Some may find it hard to believe that ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy first debuted in 2005. Originally conceived as a mid-season replacement, the steamy medical drama quickly became one of the network’s must-see dramas. It’s still running two decades later, but devoted fans have noticed a subtle shift in the show’s musical tastes.
And this is where many people will dismiss such observations as a natural consequence of time. 20 years of prime time will change a lot about any show, and Grey’s Anatomy is no exception. Only three of its ten original cast members are still around. The last of these departures, Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), dropped in 2020. Moreover, what was popular in 2005 will look wildly out of place in 2025. But fans’ complaints go even deeper than surface-level griping about the pop culture landscape.
Grey’s Anatomy Has Always Used Music
Every show — regardless of genre — has some music. Be it incidental or expansive, these tunes add more emotion to any scene. Looney Tunes, for instance, would only be half as comedic without its musical cues. Granted, Grey’s Anatomy doesn’t use its music to such an extent. For the most part, the show has relegated its tunes to the background, but songs have always been part of the show’s DNA.
In fact, eagle-eyed viewers will quickly notice a trend in the show’s naming conventions. Since the very beginning, every episode of Grey’s Anatomy borrows its name from a popular song. Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) loses her husband, Derek (Patrick Dempsey), in Season 11’s “How to Save a Life”, whose title comes from a 2006 alternative rock song by Fray. Similarly, the fatal Season 8 plane crash begins in “Migration”, a title drawn from a Wintersleep song. And the first ever episode, broadcast on March 27, 2005, is named for The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night”.
As times change, some of the song choices have shifted. More recent episodes, like Season 21’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, eschew the earlier indie rock naming conventions. With over 400 episodes under its belt, the writer’s room has even started tossing in showtunes; Season 19 has “Mama Who Bore Me”, a title pulled from Steven Sater’s Spring Awakening. But in some respects, nothing has changed. Most episodes still bear titles referencing songs released before 2010. Even in 2021, the show rocked classic Beatles hit “Here Comes the Sun” for its Season 18 debut. LeAnn Rimes’s 1997 hit “How Do I Live” headlined the 2025 Season 21 finale.
Grey’s Anatomy Helped Musicians Launch Their Careers
In 2005, when the show first debuted, the world had yet to learn about Meredith Grey. People knew nothing of what would become Grey-Sloane Memorial Hospital, and only a handful more than zero were aware of indie rock band Rilo Kiley. The inclusion of their song “Portions for Foxes” in the series premiere of Grey’s Anatomy changed their fortunes forever. Even now, decades later, the band receives compliments for “that song in Grey’s Anatomy.”
From Season 1 to Season 16, musicians rose to stardom thanks to Alex Patsavas, the show’s music supervisor. Her choices leaned heavily on the somewhat rough sound of indie rock. And Rilo Kiley wasn’t the only band to find fame through ABC’s prime-time drama darling. The third episode of Season 1 launched Lisa Loeb into the spotlight with “Fools Like Me”. The show’s dedicated fans have even taken to cataloging the show’s “musical eras”. Patsavas’s departure obviously marked the end of Grey’s Anatomy’s punk-adjacent tastes. However, musically inclined viewers started noticing — and complaining about — a shift long before that.
Some Fans Dislike the Show’s New Playlist
Since Season 9, Grey’s Anatomy has rejected original songs. Now, that’s not to say the show is commissioning new pieces. Rather, fans have noticed an ever-growing glut of indie covers. It’s a minor detail, something many might miss, but Grey’s Anatomy virtuosos have been complaining about the shift since 2012. Part of that change can be easily explained. Despite its status as one of ABC’s load-bearing dramas, even Grey’s Anatomy sometimes needs a monetary reset. In more recent years, the show trimmed long-time sweetheart Levi Schmitt (Jake Borelli) to save cash. And in 2012, during the show’s ninth season, cost-cutting measures clearly weren’t coming from axing any of its dozen regulars.
Now, there is a bit of a caveat. “Unpopular” songs, many of which are pulled directly from the original artists’ lineup, are often untouched. However, the show has increasingly switched to covers for more recognizable titles. And in some cases, these “reimagined” songs are wild emotional departures from the originals. For many of the show’s more musically inclined fans, it’s a major distraction. Otherwise recognizable songs become jarring echoes of themselves, and some viewers pull back from the show to play an impromptu game of “name that tune”.
However, some of these choices are intentional. In a 2014 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Shonda Rhimes acknowledged and endorsed those covers. For some, the choice came down to preference. In other cases, the creative team wanted to force audiences to feel a different mood. It’s a reasonable explanation, but it has failed to convince fans. Even now, over a decade after that interview, there are still some Grey’s Anatomy viewers fuming over the show’s shift to having a cover-rama soundtrack.
