Ryan & Marissa's Musical Moments On 'The O.C.'

In my high school and college years, The O.C. was it. This show has drama, it has beautiful people, it has southern California and, of course, it has amazing music. If you're a fan, then I'm sure that every time someone in your vicinity mentions California or "the 101," you automatically have a song from The O.C. pop up in your head. I know this is true, because I recently visited Southern California and couldn't drive down the highway without screaming out Phantom Planet's classic "California" from the show at every turn. Plenty of the characters had a close connection with music (because what is high school without mixtapes?) and the show's ultimate couple, Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper, sure had some intense musical moments throughout the seasons.

What I love the most about re-visiting the series is that The O.C . skipped a lot of the Top 40 hits of the late 2000s and instead chose to focus on the the emo and indie rock scene that was burgeoning at the time. The result is an intense nostalgic experience for all us who used to have a Death Cab For Cutie Transatlanticism poster hanging on our bedroom walls. In the case of Ryan and Marissa, the musical moments below showed how dramatic, wild, and beautiful young love can really be.

Their New Year's Kiss

"Dice" by Finley Quaye

I dare you to tell me you have never fantasized about a man desperately trying to find you for a kiss like this.

When They Were First Seperated

"Maybe I'm Amazed" by Jem

Ryan has to go back to Chino at the end of Season 1, and they have this super emo final dance.

When Marissa Shot Trey

"Whatcha Say" Imogen Heap

You might think the choice of song was awkward for this scene, but it was ambitious and iconic enough to inspire a Saturday Night Live short starring Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, and Shia LaBeouf.

When They Slow Danced In A Garden At Prom

"Fix You" by Coldplay

This song is transports me back to 2006 and gives me a lot of emotions.

When Ryan First Saved Marissa

"Into Dust" by Mazzy Star

Ryan didn't really know Marissa yet, but when she came home drunk, he tucked her into bed. it was a sweet moment that foreshadowed their relationship.

When Marissa Died

"Hallelujah" By Imogen Heap

This song is already chill-inducing, but pairing this with their final moment was just downright haunting.

Sorry to end on such a sad note, but that's just the way Marissa left the show. If you wanna make it all better, just scroll back up and check out their New Year's kiss again.