#SHEA Ultimate S.O.S. Playlist, Volume 6 (Tracks 26-30)

For this edition of the Playlist, I guess I see it as following Shaun’s side of the #Shea journey—with the songs more or less progressing from the earliest days to where they ended up a few months ago. I think I’ve got these songs in an order that makes the most sense, but Your Mileage May Vary as they say. Debate it in the comments if you like!

And remember, I’m still adding new contributions whenever they come my way! Just check out the original call for submissions to find out how…

SONG: “Friend Like You” by Joshua Radin

Songwriter: Joshua Radin (from the 2008 album Simple Times)

Submitted by: Amy Danko

Comments from Amy:

“(To me) this one fits S1/S2 #Shea. I've been listening to Joshua Radin for years, and this song struck me when I was listening to the CD shortly after I learned that Paige Spara was returning and would be a regular going forward. I would say it's about Shaun, and although it wasn't written for the show, it's a good summary of his early journey.”

Comments from Me: What I like about this song is the fluidity of the POV from one verse to another—at times it sounds like Shaun talking to himself, at other times Lea talking to herself… sometimes it could be either of them… I can even picture Shaun’s brother Steve’s POV in the 2^nd verse, as you see below.

SAMPLE LYRICS

I like the way you're not afraid
You got the world planned in your mind
People say you cannot do well
They don't know a friend like you

The girl you love has gone away
Still too young to know her heart
She'll return her love renewed
'Cause she'll never find a friend like you

When I had no one to call
All the world had shut me down
I showed up at your door so blue
Thank god I had a friend like you

HEAR IT HERE 

--

SONG: “Crazy for This Girl” by Evan and Jaron

Songwriters: Jaron Lowenstein, Jeff Cohen

Submitted by: Tony Payne

Comments from Tony:

“One thing I appreciate greatly about the Shea journey is its natural, gradual build. We got to see Shaun’s feelings for Lea develop over the three seasons. Even so, it became clear very quickly that there was just something special about Lea.

“This is an up-tempo pop song from 2000 that touches on a lot of the things we’ve gotten to see throughout the Shea development!

“The first verse begins with a very key Shaun and Lea moment - driving:

She rolls the window down
And she talks over the sound
Of the cars that pass us by
And I don't know why, but she's changed my mind

“Considering that Shaun told Glassman in Season 1 that he didn’t even WANT love, I’d say that the driving and the ‘she’s changed my mind’ lines are very apropos.

“Then we get into the second verse, which reminds me of the ‘Friends and Family’ ending all over again:

She was the one to hold me
The night the sky fell down
And what was I thinking when
The world didn't end, why didn't I know what I know now

“And between the verses, a fun chorus that gives us the opportunity to recall their ‘looks’ over the years:”

Would you look at her, she looks at me
She's got me thinking about her constantly
But she don't know how I feel
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if she's figured out
I'm crazy for this girl
Yeah, I'm crazy for this girl

HEAR IT HERE 

--

SONG: “Forget About You” by Graham Colton

Songwriter: Graham Colton (from 2008’s Here Right Now)

Submitted by: Faghost

Comments from Faghost:

“~ Lea’s POV, from s02 to s03…
But—the lyrics below could easily apply to Shaun when Jake was in the picture:"


Every night I stayed up, thinking, my mind’s made up
Every memory I hold onto.
If I could only have a minute, I know I’d spend it saying everything I feel for you
I feel for you.

Comments from Me: Forgive me Faghost, but I’m leaning strong into your secondary explanation this time!

SAMPLE LYRICS (continues from the verse above)

I am useless young and stupid for thinking I'll get over you
There's no excuses cause the truth is
There's nothing left for me to do
I can't forget about you

HEAR IT HERE

 --

SONG: “Time After Time” by Mark Williams & Tara Morice

Songwriters: Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman

Submitted by: Andreas

Comments from Andreas:

“This version is part of the soundtrack of the quirky Australian movie Strictly Ballroom, in which the hotshot ballroom dancer Scott struggles to establish his personal style that does not conform to ballroom rules.

“Meeting the introvert Fran, Scott learns to tame his cockiness while Fran leaves her comfort zone for the first time. For becoming dancing partners and ultimately lovers, they have to confront not only their own shortcomings, but overbearing parents, ignorant friends and the dancing federation, all who try to separate them.

“While the plot seems very different, the motives and themes used to tell the story are very similar to what we have come to love with #Shea, although applied in a different mix, up to the point where the couples express their special bond in an act of music, here with ballroom dancing, there with karaoke.

“The lyrics of ‘Time After Time’ speak of the inner struggle of two very different characters, that have way to adjust to each other (for which dancing is a good metaphor just as singing a [karaoke] duet).

“In the context of #Shea, I like to think that especially episodes 316/317 or the arc of becoming roommates resonate with verses like:

I’m walking too far ahead/
You're calling to me, I can't hear/
What you've said/
Then you say, "go slow"/
And I fall behind/
The second hand unwinds/

“More generally the lyrics describe a ‘delicate dance’ of alternating distance and proximity without ever letting go completely – just as Shaun and Lea danced around each other since season 1.”

Comments from Me: “Time After Time” has been covered by over 100 artists since its 1983 release, and I think the elasticity of the lyrics is a large part of its popularity. So many relationships can be seen in those words! Shaun and Lea are no exception.

I’ve heard of Strictly Ballroom but never seen it, so this version of Lauper’s song is new to me! Thanks, Andreas! Here it is if you’d like to give it a listen.

As for a lyric video, I’m linking to P!nk’s acoustic (“live”) cover of the song… which borrows heavily from the Eva Cassidy version (one of my personal favorites).

HEAR IT HERE

--

SONG: “Secret Garden” by Bruce Springsteen

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Submitted by: Sonya (and Sonya knows of other #Shea fans who have mentioned this song)

Comments from Me: I’m not the Springsteen aficionado in my family—that would be my oldest brother—but I’ve long enjoyed the subdued shades of this mid-90s track that got a big boost from its inclusion on the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise/Renee Zellweger film Jerry Maguire. When Sonya suggested it to me as a song that, essentially, can be used to describe what Lea has become to Shaun over time, I re-studied the lyrics with a lot of fascination: so many She’ll let you in… variations that can apply directly to #Shea, with the titular Secret Garden always being what has eluded him,  until…

She'll lead you down a path
There'll be tenderness in the air
She'll let you come just far enough
So you know she's really there

Which kinda feels like the vibe of the final minutes of the S3 Finale, right? Except…

Then she'll look at you and smile
And her eyes will say
She's got a secret garden
Where everything you want
Where everything you need
Will always stay
A million miles away

I initially felt sad about this part, but there’s a reality to it that shouldn’t be denied—that in any relationship, the individuals involved may well have untouchable, unreachable parts. And, generally speaking, THAT’S OK. (In the case of #Shea, I can see Lea eventually becoming more aware of a “secret garden” within Shaun as well. Maybe more so.)

HEAR IT HERE

The Roommate Years: Ranking #Shea’s Smaller Moments (Part 1: #21-15)

Batteries.

The road trip.

“You’re such an asshat.”

First tequila shots. First karaoke.

The hug in the hallway. The kiss outside the motel room door.

The sad goodbye, the mixed emotions reunion, the lightly tangled path to a shared apartment.

Most #Shea fans know these moments by heart… and if they didn’t by the end of S3, they’re getting PLENTY of time to reminisce via YouTube and other ports of flashback heaven.

And when they’ve had their fill of those early memories, they apparently keep spending time with that final 1:47 from 3.20 “I Love You”—it’s up to 1.2 million views now, as Tony mentioned in last week’s comments.

So we know how they started, and now we finally know where they are headed. But in between those two eras lie “The Roommate Years”… that spread of time that started after Shaun and Lea (and Hubert the Fish Albert the Fish) had worked out their living arrangement kinks, and ended just before the “Superbass” karaoke night catapulted them to The Next Level, whether they were ready for it or not.

That’s 24 episodes of TGD history, minus 9 of those 24 where Lea didn’t make a single appearance… 15 episodes worth of the smaller moments between these two. Fifteen episodes that got us through the lean times. And, by my count, 21 lesser-recalled scenes from those 15 episodes that deserve renewed acknowledgement!

Here’s how I’m doing this:

1)      In true countdown form, I’m starting at the bottom of the list (21^st) and working my way up… 21-15 in this post, 8-15 in a later post, and 7-1 in a post after that.

2)      These are just MY rankings; your mileage may vary, as they say. Comments, as always, are very welcome! (But don’t take the “rankings” too seriously… we all know any #Shea scene is a scene of value!)

3)      I’m only counting scenes that involved Shaun and Lea exclusively… I might make a very minor exception to this here and there, but scenes involving, say, Glassman or Jake (Lea’s boyfriend in the back half of S2) are excluded from contention.

4)      I realize Shaun and Lea were no longer roommates as of the “Mutations” episode, and that they may very well become roommates-of-another-kind, again, in the future. I’m calling this The Roommate Years anyway. Just go with it.

Ready? Let’s go—

21) “I have to change his mind” (from 2.17 "Breakdown")

IN SHORT: Lea attempts to sneak home after spending the

night with Jake, but Shaun is already awake -- pre-occupied (and still unhappy) with Dr. Han moving him to Pathology. Lea tries to boost his spirits, but Shaun is un-boostable. (This is the episode where Shaun walked to work instead of catching the bus, resulting in that hilarious “did he see us??” situation with Lim and Melendez.)

BEST REMEMBERED FOR: That’s the real reason I have this one down at #21… I didn’t remember this scene. At all. Maybe because it seemed to be more about setting up the comedy with Limlendez than it did about advancing anything with Shaun and Lea? Just a thought.

20) “You said you found the pattern ‘soothing’” (from 3.12 “Mutations”)

IN SHORT: Apparently as a reinforcement of his decision to continue things with Carly (and try to bury his feelings for Lea), Shaun agrees to end his roommate situation. And, faster than #Shea fans can say Wait, why does SHE have to move out??, they are divvying up dishware as Shaun insists that everything with Carly is about to be perfectumundo. (It’s easy to be “short” about this particular scene; it lasted around 45 seconds.)

BEST REMEMBERED FOR: The tailspin in which it left us. My original post about “Mutations”, which came down hard on TGD for treating Paige Spara only slightly better than a Hollywood extra in this particular episode, can be found here.

19) “Shaun… you need to text her back.” (from 3.7 "SFAD" )

IN SHORT: With Carly out of town attending a conference, Shaun finds himself struggling to communicate with her “the right way” via text. After this brief exchange with Shaun… well, suffice to say Lea was struggling a little as well.

BEST REMEMBERED FOR: The satisfied look on Shaun’s face as he sent the perfunctory  I have received your message to Carly… and the Oh, dear look on Lea’s face that followed.

(Which is cut off in the clip I included, so here it is...)

18) “When you start a new life event, you get pancakes.” (from 2.16 "Risk and Reward")

IN SHORT: It starts as an early-morning-in-the-life-of-Dr.Murphy episode, but the catch is clear: he’s not going in to St. B as a surgical resident this time. Lea (acting a whole lot more like a wife than a roommate in this situation, BTW) makes a batch of “fresh start” pancakes in an effort to encourage Shaun to embrace his new role in Pathology.

 

BEST REMEMBERED FOR: two things… 1) the way Shaun brushes his hair before exiting the bathroom, then steps back in and gives the front of his head a little tousle as if to say I’m still me, no matter what department I’m in at work. 2) the fact that Shaun seemed pleased to see the pancakes until the moment Lea explained what they were for; he ended up leaving the house without so much as a bite of his favorite food. (I know it was to symbolize his deep disdain for the situation at hand, but I couldn’t help but feel for Lea… Dude, she went through all this trouble! Can’t you at least take a few to eat later?)

17) “Commencing a hang.” (from 3.11 “Fractured”)

IN SHORT: Shaun comes home from his first day back at work following the Wyoming trip. Lea, perched on the sofa with her laptop, tries to check in with him… but with his head swimming in confusion over feelings for Lea vs. feelings for Carly, he quickly takes Lea up on an offer to “just hang” (silently). But in the meantime, he’s taking something Dr. Andrews said very literally, trying to gauge if his heart truly does beat faster when he’s close to the one he loves.

NO, they didn’t lay it out quite that explicitly. But did he attempt this experiment with Carly? He did not.

Anyway, his experiment did little more than puzzle Shaun further, and generate some curious looks from Lea… until, of course, a phone call from Morgan sent him back to work.

BEST REMEMBERED FOR: Since this was Lea’s only appearance in the episode beyond the opening still-in-Wyoming scenes… and since she was suddenly the subject of multiple conversations (Shaun/Carly, Shaun/Glassman, even Shaun/Morgan)… I think we were all hyper-curious as to what would happen next with #Shea. We knew better than to expect a full 180 with Shaun and Carly at that point, right? So the unknowns persisted… until the ending minute of the episode, that is. (See #20 on my list.) As a stop-gap scene, I think “Commencing a hang” did the job just fine. But as a device to leave us wanting more (much more!) from Shaun’s interactions with Lea, it did the job SUPREMELY well.

16) “Maybe pathology won’t be that bad after all…?” (from 2.17 "Breakdown")

IN SHORT: Shaun and Lea are having dinner together at the apartment (at least it appears that they are both eating the same thing at the same time). As Shaun relays some details about one of the Cases Of The Week (a case that he’s still connected to, though now from the Pathology lab), the conversation bends so that Lea can point out the current positives of his situation: solving medical mysteries with “a co-worker you like who's nice to you” (Carly, who was just his colleague at the time). But Shaun, still unable to accept his situation as final, abruptly cites work to do and leaves the room.

BEST REMEMBERED FOR: Little things. The fact that they were sharing a meal together, chatting about work (at least to start). The way Shaun’s voice took on that more intimate tone when he said “(Carly) says we make a good team.” The frustration Lea for him at the scene’s end. (BTW, I think this was the last exclusive scene they shared until the final minutes of 2.18 “Trampoline.”)

15) “You never used to do that.” (from 3.15 “Unsaid”)

IN SHORT: For the second time in the episode, Lea (now a

new employee at St. B) finds her way to Shaun’s cafeteria table and, while venting about Glassman’s less endearing habits, starts eating food off Shaun’s plate. When Shaun tells her that Morgan has likened this behavior to “peeing on his leg” (!!!), Lea tames her annoyance with Morgan just enough to become the model of platonic reassurance… and just long enough for Shaun to have a medical epiphany and flee the scene (leaving Lea with his largely unfinished breakfast, heh heh).

BEST REMEMBERED FOR: There were several steps the “Unsaid” episode had to take in order to set up the climactic karaoke scene properly. We knew Carly’s jealousy issues seemed to be more under control at this point (evidenced most vividly with the elevator sequence between her and Lea), but as usual, we had very limited direct info about Lea’s true feelings. (Hell, even her sought-after advice to Shaun about handling the press in the “Influence” episode prior to this had been delivered off-camera.) So the TGD writers bring her to Shaun’s cafeteria table. Morgan talks about her in the OR. Lea and Carly share an elevator ride. Lea comes to Shaun’s cafeteria table AGAIN. That was already almost twice as much as we’d see Lea in any recent episode, and I didn’t even include the karaoke bar sequence!

What does any of this have to do with Lea’s “true feelings” being made clear? On the surface, not much—which is why we were truly on the edge of our collective seats wondering what she’d say when Shaun laid it on the line at the end of the “Autopsy” episode. But as TGD built up the “just friends” argument, they did a sly thing in this scene: what Lea said was (I’m partly paraphrasing) “I assure you, my voice and my actions are saying the same thing right now, which is pure, non-threatening, platonic friendship.” My thought: yes, she was saying all the right things in the right manner, but that’s hardly the same thing as speaking from the heart… and she stated as much in that exchange.

It’s all water under the bridge now, but still a distinction worth noting.

SO! You may be wondering hmm, that other cafeteria scene must be ranked higher on Kelli’s list. I wonder why?

I’ll tell you in future countdown posts!

#SHEA Ultimate S.O.S. Playlist, Volume 5 (Tracks 21-25)

This edition of the Playlist is dedicated to the back five episodes of S3… when “Autopsy,” “Fixation,” “Heartbreak,” “Hurt,” and “I Love You” had all us #Shea fans agonizing over Shaun and Lea’s future… and, at times, wondering if they still HAD a future. 

That run between February and March took us all through the gamut of emotions… and now that they’re “together” (at least as far as S4 goes), it’s a lot easier to deal with in retrospect than it was in real time! So let’s dig in to five more contributions…

SONG: “Up” by Olly Murs featuring Demi Lovato

Songwriters: Wayne Hector, Daniel Davidsen, Maegen Cottone, Peter Wallevik, Mich Hansen

Submitted by: Rose Amelie

Comments from Rose Amelie: “I discovered this when I put an Olly Murs playlist in YouTube… it could easily represent Shaun's feelings in the "Heartbreak" and "Hurt" episodes (the pain of a broken heart, and the hope that the things would work anyway):

Lyrics (Murs): 

Just breathe against the glass

Leave me some kind of sign

I know the hurt won't pass, yeah

Just tell me it's not the end of the line

Just tell me it's not the end of the line

“But it also represents Lea after her love confession:

Lyrics (Lovato): 

I never meant to break your heart

Now I won't let this plane go down

I never meant to make you cry

I'll do what it takes to make this fly

“And finally, both compromise to this:”

Lyrics (sung together):

Oh, you got to hold on

Hold on to what you're feeling

That feeling is the best thing

The best thing, alright

I'm going to place my bet on us

I know this love is heading

In the same direction

That's up

  

Comment from Me: Olly Murs is a U.K. artist who came to prominence via The X Factor. He’s apparently done well internationally but hasn’t made much headway in the U.S., which is why I’d never heard this 2014 duet with Lovato until now. (And that's a shame, because I really enjoy its Phillip Phillips-esque groove and think it would have fared well on radio over here!)

The official music video is worth a watch; I really like the concept and can almost picture Shaun and Lea in the respective male/female roles… not just because they’re breaking stuff, either!

If you’d rather just check out the lyrics… HEAR IT HERE

**

SONG: “Yours to Hold” by Skillet

Songwriter: John L. Cooper

Submitted by: Amy Danko

Comments from Amy Danko: “Someone used this in a fan-made music video for Booth and Brennan from Bones that I saw at YouTube, which isn't there anymore… but I loved the song so much that I bought it. All these years later, I can't rightly say the entire song fits for #Shea, because they know each other's names… but it reminds me of them, and I really put it into heavy rotation in my music library after "F&F" aired last December. 

Knowing that Shaun had feelings for Lea, and, especially after "F&F," thinking to myself all those weeks that she ABSOLUTELY had feelings for him that went beyond just being best friends, I went around listening to, humming, and singing this song A LOT in January and February and March. And I still am… you can guess which parts of the song really remind me of how they feel about each other after reading the lyrics.”

Comments from Me: Though Skillet is a Christian Rock band, this track from their 2006 album Comatose appears (via the lyrics; I have no other info about it) that it could be secular in nature. As you’ll see in both “Yours to Hold” and the next song on the Playlist, interpretation is everything… once the words are out there, songs mean what they mean to people.

SAMPLE LYRICS

Every single day
I find it hard to say
I could be yours alone
You will see someday
That all along the way
I was yours to hold
I was yours to hold

I'm stretchin', but you're just out of reach
You should know
I'm ready when you're ready for me
And I'm waiting for the right time
For the day I catch your eye
To let you know
That I'm yours to hold

HEAR IT HERE

**

SONG: “You Say” by Lauren Daigle

Songwriters: Jason Ingram, Paul Mabury, Lauren Daigle

Submitted by: Tammy Lewis

Comment from Tammy Lewis: “When I heard it, I thought of Lea trying to convince Shaun how important his love is to her.”

Comments from Me:

This song-- which, to me, benefitted greatly from a production job reminiscent of Adele's "Someone Like You"-- did for CCM artist Daigle what a song called "Find a Way" did for Amy Grant way back in 1985: found its way from Contemporary Christian radio to the mainstream... to a coveted space on Billboard's Top 40... to secular starmaker status. 

Back to what I said about the Skillet song... interpretation, interpretation, interpretation. Daigle herself describes "You Say" as "a song of my identity," which I think is generally considered to mean her identity through a higher power. But what if it's thought of in secular terms... in this case, a woman we've all recognized for her self-worth issues... and her struggle to see herself with the same loving eyes that Shaun has for her? 

I don't know if ALL the lyrics to "You Say" work for such a take, but neither do all the lyrics to many of our playlist choices. I think it's a most interesting suggestion! 

(By the way, THANKS Tammy for your suggestion... and remember you can always send more! That goes for all readers... here's the "call for submissions" post link!)

SAMPLE LYRICS

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
And You say I am held when I am falling short
And when I don't belong, oh You say I am Yours
And I believe, oh I believe
What You say of me
I believe

HEAR IT HERE

**

SONG: “Fall On Me” by A Great Big World Featuring Christine Aguilera

Songwriters: Ian Axel and Chad King

Submitted by: Angelica, while giving a shoutout to YouTube #Shea contributor supreme Sheree-Lynn Blizzard. “Fall on Me” is the piece of music behind one of Blizzard’s most-watched #Shea videos to date. Check out THIS POST for more about her work!)

 

Comments from Angelica: “This fanvid “Fall on Me” (from Blizzard) gets its title from the featured song, which itself is a duet performed by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera. IMHO, the video does a great job of presenting Shaun and Lea's separate perspectives by synchronizing edits with the solo performances of each singer to effectively convey each side of their story.”

 

Comments from Me: A Great Big World and Aguilera combined forces previously on “Say Something,” which became a tremendous hit after performing it on NBC’s The Voice. “Fall on Me” was released earlier this year, but didn’t duplicate “Say Something”-level success (at least not in the U.S.) But it’s a beautiful contribution both to Blizzard’s catalog and our Playlist. 

SAMPLE LYRICS

Fly like a cannonball straight to my soul
Tear me to pieces and make me feel whole

I'm willing the fight for it
To feel something new
To know what it's like to be sharing a space with you

 

Fall on me
With open arms
Fall on me
From where you are
Fall on me

With all your light

With all your light

With all your light

Take away the visuals many of us are now used to seeing, and the lyrics still carry Shaun and Lea’s perspectives with grace. HEAR IT (simply as a lyric video) HERE 

**

SONG: “All I Know” by Art Garfunkel

Songwriters: Jimmy Webb++

Submitted by: Me (Kelli)

Leave it to ME to contribute the oldest song (by far) in Volume 5… 😉

 

This song—a Billboard Top 10 hit in 1973—is one of several that stand out from my earliest days. This is probably because I was raised largely on my older siblings’ Simon and Garfunkel albums of the late 60s, and “All I Know” featured Garfunkel’s lovely, lilting tenor in a way similar to “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

 

I think the opening lines of “All I Know”—                                      

I bruise you, you bruise me—sprang to mind for me by the end of the “Heartbreak” episode, when it felt like both Shaun and Lea had done all the damage they could do to each other (and their relationship). I had to dig up the rest of the lyrics to see if the song made sense for them, and I really think they do—especially for this back arc of S3. Jimmy Webb wrote a wealth of recognizable hits in the 60s, most notably “Up, Up and Away,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “MacArthur Park”… but the lyric structure of “All I Know” is considerably simpler. Probably because the core is simple: I love you, and that’s All I Know.

 

Anyway, the bridge lyrics are what hooked me:

 

When the singer's gone
Let the song go on
It's a fine line between the darkness and the dawn

They say in the darkest night, there's a light beyond

 

The arrangement of Garfunkel’s version of the song is, as I said before, similar to “Troubled Water” in its swelling orchestration, climbing-ever-higher vocals, and cannon-like sounds in the final minute. But then, in a way very similar to Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic” from the same era, “All I Know” calms all the way down to the simple, piano-only intro with which it started.  I like to think of the “swelling” part of the song as the final parts of the season finale… and the “calm” part as Shaun and Lea in much quieter, gentler moments that now lie ahead. 

As a bonus… I found a 2010 version of this song that was recorded as a duet between Jimmy Webb (the songwriter himself) and Linda Ronstadt. What’s especially poignant about this recording is that it was one of Ronstadt’s last—as you might know, Parkinson’s Disease has robbed her of her ability to sing, and I think she’d already announced her retirement by the time this was recorded (she’d stopped performing in 2009). Webb is apparently a long-time friend of hers, and he persuaded her into the studio once more with this lovely (and considerably sparser) version. 

GARFUNKEL'S LYRIC VIDEO IS HERE

WEBB/RONSTADT'S LYRIC VIDEO IS HERE