‘Schitt’s Creek’: Why Did Dan Levy Choose the Song ‘Simply the Best’ for Patrick to Sing?

One of Schitt’s Creek‘s most adored episodes is the one in season 4 where Patrick serenades David. Not many viewers knew that Noah Reid, who plays Patrick, even could sing. But what really clinched the scene in our hearts was the emotional resonance. Why did the Schitt’s Creek co-creator, Dan Levy (who also plays David), pick Tina Turner’s upbeat pop song “Simply the Best” for Patrick to cover?

‘Schitt’s Creek’ co-creator Dan Levy wanted Patrick’s character to have a big ‘reveal’

In a GQ magazine interview from late last year, they asked actor/writer/producer Dan Levy about David and Patrick. The episode in which “Patrick serenaded David with a cover of Tina Turner’s ‘Simply the Best'” especially stood out.

“How did that episode, and that scene, come together?” they inquired.

“I guess I drew from my own experiences with…myself,” Levy explained. “And friends of mine who had been on dates with people who sang to them—and it was a deal-breaker.” However, the idea that Patrick would take a big risk like that was intriguing to the Schitt’s Creek co-creator. Levy explained:

… I thought, ‘Well, that’s a very clear, very big risk, and something that would deeply unsettle David as a character.’ The idea that things are going okay…and now his boyfriend wants to perform a song at an open-mic night. I mean, that is bone-chilling—and I think for David [especially] bone-chilling, because it means that if this goes sour, that’s it. There’s no coming back from watching someone you’re falling in love with massacre a song in front of a group of people.

Why ‘Simply the Best’ was the song Dan Levy chose for the season 4 episode

“Why, of all songs, was it “Simply the Best?'” GQ asked Levy.

“I’ve always thought it was one of the most beautifully written pop songs in history,” he revealed. But not many others, he said, have noticed how personal and emotional the song is.

“Because of the tempo of it, and because it plays as sort of a fast-paced song, a lot of people skip over just how profound those lyrics are,” he continued. “I, on the other hand, would listen to it and get completely emo on long walks.” And that concept — that the song was “pop-y” and upbeat — made the scene as a whole more of a reveal.

“We wanted it to be a song that was unexpected, that felt like it could be a fun spin on something that people would sing at an open-mic night,” he said.

‘Schitt’s Creek’ has five seasons streaming on Netflix; go watch this episode

The Schitt’s Creek creator was thrilled with what his castmate did with the song.

“Noah took the mandate—’This is the song. Make it slow. Make it beautiful’—and came up with that incredible cover,” he said. “The minute I heard it, I knew that the scene was going to work.” Levy continued:

It was a huge relief to me when I heard his demo of the song—because I thought, Not only is this going to work, but I actually think it’s going to change their relationship in a way that I hadn’t even seen coming.

The Schitt’s Creek Season 4 episode has single-handedly made the song more popular than ever for weddings.

“I would say once a week I get a tweet from people who’ve played it at their weddings, or done covers of the cover,” he told GQ. “It’s amazing.”