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How I Met Your Music (Original Songs from the Hit Series "How I Met Your Mother")
Soundtrack album by The cast of How I Met Your Mother
Released	September 24, 2012
Recorded	2005–11
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	37:44
Label	Fox Music
How I Met Your Mother soundtracks chronology
How I Met Your Music (Original Songs from the Hit Series "How I Met Your Mother") (2012) How I Met Your Music: Deluxe (2014)
Deluxe artwork
Album artwork of the 2014 Deluxe version

How I Met Your Music is the name of two albums (the first being followed by the subtitle Original Songs from the Hit Series "How I Met Your Mother", the second being followed by Deluxe) composed of songs from the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, the first of which was released hours before the Season 8 premiere. It features 20 songs that had appeared in the first seven seasons of the show and was released only digitally, originally through iTunes. A second iteration, titled How I Met Your Music: Deluxe album, was released a year later. It contains an entirely different play list. Many critics have said that the albums reflect the series' consistently effective use of music.

Show soundtrack summaries

Critics have often commented on the series' "thoughtful" use of music. As Rolling Stone noted:

Maybe you liked the show's soundtrack better than its 'surprise' ending? It may have gotten lost in all the meeting-the-mother mythology, catchphrases, slaps and recurring gags, but How I Met Your Mother was an incredibly musically-minded sitcom ... the show had some truly catchy original tunes, ranging from teen pop ... to show tunes ... to death metal ... . If that weren't enough, HIMYM has also been incredibly adept at matching great scenes with great songs.

One critic said the show makes "flawless" music choices that meld with the story. Jessica Blankenship wrote that the show's writers seamlessly "use a song as a punchline, a bridge, or an emotional punctuation mark." It was a hallmark of the series.

In 9 seasons (208 episodes), at least 408 songs were used.

Viewers report that the soundtrack varies depending upon forums and media. It is claimed there is a significant discontinuity in the songs that were originally used, the DVD version, and the Netflix versions of the show.

The 100th episode was dubbed "How I Met Your Musical", which presaged the albums' names.

The albums

The very concept of "best" songs from the series is problematic as the many lists of 'iconic' songs vary.

The first album contained about 20 tracks totaling 40 minutes. According to Craig Thomas, a co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, a decision was made to release it without a physical CD, "because that’s so 1992". Entitled How I Met Your Music: Original Songs from the Hit Series, it was originally released digitally to iTunes in 2012, and featured songs from the first seven seasons of the show.

Following the show's end, a second album, How I Met Your Music: Deluxe, was released digitally via iTunes in 2014. It features songs from the final two seasons. One review says it contains 14 of the "most memorable songs of the nine seasons of the series." It includes various actors/artists as performers: Boyz II Men, Wayne Brady, Frances Conroy, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris, John Lithgow, Sam Moore, Cristin Milioti, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, The Solids, John Swihart, and Ben Vereen.

Track listing

Charts

References

Notes

1. Not including Golden Girl, which is not listed although twice used, and reportedly involved copyright infringement. According to the band's drummer, Tristan Davies, there was a silver lining in the theft: "The exposure was great and we were blown away by the fact that they would even consider something that we'd done – some s***house band in Canberra that no-one's ever heard." The band was paid more than if the song had been properly licensed. The infringement was said to be ironic given the lyrics. "While the producers of television sitcom How I Met Your Mother only used the heavy guitar riffs of TONK's rock tune, ... 'Out in the streets, it's a dirty dirty living.'".

Citations

1. ^ "How I Met Your Music (Original Songs from the Hit Series "How I Met Your Mother") by Various Artists on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
2. Grow, Kory (30 July 2012). "'How I Met Your Mother' Soundtrack Will Finally Release Best of Robin Sparkles". Spin. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
3. ^ Goldman, Eric (29 July 2012). "How I Met Your Mother Soundtrack Coming in September". IGN. Retrieved 7 April 2017. "It's iTunes only." Thomas jokingly added, "It's not a physical CD, because that's so 1992! When's the last time you bought a CD?"
4. ^ Chow, Greg (April 1, 2014). "5 Essential 'How I Met Your Mother' Music Moments". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
5. ^ Blankenship, Jessica (April 1, 2014). "43 Of The Most Perfect Songs From 'How I Met Your Mother'". Thought Catalog. Retrieved April 11, 2017. During last night's series finale of How I Met Your Mother, the very last scene ... got at least one thing right: the song, "Heaven" by the Walkmen. It was perfect. Not that we should be surprised – of all the things HIMYM has done well, making flawless music choices was possibly the most crucial. The show was never too heavy-handed with their song selections; it never leaned on the music.
6. ^ Eng, Joyce (March 26, 2014). "How I Met Your Mother: The 12 Best Musical Moments". TV Guide. Retrieved April 11, 2017. If there's one thing How I Met Your Mother loves more than dragging out Ted and The Mother's meet-cute, it's musical numbers. From Barney's suitable 100th episode extravaganza to Robin Sparkles' throwback tunes, HIMYM's song-and-dance moments are, well, legendary.
7. Gelman, Vlada (December 26, 2013). "Farewell, How I Met Your Mother: The Sitcom's Top 10 Most Memorable Song Moments". TVLine. Retrieved April 11, 2017. How I Met Your Mother is as synonymous with music as it is with questions about Ted's future wife. From Robin Sparkles to "You Just Got Slapped," the show has served up plenty of its own original songs. But it's also made smart, clever use of popular tunes to create many unforgettable, emotional scenes.
8. "'How I Met Your Mother's' 12 best musical moments". Fox News. March 27, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2017. If there's one thing "How I Met Your Mother" loves more than dragging out Ted and The Mother's meeting, it's musical numbers.
9. "'How I Met Your Mother' complete soundtrack list". tunefind.com. Tune Find. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
10. "How I stole your music". The Sydney Morning Herald. March 16, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2017. Canberra rock band TONK were alerted by messages on their Facebook page congratulating them on hearing their music on the show. ... The band's 27-year-old drummer Tristan Davies told triple j's Hack program that they eventually found their song Golden Girl on season six, episode six, but it was another band playing it.
11. "Aussie band reveals US sitcom stole song... twice". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. March 15, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
12. "Canberra band rocked by TV show's song misuse". The Canberra Times. March 16, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
13. "How I Met your Mother, Different Music". Reddit. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
14. Trent (December 14, 2009). "Buffyverse – First Look: 'How I Met Your Mother' – The Musical Episode". pinkisthenewblog.com. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
15. Lee, Ashley (March 29, 2014). "'How I Met Your Mother' Music Supervisor Reveals Show's Top 10 Music Moments" (Video). The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
16. Gonzalez, Sandra (September 18, 2012). "'How I Met Your Mother' soundtrack: See the full listings! – EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
17. "How I met your music deluxe". 20th Century Fox. September 23, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2017 – via Apple iTunes.
18. "How I Met Your Music: Deluxe (Original Television Soundtrack) (2014)". Retrieved May 12, 2017.
19. ""How I Met Your Music" – Der Soundtrack zur Serie". My Fanbase; Meine serien; Meine community (in German). September 28, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
20. "How I Met Your Music: Deluxe by Various Artists on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
21. "Top Current Albums". Billboard.biz. October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
22. "Movie Soundtracks: Top Soundtrack Albums Chart". Billboard. October 13, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
23. "Soundtrack Chart History (Top Comedy Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2018.

• 2012 soundtrack albums
• Television soundtracks
• How I Met Your Mother