heather’s part.
“I used to like guacamole, now I don’t like guacamole
What if I stop liking other things I like?
Like, what if I stopped liking my mom?
If it worked on guacamole, it could work on my mom!”
Josh spiraling into a tornado of anxiety when he lets his mind wander…oh bud, everyone’s been there, it’ll be alright. Somehow the writers were able to combine the deepest darkest depths of Josh’s mind with chill guitar and drum beats reminiscent of a sunny day on the beach. While this character isn’t the sharpest knife in the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend drawer, his songs make up for it as they uphold the more silly nature of the show.
“Let’s get super-lit
And not admit
This is a kind of primal ritual we need now and then.”
All four of the main female characters of the show perform this song as they vent their frustrations with the men in their life…and men in general. It’s heavily inspired by 80s pop hits, specifically “It’s Raining Men” by the Weather Girls. Warning: watching the music video may tempt viewers to get perms and buy neon-colored blazers with shoulder pads.
“I was so eager, I couldn’t hide my keenness
Everything about it seemed quite ingenious!”
One of Paula’s trademarks in the show is singing songs that contain graphic imagery while the instrumentals remain graceful and upbeat. So a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend song based on the movie Mamma Mia! which is based on the Swedish pop group ABBA was guaranteed to be added to her list. Don’t let the raunchy nature of this song distract from those bouncy tunes!
“I don’t know how, I don’t know why,
But I like ladies
and I like guys!”
When the eccentric Daryll comes out as bisexual to his coworkers, he does so in the most Daryll way possible: performing a saxophone solo while wearing sunglasses and a white pantsuit. This song went viral due to its positive LGBTQ+ representation of bisexual individuals. It’s also a reflection of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s diverse cast of LGBTQ+ characters, which include Valencia, Maya, and White Josh. As a plus, the lyrics are chock-full of puns and funky beats, so it’s just naturally catchy.
“Women have the power—
The power to make a change
Like this girl should pluck her eyebrows
And those jeans should be exchanged.”
Even though Valencia eventually befriends Rebecca in later episodes, she was one of the main antagonists in season 1 who understandably thwarted Rebecca’s plans to get back with Josh, who Valencia was dating at the time. However Valencia hid her intentions under the guise of being a woman simply empowering another woman. No matter how cruel it is, this song is shamelessly fun to sing along to, and fulfills its role as one of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s “Disney villain” songs.
“God, I give you everything
And still you just want more, more, more, more, more!”
When Rebecca’s overbearing mother visits her new house, she makes sure to have a memorable first impression on viewers. This number strays from the pop song formula that the other tracks on this list use. Based on Fiddler on the Roof, the actual lyrics take time to learn, but the unique repetitive melody doesn’t.
“Their love is pure, groom meets bride
So we’d never soil it with a death pool on the side!”
White Josh’s first main number didn’t disappoint fans. Since the song is about the other characters betting on Rebecca’s romantic future, it was only natural that the famous 1950s musical Guys and Dolls would be the inspiration for the aesthetics and style. Most of the side characters are featured in this number as well, so listeners will surely have a favorite voice and lyric that will get trapped in their heads for a while.
“I need to choose between men, but until then
The center of the triangle is lil’ ol’ me!”
Of course, one of the most iconic numbers of the series had to make it on the list. There’s nothing better than the jazzy 1950s tunes, the back-and-forth between the love-sick Rebecca and team of handsome math professors, or the puns that infest this song. Adding in Rebecca’s unsettling baby voice (meant to mimic the infamous Marilyn Monroe), this is one of the many perfect songs of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to sing in the shower…or while sitting in a gigantic pretzel in the center of West Covina, which is only 2 hours from the beach.
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