20. John Murphy – Adagio in D Minor (2013) / Episode 9
It was the 1997 NBA Finals, Utah Jazz vs. Chicago Bulls, Game 6; Bulls lead the series 3-2. The game was tied at 86 in the last two minutes. It was point guard Steve Kerr’s moment. John Murphy’s strings are building. During a timeout, Kerr tells Jordan that he’ll be ready. Jordan passes Kerr the ball and for the game-winner, Kerr hits the shot at the buzzer-beater. Small forward Toni Kukoc gets another dunk off and the Bulls win the game 90-86 to seal their fifth championship. Celebrations ensue, confetti is flying, mascots are dancing, Jordan is throwing repeated fists in the air and teammates are embracing. As the epic cue concludes, Jordan tells reporters, “tonight, Steve Kerr earned his wings.”
Creative Usage ★★★★☆
Cultural Relevance ★☆☆☆☆
Storytelling ★★★★★
19. Soul Coughing – Super Bon Bon (1996) / Episode 8
It was the 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Chicago Bulls vs. Charlotte Hornets, Game 3. The Bulls win 103-89 and lead the series 2-1. ‘Super Bon Bon’ plays over the Bulls dominating against the Hornets. The track isn’t the typical upbeat, jolly rhythm that runs along with the on-court footage in the series. With the haunting keyboard refrain pictured against Jordan playing, we feel the emotions of a man who is mentally and physically burnt out. There may be several assumptions as to why Jordan retired in the prime of his basketball career, but regardless, post-game, he was practicing his baseball swing in the locker room.
Creative Usage ★★★★½
Cultural Relevance ★★★★☆
Storytelling ★½☆☆☆
18. Kool Moe Dee – How Ya Like Me Now (1987) / Episode 4
After losing the previous year, the Bulls finally claimed victory over the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. Kool Moe Dee’s confident and bouncy groove plays along with the post-game celebrations. The team is frolicking around the locker room and popping champagne bottles on their private plane back to Chicago. Bulls small forward Scottie Pippen and general manager Jerry Krause show off some silly hip-shaking dance moves — a highlight of the series. When the team arrives back to their city, Jordan drives off in a sleek white convertible as reporters and spectators look on. The song was an ideal choice to show the teams’ feelings at that moment after owning the Pistons.
Creative Usage ★★★★☆
Cultural Relevance ★★★½☆
Storytelling ★★★☆☆
17. Coolio – Fantastic Voyage (1994) / Episode 7
Coolio’s hip-hop spin on Lakeside’s spunky sample soundtracks Jordan’s voyage to baseball in 1994. He played a single season in the minor league for the Birmingham Barons, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Fans are running wild just to get a glimpse of him on the field. He’s suited up to train, and believe it or not looks like he’s really enjoying it. Terry Francona, manager of the Cleveland Indians, recalls Jordan’s potential, in particular, his 13-game hitting streak, believing he would have made it to the major leagues. ‘Fantastic Voyage’ enhances Jordan’s zest in this new venture, fulfilling a lifelong dream his late father had for him.
Creative Usage ★★★½☆
Cultural Relevance ★★★★½
Storytelling ★★★☆☆
16. Zack Hemsey – Vengeance (2011) / Episode 10
In 1998, the Bulls claimed victory over the Utah Jazz to seal their sixth and final championship with the current lineup. It was an emotional win for the team because they knew it was the end. With tears in their eyes, Jordan, Pippen, Jackson and Rodman are celebrating, embracing one another and their families. David Stern conducts the trophy ceremony and crowns Jordan as the MVP. Viewers feel the larger than life energy of the people’s adoration for the Bulls and mainly for Michael Jordan. Hemsey’s vicious vocals hook us into the dramatically grand orchestration accompanying the scene that dissolves into a single piano note. The song is a metaphor for how grand the moment was, but then suddenly, it was gone.
Creative Usage ★★★★½
Cultural Relevance ★½☆☆☆
Storytelling ★★★★★
15. KRS-One – Step Into A World (1997) / Episode 8
‘Step Into A World’ was a quality choice to assist Jordan’s comeback during the 1995-96 regular season after he retired the previous year to play baseball. It was the year the Bulls got their magic back by making history as the “best team ever,” setting a record of 72-10 in the regular season.
Creative Usage ★★★½☆
Cultural Relevance ★★★★½
Storytelling ★★★½☆
14. Fatboy Slim – Right Here, Right Now (1998) / Episode 10
It was the 1998 NBA Finals, Chicago Bulls vs. Utah Jazz, Game 3. The Bulls were in it ‘right here, right now.’ Fatboy Slim’s dynamic electronic backing creates a riveting vibrancy in the sequence as the team annihilates their opponent, holding the Jazz to a mere 54 points. The crowd is cheering wildly because the Bulls are on their game. It’s a special section of the series where the overwhelming enthusiasm is contagious, leading up to that sixth championship. The Bulls are all smiles, fired up and basking in their hard-earned glory.
Creative Usage ★★★½☆
Cultural Relevance ★★★★☆
Storytelling ★★★★☆
13. Eric B. & Rakim – I Ain’t No Joke (1987) / Episode 1
Taking it back to 1984, Jordan was a rookie and reigned supreme right out the gate. Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas and former Laker’s coach Pat Riley discuss Jordan’s greatness in his early years. The JB’s funky horns fused with Eric B. & Rakim’s scattered scrubbing represents Jordan’s energy in the found footage from that first season. He was the new kid in town, but he meant business. His virtuosic talent spoke for itself.
Creative Usage ★★★★☆
Cultural Relevance ★★★½☆
Storytelling ★★★★☆
12. Swann – The Sound Of Silence Instrumental (Simon & Garfunkel) (2014) / Episode 7
An instrumental cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence,’ performed by Swann, scores a section in the series that takes Jordan’s character into question. The sequence highlights Jordan’s strength and intensity on and off the court. “Winning has a price and leadership has a price,” Jordan says as the tense track builds. Some people described Jordan as a bully; his teammate BJ Armstrong characterized him as “not a nice guy” due to his ferocity. Jordan asserts that he didn’t push any of his teammates to do anything he wouldn’t have done; his mentality was to win at all costs regardless of the ruthlessness his peers may have had to endure from him. You can see that it ate away at him and still does to this day. The segment is an amalgamation of Jordan’s tremendous successes and what it might have cost him to get there. Viewers peek behind the curtain at the internal struggle of a champion who didn’t want to be a monster but was on a mission. As the poignant instrumental about loneliness levels out after its climax, Jordan tears up and calls for a break in the interview.
Creative Usage ★★★★★
Cultural Relevance ★½☆☆☆
Storytelling ★★★★★
11. Run DMC – Down With The King (1993) / Episode 8
On March 28, 1995, the king was back. Five games into his return to the Bulls, Jordan scored 55 points against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Nicknamed the ‘Double-Nickel’ game, Jordan proved that he was back to full capacity after his foray into baseball. With a ton of celebrity spectators in attendance and superstar Patrick Ewing on the other team, the Bulls clinched the win 113-111. The conviction of ‘Down With The King’ was a first-rate backdrop for Jordan’s return to basketball.
Creative Usage ★★★★☆
Cultural Relevance ★★★★☆
Storytelling ★★★★☆