Celebrating Music Obsession in Gilmore Girls: A Complete List Every Fan Needs
We look to Lane Kim, drummer for the best fictional band in Stars Hollow, for a solid playlist!
Throughout Gilmore Girls, Lane Kim makes a plethora of musical references. Instead of turning to the Bible, her gospel is MOJO, a British music magazine. She doesn’t discriminate against any one particular genre. She even makes up some of her own, like Pretty Boy Rock. Here at rmrk*st, we have compiled a complete list of every musical reference 🎶 that Lane and her bandmates made throughout 7 seasons and the series revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Channeling our inner Taylor Swift, we have divided these into three distinct eras: The Under the Floorboards Era, The Dave Rygalski Era, and The Hep Alien Era. 👽 Maybe you’ll find your next favorite band among this list.
You can also check out this Spotify playlist 🎧 , our complete Hep Alien set list.
Under the Floorboards Era
In Season 1 & 2, Lane is just a girl hiding her extensive music collection under her floorboards away from her mother. She doesn’t realize that she is meant to be a drummer 🥁 until Sophie’s Music opens up in Stars Hollow at the end of Season 2. Before those red shiny drums caught her eye, she had aspirations to be the bass player 🎸 in the Foo Fighters, or the keyboardist 🎹 in Siouxsie and the Banshees.
These are all the musical references mentioned by Lane Kim in the first two seasons. If a specific song or album was mentioned, it has been included.
Accelerators, The - A rock band from Raleigh, NC that formed in 1982.
AC/DC - The ‘70s Australian 🇦🇺 rock band fronted by Angus Young, known for his high energy onstage and his schoolboy-uniform stage outfits.
Adolescents - An American punk band that became one of the main acts to come out of Orange County, California in the early 1980s.
Adverts, The - They were one of the first English punk bands to have chart success in the UK. 🇬🇧 They formed in 1976, only to split in 1979.
Agent Orange - An American punk band in 1979, and the first to mix punk with surf music.
Agnostic Front - A hardcore punk band in New York City 🗽 in the ‘80s, who was a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre.
A-Ha - This Norwegian 🇳🇴 synth-pop group from the ‘80s is famously known for their biggest hit “Take On Me.” *One of Lane’s guilty pleasures.
Angelic Upstarts, The - A ‘70s English 🏴 punk band that was labeled as the most politically charged and thought-provoking groups by AllMusic.
Animals, The - A ‘60s English 🏴 rock band known for their deep-voiced frontman, a bluesy sound, and their biggest hit “The House of the Rising Sun.”
Bangles, The - An ‘80s American all-female rock band known for big hits like “Manic Monday” and “Walk Like An Egyptian.”
Bee Gees - Brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice formed the band in 1958. The album Odessa from 1969 was one Lane was on the hunt for.
Belle & Sebastian - A Scottish 🏴 indie pop band from 1996.
Blondie - Fronted by Debbie Harry, the band was a pioneer to the new wave music scene in 1974 in New York City. 🗽
Bon Jovi - Hailed from New Jersey in 1983 to become one of the American greats in the ‘80s.
Bowie, David - One of the most influential artists in the 20th century from London, England. 🏴
Breeders, The - An alternative rock band from Dayton, Ohio.
Browne, Jackson - A rock musician, singer/songwriter, and political activist who started his career in the 1960s.
Bush - A British 🇬🇧 rock band that formed in 1992, fronted by Gavin Rossdale.
Costello, Elvis - One of the most versatile artists, with a career spanning six decades.
Cure, The - An English 🏴 rock band from the ‘70s fronted by Robert Smith. Lane blasts “Pictures of You” in Rory’s room after the Rich Bloomenfeld incident.
Duran Duran - A new wave band from England 🏴 that formed in 1978.
Fairport Convention - An English 🏴 folk band from 1968 - Liege and Lief is the album Lane is on the hunt for.
Foo Fighters - An American rock band that formed in 1994 as a one-man project by Dave Grohl, the former drummer of Nirvana.
Fugazi - An American punk rock band that formed in 1986 in the Nation’s Capital.
Grandaddy - An American indie rock band from Modesto, California that formed in 1992.
Iggy Pop - A musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and radio broadcaster that was a part of several bands but is more known for his solo stuff.
Jam, The - An English 🏴 rock band for 10 years until 1982, and in that course had 18 consecutive top 40 songs in the UK. Four went to number one.
Jethro Tull - A British 🇬🇧 rock band that formed in 1967 who created their own progressive rock sound that was a blues & jazz fusion that incorporated English folk music, hard rock and classical elements.
Kraftwerk - A German 🇩🇪 electronic band that formed in Düsseldorf in 1970.
Longet, Claudine - She was a Franco-American 🇫🇷 singer, actress, and dancer that was popular during the ‘60s & ‘70s.
MC5 - A ‘60s rock band from Michigan - The 1969 Kick Out The Jams album is referenced in Gilmore Girls.
Mingus, Charles - An American jazz double bassist and composer, that made The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady in 1963.
Nico - A German 🇩🇪 singer, songwriter, actress and model, formerly of The Velvet Underground.
Nirvana - Founded by Kurt Cobain in 1987, establishing the band as a mainstay in the Seattle grunge scene.
Ono, Yoko - A Japanese 🇯🇵 multimedia artist and musician, along with being a peace activist. ☮️ She is known for having married John Lennon.
Pixies - An alternative rock band from Boston, who formed in 1986, disbanded in 1993, and reunited 11 years later.
Ramones, The - They are thought of as the first true punk band from 1970s’ New York City, 🗽 despite their limited commercial success.
Shatner, William - This Canadian 🇨🇦 is more well known for being an actor, but he put out his debut record in 1968.
Sinatra, Frank - The Capitol Years is the reference made in the show. It is a compilation album that was released in 1990 to coincide with Frank Sinatra’s 75th birthday.
Siouxsie and the Banshees - A British 🇬🇧 rock band formed in London in 1976.
Sonics, The - Lane mentioned the debut album, Here Are The Sonics, that was released in March 1965. They have been named as influencers on bands like The White Stripes and Nirvana.
Wallflowers, The - A roots rock band fronted by Jakob Dylan, the son of Bob Dylan.
Whistler, Chaucer, Detroit, and Greenhill - A 1960s Texas band that was barely noticed, and who never played a gig. But they blended folk, blues, country, psychedelia, soul, and rock beautifully. If you find their albums, you are doing a lot better than Lane.
XTC - The English 🏴 band was a part of the punk and new wave movement in the 1970s. Wasp Star (Apple Venus Volume 2), released in 2000, is the album that Lane rushes to the Gilmores’ house with.
Yes - A progressive rock band from England 🏴 in the 1960s.
Young Marble Giants - A Welsh 🏴 post-punk band formed in Cardiff, Wales, in 1978.
The Dave Rygalski Era
Lane puts out an ad for “a drummer seeking a band” and possibly the best meet-cute 👩❤️💋👨 ever takes place with Dave Rygalski. Along with Dave, she (and viewers) meet Zack and Brian. They never can decide on a name for the band at this time, and Follow Them to the Edge of the Desert most definitely is too long. Shortening it to FTTTEOTD doesn’t help either.
These are all the musical references mentioned by one of the four band members in Season 3. If a specific song or album was mentioned, it has been included. All songs performed by the band are noted as well.
Best, Pete - The original drummer of The Beatles, and there was no way Lane was going to end up like him.
Butthole Surfers - A rock band from San Antonio, Texas that formed in 1981 with lots of lineup changes but has stayed consistent since 1983.
Clash, The - Part of the original wave of British 🇬🇧 punk in the ‘70s. On the show, the band covered “London Calling” and “White Riot.”
Coltrane, John - A very influential jazz musician in the 20th Century who played with Miles Davis in the 1950s before starting his own quartet.
Cornershop - An English 🏴 indie rock band from the late 1990s.
Dead Kennedys - An influential punk band hailing from California in the late ‘70s who was only together for 8 years.
Kinks, The - Ray and Dave Davies formed The Kinks to be one of the most influential bands in the 1960s.
Osbourne, Kelly - The daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, who is a singer, actress, fashion designer and television personality.
Pink - Alecia Hart uses Pink as her stage name who is a well-known pop singer of the 2000s.
Queen - Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon made up Queen in the ‘70s to form one of the most influential and popular bands of the 20th century.
Rage Against the Machine - They hailed from California in the early ‘90s, performing what can be described as “rap rock” or “funk metal.”
Stefani, Gwen - The lead singer and co-founder of No Doubt in the ‘90s, who went solo in the early aughts.
U2 - Hailing from Ireland, 🇮🇪 they have managed to evolve their music throughout the years. Believe it or not, they started out playing post-punk.
Welk, Lawrence - An American accordionist who hosted his own show from 1951 to 1982, inventing a style of music called “champagne music.”
Who, The - The London 🇬🇧 rock band formed under the name of “The Detours” in the 60s before changing their name. The album Quadrophenia, referenced in the show, was their sixth studio album, released as a double album in 1963.
White Stripes, The - A rock duo from Detroit responsible for leading indie rock revival of the 2000s. The band covered “Fell In Love With A Girl.”
Wu-Tang Clan - A collective of hip hop artists that came together in the early ‘90s on Staten Island.
The Hep Alien Era
In Season 4, Lane, Zack, and Brian meet Gil (Sebastian Bach) and the band molds into form. The birth of Hep Alien. 👽 Even with the brief moment where they split (what legendary band doesn’t have a bout of internal strife? It’s so rock and roll…), they know they belong together. Though, Gil and Brian performing “Hollaback Girl” during the band’s separation at a Bar Mitzvah is a treat that we should be thankful for.
These are all the musical references mentioned by one of the four band members in Seasons 4-7, and also Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life. If a specific song or album was mentioned, it has been included.
Blondie - Hep Alien covered their 1978 hit “Hanging on the Telephone.” 📞
Blur - An English 🏴 rock band from the late ‘80s - Hep Alien covered “Crazy Beat”... yea yea yea yea!
Fleetwood Mac - This is Lane’s other guilty pleasure, who started as a British 🇬🇧 blues band in the beginning but with the addition of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham gave them a pop-rock while launching them to number 1.
Jackson, Joe - An English 🏴 singer-songwriter and musician that put out “I’m The Man” in 1979, and Hep Alien covered it in Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life.
Jesus and Mary Chain, The - A Scottish 🏴 alternative band in the 80s that revolved around the Reid brothers. Hep Alien covered the song “Head On.”
Kraftwerk - They were considered innovators of electronic music, and one of the first to make it popular.
Led Zeppelin - Frontman Robert Plant led this English 🏴 rock band from 1968 to 1980. Remember that “Stairway To Heaven” is on Led Zeppelin IV, not III.
McLachlan, Sarah - This is Brian’s guilty pleasure, and to be honest, this Canadian 🇨🇦 star that has sold over 40 millions records might just be a lot of people’s guilty pleasures.
Monkees, The - Even though they were created for a television show, they became one of the most successful bands in the 1960s. Their 1967 hit “I’m a Believer” has been covered by Smashmouth, Weezer, The Four Tops, Hep Alien, and many more.
NSync - Yes, that boy band with Justin Timberlake. Zack claimed that he just reads a lot about music and happened to skim an article about them. 👀
Rancid - An American punk band that formed in 1991, responsible for helping to revive the interest of punk rock with the mainstream audience. “Time Bomb” from their 1995 release …And Out Come The Wolves was covered by Hep Alien.
Rolling Stones, The - They are one of the most popular British 🇬🇧 rock bands in the 20th century, spanning seven decades.
Scarbury, Joey - Hep Alien had to cover Joey Scarbury’s biggest hit from The Greatest American Hero, “Believe It or Not,” for Jackson’s Town Selectman rally. They made it an anthem. 🤘
Sex Pistols - An English 🏴 punk band from the mid-1970s that started the punk movement in England.
Simon & Garfunkel - This is Gil’s guilty pleasure, and one of the best selling folk rock duos in the 1960s.
Sonic Youth - They came about in the early ‘80s, and were known for using unorthodox guitar 🎸 tunings, and also altered the guitar’s tone by using things like drumsticks and screwdrivers.
Stefani, Gwen - Gil famously covered “Hollaback Girl” at the bar mitzvah.
Strokes, The - They hit it big with their debut album in the early aughts, and according to Gil, they were way overexposed.
Talking Heads - They were a pioneer in new wave music coming from New York City 🗽 in 1975. Lane and Zack watch the documentary 🎥 Stop Making Sense on their first date.
Television - A band from New York City 🗽 in the 1970s who was an early fixture at CBGB’s and the development of the punk music movement.
Weezer - They are a mix of alternative, power pop, and pop punk, and have sold over 35 millions records worldwide since their formation in 1992.
Did we miss any? Are you a fan of any of these artists? Head on over to our Discord to find other fans like you!
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