The Darkness - feat. Rachel Bloom - "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" 

A song that points out the safe, comfortable familiarity of depression and anxiety and how it can feel easier to just deal with the bad than try to fight your way to the good - is one of the billion reasons this show is so brilliant.

Proud of Rebecca for realizing that she still needs help. It can be a frustrating thing to admit to yourself, but so crucial if you want to keep moving forwards. It really shows how much she's grown as a character, backsliding is a real thing with mental health problems.

'he's handsome for a metaphor'

While naming her darkness "Tyler" lightens the mood, I think it might also be about naming your own darkness and thereby separating yourself from it. That's a thing I've heard people talk about. It's like giving the mean thoughts in your head a name and then telling that person to shut the fuck up.

Can we also take a second and appreciate both Nathaniel and Josh for behaving so well and not taking advantage of Rebecca? I know this should be the norm, but sadly still isn't. Also, kudos to the writing team for raising awareness for the heart attack symptoms in females which are way different that men's!

CXG was a vastly under rated show. The songs and comedy were great. All the actors were triple threats (singing, dancing, and acting). I'd like to see more from them, but I suppose the only place where they can fully utilize their talents is on Broadway (where a lot of them came from originally). Musical comedies are pretty rare on TV or cable.

this song hits so hard for me. being infatuated with your depression is a reall thing and im still dealing with having my more comfortable place being when im fucked up and trying to fix that mindset. this song is just too real.

Wow, "Your kiss feels like a cut" that line hit right at home.

This song personally came into my house grabbed me by the nape and told me that it was written to call me out

I feel Tyler is such a great name for the darkness that lives inside us, since in the Fight Club the narrator's inner darkness was also called Tyler, and it needed to disappear.

My name is Tyler and when my boyfriend and I watched this he was like "YOOOOO"

I relate to every part of the lyric except "in my life I´ve had so many men"

"For so many years I've used to darkness to feel, but now there are things in my life that are actually real." This line resonates so much with my experience dealing with mental illness for half my life. I'm eternally grateful for how this show deals with mental illness. It isn't just about finding treatment, it's also everything that comes after that. The grief over who you could have been. The strength to not fall back into familiar patterns and reach out again and again. It all often feels like a constant leap of faith. I am so grateful this show exists and it has genuinely gotten me through some very low points of my life. Not to mention, it's hilarious to boot. I'm not hyperbolizing when I say that this show is a blessing to so many people. (Goodbye Tyler Darkness...)

I love that her voice is so pure in this, she’s not putting any sort of accent on and that speaks volumes about the meaning of this scene ❤️😩

Okay this song is so powerful and intense and then she names the darkness Tyler and it lightens the whole vibe and this is why Rachel is a genius ❤

Tyler Darkness? Are you sure it isn't Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven Way?

So important for everyone out there being "drunk dialed every night"... one day we will all block tyler's a$$

The darkness, no matter how many times you get rid of her, she's persistent. She’ll sit there and wait. Then, when you’re alone, at your lowest point, she strikes, and she’ll do her damnest to tail-spin you into the abyss. I'll name her Jezebel.

In half an hour I have my intake for my outpatient program. I will finally tell Tyler that I don't need him anymore. This song has been on repeat in my mind. Thank you Rachel and Adam (RIP💜) for creating the soundtrack that has kept me moving slowly forward, and will surely boost me through the hard work that lies ahead. I don't have words right now for just how much this show has meant to me.

I was kind of hoping that Tyler would be some kind of terrifying full-costume puppet with a big nametag who would dance with her.

I can’t tell you definitively how this song made me feel, because it created a kind of indiscernible emotional casserole, and I can’t quite pick out everything that’s in it. I picked out a bit of that special anxiety reserved for someone figuring out something you’ve been trying so long to hide, though. There was definitely a little nausea in there too. Mostly, though, I recognized the relief. I’ve never known how to explain that my depression has been with me so long, that it felt more like a comfy companion some days, or why exactly it took eight months of therapy to admit I was in serious trouble in the first place. I still keep it to myself that, for awhile there, I’d skip my meds for a few days, just to see how it felt, because I was forgetting, and that was terrifying. I don’t dare even try anymore, because, in the past, before I even got a few words into the subject, a clearly uncomfortable look or a comment revealing a lack of comprehension of my situation in general would have me shrinking back. This song felt like talking to a friend that gets it so well, it’s uncomfortable. The conversation is a little unsettling, and a lot sad, but it’s also a relief, because there’s a lot to be said for not being alone, even if the thing you and your companion share is killing you both a little bit. I never shrink back from sharing with friends and acquaintances how good this show is, but I want to make sure that you know it, too: This show means so much to me. Some days, it means everything. Today was one of those days.

ok but why did I only start crying when she named it Tyler

Man. Only realizing this so many years after the fact, and mainly due to the comments (after first being struck so hard by this scene, I’ve mainly played this song just to listen to it) but it’s so thematically striking how bare-bones the music video for this is. It’s really fitting, and makes it stand out as well. Absolutely love it.

I can feel her fear and doubt when she says “so will I have the strength to tell the darkness, to tell Tyler darkness goodbye”. Rachel is such a great actress

Not gonna lie, despite the boyfriend-y language I was 100% sure she was talking about her dad at first. But I mean, in a way, she is.

I found something really strange about this song; like most of them always feel like 50/50 parody/genuinely good song but this feels only like 25% parody. Like, this is genuinely great lyricism in relation to the darkness in the mind, especially when you have mental health issues.

Anyone else notice how most songs in this show are over the top but this one is just Rebecca walking around and reflecting on her “good” times with the darkness

It's almost scary how much I can relate to this song and Rebecca overall.

I don’t think enough people talk about how safe and comfortable the darkness feels for people who’ve dealt with depression their entire lives. For me, and I’m sure many others, it’s part of why healing can be so difficult. We don’t want to let that comfort go.

Two years has past since I watch the show, and just now I realised the real meaning behind the line “your kiss feels like a cut”

I honestly don't know whether or not to treat Tyler Darkness like an actual character now.

These comments are amazing. I sometimes come back to the songs not just because they're (often painfully) relatable, but for the insights people leave. Never thought I'd say that about youtube comments, but seriously!

"for so many years, i used the darkness to feel. but now there are things in my life that are actually real." ...still using the darkness over here, and striving to get to the realness...

“for so many years i’ve used the darkness to feel” okay well that hurt

This song is so perfect, it gives me goosebumps. This episode feels like Rebecca's narrative has nearly completed its arc. So bittersweet that our beloved show is almost over 😢

Anyone else here part of the BPD crew and found this a bit too relatable? 😂

underrated

This episode has terrified me in a way I can’t describe.

Hello darkness my old friend

I miss this show so much

If you look, there's a shadow following Rebecca around on the wall for the entire song here. Since this seems to be the only song of Rebecca's where she has a shadow, it's probably not a coincidence that the shadow only goes away when she's standing in front of the glass door of the outpatient clinic.

LYRICS: In my life I've had so many men But there's one I come back to again and again We've been on and off for such a long time And now he's back and I'm feeling oh so fine He's the darkness My first love, my true love The darkness He knows me better than anyone He holds me close and whispers things that I don't want to hear When I feel the butterflies of dread, I know the darkness is near We met around the time I started first grade Every summer after that we'd play solitaire in the shade On prom night, he was the only boy I kissed And when he'd visit my dorm, I'd remember how much I'd missed The darkness His love for me is pure The darkness He's handsome for a metaphor And his name is Tyler Yeah, that feels right His name is Tyler He drunk-dials me every night Tyler, Tyler, Tyler Your kiss feels like a cut You play drums and wear guyliner And your pet name for me is "Slut" For so many years I've used the darkness to feel But now there are things in my life that are actually real I gotta make a choice, darlin' don't ask me why So will I have the strength to tell the darkness To tell Tyler Darkness Goodbye?

I only watched that episode last night & when Rebecca sung that song it triggered something deep inside of me which made me tear up. And I played it over & over again. I've always felt a connection with her character but this time it's like.. hey this is ME! the "darkness" to me is that self destructive part of me that I go to when I don't want to be good or take responsibility for my actions when life gets hard or serious I let the darkness into the drivers seat & just be the passenger going along the road to total destruction of my self. I also have depression, anxiety & other "issues"& bad choices when it comes to guys. I think relationships for me are a distraction from working on healing my mental health?

When the darkness come back to me i try to listen to this song. I just cried while singing with rebecca and now i feel much better :) i can say the darkness a little goodbye. Thank you Rachel. I love this. ❤

This song is too real and based on current events on my life and I feel attacked.

What an unbelievable song

I just came here to say she not only suits this look so much, but it’s PERFECT for her voice. Like it fits so beautifully that no one else could sing this like she can

I’m so thankful I got help early.

I want to marry this show

So well sung... I'm speechless, always love her singing but this was something else, it was transformative.

its so easy to fall down the rabbit hole with any minor incovinience being the trigger, felt exactly this way yesterday, im so glad someone put this complex feeling into a beautiful song - which is also funny

I sweat to God this show is like my autobiography. It's almost creepy.

Does anyone else think it’s a total badass porn name? “Hello, I’m Tyler Darkness. I’m here to f--- the light right out of you!”.

Absolutely my favorite scene in the show.

i was going to cry when she screamed "TYLER!" why does that name fit so perfectly lmao

Oh god Im crying next episode arent I? also the cognitive dissonance in this is great. It took me a while to realize she was talking about The Darkness instead of someone who was toxic to her and that's much much better and... fuck, too relatable as always

Thank you Rachel and everyone for giving us such as beautiful TV show, I don't think I'll ever stop rewatching it.

When this came on I legit went ‘eheheee THERES 3 SONGS’ bc the last few episodes only had 1 or 2😹

When I heard Rachel sing the title, it sent me back to my childhood when I used to watch Barbie movies with my older sister and I spent, like, 10 minutes racking my brain trying to remember the song that those 3 notes reminded me of. The song is 'Connected' (from The Diamond Castle according to Google and RU-vid- specifically when they sing _Connected._ I'd leave a link but I don't want this comment marked as spam.). Side note- not gay or anything but at 8 years old, the Barbie movies slapped. I'd never watch them on my own but whenever my sister started watching one on RU-vid (the good old days when movies were uploaded in 20-40 1-2 minute parts. I remember the swan one being a 12 parter or so with 5ish minutes each.), I'd watch with her.

The Darkness being her true love is literally me wtf

This song is incredible in so many ways. Thankful that this show exists.

Her vocals are just amazing in this.

Yes Tyler works for the darkness because the worst person I know is named Tyler

Love this show! They need to make something like this again! ❤

This song made me cry and laugh and cry again bc it represented exactly how I feel. I know I'm not the only one when I say that I identified with this show and with Rebecca, which helped me to get treatment for my own issues and made me feel like I was getting a hug through the screen. Thank you so much, Crazy Ex Girlfriend was a masterpiece and it will always have a piece of my heart.

I’ve just binge watched Crazy ex girlfriend, again. And this song always makes me cry. I’ve felt the darkness too many times! 😢

I didn't expect to be called out like this. I feel attacked 😫

This one was my favourite song...It brought shivers on my spine for real...

This hits differently 🥺

This song reminds me of my Dad , he got taken away when I was 2 . And honestly this song reminds me of him and make me want to cry 😢 😭💕💕💕💕💕

Rachel, I love your stuff so much. CXG is brilliant and I can't wait to watch s4 (when it's out some time in the future on Netflix Germany) (I hope). Until then I'm living vicariously through the music vids you upload, tysm! All the best!

The songs from this episode are so good!

Love the foreshadowing in this episode!

Honestly, sometimes I feel this show is personally attacking me from the past. Last year, One Day at a time gave me a reality check and that one is also supposed to be comedy.

i love this one ♥

This hits so hard. I love it so much. ❤️

Thank you so much for writing and performing this. It was the first time I ever felt like someone understood. This show was truly special and I will treasure it forever.

For so long I used the darkness to feel is most accurate in this song

Oh... just beautiful

what a powerful, poignant, and pretty song. hits the feels in so many ways. beautiful music, lyrics, & singing.

This is an absolutely amazing and haunting song!

This one hit really close to home.

This episode made me want to reconsider meds. S/o to Netflix for having this in their lineup. #BPDawareness

Me and my wife welcomed our son Tyler last November, pretty sure you can imagine our reaction to this song lol

Mood. 😍

Great song, sung beautifully. She won me back after losing me for most of Season 4.

My darkness’s name is Filbert

BIG MOOD

This song made me cry. The show hits close to home. I named my darkness Rick.

“I’m in this picture and I don’t like it”

Al Angel que tradujo esta canción en español, la vida no me alcanza para agradecerte 😍🥰

brb checking my house for cameras because this song was written about me specifically

I've just found out about this show 2 weeks ago and I am completely obsessed (in an adorable way ofc)! I binged watched all 4 seasons and I was so sad to find out it's ending. I absolutely adore the songs and characters, you did an amazing job with this! I love that the show talks about real issues and doesn't sugarcoat or romanticize it. Many of the songs speak to me on a personal level. I already made myself a Spotify playlist so I can listen to my favorite CXG songs 24/7. Really excited to see what you're gonna do in the future! Lots of love

Very Lykke Li "sadness is a blessing" - but just darker

Organization XIII approves of this song.

Has to be one of my new favourite songs from CEG! 💗

Wow.

My darkness is named Todd.

I feel bad for all the guys named Tyler that just got brought into this. :D

Okay but this reminds me a ton of "Have a Seat Misery" by Shayfer James with a comedic twist. Check him out, his views are criminally low and for all his work and talent he deserves a lot more.