Nothing brings people together quite like music. 2016 had plenty of great moments, including some memorable, emotional and hilarious songs. From a powerful performance on the final season of American Idol to the wackiest and most off-putting theme song ever to some huge moments on hit dramas, the perfect song can elevate any TV moment.
Here’s a look back at five of the best and most memorable musical performances of the year.
American Idol: Kelly Clarkson’s “Piece by Piece”
For the final season, the original winner returned, very pregnant, to perform her new single “Piece by Piece.” The combination of hormones, nostalgia and an extremely personal song led to a truly magical moment as Clarkson broke down during the performance, barely being able to finish. That break made it even more special and gave the show’s farewell season one of its most memorable moments in 15 years. In fact, the version was so good it even earned a Grammy nomination.
Lucifer: Lucifer’s “All Along the Watchtower”
At the end of the season 2 premiere, Tom Ellis delivered a great piano rendition of this classic song originally from Bob Dylan. What made it even more special was that the scene ended with the arrival of Lucifer’s mother, played by Battlestar Galactica‘s Tricia Helfer. The fact that the song was also memorably used as a Cylon anthem on BSG makes it even cooler.
Mr. Robot: The ’90s Sitcom Theme Song
Elliot’s unconventional mind led to a hilarious sequence that saw the characters existing in a ’90s sitcom, complete with an opening theme song that would be right at home on TGIF. This show definitely lives up the lyrics: “Imagine a world gone insane.”
Saturday Night Live: Hillary Clinton’s “Hallelujah”
One week after the 2016 election and the death of Leonard Cohen, SNL fused the two events with a heartbreaking opening number of Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton performing Cohen’s most famous hit song. The third verse in particular was eerily perfect, as if it were written about Hillary Clinton herself following her loss to Donald Trump: “I did my best, it wasn’t much / I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch / I told the truth, I didn’t come to fool ya / And even though it all went wrong / I’ll stand before the Lord of Song / With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah.”
Supernatural: Chuck’s “Fare Thee Well”
This year God finally showed up on Supernatural, with the revelation that he is none other than author and alleged prophet Chuck Shurley. His entry into the Winchesters’ lives came as he performed this classic American folk song, appropriately about a woman whose lover has left her when she needed him the most.
For More of BuddyTV’s 2016 End of Year Coverage:
- 10 Sexiest Male Characters of 2016
- 10 Sexiest Female TV Characters of 2016
- The 10 Best TV Dramas from 2016
- 10 Best Comedies of 2016
- 19 Major TV Deaths
- In Memoriam: TV Shows We Lost in 2016
- 25 Best Episodes of 2016
- TV’s 13 Hottest Scenes
- 11 TV Couples Who Had No Happily Ever After
- 5 Episodes So Gruesome We Had to Look Away
- 13 TV Moments that Broke Our Hearts
- The Best and Worst of Politics on Television
- The 11 Most Cringeworthy TV Moments
- 10 TV Characters We Fell in Love with
- The Most Fashionable Television Characters
- 7 New TV Catchphrases
- 5 Show Cancellations that Broke Our Hearts
- 10 TV Characters We Hope Find Love in 2017
- 7 Characters We’ll Miss in 2017
Click here for the Complete End of Year Guide>>>
(Image and videos courtesy of the CW, FOX, USA and NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
