FAQ for
"How I Met Your Mother" (2005)

No. In fact, Robin not being the mother (a revelation that provided the big twist in the pilot episode) is one of the "pillars" in the premise of the show, a constraint that makes the series fresh and largely takes it out of the "will they/won't they" territory familiar to "Friends" fans. The creators of the show have reiterated in interviews that while Robin is going to be important and crucial in Ted's romantic journey, they intend to stick to their guns: Robin is not "the one," and there will be no ultimate loophole or twist to make it otherwise.

No, "Aunt Robin" doesn't necessarily mean he's married to Robin's sister. Future Ted also refers to "Uncle Barney," "Uncle Marshall," and "Aunt Lily," meaning that his kids employ the custom of referring to their father's close friends as "aunts" and "uncles."

One of the "loopholes" some new fans frequently reach for is the idea that Ted isn't the father of the kids and that he's just some uncle or family friend telling them how he met their mother (thus leaving him free to be with Robin in the future). The fact is, it isn't true. Here's just a couple of instances:

"Dad, can't you just skip ahead to the part where you meet Mom? I feel like you've been talking for, like, a year." - the daughter, "Where Were We?" (Season 2 Premiere).

"Dad!" - both kids, not buying Ted's story about how Robin's sister Katie's life turned out, "First Time In New York."

Once in a while, someone will post their theory about how the mother could be [insert previously seen character here]. The "Lucky Penny" and "Something Blue" statements are lines of Future Ted's narration that he has not yet met the mother prior to those episodes.

- At the end of "Lucky Penny," Future Ted wraps up the story by saying that the firm he was interviewing for hired someone else, and that person had to move to Chicago three months later. He points out: "Kids, funny thing about destiny; I thought I was destined to get that job. But I was wrong. My destiny was to stay in New York. Because if I hadn't, I never would've met your mother." Aside from strongly suggesting that he meets the mother in New York, it clearly means that he had not yet, at the time of "Lucky Penny" (and some window of time afterwards, prior to when he would have moved to Chicago) met the mother.

- At the end of "Something Blue," Future Ted closes the story with this revelation of his and Robin's futures: "And as hard as it was at the time, in the end we both got what we wanted. She did eventually go on to live in Argentina, and Morocco, Greece, Russia, even Japan for a little while. And I? Well, I met your mom."

So anyone Ted can be construed to have "met" before the events of "Something Blue" can be definitively ruled out as the mother, including Victoria, the coat check girl, the Slutty Pumpkin, Wendy the Waitress, Trudy, and most other female characters Ted has personally significantly interacted with from Seasons 1 and 2.

There are, of course, subsequent statements that nonetheless establish Ted as not having met the mother yet. "No Tomorrow" is the latest such episode that establishes this: Future Ted makes a point of the fact that he learned years later that the mother attended the same St. Patrick's Day 2008 party that he did, but did not meet her there.

Ted is an architect. As of this point, Marshall has just quit his job as a lawyer for the firm of Nicolson, Hewitt, and West and is currently unemployed. Robin is a news anchor for a small-time local station ("Metro News One," presumably based on real-life station NY1). Lily is a kindergarten teacher. As for Barney, he works for Altrucel, a large evil corporation (who prefer to be recognized as the company that puts the fuzz on tennis balls), but what *exactly* he does for the company remains a mystery, a running gag for the show.

The title of the theme song is "Hey Beautiful," and it's by The Solids, an unsigned band led by the show's creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas. The song is available on iTunes, and can be heard in full on the band's MySpace page.

Here's a not-quite-complete list of songs used in the series so far. Note that many of these songs were unfortunately replaced with generic tracks in the DVD boxsets because of rights and licensing issues. Unless specified otherwise, the identifications below pertain to the aired version of the episode.

The Theme Song: "Hey Beautiful" by The Solids

SEASON ONE Pilot: "Cigarettes and Coffee" by Otis Redding (plays on Robin's stereo) "Back on the Chain Gang" by The Pretenders (ending) *"E-Pro" by Beck is used in the some cutscenes from the original version of the pilot that is found on a promotional DVD. *"I Want to Be Ready" by Kool Blues replaces "Cigarettes and Coffee" in the DVD release.

Return of the Shirt: "We Rule the School" by Belle and Sebastian (Ted begins his story about Natalie)

Okay Awesome: "Shine (Lovefreekz Club Mix)" by The Lovefreekz (Marshall's dance solo) "Heaven" by DJ Sammy (ending)

Slutty Pumpkin: "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins (plays on Barney's stereo when he stands in the hall) "Inside of Love" by Nada Surf (ending) also, the a cappella group sings "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," the Peanuts theme, and Big Sugar's "Is She Really Going Out With Him." *"You Don't Know What You've Begun" by The Solids replaced "Inside of Love" for the DVD release.

Matchmaker: "Parallel or Together?" by Ted Leo/Pharmacists (begins as Ted steals the info about his "86%") also, Dr. O'Brien and Architect Mosby sing "Summer Breeze" by Seals and Croft.

The Duel: "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba (ending)

Belly Full of Turkey: "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" by We Are Scientists (Ted distributes mushrooms) "Mr. Roboto" by Styx (the strip club) "You Belong to Me" by The 88 (ending)

The Pineapple Incident: "Voices" by Cheap Trick (the jukebox) and a "Voices" cover by Jon Brion (ending)

The Limo: "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi (all over the place) We'll overlook the rest of either version of Barney's Get Psyched Mix, since we didn't really hear any other songs on it--see below. "Major Leagues" by Pavement (Ted calls for a toast)

The Wedding: "Laundry Shop" by (a band whose name would get censored here, so let's just say it's the "f" word) (near-ending wrapup) "Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie (Ted sees Victoria for the first time)

Drumroll, Please: "You Don't Know Me" by Michael Buble (Ted and Victoria's dance) "Spit on a Stranger" by Pavement (ending) Ted plays "The Entertainer," by Scott Joplin, on the piano.

Game Night: "Off the Record" by My Morning Jacket (ending) Barney sings the tail end of "You Were Meant for Me" by Jewel. and of course, there's Barney's song, (c) 1998 Barney Stinson.

Life Among the Gorillas Barney sings "Dirty Deeds" by AC/DC. Marshall and Lily sing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee.

Nothing Good Ever Happens After 2 A.M.: "Alright" by Supergrass (Robin's day begins) "Quiet" by Rachael Yamagata (Robin ends the day with a glass of wine) Korean Elvis sings "The Morning After", originally by Maureen McGovern and "Love Me Tender" by, well you know "Hard Left" by Robin Hackett (ending) *"God Bless the Child" by Michelle Featherstone replaces "Quiet" in the DVD release.

Best Prom Ever: "Good Feeling" by Violent Femmes (plays on Lily's stereo in the flashback) "The Freshmen" by Verve Pipe (Lily's prom) "Hide Another Mistake," "Head Cut Off," "Jesus is Good," and the cover of "Good Feeling" by The 88 (the prom that the gang crashes)

Milk: "Mother of Pearl" by Roxy Music (Ted is dropped off by Robin and has his epiphany)

Come On: The hungry string quartet plays Bach's "Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major" (aka "Air on a G-String") "This Modern Love" by Bloc Party (ending)

About the "Get Psyched Mix":

There are two "Get Psyched Mix" lists: One that was posted in "Barney's Blog," a page on the CBS website maintained by some of the writers, and one that is based on what's handwritten on the CD-R case that Barney holds in the episode (yes, someone with HDTV and a DVR could read what was on that cover).

Barney's Blog version: 1) YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - Jonathan B. Jovi 2) THE HUMPTY DANCE - Digital Underground 3) COME SAIL AWAY - Stix 4) DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' - Journey 5) THE TRANSFORMERS THEME SONG - O. Prime 6) YOU'RE THE BEST AROUND - Joe Esposito 7) HIGH ENOUGH - Damn Yankees 8) JESSIE'S GIRL - Rick Springfield 9) ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE - The Scorpions 10) HIP HOP HOORAY - Naughty by Nature 11) CHANGE OF HEART - Tom Petty 12) RUN AWAY - Slade

TV version: 1) I Wanna Rock -- Twisted Sister 2) You Give Love A Bad Name -- BJ (Bon Jovi) 3) Lick It Up -- KISS 4) Paradise City -- GNR (Guns & Roses) 5) Dancing With Myself -- Billy Idol 6) Rock You Like A Hurricane -- Scorpy (Scorpions) 7) Panama -- Van Halen 8) Talk Dirty To Me -- Poison 9) Thunderstruck -- AC/DC 10) Dr. Feelgood -- Crue (Motley Crue) 11) Round and Round -- Ratt

(there are reportedly other tracks listed on the other side of Barney's list, but no-one's taken note of them)

ONGOING SEASON ONE ISSUES:

#1 I found a HIMYM iMix on iTunes, and in addition to most of the songs above, it names these songs--can you guys figure out which episodes they're from?: "Fire Water Burn" - The Bloodhound Gang (I keep thinking this must be from either Purple Giraffe or Slutty Pumpkin, because of the references to "the roof is on fire," but can someone confirm?) "At My Most Beautiful" by REM

#2: There's a song on Return of the Shirt that doesn't appear to be any of the mystery songs above. It plays throughout the scene where the gang discusses how Ted should break up with Natalie; it's sung by a girl, and has a country-western feel to it. The dialogue steps over most of the lyrics, so I can't make any out, but maybe someone can recognize it anyway?

#3/4: HIMYM fan taltos19 also presented us with a couple of unsolved mysteries: - According to mastersource.net "Haven't We Met?" by Vanessa Rojo was used in "Purple Giraffe", you can hear a clip: http://www.mastersourcecatalog.com/audiofiles/07haventwemet.mp3

- Alissa Moreno's website says that she had a song on the show (but not which song) http://www.myspace.com/alissamoreno OR http://alissamoreno.com/

SEASON TWO

Where Were We?: "Cryin' in the Streets" by George Perkins and the Silver Stars (Ted's summary at the beginning) "Give Up the Funk" by Parliament (George Clinton's cameo)(*replaced on DVD) "Boys Don't Cry" by Grant Lee Phillips (cover of the Cure song) (ending)

The Scorpion and the Toad: "It Was Love" by The Elected (Lily and Marshall talk at the end)(*replaced on DVD)

Ted Mosby, Architect: "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" by The Decemberists (Ted and Robin talk at the end)

World's Greatest Couple: "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby" by Islands (Lily castrates Barney's apartment) "Fernando" by ABBA (Marshall leaves Brad and Kara) (*replaced on DVD)

Aldrin Justice: "we're #1" by The World Record (Ted makes his career breakthrough)

Swarley(aka Crazy Eyes): "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy (Ted's radio request surprise) "Forever" by The Explorers Club (Lily and Marshall get back together) "Where Everybody Knows Your Name (The Cheers theme song)" by Gary Portnoy (epilogue)

Atlantic City: "Sink to the Bottom" by Fountains of Wayne (Lily and Marshall decide to put things off) (*replaced on DVD)

Slap Bet(aka Robin Sparkles): "Let's Go to the Mall" by Robin Sparkles (written by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, performed by Cobie Smulders)

Single Stamina: "Skyway" by The Replacements (ending) (*replaced on DVD) UNIDENTIFIED: Music at the bar where James and the gang hang out.

How Lily Stole Christmas: "Trepak" from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite (Marshall in the back of the delivery truck) "Backdoor Santa" by Clarence Carter (Marshall delivers packages) (*replaced on DVD) The gang sings "Silent Night." UNIDENTIFIED: Reggae song in the dorm room flashback.

First Time In New York: "Gotta Have You" by The Weepies (beginning) "Love is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia (Barney's "Dirty Dancing") "Always Love" by Nada Surf (ending wrap-up) "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (epilogue) (*removed from DVD)

Columns: "Whatever It Is" by Ben Lee (prologue) (*replaced on DVD) UNIDENTIFIED: Narration over "Ted hates being the boss" sequence "Corazon Incessante" by The Ethels (Ted and Druthers bond over whiskey). UNIDENTIFIED: Ted wins his employees over with margaritas.

Monday Night Football: "Young Folks" by Peter, Bjorn, and John featuring Victoria Bergsman (Ted assembles his sensory deprivation gadget, group sits down to watch the game)

Lucky Penny: "Nine Words" by Oppenheimer (ending)

Stuff: "I Wanna be Your Dog" by Iggy Pop (Ted sees Robin's dogs as her exes montage) (*replaced on DVD) UNIDENTIFIED: Song during Ted and Robin's big argument.

Arrivederci, Fiero: "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers (the Fiero's permanent music)

Moving Day: "Soap on Your Skin" by The Solids (Ted and Robin get started on "we're not moving in together" sex)

Bachelor Party: "When I Get Up" by The Wiggins (Barney's recipe for a bachelor party) "Pinched" by Chop Chop (Ted introduces the "bachelor party stock characters" in the Escalade)

Something Borrowed: "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by Johann Sebastian Bach (harp wedding music, guitarist's wedding music) "Love Song" by Haunt (ending wrap-up)

Something Blue: "No One Here" by The 88 (Ted and Robin finish their story, and Barney realizes that they have indeed broken up) "Sea Green, See Blue" by Jaymay (end of show wrap-up)

SEASON 3

Wait For It: "Ladies' Choice" and "Nothing That You Are" by Mandy Moore Enrique Iglesias as Male Gael plays "Alguien Soy Yo" by Enrique Iglesias (natch)

We're Not From Here: "Somebody's Me" (English version of "Alguien Soy Yo") by Enrique Iglesias (ending)

The Third Wheel: UNIDENTIFIED: Music when Ted hypothetically tires the girls out dancing. "Passenger Side" by Wilco (Ted rides the tricycle...or not...he did...he didn't...)

Little Boys: "Commit" by The Blakes (Ted's kids' drawings are shown) UNIDENTIFIED: Reggae Music as Mini-Ted dances in the epilogue.

How I Met Everyone Else: UNIDENTIFIED: Ted walks in on Marshall with his sandwich. "Save It for a Rainy Day" by The Jayhawks (Ted concedes to Marshall's version of the freshman orientation party, Blah Blah goes ballistic)

Spoiler Alert: "The Underdog" by Spoon (end of episode)

Slapsgiving: "Still Alright" by Adam Merrin (Marshall's toast) and of course, "You Just Got Slapped" by Marshall Eriksen.

The Platinum Rule: "Black Tears" by Miss Derringer (song during the "Submission" montage) "O-o-h Child" by The Five Stairsteps (ending/the ninth step of The Platinum Rule)

No Tomorrow: "Beautiful Beat" by Nada Surf (Ted returns to the nightclub to look for his phone)

Craig Thomas, co-creator of HIMYM, revealed in an interview with TV Guide (http://www.tvguide.com/news/craig-thomas-mother/071112-02) that MacLaren's is based on McGee's Pub on 55th and Broadway in Manhattan, not far from the Ed Sullivan Theater (where he and co-creator Carter Bays worked as writers for The Late Show With David Letterman).