Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: The 24 Best Songs, Ranked From Great to Spectacular
Even without the songs, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend would still be one of the best comedies on TV: a sharply insightful, wickedly subversive, riotously funny rom-com that is fully aware it’s a rom-com. But the show’s original songs — all 150-some of them! — have elevated it into something wholly unique and unmatched anywhere on TV.
With Crazy Ex taking its final bow with Friday’s series finale (The CW, 8/7c) — no, we’re not anywhere close to being ready to say goodbye yet — we’re honoring four seasons of musical comedy genius by ranking the very best Crazy Ex songs from the entire series. To be clear, there are many, many worthy songs that it pained us to leave off this list. (Sincere apologies to the likes of “Maybe This Dream,” “F—kton of Cats” and, um, “Period Sex.”) But these are the absolute cream of the crop, the essential songs in the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend canon. And what’s great is, even if you’ve never seen the show, you can enjoy these songs as one-off musical comedy sketches. They’re that good!
So grab a Rebetzel’s Pretzel and join us as we waltz, tap and Soul Train our way down West Covina’s memory lane and look back on the very best Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songs from all four seasons. Hey, if we keep singing, the show can’t really end, right?
24. “No One Else Is Singing My Song” (Season 4, Episode 1)
Rebecca started out the final season in prison, and sang this mournful ballad about how alone she felt — not knowing that Nathaniel and Josh were feeling the exact same way. (And singing about it, too.) It’s one of the least overtly comical songs in the Crazy Ex songbook, but it packs a huge emotional punch, especially when the whole cast touches hands in a 12-way split-screen. (Even the creepy grocery guy.)
23. “I Could if I Wanted To” (Season 1, Episode 16)
Whoop-dee-frickin’-doo. Back when Greg was still an alcohol-soaked sourpuss — and looked a lot different than he does now — he delivered this Weezer-y anthem for cynical jerks everywhere, boasting about all the great stuff he could do in life if he actually gave two s—ts about anything. Like it, don’t like it, whatever… not like he cares.
22. “Santa Ana Winds” (Season 2, Episode 11)
This insanely catchy doo-wop ditty is a perfect example of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend finding laughs in a highly specific subject: the gusty Santa Ana winds that plague southern California each year. Here, a Frankie Valli-style vocalist — bravo, Eric Michael Roy — sings of the fierce winds of change blowing through Rebecca’s life, which bring with them “whimsy and forest fires.” Good luck getting this one out of your head.
21. “I’m the Villain in My Own Story” (Season 1, Episode 14)
Here, Rebecca goes the Disney route for a tune where she realizes maybe she’s not the beautiful princess in her love triangle with Josh and Valencia… maybe she’s the cackling witch. The music on this one would slide right into the soundtrack of any Disney cartoon, it has fantastically self-aware lyrics that touch on one of the series’ major themes… and Rachel Bloom’s evil witch voice is just impeccable.
20. “First Penis I Saw” (Season 3, Episode 7)
Donna Lynne Champlin has given us more than a few memorable tunes as Rebecca’s trusty pal Paula, but none can top this upbeat, ABBA-esque tribute to her first real boyfriend… and, well, his distinctive genitalia. (You never forget your first, right?) Bonus points for Paula and her bandmates singing into cucumbers and eggplants in the “Suggestive Vegetables” aisle.
19. “A Boy Band Made Up of Four Joshes” (Season 1, Episode 3)
Along with playing lovable dummy Josh Chan, Vincent Rodriguez III is one hell of a dancer, and he gets to show off all kinds of moves in this charming boy-band number, where he — well, four of him, really — reassure a smitten Rebecca that she can let all of her childhood traumas go. (They are licensed mental health professionals, after all.) It’s sneaky emotional, too; that moment where Rebecca hugs her younger self and dances with her gets us every time.
18. “We Tapped That Ass” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Josh and Greg team up for this snappy tap-dance number where they exchange notes about their, uh, intimate encounters with Rebecca. The lyrics are jam-packed with naughty wordplay (“On the ottoman, you took a lot of men…”) and double-entendres that we’re surprised made it past the CW censors. They even finish on her chest… of drawers, you sickos.
17. “Where’s the Bathroom?” (Season 1, Episode 8)
God bless Tovah Feldshuh. As Rebecca’s supremely judgy mom Naomi, the Broadway veteran unleashes a whirlwind of passive-aggression while visiting her daughter in this rapid-fire tune, demanding to know where the bathroom is while still dishing out backhanded compliments. (“You’re looking healthy/And by healthy, I mean chunky…”) She even judges Rebecca’s bathroom once she gets there! Anyone with a Jewish mother — or any mother, really — can relate.
16. “I Go to the Zoo” (Season 3, Episode 3)
We can’t stop giggling every time we think about this supremely goofy Drake-inspired slow jam about… Nathaniel’s love of going to the zoo? (Hey, it makes him feel better, alright?) The silky smooth beats are a strangely fitting accompaniment for Nathaniel’s ode to his beloved zoo animals. (“My favorite’s probably the cheetahs/But I ain’t f—king with no zebras.”) Just another hyper-specific, hyper-hysterical Crazy Ex tune that we’ll probably hum every time we go to the zoo from now on.
15. “The Sexy Getting Ready Song” (Season 1, Episode 1)
Right away, in the very first episode, Rachel Bloom let us know what to expect from Crazy Ex with this sultry, silly chronicle of all the plucking and scrubbing women do to get ready for a date. (The back-up singers are there to help Rebecca get into her shapewear, at least.) We couldn’t agree more with the rapper Nipsey Hussle (RIP), who has a cameo midway through: This is some “nasty-ass patriarchal bulls—t.”
14. “Let’s Have Intercourse” (Season 2, Episode 11)
Scott Michael Foster joined the Crazy Ex cast late as cocky corporate guy Nathaniel, but he made a great first impression with this Ed Sheeran-esque ballad in which he gets very specific about what he’d like to do with Rebecca. It’s not terribly romantic — he just wants to “see what [her] nipples look like,” really — but the admittedly gross lyrics make for a hilarious contrast with the lilting, sensitive-dude guitar. And the ballroom dancing’s not bad, either!
13. “Settle For Me” (Season 1, Episode 4)
A song for guys and gals everywhere hopelessly stuck in the friend zone, Greg tries to convince Rebecca to forget Josh and give him a shot with an elegant, old-school number complete with tuxedos and gowns. (“Like two percent milk or seitan beef, I almost taste the same!”) As with a lot of Crazy Ex songs, the buoyant music and snappy dancing help to mask the crushing sadness of the lyrics. So twirly!
12. “We’ll Never Have Problems Again” (Season 2, Episode 10)
Who’s ready to disco? This relentlessly peppy dance track is a hilarious examination of the comforting lies young lovers tell themselves about their future — “No more ups and downs/It’s just ups and ups and ups!” — and it also happens to be ridiculously catchy. Besides, any song that gives Heather an excuse to “Soul Train on outta here” is a keeper in our book.
11. “Friendtopia” (Season 2, Episode 6)
Most musical comedies would be happy with a note-perfect Spice Girls parody, but Crazy Ex had to take it several steps further: Rebecca’s cheerfully sinister girl-power jam is actually a full-on military manifesto, with her, Heather and Valencia plotting to take over the world. (“All agriculture will be diverted/Into making us rosé!”) You’ll never hear the term “squad goals” the same way again… and you better like watching Hocus Pocus.
10. “Remember That We Suffered” (Season 2, Episode 10)
In true Jewish mom fashion, this jaunty dirge is eager to remind listeners that the Jewish people have had a rough go of it for, oh, a few centuries now — so don’t enjoy yourself too much! It’s the perfect distillation of morbid Jewish humor, Tovah Feldshuh continues to be this show’s secret weapon — and bonus points for including the legendary Patti LuPone and her even more legendary voice.
9. “A Diagnosis” (Season 3, Episode 6)
One of the least comical Crazy Ex songs, but one of the most emotionally resonant, this triumphant showstopper sees Rebecca celebrating the fact that she’s been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder after years of struggling with her mental health. We’ve been struggling right along with her, so it’s cathartic to see her so full of hope here, and Rachel Bloom’s vocals positively soar. A beautiful tribute to a major turning point in Rebecca’s life.
8. “Love Kernels” (Season 2, Episode 1)
We all know Rebecca could live for days off a single compliment from her beloved Josh Chan, and she puts that poignant desperation into song here with a Lemonade-esque torch song. It’s probably Crazy Ex‘s most sweepingly ambitious music video, with plenty of costume changes — our favorite is a tie between “sexy fashion cactus” and “hamster slurping from a water bottle” — but of course, it openly acknowledges how wildly expensive it must be, too. (Hi, Broom Darryl.)
7. “It Was a S–t Show” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Greg’s farewell lament to Rebecca sheds light on a frustratingly familiar romantic situation: They liked each other a lot, but they knew full well they were just terrible together. (“Chernobyl, next to us, looks like a campfire/Hurricane Katrina was just bad weather…”) Like many great Crazy Ex songs, it’s hilarious and heart-wrenching, all at the same time — and man, Santino Fontana can sing, right?
6. “You Stupid Bitch” (Season 1, Episode 11)
Crazy Ex has had four different theme songs, one for each season (we’re partial to Season 2’s “I’m Just a Girl in Love,” for the record), but this ballad is truly Rebecca Bunch’s theme song. Deeply scathing and cleverly meta all at once, Rebecca harshly chides herself for all of her many mistakes… and not for the first time. (Her audience knows every word!) It’s a stunning depiction of the self-hating voice inside all of us, and probably Rachel Bloom’s best vocal performance of the series to boot.
5. “JAP Battle” (Season 1, Episode 13)
Yes, Rachel Bloom can rap, too: This hilarious hip-hop showdown between Rebecca and her sworn frenemy Audra Levine — a pair of Jewish-American princesses, you see — is a treasure trove of cutting insults (in Yiddish, of course) and references to tony New York hometowns. Guest star Rachel Grate proves herself a very worthy opponent as Audra, and the mean-mug faces that Darryl, Paula and Josh make as Rebecca’s backup crew are just priceless.
4. “Don’t Be a Lawyer” (Season 4, Episode 3)
Burl Moseley’s Jim has been a background player for most of Crazy Ex‘s run, but he hit it out of the park with this spotlight number: a sizzling ’90s R&B throwback jam about the perils of pursuing the legal profession. The vintage fashions and dance moves are perfectly on point, and the lyrics are quite persuasive, actually: “The job is inherently crappy/That’s why you’ve never met a lawyer who’s happy!”
3. “The Math of Love Triangles” (Season 2, Episode 3)
This is probably the pinnacle of the classic Crazy Ex formula: Start with a spot-on recreation of a classic song genre — the ditzy-girl tune, a la Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes — and add a brilliantly meta twist to it. Here, a dolled-up Rebecca wants to understand the elements of her love triangle with Josh and Greg, but keeps getting adorably confused by all the “man math,” and Rachel Bloom’s over-the-top breathy vocals make it all even funnier. Whee, a swing!
2. “Let’s Generalize About Men” (Season 3, Episode 1)
The genius of this Pointer Sisters-inspired toe-tapper is that it’s both a “yas, queen” girl-power anthem and a parody of those anthems, pointing out the flaws in painting all 3.6 billion men on this planet with the same broad brush. (“Let’s take one bad thing about one man/And apply it to all of them!”) It’s catchy enough that you could fool us into thinking it actually made the pop charts in the mid-’80s, and the twist ending, when Paula remembers that her sons are also men, is maybe the most brutally funny punchline of the whole series.
1. “West Covina” (Season 1, Episode 1)
Could Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s very best song also be its very first song? Yes, we believe it could. Rebecca’s dizzingly romantic ode to her new hometown — and the guy who just happens to live there — manages to set the tone for the entire series: delightfully clever (the visual gags at the start still make us giggle) and heartbreakingly earnest all at the same time. There’s a giddy, go-for-broke magic to it, and it all builds to a massive dance number featuring dozens of extras and one giant pretzel, as if to say, “You’ve never seen anything quite like this on TV before.” And they were right: We hadn’t… and we never will again.
Did your favorite Crazy Ex song not make our list? Sing it out in the comments below.
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Great list, but even though it’s one of the most recent songs, it’s criminal not to include “Love’s Not A Game” from the penultimate episode. Everything about it is brilliant and inspired, and David Hull is finally able to show off his full range. The ensemble clearly had a blast with the choreography, there are plenty of recurring jokes, and it’s in my personal top five.
I agree. David Hull’s delivery in “Love’s Not A Game” is one of the best of all the songs.
I’ll really miss this show. I remember watching the full complete season 1 on Netflix after it aired. I was hooked. Rebecca Bunch was a looney, lovable mess. I really hope by the end she chooses herself, some real growth, or she chooses Greg. I don’t think Nathaniel or Josh is truly good for her.
Oh, and ps- I really liked the girl group song, Put Yourself First. One of the catchiest tunes the show ever did.
She should choose Greg’s dad…
I already loved this show but when Where’s the Bathroom appeared, I laughed and related so strongly that I had an asthma attack. It sealed the deal and I got my crazy Jewish mother hooked on the show too. She thinks I’m Rebecca and I think she’s Naomi. I’m not sure either of us is wrong. 😉
How did you both feel about “Maybe She’s Not Such A Heinous Bitch After All”? 😉
Definitely one of my favorites.
“Let’s Generalize about Men’ and ‘Don’t Be A Lawyer’ are two of my favorites. Maybe because they remind me so much of 80s/90s MTV and are so immediately referential. They are dead on with music and video genres both use as inspiration.
Also ‘Sexy Getting Ready’ song is the first time I’d ever heard of Nipsey Hussle (RIP).
No Heavy Boobs?!?!?!?!? That’s the song I play for people who have never seen the show before.
Ha, yes! I was sad to see Heavy Boobs missing, too. But I’m so glad Don’t Be a Lawyer made the list, and is so high up! I don’t think there’s another Crazy Ex song that made me laugh so hard. I’m going to miss this show!
Santino Fontana was better than the new greg.. Sorry, hehe.. Even though he didn’t follow rachel or crazy ex on IG.. which makes it feel like they didn’t part in good terms, but his voice and acting is much better than sean astin..
I agree. The new Greg is terrible. They have no chemistry, so it’ll make it very difficult for me to believe that she would choose Greg now. I don’t think Santino left on bad terms. He wanted to go back home to New York and the stage and he’s currently busy onstage, so he couldn’t come back for the final season.
Feelin Kinda Naughty was the first song that truly got me hooked on this show, loved the Katy Perry tribute, will miss this show
THANK YOU. No one ever mentions this song in top lists! It is one of the best, weirdest, creepiest songs they ever did!
While there’s rarely a true dud, as a big busted lady I’ll never get over Heavy Boobs. I saw the clip and that’s what inspired me to check out the show on a Netflix binge.
So, so much effort for so very few viewers.
The premise was iffy from the start, and the first episode clearly laid out that she was in fact, “crazy.” From there, it was a hard sell.
While the ratings were always low, this show has a truly cult following of loyal viewers. It has honestly changed (and saved) many lives – not an exaggeration. I would say that was worth the effort. I’m eternally grateful to the amazing cast & creators for putting so much heart and soul into one of the most unique and well-done shows to ever be on the air. Huge shout-out to the CW as well for believing in the show and letting the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend team finish their planned 4-season storyline.
Worth the effort for me. It was hard for me to follow because up here in the cold north it kept changing channels. (I don’t get CW). So I had to work hard to keep up with the episodes. But I enjoyed the show so much, I put in the effort to watch it. Thanks to the network for keeping it on to its conclusion.
It’s probably a song that most people don’t remember, but the song that has always stuck with me for it’s absolute perfectly pointless absurdity is “I’m So Good at Yoga.” That show helped evolve Valcenia so much while also reaffirming the definition of “Rebecca”. It took the show to a whole new level.
How could you overlook “I Wanna Be A Child Star”? That song is so brilliant and makes fun of everything I love to hate about child actors.
I have absolutely adored the 4 seasons of this show. But then I’m a quirky sort , so it was definitely in my niche. It is regrettable that mainstream viewers never gave it a shot. Rachel Bloom is such a talent and I am eagerly anticipating what she will do next.
The list hits many of the pivotal moments, but glosses over some of the truly clever COMEDIC and MUSICAL ones:
“The Buzzing in the Bathroom” was an amazingly silly sendup of Les Mis-style musical anguish
“Maybe She’s Not Such a Heinous Bitch After All” was perfect cute/dark Motown confection
“Fit Hot Guys Have Problems Too” was fan service, comedy gold and character development all rolled into one.
“You Go First” was the most epic fake-80s power ballad ever written
The list hits many of the pivotal moments, but glosses over some of the truly clever COMEDIC and MUSICAL ones:
“The Buzzing in the Bathroom” was an amazingly silly sendup of Les Mis-style musical anguish
“Maybe She’s Not Such a Heinous B- After All” was perfect cute/dark Motown confection
“Fit Hot Guys Have Problems Too” was fan service, comedy gold and character development all rolled into one.
“You Go First” was the most epic fake-80s power ballad ever written
Oops. I guess there’s a delay for some posts. Apologies for the repeat.
I can’t believe “period sex” didn’t make the list!
I give good parent!
I’m a Good Person is my favorite song from the series. I think it’s just brilliant.
What!!??? No “Trapped in a Car with Someone You Don’t Wanna Be Trapped in a Car With”!!?? Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
I LOVE “Trapped in a car…”!!!! Yes that should have been on the list.
There is a full hour special that goes behind the scenes of the final episode. I was watching the last episode on the CW app on my Roku and it appeared as what to watch next. It’s mildly spoilery so beware if you don’t want to know anything about the finale.
Now that my PSA is out of the way, I’ll put in my vote for my missing faves including End of the Movie with Josh Grobin, Paula’s miracle of birth, and of course Fit Hot Guys have problems too.
Great list. It truly is hard to narrow down the top ones. I love “Research Me” that Brittany Snow sang when she was a guest star.
I cannot explain why this show means so much to me but this is not just a show for me I absolutely adore everything about this amazing show and it really is so sad that viewers could not find how amazing this is for me I think in this is one of the most somber songs they had is “the darkness” anybody who is ever fought anxiety depression personality disorder this song Fits so deeply and of all her songs I think it is the most real… That said I can’t wait until next week even though it is killing.. And i don’t know what I will do with this show
what about the ‘heavy boobs’ song?
Let’s Generalise About Men, First Penis I Saw and Villain in my own Story are my most re-listened to but there are so many thatbcould have made this list. An obvious one, Darryl singing Getting Bi is a classic. Such a clever show with amazingly creative and talented people involved, I’m definitely going to miss it
You Stupid Bitch, Let’s Generalize About Men, Diagnosis, No One Else is Singing My Song, and The Villian in My Own Story are my personal favorites- although I’m also partial to any song with Tovah Feldshuh in it.
Man I’m going to miss this show!!
What’ll it be? (Hey West Covina) is one of the show’s crowning achievements. It managed to be both moving and funny at the same time and it is not easy to hit that sweet spot. Love everything about that song, the lyrics, the melody, it’s fantastic.
Textmergency is one of my all time favorites as well.
Other major highlights for me include:
California Christmastime
Women Gotta Stick Together
I hate everything but you
I gave you a UTI
What you missed while you were popular