Scandal Soundtrack

It’s Shonda Rhimes Week!!!!! And if by some miracle, you don’t know who that is … she created the hit television shows Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, and Scandal – which, by the way, are ALL available on Netflix.  

But today we’ll just be focusing on Scandal, which centers on the main character, Olivia Pope, who works to “clean up” the messes of high-ranking White House officials. However, Olivia Pope herself is involved in some of these messes including a SCANDALous affair with the President of the United States. What is so unique about all of the shows that Shonda Rhimes has created is…big surprise… THE MUSIC. You would think that the creator has little interest in differentiating the music between shows but … no she does indeed. The music from each of the shows is so different from one to the next. The music featured on the show consists mainly of R&B/soul artists from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but fits so well with the content of the show. In fact, Olivia Pope enjoys old fashioned records so much so that the music is often the focus of the episodes’ plot lines. 

Some of the artists featured on the show include Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Kool & the Gang, Nina Simone, Commodores, Marvin Gaye, and Rick James, just to name a few. Six seasons of the show are available on Netflix but the current 7^th season is airing on the ABC Network, which will sadly be the last episode. Luckily if you haven't yet started watching, you will be in for some great music surprises! Listen below for one of my favorites!