Freaks and Geeks (soundtrack) explained

The cult television show Freaks and Geeks used music from the show's time period, 1980–1981 for its soundtrack.

Because this called for using popular, established artists, purchasing the rights to use songs required much of the show's budget and became an obstacle in releasing the show on DVD; in fact, reruns seen on Fox Family replaced some of the songs with generic production music. However, Shout! Factory eventually brought Freaks and Geeks to DVD in 2004, with all of its music intact.^[1]

Complete series soundtrack list

The following is a complete list of the songs featured in Freaks and Geeks as they appear in the DVD booklet. Listed along with the titles of each song are the artist who performs the versions that appear in the series as well as the original album the track appeared on and that albums original year of release.

The opening credits of each episode are accompanied by the song "Bad Reputation", performed by Joan Jett from her 1980 Bad Reputation album.

101: Pilot episode

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Runnin' with the Devil"		Van Halen	1978
"I'm Alright"		Kenny Loggins Alive	1980
"Renegade"		Pieces of Eight	1978
"Come Sail Away"		The Grand Illusion	1977

102: Beers and Weirs

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Hush"		Shades of Deep Purple	1968
"Jesus Is Just Alright"	Sarah Hagan and Jason Segel (performed in character as a cover)
		Ballad of Easy Rider Toulouse Street	1969 1972
"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo"		All American Boy	1973
"No One to Depend On"		3	1971
"Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"		Van Halen	1978
"Maybe"		I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!	1969
"Do You Love Me"		Destroyer	1976

103: Tricks and Treats

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"The Monster Mash"	Becky Ann Baker and John Francis Daley (performed in character as a cover)
	Originally by Bobby "Boris" Pickett	The Original Monster Mash	1962
"Gonna Raise Hell"		Dream Police	1979
"Roller"		First Glance	1978
"Free-for-All"		Free-For-All	1977

104: Kim Kelly is My Friend

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Jamie's Cryin'"		Van Halen	1978
"Ice Cream Man"	Van Halen	Van Halen	1978
"King Tut"		A Wild and Crazy Guy	1978
"Reminiscing"		Sleeper Catcher	1978

105: Tests and Breasts

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Takin' Care of Business"		Bachman–Turner Overdrive II	1973
"Superfly"		Super Fly	1972
"Love's Theme"		Rhapsody in White	1974
"Little Dreamer"		Van Halen	1978
"Debris"		A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse	1971

106: I'm With the Band

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"The Spirit of Radio"		Permanent Waves	1980
"Sunshine of Your Love"	Seth Rogen and Creation (performed in character as a cover)
	Originally by Cream	Disraeli Gears	1967
"Crossroads"	Jason Segel and Dimension (performed in character as a cover)
	Originally by Cream based on Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues	Wheels of Fire	1968
"White Room"	Cream	Wheels of Fire	1968
"One Step Beyond"		One Step Beyond...	1979

107: Carded and Discarded

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"C'était Toi (You Were the One)"		Glass Houses	1980
"Rosalinda's Eyes"	Billy Joel	52nd Street	1978
"Don't Ask Me Why"	Billy Joel	Glass Houses	1980
"Stomp!"		Light Up the Night	1980
"I'm Eighteen"	Dave (Gruber) Allen and Feedback (performed in character as a cover)
	Originally by Alice Cooper	Love It to Death	1971
"We're an American Band"	Dave (Gruber) Allen and Feedback (performed in character as a cover)
	Originally by Grand Funk Railroad	We're an American Band	1973

108: Girlfriends and Boyfriends

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Whipping Post"		The Allman Brothers Band	1969
"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"		Evolution	1979
"Nights in White Satin"		Days of Future Passed	1967
"Lady"		Styx II	1973

109: We've Got Spirit

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Dust in the Wind"		Point of Know Return	1977
"How Funky Is Your Chicken?"	McKinley High Cheerleaders
"Keep Yourself Alive"		Queen	1973
"Everybody Wants Some!!"		Women and Children First	1980
"Stranglehold"		Ted Nugent	1975
"Do Ya Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)"		Bad Reputation	1979
"Hava Nagila"
"The Song Is Over"		Who's Next	1971

110: The Diary

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Journey to the Center of the Mind"		Journey to the Center of the Mind	1968
"No Language in Our Lungs"		Black Sea	1980
"Theme from Diff'rent Strokes"			1978
"Theme from What's Happening!!"			1976
"Overture"		Rocky II soundtrack	1979

111: Looks and Books

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"I'm the Man"		I'm the Man	1979
"Look Sharp!"		Look Sharp!	1979
"Slip Kid"		The Who by Numbers	1975
"Stomp!"		Light Up the Night	1980
"Flamethrower"		Freeze Frame	1981
"Take the Long Way Home"		Breakfast in America	1979

112: The Garage Door

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"25 or 6 to 4"	McKinley High Marching Band
	Originally by Chicago	Chicago	1970
"When the Saints Go Marching In"	McKinley High Marching Band
"Go, Fight, Win"	McKinley High Marching Band
"Beautiful Loser"		Beautiful Loser	1975
"Good Times Roll"		The Cars	1978
"Karn Evil 9"		Brain Salad Surgery	1973
"The Devil Went Down to Georgia"		Million Mile Reflections	1979
"Amie"		Bustin' Out	1972
"Free Bird"		Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd	1973
"Classical Gas"		The Mason Williams Phonograph Record	1968

113: Chokin' and Tokin'

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Charlie's Angels Theme"
"Smokin'"		Boston	1976
"Fat Bottomed Girls"		Jazz	1978
"Hi-De-Ho"		Blood, Sweat & Tears 3	1970
"Aqualung"		Aqualung	1971
"Little Green Bag"		Little Green Bag	1970
"Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me"		Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me	1972

114: Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"I'm Free"		Tommy	1969
"I'm One"	The Who	Quadrophenia	1973
"Boris the Spider"	The Who	A Quick One	1966
"Love, Reign o'er Me"	The Who	Quadrophenia	1973
"Squeeze Box"	The Who	The Who by Numbers	1975
"Going Mobile"	The Who	Who's Next	1971
"Drowned"	The Who	Quadrophenia	1973
"Michael Row the Boat Ashore"
"Lady L"	written and performed by Jason Segel
"Summer Breeze"		Summer Breeze	1972

115: Noshing and Moshing

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Spacefunk"
"Rise Above"		Damaged	1981
"Your Phone's Off the Hook, But You're Not"		Los Angeles	1980
"You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You"		This Time I'm Swingin'!	1960
"Lime Green"		Cock Rock	1996
"Happy Street"	Diesel Boy	Cock Rock	1996
"Punk Rock 101" (no relation to Bowling for Soup's song "Punk Rock 101")	Diesel Boy	Cock Rock	1996

116: Smooching and Mooching

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Tom Sawyer"		Moving Pictures	1981
"The Monster"		Krupa and Rich	1956
"Katmandu"		Beautiful Loser	1975
"You'll Accomp'ny Me"		Against the Wind	1980
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"		Warren Zevon	1976

117: The Little Things

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"When the Saints Go Marching In"	McKinley High Marching Band
"If My Friends Could See Me Now"		If My Friends Could See Me Now	1978
"Hail to the Chief"	McKinley High Marching Band
"Fashion"		Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)	1980
"The Road"		Running on Empty	1977

118: Discos and Dragons

Song title	Artist	Album	Year
"Hot Number"		Hot Numbers	1979
"Box of Rain"		American Beauty	1970
"Ripple"	Grateful Dead	American Beauty	1970
"I Don't Want to Be a Freak"		Your Piece of the Rock	1979
"I Will Survive"		Love Tracks	1978
"The Groove Line"		Central Heating	1977
"Spacefunk"

Notes and statistics

• Over 120 songs are featured in the series.
• The artist to be featured in the most episodes (5) is Van Halen.
• The artist with the most songs in the series (9) is The Who.
• The album to have the most songs in the series (5) is Van Halen's 1978 self-titled debut.
• The oldest song to appear on the series (1955) is "The Monster" by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.
• Other than instrumentals such as "Spacefunk" and score, and songs sung by characters such as "Lady L," the only songs to appear in the series that were not written or recorded until after 1981 are "Lime Green", "Happy Street" and "Punk Rock 101" by Diesel Boy (recorded in 1996).
• The only songs to be featured in more than one episode are "Stomp!" by Brothers Johnson, "When the Saints Go Marching In" by the McKinley High Marching Band and "Spacefunk" by Paul Feig (all of which were used twice).
• The producers had hoped to use "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" by Neil Young for the final scene of the "Noshing and Moshing" episode, but ended up substituting Dean Martin's "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" when they were unable to get the licensing rights to the Young song.

CD soundtrack release

Freaks and Geeks
Type:	Soundtrack
Cover:	Freaks and geeks soundtrack album cover.JPG
Released:	September 14, 2004
Genre:	Soundtrack
Length:	64:29
Label:	Shout! Factory
Producer:	Judd Apatow, Andrew Jay Cohen, Paul Feig

A CD soundtrack for the series was released in 2004 from Shout! Factory. The CD soundtrack release contained nine songs featured in the series, eleven original Freaks and Geeks score tracks by Michael Andrews, three alternate cast recordings of songs performed on the show ("Lady L" being a fan favorite), an extra performance by "Feedback" and a bonus track by The Leaving Trains. The accompanying booklet features 15 pages of liner notes written by David Wild and Jake Kasdan as well as written track by track commentary by the Freaks and Geeks character, guidance counsellor Jeffery Theodore Rosso.

1. "Bad Reputation" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
2. "Geek Hallway" - Michael Andrews
3. "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" - Warren Zevon
4. "Lindsay's Theme" - Michael Andrews
5. "Gettin' High" - Michael Andrews
6. "Look Sharp!" - Joe Jackson
7. "Clem's Theme" - Michael Andrews
8. "No Language in Our Lungs" - XTC
9. "Lindsay Disturbed Theme" - Michael Andrews
10. "Bill Gets Funky (A.K.A. Spacefunk)" - Paul Feig
11. "USA Rock" - Michael Andrews
12. "The Spirit of Radio" - Rush
13. "Daniel's Theme" - Michael Andrews
14. "I'm One" - The Who
15. "Porno Music" - Michael Andrews
16. "Neal's Lament" - Michael Andrews
17. "The Groove Line" - Heatwave
18. "Ken's Ode To Joy" - Michael Andrews
19. "Come Sail Away" - Styx
20. "End Title Theme" - Michael Andrews
21. "Lady L" - Jason Segel
22. "I'm Eighteen" - Dave (Gruber) Allen
23. "Jesus Is Just Alright" - Jason Segel/Sarah Hagan
24. "Up on Cripple Creek" - Dave (Gruber) Allen and Feedback
25. "Dumb As A Crayon" - The Leaving Trains

Notes and References

1. Web site: Freaks and Geeks DVD news: Official Press Release: April 6 is the day! . TVShowsOnDVD.com . 2012-02-16 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100709045710/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Freaks-Geeks/976 . 2010-07-09 .