Official Charts Pop Gem #76: Vonda Shepard – Searchin’ My Soul

Each week we ask you for your Pop Gem nominations – those overlooked classics or big hits of yesteryear that deserve fresh recognition today.

To celebrate one of the most beloved sitcoms ever – Friends – celebrating its 20th birthday this month, we were after your favourite tracks that were also appropriated as theme tunes to TV shows.

Of course, Friends has the iconic I’ll Be There For You by The Remembrants; a TV theme so popular it has entered the Official Singles Chart twice; hitting Number 3 in 1995 and Number 5 in 1997.

But the winner of this week’s Pop Gem? It had to be Vonda Shephard’s uplifting country pop anthem Searchin’ My Soul, which sound-tracked US TV series Ally McBeal.

Why it had to be Vonda Shepherd

Not only is it the feel good, ear-snagging singalong every TV theme tune should be, but Vonda's Searchin’ My Soul managed the difficult feat of finding a fanbase beyond the show it was fronting to also have success on the charts.

Before it was selected as the signature song for the legal comedy-drama series in 1997, Searchin’ My Soul appeared on Vonda’s second solo album The Radical Light. After the record failed to make an impact, she played a selection of songs to TV producers, who chose it as the theme. Hurrah!

What’s more, Vonda became the first musician on a major series to have a regular role as herself. She appeared in every episode of Ally McBeal’s five seasons, mostly sat behind the piano in the bar where Ally and her lawyer pals would head for an after work knees-up.

Searchin’ My Soul was released shortly after the first season in 1998 and found success in the US as well as peaking at Number 10 on the Official Singles Chart. The success of the show led her to record and release five soundtrack albums, the most successful of which were the aptly-titled Songs From Ally McBeal and festive-themed A Very Ally Christmas.

Pop Gem Hall Of Fame

Today's Pop Gem is the latest in a long line of amazing pop songs that have been inducted into our Pop Gem Hall Of Fame. Take a look at all the tracks who've received the honour so far:

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