Gilmore Girls

A heartfelt, feminist classic with a soft 90s rock soundtrack that’s perfect to listen to on a drive through a small town.

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Songs from Gilmore Girls

Rating: 9/10

Lorelai and Rory Gilmore have the ideal mother-daughter relationship, one full of laughter, love, fights, and forgiveness. A single mother raising the daughter she had through a teen pregnancy was certainly breaking the bounds of television when Gilmore Girls premiered in 2000. The cult classic made its way into viewers' hearts through it’s endearing characters and complex and relatable story lines.

Along with the characters everyone knows and loves are musical selections from artists like The La’s and Alanis Morissette. Though these selections all act as perfect moments in their spot on the show, there is one artist who’s iconic sing-song vocals and acoustic guitar fill the transitions and help add to the small town aesthetic of Stars Hollow.

Sam Phillips and her simple melodies remind a listener of a simpler moment, maybe at home, maybe walking down the street. Her voice almost drips nostalgia in each of her songs. Any fan of the show would know her song How to Dream after hearing the first few seconds of the song. The easy strumming of an acoustic guitar and the breathy vocals from Phillips are often used as transition music from scene to scene.

When the 4 part revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, came out in 2016, the producers made sure to bring back Phillips because her music became so instrumental to the world building and vibe of Stars Hollow and the Gilmore Girls universe.

It would also be criminal not to mention the Carole King song, Where You Lead, which marks its place in history as the show’s theme song for the entire 7 year run of the show. It’s upbeat yet mellow sound perfectly matches the show’s heartfelt energy. Kings’ chorus states “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.” I always felt these lines are perfect for the story being told. No matter what is happening in the story, no matter the fights that are happening between characters, Lorelai and Rory are always there for each other.

I personally love the nostalgia and laid back nature of the music from Gilmore Girls. Whether it be a more well known song or one of Sam Phillips’ acoustic pieces created with the show in mind. The energy of the songs perfectly match the feelings brought out by the characters and their relationships.