Musical performances on TV shows have been a thing that kind of come and goes. They’re special in the sense that not every show makes them a usual thing, but they’re almost always a big deal when they happen. In some ways they can liven up the show and provide another layer of entertainment that might otherwise be lacking, but they can also add to the show in a sense that they become an integral part of the episode in which they’re displayed. No matter how they fit in it’s usually pretty cool to see a musical number in shows that aren’t commonly known for such things.
Here are a few that stand out.
5. American Horror Story-Evan Peters (Nirvana cover)
What makes this interesting is that the show itself is set back in the 1950’s and the song being sung didn’t come into play until the 1990’s. It’s one small quirk that AHS managed to slip into the show that might not have fit entirely but kind of gave a nice backdrop and made fans stand up and pay attention. Some might have nitpicked and cried foul for using the contribution of one decade with another, but overall it was kind of cool to hear.
4. Full House-Little Richard
Little Richard managed to spice up any show he happened to appear on. As one of the greatest rock and roll artists of all time he has the kind of charisma that allowed him to shine pretty much anywhere and put on a show that would bring back the feel of the old days in a brand new way. His very distinctive style was always welcome on TV.
3. The Simpsons-Red Hot Chili Peppers
At one point and time the Red Hot Chili Peppers were, well, for lack of a better word, hot. Their career was on a fast track and they couldn’t be touched in terms of their music. Being cast on the Simpsons was of course a very great honor at that time and couldn’t hurt a person’s reputation at all. In fact they kind of made this episode just as Aerosmith made another.
2. American Horror Story: Asylum-Shirley Ellis/Jessica Lange
American Horror Story has had this knack for confusing the fans for a while, though they’ve cut this kind of stuff out a great deal in their later seasons. It might seem campy and downright silly but it definitely made people scratch their heads and think “what is this?” while trying to sort out if they’d somehow flipped the channel when they weren’t looking.
1. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air-Boys II Men
How many people would just die from sheer enjoyment knowing that a famous vocal group had agreed to sing at their child’s baptism? The way the episode went you knew it would happen even if Will and the band had a few issues that they hadn’t quite dealt with in the past. Of course being Christmas the feeling of forgive and forget is stronger than any other time of the year.
It’s definitely a special moment when musicians decide to bring their talents to a TV show.
Follow Us
