Girls5eva: The 10 Best Songs From Season 1

One of the surprise comedy hits of 2021 on television has been Peacock’s Girls5eva. With Meredith Scardino at the helm and a cast of Sara Bareilles, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Busy Phillips, and the hilarious Paula Pell, it maybe should not have been a show that went so under the radar. But the combination of a nascent streaming service and a lack of buzz led to Girls5eva being a pleasant surprise for those who found it.

Girls5eva has helped Peacock make a name for itself with sharp, thought-provoking comedy and a barrage of genuinely catchy music. There are heaps of songs composed by Jeff Richmond for the show, but these are at the best of the bunch.

10 “Boyz Next Door”

To complement the late-1990s/early-2000s girl groups, Andrew Rannells was cast on Girls5eva to represent that era’s boy bands. His most prominent song is “Boyz Next Door,” which has some immense ‘NSYNC vibes.

Obviously, Rannells has one of the best voices going these days, but he is usually associated with Broadway and show tunes. It’s a ton of fun to see him stretch to a boy band pop track instead.

9 “The Splingee”

Maybe “The Splingee” wouldn’t be able to catch on like “The Twist” or “The Cha-Cha Slide.” However, it does make for a great throwaway joke on Girls5eva and an impossibly catchy tune.

Mostly, “The Splingee” is comprised of complete nonsense and it perfectly fits into the novelty realm on a show that was already filled with novelty songs. But it’s just musical enough to go beyond the funny.

8 “The Mask-ical: The Musical”

In a brief interlude, Wickie Roy flashes back to her time starring in “The Mask-ical: The Musical.” It’s a stage production that celebrates the Jim Carrey oeuvre with Goldsberry in green makeup.

What can only be assumed to be the title track of the musical comes when Wickie belts out Carrey catchphrases like, “Smokin’!” and “All righty then!” No one would be opposed to a full treatment of The Mask as a Girls5eva bonus feature.

7 “Planes In My Heart”

Maybe Girls5eva would’ve been more than a one-hit-wonder if “Planes in My Heart” had not come out in the early 2000s at the worst time for a song about planes to be released.

The full version of “Planes in My Heart” has not yet been released, but the melodies flexed in the flashback showed immense potential for the song. One has to imagine that the music video of the women in flight attendant uniforms exists in full somewhere. It has a catchy hook, so fans hope the verses live up to it!

6 “Space Boys”

Another song that only delivered a snippet in the show (the full version has been released, thankfully) is “Space Boys.” It’s almost reminiscent of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, the way that Girls5eva has such a richness of songs that they can’t possibly fit into the story.

“Space Boys” is best-regarded for a quick joke that explores how Gloria used to conform to girl-boy standards on the pop landscape. But the actual song is quite the ripper that would be just as fun to roller skate to, as it would be to dance to.

5 “Dream Girlfriends”

“Dream Girlfriends” drops early in the Girls5eva run to prove that the quartet has what it takes to be relevant in the modern era. It’s also one of the more unconventional tracks in the entire series soundtrack.

Like how Taylor Swift changed the time signature for “Closure” on Evermore, “Dream Girlfriends” subverts the entire expectation of a bridge in a pop song. And yet, it still works!

4 “4 Stars”

“4 Stars” is the closest the series gets to a “serious” song, as it is the triumphant Jingle Ball track that the entire show builds to in the arc of its first season. It’s obviously a great one because of this; the show just has some more musical highs.

Each member of Girls5eva gets their chance to shine in this song with Goldsberry and Bareilles stealing the track during their verses. But any song that manages to find a tie between Frank Sinatra and Burger King is one worth considering.

3 “Famous 5eva”

Every episode of Girls5eva will give audiences a taste of “Famous5eva” because it is the hit that made the girl group a one-hit-wonder. It works perfectly as the theme song of the show because it’s one of the catchier fake comedy songs created in recent memory.

Plus, it’s fun to watch how much effort the four singers have to put into lifting up the right fingers. They’re going to be famous five-eva (five fingers) because four-eva’s (four fingers) just two short (two fingers). Not to mention, three-gether is one more than two-gether. Get all that?

2 “I’m Afraid”

From the first notes, “I’m Afraid” sounds like it’s shaping up to be a classic Bareilles ballad. After Dawn collaborates with Dolly Parton during a game of one-on-one basketball (of course), she devises what she believes will be a major follow-up hit for the group.

Instead, her early lilting voice transitions to a point of mental collapse as Dawn hits some incredible notes about her fears, including what becomes of her corpse, what kind of phone her father has, and how many rats live in sinkholes. The Emmys should be paying attention to this one.

1 “New York Lonely Boy”

It’s hard to pick out what the best lyric from “New York Lonely Boy” is. Maybe it’s “His playground is the lobby, has a palette for wasabi.” Maybe it’s “The Strand is his Disneyland.” Either way, “New York Lonely Boy” is the best Girls5eva has to offer from season 1.

The song has big Simon & Garfunkel energy and is performed by the Milk Carton Kids. The melodious indie-folk energy on the song combines beautifully with hysterical lyrics. It’s Girls5eva‘s tune-laden peak so far.

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