Soundtracks are essential to conveying a certain feeling on TV, especially with couples. For years on network TV and streaming, we have seen songs revived by their usage in an iconic scene for a beloved couple, but there's some which stand out more than others.
We've had a year of good TV so far, and a range of new TV couples have become our obsession. But our obsession wouldn't be anything without the soundtrack attached to it. From Allie and Dean in the newly released TV series to veteran TV couples, here is our list of memorable TV couples who revived old songs.
1. Allie Hayes and Dean Di Laurentis (Off Campus)
Song: "On the Floor" by Jennifer Lopez
Off Campus released on Prime Video on 13 May and has already climbed to the top of the streamer's charts. Season 1 follows the order of Elle Kennedy's first book in the series, The Deal, where hockey captain Garett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and music student Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) make a deal to fake date to make Hannah's crush, Justin (Josh Heuston).
However, it wasn't the fake-dating pair who stole the show. No, it was actually Hannah's best friend Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) and fellow hockey player Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kayln). Fans became obsessed with the chemistry between the two actors and their hotness. Still, the scene that had audiences gagged is in episode 2, where Dean spots Allie dancing at his birthday party in a Jennifer Lopez get-up, and goes to join her.
In keeping with the theme, the boys sneakily turn on On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez. Since then, the song has trended on TikTok, and Lopez herself has even posted about it on X declaring her love for the show.
Not only does the scene reference a sensational cultural moment (Lopez's 2000s Versace Grammys dress), it also single-handedly revived a 15-year-old song and reminded us what real sexual chemistry between characters can look like. I only wish it were the Pitbull version of the song.
2. Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper (The OC)
Song: "Hallelujah" by Imogen Heap
The OC is one of the holy trinities of 2000s teen dramas, and so were the show's golden couple bad boy Ryan (Ben Mackenzie) and rich girl Marissa (Mischa Barton). The teenage couple had an on-and-off again romance for three seasons of the show, battling relationship drama, substance abuse, and other personal issues.
It all came to a head in the season 3 finale when Marissa devestatingly died in a car accident caused by her angry ex-boyfriend Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet), who was jealous of the two. The fiery crash was one of the most talked-about TV moments from 2006, and caused a stir at the time.
But it was the song playing a cover of "Hallelujah" by Imogen Heap that revived the song, originally by Canadian singer Leonard Cohen. The song doesn't play while Ryan holds a dying Marissa in his arms and realizes that she's dead, but the way it begins when he's carrying her limp body away from the crash site will never not send chills down our spines.
3. Belly Conklin and Conrad Fisher (The Summer I Turned Pretty)
Song: "The Way I Loved You" by Taylor Swift
The Summer I Turned Pretty's author, Jenny Han, is a huge fan of Taylor Swift, so it's inevitable that throughout the show's 3 seasons, many of her songs feature. Many scenes between Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) feature songs by Swift.
Many Team Bonrad fans will argue over which song is best for them, but for us, it's "The Way I Loved You," from Swift's 2008 album Fearless. The song encapsulates everything the show is about, summarizing it perfectly that Belly has never loved anyone like she loves Conrad, even his brother Jeremiah.
The song plays in the season 1 finale when Belly is debuting as a debutante. When Jeremiah isn't there, Conrad steps in to dance with Belly in a slow-motion moment where she realizes for her, it's always been Conrad as he walks toward her.
It's a moment of absolute cinema, especially when there aren't many TV couples in the 2020s who can create that kind of frenzy. The swell of the music, the chorus of the song—it is everything to us and certainly put the song back on the map, even if it is Taylor's later version from her album re-record.
4. Ross Geller and Rachel Green (Friends)
Song: "With or Without You" by U2
Like many of us, we find Roschel is a divisive couple in the Friends fandom. Regardless, the show's most popular couple Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Anniston) had a hold on viewers for 10 years. From a kiss in the rain to "I got off the plane," they had their fair share of famous moments, but one season 1 moment revived one song.
In one early angsty scene, Rachel has ended things with Ross after discovering he's made an awful pros and cons list about her. Heartbroken, they both end up wallowing in their retrospective apartments. Rachel sits by her window with the rain coming down and the radio on. On the station she's listening to, the host announces a person called Ross has put in a request for U2's "With or Without You," saying he's "deeply sorry for what he did."
To say the least, it's a difficult scene to watch, but it's strangely relatable. Watching Rachel's devestation as she cries when the song plays, and then it cuts to Ross anxiously sitting, waiting for Rachel to call.
The angsty moment is saved by some comedy when Rachel calls into the radio, telling them what Ross did. In response, the host makes an announcement, saying she doesn't want to play the song anymore. It turns a sad moment into a funny one, but the song's significance in that scene is still burned into our brains.
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