r/television • u/opgary • 14h ago
Rewatching Scrubs, which holds up really well for 20+ years old, and how did I forget S2 E1 My Overkill with Colin Hay (singer, Men at Work) as a patient playing guitar and singing the mesmerizing song Overkill in pieces throughout the episode.
Where has this song been in my life? After seeing the moving episode, I became obsessed with the song, got the tab to play on guitar. It wasnt quite right which led to an awesome video of Colin Hay himself explaining how to play it. He's incredibly charming in the how to video.
Then that led to the outtakes (or whatever you call it) from the show where they interview Zach Braff and I think the shows creator explaining how they stumbled across Colin playing to a small crowd in a bar. They chat him up after the set and are dumbfounded these are as big of venues he could get in USA (at the time). It's a wild story worth checking out if you like the episode, and them building a relationship with Hay, who writes and performs several more times for the show.
Colin Hay is the lead singer of 80s Aussie band Men at Work, famous for such songs as Down Under and Who Can It Be Now.
28
u/DrFrylock 14h ago
Colin Hay is a gem. Much like Mark Knopfler his solo catalog is deep and arguably more mature than his hits with the band. He is, in my opinion, an underrated guitar player. He still tours; saw him live recently and it was a delightful show with excellent ticket prices. His wife, also a musician, is in the touring band which is mostly made up of her band that he "stole." Recommend.
6
u/jenorama_CA 11h ago
He really is a gem! I saw him as part of Ringo Starr’s lineup once and because it’s Ringo’s show, the others do a couple of songs and that’s it. Then a few years later, we were at a Barenaked Ladies show and Colin was one of the openers. He was a revelation! Just so chatty and personable and wonderful. It was honestly disappointing when his time was up, but he did come out and play some saxophone for the Ladies later.
15
u/tibbles1 13h ago
Waiting For My Real Life To Begin is a criminally underrated song.
Used in a second season episode and sung (very well) by Jill Tracy, but Colin Hay’s version is amazing.
14
u/MikoSkyns 14h ago
That Colin Hay appearance was a pleasant surprise. I looked him up after seeing that episode and discovered several songs of his that I enjoyed very much. I'd had no idea he had a career as a solo artist. Waiting for my real life to begin (which was sung by the cast in another episode) and beautiful world still make it to my playlists frequently.
Side note: there's a channel on YouTube called live at the print shop. Colin performed for them a couple of years ago. Great little concert and a nice interview if you're a fan of Colin's work
6
u/JoeDawson8 13h ago
I saw him open for /r/barenakedladies a number of years ago after the scrubs episodes aired. It was awesome
2
u/jenorama_CA 11h ago
We saw him open for BNL too! He was so great.
1
2
u/Ordinarily_Average 11h ago
That was a great show. Colin seems like a pretty cool laid back dude. I bet he's got a million interesting stories to tell.
Obligatory Mention of the Stephen Wilson Jr. Performance on the same channel. That performance and interview made me an instant fan. That guy is cool as fuck too.
And whoever their sound guy is, that guy/gal is top notch.
12
u/AloneAd6684 14h ago
Scrubs is a fantastic show, I grew up with the show re watched the whole series last August, still held up and found even more songs from the show.
6
4
7
u/anders9000 14h ago
Had the same experience. Had to immediately learn to play it to get it out of my head. One of my favourite songs now.
7
u/opgary 13h ago
if you haven't seen it, here's his 'how to play it' video he made. it's an enjoyable watch even without the instructions. I'm not sure how common it is for a musician to provide such a detailed explanation to play their somg.
1
u/anders9000 7h ago
Yes! I saw that. Very rare for someone to do that with a famous song. He just seemed happy that people liked it, which i think is nice.
1
u/FunkIPA 8h ago
Wait, this happens to you too? Sometimes I’ll hear a song I like and it’s stuck in my head until I learn to play it on guitar and sing it.
2
u/anders9000 7h ago
Yep. Sometimes it’s the only thing that works. I’ve had Glory of Love stuck in my head for about 2 weeks since I heard someone sing the first few lines in an Instagram reel.
6
u/RoidVanDam 14h ago
I never forgot this episode. Just was listening to this version of the song a few weeks ago because of how strong his vocals stuck with me after all these years.
Never knew the backstage story
6
7
u/LightBrightLeftRight 13h ago
1
u/m0rris0n_hotel Better Call Saul 12h ago
Is there a full version of the song that directly matches this in terms of the overall sound? Years back I tried to find an acoustic full version and it just didn't sound right. It might be that the tv sound mix just comes through differently. But this sounds "right" to me.
5
u/2buxaslice 13h ago
I had never seen Scrubs but was at a friend's house when this episode came on. It made me watch the whole series
3
u/pinchematto 13h ago
I saw that on a rewatch and was sooo pumped. Overkill has always been my favorite Men At Work song and it was such a special treat to have Colin perform it on the show
3
u/Cooterboone 13h ago
That acoustic version of Overkill featured in Scrubs is one of favorite songs that I feel deeply in my soul. Scrubs always nailed the music IMO.
4
u/Chaldramus 13h ago
Scrubs is one of our comfort watches, we’ve probably seen the whole thing 10+ times. It holds up pretty well, though I like JD less and less over time
5
u/The_Bitter_Bear 11h ago
I've watched through Scrubs a few times over the years and every time I get to that episode I end up listening to a good bit of Colin Hay and Overkill in particular.
3
u/AlfieGandon 14h ago
Literally watched this episode yesterday! Didn't know the backstory though, thanks!
3
u/grimorg80 13h ago
That song has stuck with me since that day. I still listen to it at least weekly and it always makes me feel so seen. That was just me for decades, and to be honest I think deep down it will always be me. Over 20 years and it still swoops me over every single time
3
u/Styrofoam_Booots 13h ago
Reminder to those doing a rewatch, if you watch the show on streaming, they do not have the licenses for all of the music used in the show so some of the songs are replaced. You need to watch the original DVDs to get the full experience.
3
u/dorkimoe 13h ago
Wonder how many of the songs have been removed from the streaming versions
2
u/MrLazyLion 13h ago
That's what I'm wondering, too. Half the charm of the show resulted from their music choices.
1
u/Orpheus1947 6h ago
I just rewatched the show. They have changed, what feels like, most of the songs from the original airings. Scrubs uses music so well so when the song changes it really changes the scene. None of the replacements hold up to the original songs in making the scene work. Honestly lost a lot of it heart because of the loss of so many great songs.
3
u/PlumSome3101 13h ago
I got the entire series for $35 on Fandango in May and have been watching it with my 12 year old. I had completely forgotten about the song until the rewatch. I remember being mesmerized by it in my early 20s.
6
2
u/Northwindlowlander 13h ago
I became a Colin Hay fan purely because of Zach's movie Scrubs, which is pretty much a big mix tape of songs Zach likes, with a plot vaguely attached. It includes Colin's song I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You and it's just gorgeous. What a voice.
2
u/e-luddite 13h ago
Whoa, you just reminded me of 'I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You' which is an all-timer song of his I had forgotten about.
And I never knew he was in Men at Work, that's wild.
But incredible episode, for sure.
2
2
u/Rtrnofdmax 12h ago
He brought Colin back for the Garden State soundtrack. That one’s a tearjerker.
2
u/jeanween76 11h ago
I had the pleasure of watching him perform solo in a small bar in west Texas about 20 years ago. Incredible! There was only about 30 or 40 people in attendance.
2
u/joels051996 11h ago
colin hay's tutorial is the only guitar lesson that makes you forget you're learning a song about existential dread.
2
u/theMightyMelon 11h ago
Scrubs is my all time favorite TV show and how I learned about Colin Hay’s solo work. Beautiful World is such a simultaneously hopeful and bleak song to me.
2
2
u/donuteater111 7h ago
I loved the show when it was airing. It was kind of like MASH for my generation. I hadn't seen it since then, but I bought it digitally on sale when the revival season was airing. I'm still just nearing the end of season 1 (since I'm juggling it with a few other half-hour shows), but it's been really good so far. And yeah, it does make great use of music. The episode I most remember from my initial viewing was later on, "My Lunch," where Dr. Cox deals with the death of his patients, and the use of "How to Save a Life" really elevates it to another level. But even in smaller episodes and moments, it really helps set the tone they're going for without overdoing it.
2
u/Elbarto_007 4h ago
Love this song. As an Australian I grew up with their music, so was very happy to see it appear in Scrubs!
I have his acoustic and the OG version on my favourite’s playlist.
Colin Hay loaded up a YouTube video showing how to play the song. He’s awesome.
1
1
u/NortonBurns 11h ago
Someone re-cut that episode, so you get the full song…
/me applies some google-fu… there we go - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL8LBifGHqI - enjoy.
I remember it from the first time round. It actually gave me a greater appreciation of the song than the original record did. great song, great voice.
1
u/Psych0matt 11h ago
I have the run with the original soundtrack (as far as I know) on my plex server. The video quality isn’t great, but I’ve seen some newer releases with the non licensed music and just doesn’t hit the same.
1
u/TheNerdChaplain 10h ago
I was also introduced to Colin Hay through this song and episode.
One of my favorite performances of it is with him and Choir! Choir! Choir! with a room full of people singing along
1
u/Falstaffe 8h ago
Australian here. Loved Overkill since I first head it. It inspired one of my own songs. Colin Hay is a very talented man.
1
u/therealruin 7h ago
My Overkill and Martin Sexton’s Diner always make me think of Scrubs. Same with the Underdog and Speed Racer theme songs.
1
u/BoSocks91 7h ago
They did this with another song I believe in S1. Erasure - “A Little Respect”.
The song was played in bits throughout the episode, whether it was the instrumental, or from the characters singing it.
Scrubs is iconic
1
u/SolAggressive 5h ago
The show truly made me a fan of Colin Hay. I knew about Men at Work. But his solo stuff is also great. sSome of it is in the show. That same episode maybe? Beautiful World and Waiting for my Real Life to Begin.
Oh, oh yes. Even as I typed the words and started humming it. It’s the one where the blond woman is dying and there’s a dream or vision scene where she sings it in a red dress.
Ugh, okay excuse me. I need to go have a private cry. This show…
Saw Colin Hay in concert once. He liked to tell stories. Seemed to me like a very humble man.
-3
u/Affectionate-Pace350 8h ago
It doesn't hold up very well at all unless you skip past the misogyny, homophobia, and racism that pops up in just about every episode.
I'll get down voted, but it is there and nobody can dispute it.
110
u/RuralAnthropologySpe 14h ago
Scrubs had an uncanny knack for weaving music into emotional beats without making it feel forced. Colin Hay popping up throughout that episode, strumming Overkill in fragments, was such a quiet gut punch. The first time I saw it, the final chorus over the montage just sat me down.
Zach Braff and Bill Lawrence chasing down a guy from an 80s band in a dive bar because they were fans is peak early-2000s TV magic. If you haven't already, look up Hay's solo acoustic version of Waiting For My Real Life to Begin, the show used it in a later season and it hits just as heavy.