Jason Sudeikis Reveals His Top Five All-Time Tracks
Jason Sudeikis has opened up about the five songs that have brought him the most joy, sharing a diverse playlist that spans genres and decades.
If you’re a fan of Ted Lasso, you’ll know it’s not just the sharp wit and standout performances from Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, and Hannah Waddingham that keep punters coming back. The series is also loaded with a cracking soundtrack. It’s clear someone behind the scenes has a real ear for music, and with Marcus Mumford from Mumford and Sons handling the score and theme, the show’s musical choices are a cut above the usual telly fare. Across its three seasons, Ted Lasso has featured everything from George Harrison’s ‘Beware of Darkness’ to Nick Cave, Michael Kiwanuka, Primal Scream’s ‘Rocks’, and even a bit of Spiritualized. Whoever’s picking the tunes knows their stuff.
Given that the production company, Ruby’s Tuna Inc., is run by Sudeikis himself, it’s not a stretch to reckon he’s had a fair bit of input. The bloke behind the moustache, who swapped the States for the local pubs of Richmond, has admitted that the Foo Fighters’ ‘My Hero’ helped inspire the themes in Ted Lasso’s second season. He’s also popped up in music videos for both Dave Grohl’s band and Mumford and Sons’ ‘Hopeless Wanderer’.
From Karaoke Favourites to Childhood Memories
So, which tracks have stuck with Sudeikis over the years? In a chat with US radio station KCRW, he rattled off his five all-time favourites, and it’s a real mixed bag. He kicked things off with a bit of country, choosing Steve Earle’s ‘Guitar Town’. Sudeikis shared,
“This is a song that I will, on occasion and have recently, sing at karaoke, it’s just a good two and a half minute karaoke song… When you hear a good song and you don’t know it but then someone sings it well at karaoke, it’s as good as anything because you’re actually in the room.”
Switching gears, his next pick was ‘Heaven On Their Minds’ from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar, sung by Murray Head. Sudeikis explained,
“This is my favourite version, this is from the concept album (Jesus Christ Superstar) from 1970 and it’s sung by Murray Head. This is also, again, another song I would do at karaoke and mean every word from it in an attempt to be as tortured as Judas is during this song.”
Hip-Hop, Jazz, and a Touch of Nostalgia
Third on his list was a classic from N.W.A., ‘Gangsta Gangsta’, off their 1989 album Straight Outta Compton. Sudeikis recalled,
“This album, one of my dear friends Terry, his older brother Brian had it, and the language and content was so foreign to us, that we just fell in love with it, so I wrote out all the lyrics.”
He then turned to jazz, picking Harry Connick Jr’s take on ‘The Bare Necessities’. Sudeikis said,
“It’s got a sense of humour, it’s got the swagger that I still love about Harry Connick Jr. The song’s just got a lot of soul to begin with, and he just puts a little more on it.”
Personal Milestones and Musical Influence
To round out his top five, Sudeikis chose Ben Folds Five’s ‘Evaporated’. He described the track’s significance,
“I feel like Ben Folds, I’ve referred to him in the past few years as like being a musical older brother. This song, this was right before I moved to Chicago before I decided to become an actor. It represents a culmination of all these other four songs to me.”
Here’s the full list of Sudeikis’ top picks:
- ‘Guitar Town’ – Steve Earle
- ‘Heaven On Their Minds’ – Andrew Lloyd Webber (sung by Murray Head)
- ‘Gangsta Gangsta’ – N.W.A.
- ‘The Bare Necessities’ – Harry Connick, Jr
- ‘Evaporated’ – Ben Folds Five