The Troubadour & Such
One of my most favorite aspects of Gilmore Girls is the commitment to the show’s soundtrack. It starts off strong with the theme song which is “Where You Lead I Will Follow” by Carole King and I don’t think anyone could have ever picked a greater song for the job. Lyrics in the song such as, “Where you lead, I will follow anywhere that you tell me to if you need, you need me to be with you I will follow where you lead,” sets the entire premise of the show in my opinion. Through every season, Rory and Lorelai drop anything and everything when the other is in need and find each other.
In season 1, episode 1 the show kicks off with “There She Goes” by The La’s. Whenever I hear this song I picture myself as Loreali Gilmore, I’m living in a small town in Connecticut wearing the greatest pair of low rise denim with the coolest vintage jacket on the way to my everyday coffee place to yap the ear off of the owner about frivolous things. But of course I am not Lorelai Gilmore and I will never get to live through the early 2000s or pull off low rise jeans. So instead I listen to this song doing ordinary tasks, such as going to grab a solo breakfast before a class or walking up my dorm stairs with a laundry basket on my hip, and I try to pretend I am that cool and maybe one day I will be.
Over the years, I’ve curated a rather stellar playlist of songs that have appeared in the show or remind me of the show. A few of these songs are, “Hero Takes A Fall” by The Bangles who actually appear in season 1, episode 13 of the show when Rory, Lorelai and friends take a trip to New York City to see them on their reunion tour. “One Line” by PJ Harvey is also a classic, and a PJ Harvey concert creates a conflict between Rory, Paris and a complicated boy during their high school years. Some honorable mentions are “Girl From Mars” by Ash, “Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard” by Paul Simon, and “Que Sera Sera” by Doris Day. For fun, you can check out the full playlist here!
In addition to the soundtrack, Stars Hollow (which is the town the Gilmore girls reside in) has a town troubadour, who is portrayed by an actual musician known as Grant Lee Philips. He appears throughout the show and in its revival. Oftentimes he is shown playing acoustic guitar and singing well known songs, but my favorite moments are when he sings his original songs. These moments are usually accompanied by stunning scenes of the show. In season 4, episode 13 of the show the town puts on a firelight festival and there is a slow moment on screen that follows the troubadour around and then shares the town all lit up by star lights. This episode is also one of the first moments where we get a possible foreshadowing about Lorelai and her future partner who also happens to be the owner of that everyday coffee place.
When most people think of Gilmore Girls they begin to hear the classic “la la” vocals that appear throughout the show, known as the signature musical score. This was done by musician Sam Phillips whose other songs pop up on the show from time to time, I often find myself listening to these songs. Phillips actually appears in the series finale as well, she portrays a second town troubadour.
When I was thinking up a topic and name for this blog, I thought that there was nothing more me than Gilmore Girls so I took that and ran. If I Could Write also happens to be the name of a song by Sam Phillips that plays multiple times through the series. As a writer, I find myself questioning if this is something that I am actually good at quite often. I spend a lot of time trying to be better and wishing that I was better. I thought it was a fitting name for this chapter of my writing and it creates a little inside joke with myself and the running competition of wondering if I can actually write.
See you next Thursday!
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