One of the things I love about Beverly Hills, 90210, and as I finish my 15th episode of One Tree Hill, is how they incorporate music into their storylines. It's not overdone--there is a little after the theme song (well, in case of One Tree Hill, it is the theme song), and some playing in the background music of certain scenes. I think both shows integrate musical acts pretty well into their story lines with characters frequently visiting the Peach Pit After Dark and Karen's Cafe--where live music is just part of the venue. These shows use music in such a way that when you watch an episode of 90210, you really feel like you're watching something out of the 1990s. While the clothes and the hairstyles help for sure, it's truly the music that captures that moment in popular culture. So when you see the characters of 90210 get psyched for Babyface or Donna Lewis performing at the after dark ("I love you, always forever...), you just think ahhh, the good ole' days.
Today, I don't think teen soaps do that so much, with Gossip Girl being the exception, for this week anyway. In general, Gossip Girl, the new 90210, and the new Melrose Place do incorporate a fair amount of music, but it's not very mainstream for the most part. I mean, 90210's music wasn't necessarily always bubblegum pop--they frequently used R.E.M. which definitely found success in the mainstream but appealed to other types as well. R&B artists also visited the After Dark, so in reality, their use of music worked to appeal to many different types of people. Today, the appeal of the music used is pretty narrow. And, they encourage you to go download it after the show which doesn't seem so much a celebration of popular culture as product placement. In the end, if I one day decide to re-watch Gossip Girl down the road, I'm not so sure it will feel like a snip-it of what late 2000s culture was like.
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