For fans of high-intensity medical dramas, Grey’s Anatomy never fails to hit the spot. Whether the team at Grey Sloan is tasked with performing intricate heart surgery or just figuring out how to handle the latest love triangle, they offer the audience a level of dramatic tension that they sometimes struggle to get elsewhere. But, even with such high acclaim within the primetime TV industry, the show sometimes finds it hard to please everyone.
“Song Beneath the Song” is a Grey’s Anatomy episode like none other, a musical extravaganza paired with some of the most tense moments ever seen on television. Yet, despite this bold move, many fans disregard this episode as poorly written and distracting. But most audiences miss this simple cinematic technique that instantly transforms this divisive episode into a masterpiece.
Song Beneath the Song Offers a Surreal Overlay
- Every song performed in this episode has appeared in an earlier episode.
- Allegedly, this was one of the most expensive episodes of Grey’s Anatomy due to the addition of music crews and extra rehearsal time.
- The only main actors to not perform in this episode are Sandra Oh, James Pickens Jr., Patrick Dempsey, and Jesse Williams.
“Song Beneath the Song” is one of the most intense episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, as it requires the team to work around the clock to save their peer, Dr. Callie Torres, after she is involved in a head-on collision with a large truck. As audiences and Arizona watch Callie’s bloodied body drift in and out of consciousness, a hallucination of Callie appears over her lifeless body. Dressed in all back, it’s clear that only Callie can see her, and she begins singing an acapella version of the Grey’s Anatomy theme tune, “Cosy in the Rocket” by Psapp. Regardless of whether they approve of this episode or not, most fans would agree that this short segment is incredibly chilling and only signifies the horrors left to unfold. Plus, Callie’s real self seems so terrified to see this hallucination, which does a fantastic job of showing the audience just how terrified she must be.
Although some viewers believe that all the singing and dancing seen throughout this episode is deeply inappropriate, especially considering the state that Callie is in, it could be argued that these musical numbers help to give the entire episode a bizarre and uncanny feel. For example, while Owen Hunt is rushing Callie to the OR for the first time, she can only hear him singing “Chasing Cars’ by Snow Parol. So, as her teammates’ commands and voices are drowned out by Hunt’s singing, the audience gets an awful sense that reality is quickly slipping away from them, which could also symbolize Callie’s loss of consciousness. Overall, “Song Beneath the Song” is by no means a regular Grey’s Anatomy episode, but it’s clear that the writers were keen to experiment with a new medium so that they could highlight how a patient must feel when they are involved in these life or death situations.
This Episode Gives Certain Characters a Chance to Shine
- In 2012, the cast of Grey’s Anatomy also performed these songs at a benefit concert titled “The Songs Beneath the Show.”
- The episode also garnered an impressive 13.07 million viewers.
- “Song Beneath the Song” runs parallel to Private Practice, Season 4, Episode 18, “The Hardest Part.”
There’s no denying that the cast of this hit medical drama is immensely talented and well-versed in the nuanced art of creating tension. Yet, this episode allows certain actors to show off their musical talents, showcasing a new side to their beloved characters. Take, for example, Chandra Wilson, who plays Miranda Bailey. Known best for her no-nonsense attitude and stern demeanor, “Song Beneath the Song” gives Bailey the prime opportunity to blow fans away with her delicate and fair singing voice. Sara Ramirez offers a similar performance, contrasting Torres’ laid-back attitude with a powerful and demanding voice. Though this episode doesn’t do much to alter the canon of the Grey’s Anatomy universe, it does a fantastic job of letting these wonderful actors showcase their talent for musical theater.
Plus, since many of these actors are already amazing singers, this episode didn’t feel like a parody or a spoof of a musical. Instead, “Song Beneath the Song” feels more like a complex and unique musical that could compete against anything shown on Broadway. Yet, this somehow makes the episode seem much more eerie and otherworldly. The note-perfect covers of popular songs show how serious the situation really is, and the characters are not hiding their fear behind music but using these songs to exemplify the danger that Callie is in. Thus, by expertly utilizing the talent within this show, the writers have managed to make this episode even more terrifying than initially expected.
It should also be highlighted that a musical episode of Grey’s Anatomy was not just a throwaway idea to stir up conversation, but showrunner Shonda Rhimes had this idea stored away in her mind for years. In an interview with Shondaland, Rhimes explains that:
“I felt like, no, every year, of the show is a completely different show, and this year the show has a musical episode.”
As such, although fans believe that “Song Beneath the Song” feels very disjointed and almost like it should belong to another show, it’s clear that the senior members of the Grey’s Anatomy team felt very passionate about this project and were keen to make it work, regardless of the backlash.
The Song Choices Were Bizarre But Incredibly Compelling
Even though “Song Beneath the Song” is labeled as a musical episode, it isn’t littered with obnoxious show tunes or dance breaks. In fact, this episode makes good use of favored tracks to give it a sense of familiarity, which is useful in such a surreal episode. Though this episode is teeming with uncomfortable moments, like when the team tries to resuscitate Callie’s premature baby while she remains unconscious on the operating table, these scenes are quickly contrasted by a lot of off-beat numbers. For example, “Running on Sunshine” is used to show how the team at Grey Sloan is constantly flirting with each other and shows certain couples engaging in very intimate moments. Moments like this are very useful because not only do they offer the audience the chance to take a break from all the unfolding tension, but they show that even after a tough day at work, the hospital staff still have their own personal lives behind closed doors. Again, this cover is also quite jarring, which makes the episode seem even more confusing and distressing.
It’s clear that “Song Beneath the Song” required a lot of skill and a large leap of faith to produce, and, unfortunately, not everybody enjoyed this experimental episode. But this episode is still being discussed 13 years after it was originally released, which is quite impressive considering that around 430 episodes have been produced in total. The use of Callie as a hallucinatory figure and the eclectic list of songs offers this episode an unusual sense of surrealism and manages to be much more terrifying than many of Grey’s Anatomy’s other episodes. So, whether fans see it as an underrated masterpiece or as a massive flop, this episode exemplifies that the show can still entice fans after 20 years on the air.