It’s been ten years since my beloved show, How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM), made its network premiere. Regardless of what fans thought about the series finale (and by the way, I’m one of those fans who actually liked the original ending…you can read why here), one thing I think we can all agree on is the fact that HIMYM features some pretty killer music. That’s why I couldn’t resist putting together this definitive How I Met Your Mother playlist, featuring 135 favorite songs from the series.
Often transporting us from hilarity to heartbreak, the show’s use of music as a moving storytelling device is one of the most compelling components of the show, and is an integral part of how Ted Mosby unveils his story. I discovered so many new songs and artists through the show, so I couldn’t resist putting together a list of those discoveries, along with plenty of the classic tunes that define the many pivotal, poignant, and comical moments throughout the series.
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As you’ll see, I didn’t include any of HIMYM’s original music since we are already fortunate enough to have access to the show’s soundtrack of original songs, where fans can relive everything from all-things-Robin Sparkles to Barney’s epic Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit number, not to mention the Slap Bet tunes, the Puzzles theme song, and the entirety of HIMYM’s opening theme song, Hey Beautiful by The Solids. A later released deluxe album provides even more fun tunes, as well as Cristin Milioti’s mesmerizing rendition of La Vie En Rose, plus, major bonus: compositions from the amazing John Swihart (who composes the show’s original scores).
Although I searched high and low for a soundtrack of licensed music from the show, I’d soon discover it doesn’t exist (and understandably so, considering how many songs were used over the nine seasons), so I figured I’d just create my own. I know there are a few HIMYM playlists or song listings already out there, but I wanted one place where I could feature all my favorites from all nine seasons. I started off my playlist (which consists of 135 songs) with some of my top favorites, but for the most part, the songs are in no particular order because it was just too hard to choose among them.
So what are we waiting for? On to the playlist!
The Definitive How I Met Your Mother Playlist
(*Scroll down to the bottom of the list to listen to song previews*):
1. The Funeral – Band of Horses (“Farhampton, Season 8)
2. Downtown Train – Everything But the Girl (“Last Forever, Part 2” Season 9)
3. Oxford Comma – Single – Vampire Weekend (“Definitions” Season 5)
4. Heaven – Single – The Walkmen (“Last Forever, Part 2” Season 9)
5. Thirteen – Big Star (“Ten Sessions” Season 3)
6. Forest Whitaker – Bad Books (“Bass Player Wanted” Season 9)
7. Run Off The Road – Ola Podrida (“Big Days” Season 6)
8. Simple Song – The Shins (“Something New” Season 8)
9. Let Your Heart Hold Fast – Fort Atlantic (“The Final Page, Part 2” Season 8)
10. Here I Dreamt I was an Architect – The Decemberists (“Ted Mosby, Architect” Season 2)
11. Two Weeks – Single – Grizzly Bear (“The Window” Season 5)
12. Prophets – A.C. Newman (“The Leap” Season 4)
13. You Belong to Me – The 88 (“Belly Full of Turkey” Season 1)
14. Kaboom – Ursula 1000 (“Jenkins” Season 5)
15. Time Is Coming – The Elected (“Tailgate” Season 7)
16. Forever – The Explorers Club (“Swarley” Season 2)
17. If the Hudson Overflows – Goldspot (“The Final Page, Part 1” Season 8)
18. Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby – Islands (“World’s Greatest Couple” Season 2)
19. How To Fight Loneliness – Wilco (“Something Old” Season 8)
20. Inside of Love – Nada Surf (“The Slutty Pumpkin” Season 1)
21. Careful – Michelle Featherstone (“As Fast As She Can” Season 4)
22. Rivers and Roads – The Head and the Heart (“The Drunk Train” Season 7)
23. Gotta Have You – The Weepies (“First Time in New York” Season 2)
24. Skyway – The Replacements (“Single Stamina” Season 2)
25. Museum of Flight – Damien Jurado (“The Pre-Nup” Season 8)
26. This Modern Love – Bloc Party (“Come On” Season 1)
27. Love Song – Haunt (“Something Borrowed” Season 2)
28. Glad Girls – Guided By Voices (“Right Place, Right Time” Season 4)
29. Look At You – My Morning Jacket (“Karma” Season 7)
30. Rewind – Goldspot (“Double Date” Season 5)
31. Someday – Haroula Rose (“Rabbit or Duck” Season 5)
32. The Painter – I’m from Barcelona (“Everything Must Go” Season 3)
33. Stones – Barbarossa (“Change of Heart” Season 6)
34. Young Folks – Peter Bjorn and John (“Monday Night Football” Season 2)
35. Just Try – Mason Jennings (“Rally” Season 9)
36. Gorgeous Behavior – Marching Band (“The Naked Man” Season 4)
37. A Retrospective’s Bliss – Little Sur (“Field Trip” Season 7)
38. Nine Words – Oppenheimer (“Lucky Penny” Season 2)
39. Still Alright – Adam Merrin (“Slapsgiving” Season 3)
40. Low Rising – The Swell Season (“Autumn of Breakups” Season 8)
41. Good Feeling – Violent Femmes (“Best Prom Ever” Season 1)
42. Victoria – The Kinks (“The Naked Truth” Season 7)
43. Long As I Can See the Light – Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Weekend at Barney’s” Season 8)
44. I Will Come for You – Jack Dolgen (“Legendaddy” Season 6)
45. Shake It Out – Florence + The Machine (“No Pressure” Season 7)
46. This Man He Weeps Tonight – Dave Davies (“The Fight” Season 4)
47. Beautiful Beat – Nada Surf (“No Tomorrow” Season 3)
48. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) – George Harrison (“Big Days” + “Challenge Accepted” S. 6)
49. Where Is My Mind? – Pixies (“Cupcake” Season 1)
50. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (“Arrivederci, Fiero” Season 2, “Dual Citizenship” S. 5)
51. Spit On a Stranger – Pavement (“Drumroll, Please” Season 1)
52. Better – Regina Spektor (“Happily Ever After” Season 4)
53. The Man In Me – Bob Dylan (“The Front Porch” Season 4)
54. Lifesize – A Fine Frenzy (“Dopplegangers” Season 5)
55. (Nice Dream) – Radiohead (“Miracles” Season 3)
56. Our House – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (“Home Wreckers” Season 5)
57. Lost And Found – Ola Podrida (“Best Burger in New York” Season 4)
58. Souvenir – Billy Joel (“Coming Back” Season 9)
59. Commit – The Blakes (“Little Boys” Season 3)
60. Where Are They Now? – The Kinks (“Gary Blauman” Season 9)
61. Sea Green, See Blue. – Jaymay (“Something Blue” Season 2)
62. Back On the Chain Gang – Pretenders (“Pilot” Season 1)
63. Play – Chop Chop (“The Wedding Bride” Season 5)
64. Counting Blue Cars – Dishwalla (“The Stamp Tramp” Season 8)
65. What Would I Do Without You – Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors (“Ring Up!” Season 8)
66. Vertigo – Anya Marina (“The Stinsons” Season 4)
67. Jersey Girl (Live) – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (“I Heart NJ” Season 4)
68. Alguien Soy Yo – Enrique Iglesias (“Wait For It” Season 3)
69. Somebody’s Me – Enrique Iglesias (“We’re Not From Here” Season 3)
70. The Wind – Cat Stevens (“The Magician’s Code, Part 2” Season 7)
71. Waterfall – Single – James (“The Possimpible” Season 4)
72. Heavy Hours – Crooked Fingers (“Tick, Tick, Tick” Season 7)
73. Daytime – Jack Dolgen (“46 Minutes” Season 7)
74. No One Here – The 88 (“Something Blue” Season 2)
75. Monday – Mikey and the Gypsys (“Shelter Island” Season 4)
76. Thicker Than a Smokey – Gary Higgins (“Stuff” Season 2)
77. Future Days – Pearl Jam (“The End of the Aisle” Season 9)
78. Try a Little Tenderness – Otis Redding (“The Lighthouse” Season 9)
79. Monkey Man – The Rolling Stones (“Zoo or False” Season 5)
80. Hey – Pixies (“Disaster Averted” Season 7)
81. If You See Her, Say Hello – Bob Dylan (“Vesuvius” Season 9)
82. Parallel or Together – Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (“Matchmaker” Season 1)
83. Soul Meets Body – Death Cab for Cutie (“The Wedding” Season 1)
84. La Javanaise – Madeleine Peyroux (“Natural History” Season 6)
85. I Wanna Be Your Dog (Remastered) – The Stooges (“Stuff” Season 2)
86. It’s Only Time – The Magnetic Fields (“Platonish” Season 9)
87. Alright – Supergrass (“Nothing Good Happens After 2am” Season 1)
88. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk – Rufus Wainwright (“Last Cigarette Ever” Season 5)
89. Voices – Cheap Trick (“The Pineapple Incident” Season 1)
90. The Freshmen – The Verve Pipe (“Best Prom Ever” Season 1)
91. Sink to the Bottom – Fountains Of Wayne (“Atlantic City” Season 2)
92. Save It for a Rainy Day – The Jayhawks (“How Everyone Met Everyone Else” Season 3)
93. It Was Love – The Elected (“The Scorpion and the Toad” Season 2)
94. You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi (“The Limo” Season 1)
95. Hard Left – Robin Hackett (“Nothing Good Happens After 2am” Season 1)
96. Mother of Pearl – Roxy Music (“Milk” Season 1)
97. Passenger Side – Wilco (“The Third Wheel” Season 3)
98. Highway to Hell – AC/DC (“Symphony of Illumination” Season 7)
99. All the World (I Tell Myself) – Correatown (“Happily Ever After” Season 4)
100. Night Moves – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (“Home Wreckers” Season 5)
101. Guiding Light – Television (“Band or DJ” Season 8)
102. O-O-H Child – The Five Stairsteps (“The Platinum Rule” Season 3)
103. Beach Comber – Real Estate (“Unfinished” Season 6)
104. The Longest Time – Billy Joel (“The Time Travelers” Season 8)
105. You Were Born – Cloud Cult (“The Magician’s Code, Part 2” Season 7)
106. Cigarettes and Coffee – Otis Redding (“Pilot” Season 1)
107. Tubthumping – Chumbawamba (“The Duel” Season 1)
108. Cherry Pie – Warrant (“Girls Vs. Suits” Season 5)
109. Here Comes a Regular – The Replacements (“Miracles” Season 3)
110. Kokomo – The Beach Boys (“Three Days of Snow” Season 4)
111. You Don’t Know Me – Michael Bublé (“Drumroll, Please” Season 1)
112. One Week – Barenaked Ladies (“The Slutty Pumpkin Returns” Season 7)
113. Black Tears – Miss Derringer (“The Platinum Rule” Season 3)
114. Good to Sea – Pinback (“Desperation Day” Season 6)
115. Cryin’ In the Streets (Part 1) – George Perkins and The Silver Stars (“Where Were We?” Season 2)
116. Heaven – DJ Sammy & Yanou featuring Do (“Okay Awesome” Season 1)
117. We Rule the School – Belle and Sebastian (“Return of the Shirt” Season 1)
118. Sabotage – Beastie Boys (“Mom and Dad” Season 9)
119. we’re #1 – The World Record (“Aldrin Justice” Season 2)
120. White Christmas – Otis Redding (“Little Minnesota” Season 4)
121. Xmas Time Is Here Again – My Morning Jacket (“False Positive” Season 6)
122. A Perfect Christmas – Vasco & Jerry Abbot (“False Positive” Season 6)
123. Back Door Santa (Single Version) – Clarence Carter (“How Lily Stole Christmas” Season 2)
124. I Will Remember You – Sarah McLachlan (“The Exploding Meatball Sub” Season 6)
125. Groove Is In the Heart – Deee-Lite (“The Best Man” Season 7)
126. Waiting for an Invitation – Benji Hughes (“Shelter Island” Season 4)
127. Boys Don’t Cry – Grant-Lee Phillips (“Where Were We?“ Season 2)
128. Fernando – ABBA (“World’s Greatest Couple” Season 2)
129. Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) – Stevie Wonder (“Splitsville” Season 8)
130. Shine (The Lovefreekz Club Mix) – The Lovefreeks (“Okay Awesome” Season 1)
131. Eternal Flame – The Bangles (“Sunrise” Season 9)
132. I Do I Do – Charlie Mars (“Nannies” Season 8)
133. Soap On Your Skin – The Solids (“Moving Day” Season 2)
134. Quiet – Rachael Yamagata (“Nothing Good Happens After 2am” Season 1)
135. Hook, Line and Sinker – Jon Brion (youTube video link) (“Twin Beds” Season 5)
What are your favorite songs from HIMYM?
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