Often, songs are featured more prominently in single-camera sitcoms, where the aesthetic quality is to make the viewer feel like they’re part of the show. How I Met Your Mother was an exception to this, however. Here was a laugh-track sitcom that heavily relied on music to tell its story.
It worked like a charm too, as the show had so many songs in its soundtrack that we’ve lost count of just how many there were. What we do know is that these songs were carefully cherry-picked, and always seemed to bolster the scene they were accompanying. How I Met Your Mother never failed to use music to great effect, as these examples will make clear.
“Let Your Heart Hold Fast” - Fort Atlantic
Those who are still unsure whether it’s Ted or Barney who is best for Robin need to check out this song, as it illustrates how Barney was always the one for Robin while Ted pined for something that wasn’t there. This song played when Barney proposed to Robin, bringing to a close their “will they?/won’t they?” for a time.
It manages to simultaneously be a heartwarming and heartbreaking piece of music, as the slow-moving pace washes over the happy sentiments of Robin and Barney while highlighting Ted’s hurt feelings to realize the woman he loves is marrying someone else.
“I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” - The Proclaimers
Partly why How I Met Your Mother fans feel that Ted, Barney, and Marshall are a better trio than Ross, Joey, and Chandler from Friends is because the former have more buddy moments. Nothing stresses upon Ted and Marshall’s bromance more than this song.
Played repeatedly due to the tape being stuck in Marshall’s car stereo, the song can make anyone sick of it only to grow on the listener so much that they start belting out the lyrics as well. It’s a wacky song that has earned its place in every How I Met Your Mother fan’s heart.
“Best Night Ever!” - Marshall/Jason Segel
There’s no doubt that Marshall is an absolute sweetheart, with the fact that he took the time to sing this song confirming this notion. Marshall made a collage of the double date he and Lily had with Barney and Robin, with this song accompanying the pictures.
Sure, it made his desperation to be liked obvious, but that did work since the song brings Marshall’s lovable nature to the forefront. Not to mention how the “Lily made some creme brulee!” line is so hilarious it’s bound to get stuck in one’s head.
“La Vie En Rose” - Edith Piaf/Cristin Milioti
This song has always been a timeless classic, and listening to it played on a ukulele is something else. It hinges entirely on the actress’s performance, as her heart is laid bare with the feelings she has of being alone and unsure of what she wants.
It can be interpreted as a heartbreaking ballad or a song that evokes some measure of hope The Mother had for better days to come. Whatever it might be, the meaning wasn’t lost on Ted as he heard the song and was instantly enraptured by it, much like the fans.
“Murder Train” - The Foreskins
This track always springs up whenever an over-the-top fight takes place in an episode. It’s also a very catchy tune, bringing to life the sense of tension that was boiling to the surface up to that point. More than anything, it’s a funny take on what should have been an intense rock beat.
Due to the recurring nature of the song, How I Met Your Mother fans grew to expect it whenever a fight was about to begin between the characters. They were usually right, as this upbeat track explodes whenever things are about to go down.
“Hey Beautiful” - The Solids
We can’t go without mentioning the iconic theme song, now, can we? A simple 13-second intro was all that was needed to have How I Met Your Mother fluttering about in everyone’s minds for almost a decade, and even today we can’t go without smiling whenever we happen to hear it.
The simple yet upbeat tune perfectly captured the show’s period setting (if one considers 2030 to be present-day) and the gang’s close-knit mentality. Like the show or hate it, you can’t claim to dislike “Hey Beautiful,” that’s for sure.
“Let’s Go To The Mall” - Robin/Cobie Smulders
The show’s wacky nature was firmly in place when it was revealed that Robin used to be a teenage popstar back in Canada in her younger days. They even gave us a whole feature-length song to demonstrate!
Even though Robin found “Let’s Go To The Mall” to be embarrassing, that’s really not the case, seeing as the song is just so catchy and upbeat that it makes us instant fans. The song also became a recurring aspect of the show and was even played by Robin in the finale episode for her wedding.
“Prophets” - A.C Newman
Season 4’s finale will always have a special place in our hearts for delivering a genuinely uplifting message. When Ted learns to let go of what he thinks he’s supposed to do and embrace what the world is telling him he should do, it’s just beautiful.
The final moments of the episode had the gang all head to the roof to take the leap over to the other building, and the song was perfect for building up our excitement to see these people letting go of apprehension and just leaving things to fate.
“Better” - Regina Spektor
Speaking of leaving things behind, this episode had Ted letting go of his anger toward Stella for ditching him before their wedding. Before the concluding minutes, Ted envisioned himself tearing into Stella for betraying him, only to see her with her family and realizing they were always meant to be together.
“Better” was the correct word here since Ted could tell he was the thorn in the family’s side rather than the other way around and chose to walk away to a better future. It wasn’t as sad as it sounds, either, because we then witnessed Ted feeling free to go wherever he wanted in New York, no longer feeling humiliated about what happened to him.
“Let It Roll” - George Harrison
If you want to sum up Season 6 of How I Met Your Mother with a simple feeling, then you can point toward the jingle that struck up curiosity in us in “Let it Roll”. The song was featured right from the very opening seconds of the season into the very last moments.
It was used to stir up the wonder in fans over whose wedding it was supposed to be in the flash-forward, where we saw a nervous Ted. That wasn’t its only use, though, as the song was also heard when Ted pushed the button to destroy the Arcadian, cementing the sentiment that people need to move onto bigger and better things, no matter how much people like Zoey wanted to cling onto it.
“This Modern Love” - Bloc Party
How I Met Your Mother was the hip, cool new show on the scene in 2005 after Friends ended, and the newer generation responded very well to songs being utilized to play up the story. Season 1’s “This Modern Love” made the final moments a must-see, and it still ranks as a top moment in the show’s history.
It was very appropriate as well, as the modern woman, Lily, couldn’t comprehend just settling for the traditionalist that was Marshall, and the poor guy was left lamenting his fortunes in the rain. On the other end, we had Ted, who was basking in happiness after finally getting together with Robin - two very modern styles of romance wrapped up in one.
“Shake It Out” - Florence and the Machine
Before Taylor Swift told us to “Shake it Off,” we were told to shake out our problems by Florence and the Machine and How I Met Your Mother. Here, the episode needed a very strong song to see off the audience after a very turbulent episode, where we saw Ted realize his mistake as Robin didn’t love him after all.
The winning shot, though, was the sight of the street where Ted walked being full of women holding yellow umbrellas, a reminder to the fans that Robin was just one of the pit stops Ted had to go through before finally meeting The Mother.
“The Funeral” - Band of Horses
As it turned out, this song foreshadowed The Mother’s death all along, what with it being named “The Funeral.” At the time, though, it did a great job of telling us to hold fast, as Ted’s story was coming to an end in a couple of years.
The thunderous chorus and its accompanying lyrics complemented the scene that unfolded, as we saw Future Ted waiting on a train platform, all while The Mother stepped out of a taxi and stood only a short distance away from him. While we didn’t get to see them meet at the time, the song had us hyped for when the moment would arrive.
“Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit” - Barney/Neil Patrick Harris
Nobody could have envisioned an entire dance number being featured on the show, especially not one that was so elaborate. Here, Barney imagined a whole musical-styled song to go with his love for suits, and we were brought along for the ride.
Being the enormously talented man that he is, Neil Patrick Harris had us wowed with his dancing skills, and the show’s prop and costume department deserve applause themselves for making the song come alive. Anybody who heard this song would have been inclined to dump their girlfriend and go off in pursuit of suits instead.
“Downtown Train” - Everything But The Girl
We’re all pretty bummed with the widely-hated series finale as well, but you can’t deny that the meeting between Ted and The Mother deserves full points for being sweet and justified in bringing the whole story together.
What made this moment so beautiful was the song that seamlessly went with all the times the couple had during their marriage and completed the effect by accompanying us when we saw Ted and The Mother meet for the first time in 2013. Had the show ended right then and there, How I Met Your Mother could have pleased the fans with its finale; unfortunately, fans had the disastrous ending to follow. This takes nothing away from “Downtown Train,” though, the song that made us believe in happy endings for those few minutes.
