Over the years,Family Guyhas proved that pushing boundaries or simply crossing lines is perhaps a good thing. Despite airing at a time when society has become increasingly intentional and socially conscious, the show has continued to insert mildly offensive elements into its plots, and because of how frequently this happens, the public has somehow gotten used to it.
Dark humor, of course, is only one way in whichFamily Guyhas set itself apart. Cutaway gags are also some of the segments worth looking forward to, and so are themusicalnumbers. Serving as a break from the proceedings, these songs normally provide commentary on various issues or simply exist to pump up the sarcasm. A few others are simply intended to create a feel-good atmosphere.
Here are 10 unforgettableFamily Guymusical numbers.
Family Guy
Christmas episodes are essential, as they help viewers get into the festive mood, but trustFamily Guyto advocate against merriment and consumerism. In “Christmastime Is Killing Us,” Stewie gets snubbed by Santa at a mall, so he takes extreme measures the typical Stewie Griffin way. He heads to the North Pole to kill Santa and drags Brian along with him. Midway through the storyline, Santa and his elves perform a song, lamenting how the increasing human demand for gifts is driving him crazy.
Why It’s Great
The lyrics of this unforgettable musical number are carefully thought out, with plenty of moral lessons sprinkled inside of them. Through his words, Santa suggests that entitlement ought to end, and people ought to stop expecting to get things while never offering anything in return. “My whole crew is black and blue. Can’t you take a clue?” Santa sings, as a way to explain how fatigue is killing him and the elves.
The fact that Stewie has even thought of murdering him, despite everything he has done for humanity, saddens him. The musical number is also accompanied by the right visuals, such as elves hanging on candy canes. Deservedly, it won the Emmy for Best Song Written for a Visual Media.
9“This House Is Freakin’ Sweet” — Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater (Season 2, Episode 1)
When Lois' wealthy Aunt Marguerite suddenly dies, theFamily Guymatriarch inherits the massive Cherrywood Manor home she left behind, finally granting The Griffins an opulent lifestyle. Thrilled, Peter and the new employees break into song and dance, singing “This House Is Freakin’ Sweet,” which is a parody of “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” from the movie,Annie.
Every lyric in this musical number is crafted in a way to highlight how the manor will benefit everyone. The most unforgettable part comes when Peter reveals how glad he is about finally having more room to fart freely. Because he’ll be far enough to no longer annoy Lois with his smelly farts, he sings, “Now we’ve got 30 rooms… Hello beans, goodbye spray!” On their verse, the employees reveal that they are ready to kiss a** if that will make them work in the lovely manor forever.
8“The FCC Song” — PTV (Season 4, Episode 14)
“PTV” is arguably one ofFamily Guy’s most controversial episodesas it mocks the Federal Communications Commission’s penchant for censorship. After a wardrobe incident at the Emmys, the FCC censors several shows, so Peter decides to open his own network known as PTV. The musical number, “The FCC Song,” is then introduced, and in it, Peter and the rest of the singers avoid the common dirty words but still substitute them with nastier ones.
From Peter, Brian, and Stewie dancing while wearing lingerie to a man showing his “dingaling” (the song points out that you cannot say “penis”), there are plenty of silly and unforgettable moments. The song also mocks the Federal Communications Commission’s leniency towardsFamily Guyby including a montage of past scenes from the show that ought to have been censored, but were allowed to air. What’s even funnier is the later revelation that the FCC actually loved the song. This causes Peter to be extremely furious.
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7“A Bag of Weed” — 420 (Season 7, Episode 12)
After Brian gets arrested for drug possession in “420,” he begins campaigning for the legalization of weed. Stewie advises him that a little more showmanship will help him in his course, so he composes a song, “A Bag of Weed.” Soon, the entire town joins him in the musical number, and after a while, Mayor West passes a legalization law. Thanks to this move, the residents of Quahog become very productive.
The song is sung to the tune of “Me Ol' Bam-boo” from one of1968’s standout comedy movie,Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It mainly impresses because of its simplicity, as it doesn’t have any outrageous lyrics. Stewie and Brian simply make good cases for legalization, and it eventually happens. Much more work goes into visuals and unforgettable dance choreography. Most of the scenes are chuckle-worthy, notably one where several Quahog residents are launched in the air to form the shape of a marijuana leaf.
6“Shipoopi” — Patriot Games (Season 4, Episode 20)
In “Patriot Games,” Peter gets signed by the New England Patriots after impressing Tom Brady. During one touchdown celebration, he leads the stadium in a three-minute, unforgettable rendition of the song from the 1957 musical film,The Music Man.In the real world, it’s unlikely that a team would be allowed to celebrate for that long, but anything happens inFamily Guy, so this ends up being one of the show’s standout musical numbers.
Peter’s “Shipoopi” is distinctive because a higher number of people get to participate. The original song was performed by a very large group of singers, and the same is the case here, hence viewers are treated to a wide variety of tones. It’s a beautiful way to mark one of the rare moments when Peter wins in life. Though his time with the New England Patriots doesn’t last long, he and his family later acknowledge that his sporting days helped ease his midlife crisis woes.
5“Candy, Quahog Marshmallow” — Candy, Quahog Marshmallow (Season 14, Episode 10)
In “Candy, Quahog Marshmallow,” Peter, Cleveland, and Joe become huge fans of Winter Summer, a Korean soap opera that Glenn Quagmire starred in during his days as a child actor. When they head to the Korean nation to look for the tape containing the series finale, Quagmire falls in love with the culture and decides to stay. The trio thuscomposes a K-pop songto try and convince him to come back to Quahog.
In typicalFamily Guyfashion, the musical number’s visuals include plenty of moments where Peter and the gang flash their buttocks. Whatever they do is in no way related to the message they are trying to pass across, but they do it anyway. The lyrics are offensive, yet more fitting, with the trio dropping lines like, “Everything in this land is complete nonsense… Even worse, Kim Jong-un lives across that fence,” and “Who wants to live in Korea? Their name sounds like gonorrhea.”
In “Road to the Multiverse,” Stewie and Brian use a special remote control to journey through a series of parallel universes. They eventually land in a Disney universe, where the characters are animated to the legendary studio’s usual style. Because Disney animated movies are known for their unforgettable melodies, the show’s characters begin singing at some point.
Disney’s universes are defined by their simplicity, so this musical number puts great emphasis on pie, making it seem like a big deal. Peter warns that those who misbehave will not get pie and vows to always keep Lois happy so that she continues making sweet pies. The lyrics do not add any layers to the plot, but they help highlight the unity that has always been present in the Griffin family. Whichever circumstance they find themselves in, they will always stick together.
3“Vasectomy Song” — Sibling Rivalry (Season 4, Episode 23)
Peter and Lois have never been interested in having any other kids. Stewie is a big enough headache for them, so when Lois gets a pregnancy scare, Peter is advised to get a vasectomy. As a generally dumb person, he happens to have no idea what a vasectomy is. Members of the Barbershop Quartet take it upon themselves to educate Peter about vasectomies via a musical number.
The Quartet presents Peter with both the pros and cons. One of the pros is that he’ll “say goodbye to kids like Meg,” and be able to cheat on his wife without a condom. The major con? “You’ll be half a man!” Obviously, the latter isn’t true, but the show can always be expected to exaggerate things. Despite being advised against it, Peter goes ahead and does it. But first, he donates his sperm, resulting in him becoming a father to even more babies.
Peter’s ability to switch from a dumb to a responsible person is one of the major things that make him one ofthe bestFamily Guycharacters. Prior to singing this song, Peter goes undercover to James Woods High School to catch toad-lickers. Well, the toad-licking craze begins when a plane carrying hallucinogenic toads crashes in the city. Teenagers begin licking the toads in order to get high, and, as the caring person that he is, Peter aims to find a way to stop them.
The song parodies “You’re the One that I Want” fromGrease, and the lyrics are switched up with fitting ones. “Your whole life will hit the skids,” Peter tells the students, adding, “And your kids… will be born without eyelids.” The fact that teenagers are even licking toads in the first place is weird enough and the song adds to the hilarity. Apart from that, the song passes on an important message about the dangers of drug addiction.
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When Peter’s father dies, he is informed that the man wasn’t his biological father. His real father lives in Ireland. Peter thus heads there, and discovers that the local town drunk, who loves the same white and green dress code as him, is the person he is looking for. The two go on to compete in a drinking game before capping it with a lively Irish musical number.
Peter and his father trade plenty of shady burns in the song’s lyrics. “Oh, his face looks like a railroad map,” Peter says, and his dad responds with “I knocked up your mom and never called her again.” In addition to these, there are plenty of Irish drunk stereotypes as well as the name-dropping of various Irish names such as Hennessey, Shaughnessy, Tennessey, Riordan, Morrison, and Rooney. Because of its brilliance, the song was also nominated for the Outstanding Music and Lyrics Emmy.
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