Bomb in a Body, Grey's Anatomy

How the right song can shape a scene: even if it wasn’t originally written for the show.

Image source: https://www.thewrap.com/how-is-meredith-grey-still-alive/

Breathe (2am) by Anna Nalick

Rating: 10/10

Grey’s Anatomy has been shattering everyone’s hearts since its release in 2005, and 15 years later Shonda Rhimes is still working her magic by incorporating such emotional story lines with the perfect selection of music. Music plays a larger role in the show than some people realize, as every show is named after a song. Whether it’s through the recurrence of How to Save a Life by The Fray, which seems rather self explanatory for being played as the backing track of a hospital drama, or perhaps Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, each song chosen brings a greater level of emotion to the scenes they are placed in.

In the climactic season two episode titled “As We Know It”, the second of a two part episode arc, we find the doctors in an incredibly precarious and stressful situation. After a bomb inside of a patient is accidentally activated, Meredith Grey’s hand is the only thing stopping it from going off. If she moves her hand at all, the results could be disastrous. If she doesn’t move her hand, the patient may die. After the bomb squad arrives to try and safely remove the bomb, Meredith’s life flashes before her eyes and the gravity of the situation begins to be clear to her. As she begins to speak her last wishes to the doctors around her with a slight panic, Anna Nalick’s Breathe (2am) begins playing under her words.

The lyrics in this song match the situation perfectly. The chorus goes “‘Cause you can’t jump the tracks, we’re like cars on a cable, and life’s like an hourglass glued to the table. No one can find the rewind button, girl, so cradle your head in your hands, and breathe, just breathe.” In a break in the dialogue as the tension grows, we hear these words. In that moment you know that Meredith has accepted that she could die and that she can’t “find the rewind button.” And once the bomb has been removed completely, we hear the final chorus of “breathe, just breathe” as our main characters (and the audience) can take a deep breath. If you know the show however, you know that relief doesn’t last for a very long time as the bomb still goes off seconds later as it is being carried from the room. The song continues in the background however, giving the false sense of hope until it is abruptly cut off by the blast.

Nalick’s song takes me back to middle school, listening to this song and feeling a bit of sadness and a bit of hope for the singer. The song itself is not necessarily a happy song lyric wise, but it is in a major key so harmonically this gives the song a hopeful nod. This is why this is a perfect song for this iconic scene. The scene is tense, but as a viewer you will take even the smallest shred of hope you can get. If the music seems hopeful, that means your brain will think “wait, is everything ok? Maybe?” because it picks up on the pattern that comes from a major key.

I think that of the many iconic songs used throughout Grey’s Anatomy, this one made this scene one of the most memorable and iconic scenes in the entire show. Shonda Rhimes is incredibly talented with her show and how she is able to weave music into each episode so perfectly. So many artists who are well known today, were not very well known until their song was used on an episode of Grey’s. This includes artists such as Tegan and Sara, Get Set Go, and Ingrid Michaelson. As the show still continues today, I am always looking forward to hearing what music will be used next.