Tag: Music

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

This song is sung by the Town Troubadour as Lorelai and Rory walk to the diner, talking about Luke’s news about his uncle’s passing.

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is a 1984 song by British pop duo Wham! Written and produced by George Michael, it was their first #1 UK and US hit, a world-wide smash, going to #1 in many countries, and went Platinum in the US.

The music video shows George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley wearing Katharine Hamnett tee-shirts with CHOOSE LIFE emblazoned on them – a bit of a message for this episode which focuses on death. Apart from that, the Troubadour seems to singing it as an early morning song, to show that people are just starting to wake up and get ready for the day.

“Spastic polka”

LORELAI: I know, life with my mother, one step forward, five thousand steps back. It’s kinda like the spastic polka.

Spastic is an outdated term to describe people with cerebral palsy, a disorder often characterised by poor co-ordination, weak or stiff muscles, and tremors.

In America, using the words “spastic” or “spaz” to humorously describe awkwardness, clumsiness, hyperactivity, or nerdiness is not considered as shockingly offensive as it in other parts of the world. Lorelai’s comment here would be unacceptable in Britain, for example.

Polka [pictured] is a Czech folk dance which was all the rage in the mid-19th century – so much so that the phenomenon was called “polkamania”. Polka made a comeback after World War II, when many Polish refugees moved to the US. Lorelai and Rory own at least one CD of polka music.

“Chairman of the Board”

ELAYNE: And now it’s time for my favourite part of the evening – our salute to the Chairman of the Board.

MARTY: I sure hope that’s not b-o-r-e-d.

A possible allusion to the 1979 song, “I’m Bored”, by punk icon Iggy Pop, from his album New Values. The album was well received, but “I’m Bored” only charted in Australia, where it reached a modest #68 in the charts. However, the album was most successful in New Zealand, reaching #18 – the only country where it was in the Top 20.

The song begins:

I’m bored

I’m the chairman of the bored

Songs at the Bar

I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby

This is the song playing at the bar when Emily and Lorelai first walk in together. It’s a jazz standard with music by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, introduced by Adelaide Hall at the Blackbird Revue in New York, 1928, which later opened on Broadway.

Come Fly With Me

This is the song which is announced as a “salute to the Chairman of the Board”. It’s a 1958 song with music by Jimmy Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was written for Frank Sinatra, the title track of his 1958 album, and became part of his concert repertoire.

Fly Me to the Moon

This is the song which plays when Chad, the “silver fox”, asks Emily to dance. It’s a 1954 song by Bart Howard, originally recorded by Kaye Ballard the same year. Frank Sinatra’s 1964 version is the best known, and became associated with NASA’s Apollo missions to the Moon. “Fly Me to the Moon” was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1999.

Someone To Watch Over Me

Previously discussed. This is the song which Emily and Chad dance to. It’s a sign that Emily desperately needs Lorelai to watch out for her – which she fails to do.

Stayin’ Alive

The song which plays while Emily and Lorelai argue about whose fault everything has been. It’s a 1977 song written and performed by The Bee Gees for the soundtrack to the film, Saturday Night Fever. The song was a smash hit around the world, going to #1 in the US and multiple other countries, and #4 in the UK. Considered one of the best songs of all time, it was one of the Bee Gees’ signature songs.

The songs at the bar are performed by Marty and Elayne (Roberts), a famous husband-wife lounge act who performed at The Dresden Room, a Hollywood landmark, for 38 years. They also make an appearance in the 1996 film Swingers. Marty passed away in January of this year, aged 89.

Deora Ar Mo Chroí

This is the song which is playing at the spa while Lorelai is having her facial alone, and when Emily goes to her room and begins chatting.

“Deora Ar Mo Croi” is a song by Irish singer Enya, from her 2000 album, A Day Without Rain. The lyrics were adapted by Enya into Irish Gaelic from a poem by Roma Ryan, written in English. Roma Ryan is Enya’s chief lyricist.

A Day Without Rain was hugely successful internationally, selling 7 times platinum in the US and reaching #2 in the charts. Its popularity surged after 9/11, when Enya’s soulful laments seemed to perfectly capture the nation’s mood. The album was #6 in the UK and #7 in Ireland, and was most successful in Germany and Australia, where it went to #1.

The song’s title can be understood as “Tears In My Heart”, and its lyrics can be roughly translated into English thus:

How wonderful, from morning to night

the sweet voices beside me

and happiness everywhere, without sorrow,

joy in my heart forever.

If I walk away from life,

the sun and the moon at my back

I lack nothing but memories of my own world

Tears in my heart, sadly.

Apart from being believable as the sort of relaxing music that might be played at a spa, the song touches on the emotion behind Emily and Lorelai’s relationship, and that it is hard for Lorelai to simply “walk away” from her life and her memories without losing an awful lot in the process.

Ted Nugent

EMILY: Well, we intend to leave here completely different people.

LORELAI: Yes, I’m going to be Ted Nugent.

Theodore “Ted” Nugent (born 1948), songwriter, guitarist and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a psychedelic rock/hard rock band, before embarking on a solo career. His biggest hit was the 1977 song Cat Scratch Fever. In later years, Nugent has become known for his outspoken conservative political views and advocacy of hunting and gun ownership rights.

Ted Nugent seems to be someone that Lorelai sees as completely different to herself, politically speaking.

Floating Craps Game

LORELAI: Rory, you have to do something bad when Mommy’s out of town … . how about a floating craps game or something?

Craps is a dice game where players wage bets based on the outcome of rolling a pair of dice. A “floating craps game” is an illegal operation, so called because operators use portable tables and equipment to quickly move the game’s location, thus staying ahead of legal authorities. The 1950 musical Guys and Dolls features a floating craps game.

Risky Business

LORELAI: Rory, you have to do something bad when Mommy’s out of town. It’s the law. You’re seen Risky Business, right? Now I’m not asking for a prostitution ring, but how about a floating craps game or something?

Risky Business, 1983 teen sex comedy written and directed by Paul Brickman, and starring Tom Cruise in his breakout screen role. The film is about a high-achieving high school student from Chicago whose parents leave him alone in the house while they go on a trip. In their absence, he ends up agreeing to let his parents’ house be used as a brothel for one night.

Risky Business was acclaimed by critics as a sharp, stylish satire that combines teen angst with snappy dialogue and some dark themes. It was the #10 film of the year at the box office, and is considered one of the best films of 1983. The scene of Tom Cruise dancing in his shirt and underwear to Bob Seger’s rendition of Old Time Rock and Roll has become iconic, and often recreated.

What a Wonderful World

This is the song which plays at the end of the show, when Luke interrupts Jess to knock a hole in his apartment wall. The song has been used before in the show, but the original version by Louis Armstrong, previously discussed.

This version is sung by Joey Ramone, former lead singer of punk band The Ramones, from his debut album as a solo artist, Don’t Worry About Me. It was released in February 2002, not long before this episode aired. (The music video for “What a Wonderful World” was directed by Debbie Harry from Blondie).

It was released posthumously, Joey Ramone having died in April 2001. The album peaked at #21 in the US, and was warmly reviewed.

Notice that this episode ends with an allusion to Mayberry, an idyllic fictional town, “It’s a Small World”, and “What a Wonderful World”, to impress on us the perfection of this little world they have created for us.