I for one love Crazy Ex Girlfriend, the story where Rebecca Bunch moves to West Covina from big-law to pursue a romantic interest from summer camp when she was a teenager. This show is excellent for a variety of reasons, but the one I will focus on today is MUSIC! This show’s songs are incredibly catchy while also being oddly relatable.
I’ll just focus on the first season’s music for the purpose of this list. This is entirely based on my own taste!
S Tier:
Where’s The Bathroom – Having a Jewish mother myself, this song is intensely relatable, seeing a ball of anxiety unwind when they first see you. Overbearing comes through very well, and it’s well-written.
I Give Good Parent – There are a lot of people who know they’re great at making impressions on parents. I liked the twist of having this be more of a rap sorta song.
Settle For Me – This song is a classic, and has often been in my spotify playlists. Josh looks pathetic in how he propositions Rachel, and its clear that he’s trying, but unfortunately its not enough.
The Sexy Getting Ready Song – This song is so vivid in that one can easily imagine feeling this way on the way to a date. Women spending hours to get ready while dudes just brush their teeth, throw on a shirt, and maybe shower.
What’ll It Be- The idea that life is passing us by is a constant fear for many including myself. We see other people do wonderful things and worry that we’re not living up to our potential. Whether that’s serving drinks, or working a dead-end job, I think this song was relatable and Greg’s voice is wonderful.
A+ Tier:
California Christmastime- I like the way the song sounds, as I tend to like more rock-and-roll, and also enjoyed that it played up the fact that people’s lives here are normal and unassuming
West Covina – Rebecca rationalizes that West Covina is actually the place she wants to live on its own merits, and fools no one. This song shows that Rebecca is an unreliable narrator who isn’t seeing her own motivations clearly.
West Covina (reprise)- I’m lumping this into the same song as West Covina.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Theme Song- Brand New Friends and New Career… This song gets stuck in my head for a month at a time. It’s understandably a classic, and almost anti-cartoon trope, for instance, having the sun tell Rebecca she’s broken inside.
A tier:
Sex with A Stranger- It’s clear from this song that Rebecca has an active imagination and wants to believe the Hollywood hype that meeting somewhat tall and mysterious will lead to a spontaneous and exciting rendezvous. This song catchily shows her fantasy colliding with reality, while being easy to listen to.
Feeling Kinda Naughty- I recently watched Saltburn, and this seemed to show a dynamic that shows up when one is feeling inferior. Wanting to be, wanting to be with, and wanting to burn. I like how this song shows Rebecca wrestling with which she sees as her dominant feeling towards Valentina
His Status is… Preferred- Paula is probably the singer with the best voice on the show. This song was quite amusing since it portrayed that women’s fantasies of luxury and splendor aren’t always out of this world. It feels like this could be a real person’s inner monologue.
B Tier:
Face Your Fears- The thing I liked about this song was while it was encouraging, it also was a bit maniacal in that sometimes you have fears for a reason. It’s good not to play in the street, but maybe you should tighten up a bit less. Unfortunately, Paula doesn’t quite get the right balance.
I’m a good person- This is a classic Rebecca coping with her motivations. I would never be bad. I’m actually the best person in all the world. Because of this, it’s clear that she needs these delusions of grandeur to sustain herself at this point. This song was very entertaining.
I’m so Good At Yoga- Here we first meet Valentina, and she’s immediately intimidating to Rebecca. This challenged her idea that she was just going to end up with Josh, as it presents a sexy rival.
C Tier:
A Boy Band Made Up of Four Joshes- Experimental can be good, or bad. In this case, it was bad. I get that this is Rebecca’s fantasy, but one of the less interesting concepts behind a song.
I love my daughter- It was hard for this song to strike the right balance of funny good dad, and also being alert to appearances of impropriety. While an amusing concept, I think this fell a little flat on delivery. Also, I don’t like the character’s voice as much as some of the others.
I have friends- I didn’t think the whole daughter to adult combination was well-executed in this song. It felt a little bit like the idea was a little too bash you over the head with it in this song.
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