When he first started to create the Apple+ series Central Park, Josh Gad wanted to assemble the “the Avengers of musical theatre” to compose the show’s many songs. In recruiting such Broadway legends as Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, Gad accomplished his goal and formed a formidable songwriting team that produced some of the show’s most memorable songs.
Yet the show’s music extends beyond traditional Broadway songwriters and draws upon a vast array of musicians from pop, alternative rock, folk and hip-hop genres to create a diverse and memorable soundtrack.
10 Cyndi Lauper
Best known for her 1984 smash hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Cyndi Lauper has recently crossed over and become a regular fixture on the Broadway stage. She starred with Alan Cumming in The Threepenny Opera in 2006 and wrote songs for the musicals Kinky Boots and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.
Cyndi Lauper contributes music and lyrics to two songs in season 1: “Rats,” a duet between mother and son debating the desirability of New York City’s omnipresent rodents, and “Garbage Ballet,” which helpfully explains how garbage is collected in Central Park.
9 Sara Bareilles
With nearly two decades of music industry experience, Sara Bareilles is probably best known for her ubiquitous 2013 single “Brave.” Like Lauper, Bareilles recently crossed over from writing upbeat pop songs to writing upbeat original scores for Broadway, most notably with the Tony Award-winning musical Waitress and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.
In the season 1 episode “Skater’s Circle,” Bareilles composed the underdog anthem “Weirdos Make the Best Superheroes,” which portrays the show’s protagonist Molly gaining confidence by embracing her quirks and imagining herself as a superhero.
8 They Might Be Giants
A staple of alternative college radio in the 1980s, They Might Be Giants have released over 20 albums but are probably best known for their cover of The Four Lads’ “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” in 1990. TMBG have branched out throughout the decades, writing the opening title theme song to Malcolm in the Middle (“Boss of Me”) and the soundtrack to the “America Runs on Dunkin (Donuts)” ad campaign. Along with Lauper and Bareilles, the band contributed to the score to SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical.
In the season 2 episode “Mother’s Daze,” TMBG wrote the song “Pour Poor Me Please,” an ode to the charitable qualities of Lionel the bartender, who helps his patrons by lending them his pants and letting them call him dad.
7 Darren Criss
One of the most talented members to emerge from the hit Fox series Glee, Darren Criss has appeared in numerous high-profile film and television shows, most notably winning an Emmy for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
A genuine quadruple threat, Criss can sing, dance, act and most importantly, he can write music. In the season 1 episode “Rival Buskers,” Criss wrote “First Class Hands,” a meta song about which character gets the right to narrate the episode.
6 Aimee Mann
Aimee Mann first achieved stardom as the frontwoman of the new wave band Til’ Tuesday, who scored a Billboard Top 10 hit with “Voices Carry” before disbanding several years later. Mann experienced further success as a solo artist, with acclaimed albums such as Bachelor No. 2 and the Magnolia motion picture soundtrack. For the latter, she earned an Academy Award nomination for her ballad “Save Me.”
In the season 1 song “Big Deal”, Mann brings her signature hard edge to Bitsy Brandenham’s lament about the forces that prevent her from turning Central Park into another Times Square.
5 Rufus Wainwright
The son of legendary Canadian folk musicians Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright broke out of his parents’ shadow in the late 1990s and early 2000s with his self-titled album Rufus Wainwright and sophomore breakthrough album Poses. Later, he wrote music for the operas Prima Donna and Hadrian and contributed original songs to such films as Moulin Rouge!, Shrek and Zoolander.
In the season 2 episode "Of Course You Realize This Means Ward,” Wainwright lends his operatic pop sensibilities to the song “Kite String,” which details Molly and her brother Cole trying to encourage their friend Brendan to succeed in an indoor kite flying competition.
4 Fiona Apple
Like Wainwright, Fiona Apple first achieved stardom in the 1990s with her moody alternative album Tidal, which spawned the hit single “Criminal.” Apple continued to produce new music well into the 2010s with her most recent album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters, winning a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album in 2021.
In the season 1 finale song "New York Doesn't Like Your Face,” Apple lends her cynical worldview to create a song the that details Bitsy’s vain attempt to revamp her image to gain public support for destroying Central Park.
3 Meghan Trainor
Meghan Trainor first burst onto the pop scene with her infectious ode to self-acceptance “All About That Bass.” Since then, she has continued to release new music in a variety of genres, achieving further success with her Top 10 hits “Like I’m Going to Lose You” with John Legend and “No.”
Trainor’s bubbly pop is present in the season 1 duet "I'm in a Perfect Relationship,” which showcases Molly and Brendan’s burgeoning relationship via romantic text messages.
2 John Cameron Mitchell
John Cameron Mitchell has had a long and varied career in the entertainment industry as both a journeyman actor in such television shows as The Twilight Zone and the acclaimed director of independent movies like Shortbus and Rabbit Hole. His most famous work, however, remains Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the Off-Broadway punk rock musical he directed, produced, composed and starred in on the stage in 1998 and on the silver screen in 2001.
With his words and vocals, Mitchell lends his indie grunge sensibility to the season 2 song “In The Dark (End Credits),” which sounds like a deleted song from Hedwig.
1 UTK the INC
Utkarsh Ambudkar, who goes by the moniker UTK the INC when he performs, is probably best known as an actor. Ambudkar first gained notice in the Anna Kendrick acapella comedy Pitch Perfect before appearing in the indie comedies Blindspotting and Brittany Runs a Marathon. As UTK the INC, he contributed to the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical improvisational group Freestyle Love Supreme.
In “Hat Luncheon,” Ambudkar wrote the finger-snapping West Side Story homage “This Park is Mine,” which pits New York City’s urbane socialites against the city’s square officials in an elaborate food fight.
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