The Milk Carton Kids Contribute ‘New York Lonely Boy’ to Soundtrack of New Peacock Series ‘Girls5Eva’ [LISTEN]
The Milk Carton Kids bring their signature harmonies and oddball humor to a new Peacock Original TV series, Girls5Eva. The Tina Fey-produced sitcom, which stars Sara Bareilles, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Busy Phillips and Paula Pell, follows a '90s girl band as they try to forge a reunion, hoping for one more chance at success after a rapper samples their one and only, 20-year-old hit, Billboard reports.
The folk duo's contribution to the soundtrack, "New York Lonely Boy," is a tenderly straight-faced parody that takes its title from a concept introduced during the series. According to Vanity Fair, the "New York Lonely Boy" is an archetype of a male only child living in the big city, a prospect that Bareilles' character, Dawn, contemplates because she has one son and is considering having another baby.
The "New York Lonely Boy," according to the show's characters, is known for having adult qualities, even when he's a young child. He prefers the company of grown-ups to other children, and quickly picks up a taste for adult foods and interests.
"No brother or sister / Just one little mister / He's just another New York lonely boy," the Milk Carton Kids sing. "... His pants are always spiffy / Only sibling is the city / His playground is the lobby / Has a palate for wasabi / The Strand is his Disneyland ..."
Girls5Eva creator and songwriter Meredith Scardino and Jeff Richmond -- also one of the show's executive producers and songwriters, and who is married to Fey -- co-wrote "New York Lonely Boy." He tells AV Club that it was the easiest song on the series' soundtrack to write.
“I grew up on Simon & Garfunkel, and I knew exactly what the song was supposed to sound like when I read it on the page. I played it, recorded it in my own voice, because that’s the process of making a demo for everyone to listen to,” Richmond recalls. “I was delighted when I got the Milk Carton Kids to be record it.”
The show's starring actors also sing multiple songs on the Girls5Eva soundtrack, which is available to stream in full now. The episode in which "New York Lonely Boy" appears is available to watch on Peacock.