Blue Man Group

LORELAI: You are not sleeping through this.
RORY: Through what?
(Lorelai walks over to the bed and leans over her.)
LORELAI: The freaking Blue Man Group is outside our house!

The Blue Man Group is a performance art company founded in Manhattan in 1987 by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. What began as a series of “street disturbances” by a group of men wearing blue masks became a series of shows combining music and art held in small clubs, and eventually a full performance at the Astor Theatre in New York in 1991, which is still on-going.

The Blue Man Group have gone on a number of concert tours, and released several albums. At the time this episode went to air, The Blue Man Group were booked to play live in Las Vegas, which continued until 2005. The Blue Man Group eventually went international, and in 2017 were bought by Cirque Du Soleil.

Interestingly, Nathan Wetherington, who played Dean Forester in the original Pilot episode, was the drummer with the Blue Man Group for two years.

Hanson and The Bee Gees

RORY: How did I meet Taylor Hanson?
LORELAI: You went to his concert, you got backstage, your eyes met across the crowd, and you’ve been seeing each other ever since.
RORY: Hanson’s still together?
LORELAI: They’re the new Bee Gees.

The American pop band Hanson was formed in 1992 by three brothers: Isaac, Taylor, and Zac; at the time, Isaac was eleven, Taylor was nine, and Zac was six. They are best known for their 1997 massive hit MMMBop, from their debut album Middle of Nowhere. At the time Lorelai was talking about Hanson to Rory, they had just released their second album in 2000, and toured in summer and fall (when Rory could have hypothetically attended one of their concerts). In 2001 they moved to their own independent record label and were working on their next album, which was released in 2004 – this might explain why Rory is surprised to hear that Hanson are still together (they still are, and toured in 2017).

The Bee Gees [pictured] were a British-Australian band formed in 1958 by three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb; at the time, Barry was twelve, and twins Robin and Maurice were nine. You can see why Lorelai makes a parallel between The Bee Gees and Hanson. The Bee Gees had a long career, and were highly successful in the 1960s and ’70s, especially in the disco era, and sold more than 220 million records, making them one of the best-selling musical acts of all time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. By 2012, both Robin and Maurice had died, leaving Barry as the only surviving member.

Taylor Hanson

LORELAI: I’m not even talking specifically about Dean. I mean just generally in life. For example, say you’re dating Taylor Hanson.
RORY: Why am I dating Taylor Hanson?
LORELAI: It’s a hypothetical scenario, go with it. So, uh, you and Taylor have been seeing each other pretty regularly …

(Jordan) Taylor Hanson (born 1983) is a member of the pop group Hanson. He sings lead and back-up vocals, and plays multiple instruments. In 2009 he became a member of the supergroup Tinted Windows.

Rory probably could not have dated Taylor Hanson in 2001, as he had already been dating his future wife for two years at this point. They were married the following year, in 2002, and currently have five children together.

Air Supply

LORELAI: When I was in junior high, I had a boyfriend, Todd something or other. Not a soul mate, but I was crazy about him and he dumped me. I was completely crushed and I could do nothing except lie around and cry and listen to Air Supply, very low point in my life.

Air Supply are an Australian soft rock duo, formed in 1975 and consisting of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock. They had a succession of major hits worldwide, including eight Top Ten singles in the US, during the 1980s. They were inducted into the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Hall of Fame in 2013.

In 1980, Air Supply released their album Lost in Love, which brought them mainstream popularity and was their first to enter the US charts. As it came out just before Lorelai turned twelve, she could have listened to it in junior high. While getting over her boyfriend Todd, the sad break up song All Out of Love may have resonated with her, with its chorus beginning, “I’m all out of love, I’m so lost without you”. The song went to #2 in the US, and is Air Supply’s biggest hit.

“Too sexy for your shirt”

LUKE: Take it back.
LORELAI: Come on. Just the jacket. Just once, be too sexy for your shirt and do a little dance on the catwalk.

Lorelai is referring to the 1991 dance-pop song I’m Too Sexy, by British band Right Said Fred. The song includes the lines, “I’m too sexy for my shirt”, and “I do my little turn on the catwalk” (not a dance, as Lorelai seems to think).

Fun and cheeky, the song was a massive hit, and went to #1 in the US, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Austria. It spent weeks at #2 in the UK, but was never able to crack #1 in its own country (Right Said Fred’s more sedate Deeply Dippy was a #1 hit in the UK instead).

I’m Too Sexy was included on Right Said Fred’s 1992 debut album Up. Depending on your point of view, it’s either one of the best songs of the 1990s, or one of the worst of all time.

PS I Lo…

The title suggests someone who is not quite able to bring themselves to say, “I love you”, and in this episode, both Lorelai and Rory will have to face up to their commitment issues.

The title may be reminiscent of the song PS I Love You, a 1934 popular song written by Johnny Mercer and first recorded by pop star Rudy Vallée. The Beatles had a 1962 song of the same name, the B-side to their debut single Love Me Do, and included on their 1963 album Please Please Me.

Steven Tyler

RORY: Can I ask you a question?
LORELAI: Yes, I would date Steven Tyler.
RORY: Can I ask you a question whose answer wouldn’t horrify me?

Steven Tyler (born Steven Tallarico in 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith. He is known for his high pitched screaming and wide vocal range, on stage acrobatics, and colourful stage outfits, including his trademark scarves (this may have appealed to Lorelai, as scarves are among her favourite accessories).

Tyler gained fame during the 1970s, which waned in the early 1980s due to his drug use. After receiving treatment, he staged a remarkable comeback in the mid-1980s, and Aerosmith reached the peak of their success during the 1990s. He is now regarded as an enduring rock icon.

Happy dance

RORY: I just thought if she saw how we lived, and how pretty it was with the lake and the swans …
LORELAI: That she’d do a happy dance?

In slang terms, a “happy dance” is any spontaneous dance done in celebration, or in order to gloat at personal success.

It’s especially known from the Peanuts cartoons by Charles M. Schulz, where Snoopy does an excited happy dance whenever Charlie Brown brings him food. This may have been part of Lorelai and Chris’ performance when they sang Suppertime, from the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

Rory’s Bedroom

Emily shows Rory the guest room she has had redecorated to be Rory’s bedroom any time she stays with her grandparents. Even though Rory said her favourite colour was probably blue, Emily has chosen pink for the accessories (with one blue blanket on a chair), and despite saying that she preferred NSYNC, there is a 98° boy band poster on the wall – there might be another poster on the wall we can’t see, though. From this you can see the very limited choices that Emily allows others to make, and that she is all too ready to override them.

Emily did take notice of the sunflowers, however, which Rory said were her favourite flower. Sunflowers are symbolic of platonic love between family members, and strong bonds between two people, reminiscent of Rory’s relationship with Lorelai. They are happy, positive flowers, and symbols of good luck, which make sense because Rory leads such a charmed life.

The room is obviously Emily’s way of showing how much better cared for Rory would have been had she and Lorelai remained living with Emily and Richard. She is still angry and distressed that Lorelai took Rory to live in a shed rather than with her parents, and believes that Lorelai must have hated them to have chosen a shed over her own home.

Evil Fembots and an Intergalactic Court

LORELAI: So if Rachel turns out to be an evil fembot and murders Luke in his sleep, I’m not responsible am I?
RORY: Only in an intergalactic court.

Lorelai is probably referring to the 1997 comedy film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Jay Roach and starring Mike Myers in the title role. In the film, a parody of spy movies, a mad scientist named Dr. Evil has a gang of sexy female robots (fembots) who wear silver outfits and have weapons in their breasts that can kill: they are just one of the many traps that Austin Powers and his assistant must get through.

The fembots are taken directly from the 1965 comedy film Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, directed by Norman Taurog and starring Vincent Price in the title role. However, in this case the female robots are programmed to seduce and rob wealthy men, rather than murder anyone. In the 1966 sequel Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, they are rather more explosive.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a commercial success and received good reviews. Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles (married to the director) performed on two songs from the film’s soundtrack, which seems like one reason why Lorelai would have wanted to see the film.

Galactic (and intergalactic) law courts are a common trope in science fiction film and television. Some of the earliest examples can be found in the original series of Star Trek, previously and freqently mentioned.

Lorelai and Rory’s exchange seems inspired by the sci-fi film they are watching.