This music monday, we visit the catchiest musical moments to come from the good folk at 30 Rockerfeller Plaza. //
One of the greatest things about 30 Rock (aside from the dickey shirts, the sandwiches and the jokes about Kenneth being 100+ years old) is the musical element of the show. Set behind the scenes of a Saturday Night Live style sketch show, the show has a just the right mix of gloriously absurd onstage performances, as well as the odd spontaneous backstage bonanza. Composer (and husband of Tina Fey) Jeff Richmond is largely responsible for these moments of pure comedic beauty, and here are some of my favourites.
5) Cheesey Blaster theme song
It is a tremendous achievement in itself to create a fake jingle for a fake food product, let alone one as catchy and aspirational. Cheesey Blasters are a fully realised concept, they could come out tomorrow and would sell out country-wide. Like the new chocolate milk, but slightly more disgusting. Plus, Tina Fey’s fake guitar playing style in this has inspired my every move at rock concerts and disco parties.
4) Jackie Jormp-Jomp
When Jenna Maroney gets the role of her life playing Janice Joplin, it seems like a dream come true. Except, they couldn’t afford the rights to anything so she becomes Janet Jopler, eventually evolving into Jackie Jormp-Jomp. It’s one of the most ridiculous 30 Rock jokes of all time, “break another little chunk of my lung now mister!”
3) The Rural Juror Theme Song
Another long-running 30 Rock joke is Jenna Maroney’s role in The Rural Juror, a movie so poorly named that nobody actually knows what it is called. The 30 Rock finale features this incredible tongue-tying feat of songwriting. Try the kareoke version yourself, I guarantee you won’t manage lyrics such as, “The Irma Luhrman-Merman murder turned the bird’s word lurid.”
2) Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
“Oh man Tre, look up at the sky. It’s a full moon – on a Sabbath.” This genuine Halloween hit was the lovechild of Jeff Richmond and comedy genius/rap god Donald Glover. It also received a hell of a dance remix. Boys. Men. Men. Wolves.
1) Muffin Top
Hands down, just the best. Jenna’s absurd “dance pop/techno hybrid” body-positive track features in season five. Featuring lyrics such as, “I’m an independent lady. So do not try to play me. I run a tidy bakery,” it’s a guaranteed hit with the ladies. Pretty much the same empowerment level as “Independent Women Pt. 1” I think.
A glaring omission from this list is “Midnight Train to Georgia”, a spontaneous all-singing all-dancing performance that comes out of absolutely nowhere. It’s so good that Youtube disabled all embedding for it, so you’ll have to click here to see it. Worth it for Grizz and Dot Com alone.
And that’s it, my picks of a pretty splendid crop. What are your favourites? Are you partial to a bit of “Night Cheese”? Or perhaps “Tennis Night”? Let me know!
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