Summary

• Every Grey's Anatomy episode is titled after a song, except for one in season 14 - with a powerful message behind its unique title.
• The episode "1-800-799-7233" focuses on domestic violence, highlighting the National Domestic Violence Hotline's importance.
• Grey's Anatomy uses song titles creatively, standing out among other shows with unique episode themes like Friends and Rick & Morty.

Every episode title of Grey’s Anatomy has been a reference to a song — every one, that is, except for a single episode in season 14. Created by Shonda Rhimes, Grey’s Anatomy follows the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings at Seattle Grace Hospital (now Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital) as they do their best to juggle their personal and professional lives. The series is led by Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), who viewers have followed on her journey from intern to head of general surgery.

Grey’s Anatomy stands out from other medical dramas for various reasons, one being that every episode title is a song reference. From the very beginning, the very first episode is titled “A Hard Day’s Night”, like the song by The Beatles, and was followed by “The First Cut Is The Deepest”, written by Cat Stevens. It’s a Grey’s Anatomy tradition that every episode will be titled after a song, and there has been only one exception. The episode in question is season 14’s “1-800-799-7233”, and there’s a very powerful and important reason behind this peculiar title.

Grey's Anatomy is available to stream on Hulu and Netflix.

Why One Grey's Anatomy Episode Isn't Named After A Song

The Phone Number 1-800-799-7233 Is For The National Domestic Violence Hotline

The only Grey's Anatomy episode that isn't named after a song is season 14, episode 9, "1-800-799-7233", and there's a very specific reason why this is the case. The episode deals with the impact of domestic violence and abuse, and so the title is the phone number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. In the episode, the staff of the hospital was fascinated by the presence of Paul Stadler (Matthew Morrison), a praised general surgeon who also happened to be Jo’s (Camilla Luddington) abusive ex-husband.

The title change was suggested by Giacomo Gianniotti, who plays Dr. Andrew DeLuca.

Meredith stayed by her side while she and Paul signed the divorce papers, so she wouldn’t be left alone with him, and Jo later had a chance to talk to his fiancé, Jenny, who denied any abuse and refused her help. Still, Jo gave her her card with her phone number on the back in case she needed any help. The episode was originally titled “Four Seasons in One Day” (a song by Crowded House), but was changed to “1-800-799-7233” as that’s the phone number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Showrunner Krista Vernoff revealed (via Glamour) that the title change was suggested by Giacomo Gianniotti, who plays Dr. Andrew DeLuca. The episode was followed by a PSA by Luddington telling viewers that psychological abuse is a form of violence and reminded them of the number for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Through its stories, Grey’s Anatomy has managed to save lives and raise awareness on different diseases, but this episode will stand-out for being more direct about its cause, and for going above and beyond to make sure its message got across as intended.

Grey's Anatomy Isn't The Only Show To Use Episode Title Gimmicks

The Song-Themed Episode Titles Are Memorable, But Not Unique

While Grey's Anatomy using the names of songs as its episode titles is a well-thought-out gimmick that helps set the tone of its episodes, it's not the only show to use the tactic to differentiate itself. Many shows have used episode title gimmicks to stand out, especially sitcoms. The most famous example of this is, of course, Friends. Every Friends episode has a title that reflects what happens in it. One of the most memorable Friends moments is Monica wearing a turkey on her head, and it's easy to find the season 5 episode since the title is "The One with All the Thanksgivings".

Another sitcom that follows this trend is It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Almost every episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia reflects the events of the episode, often with the prefix of "The Gang...", such as season 2's "The Gang Goes Jihad" or season 12's "The Gang Goes to a Water Park". Other episodes are titled around specific characters, such as the controversial season 1 episode "Charlie Got Molested", or season 16's "Frank Shoots Every Member of the Gang". What makes It's Always Sunny particularly humorous with its episode titles is how they follow from the cold opens.

While many other shows have put more thought than needed into its episode titles, it's safe to say that few have managed to do so quite as effectively as Grey's Anatomy

Rick & Morty is another great example of shows that use humorous episode titles, with many being a play on the name of a popular movie. "The Rickshank Rickdemption", "Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri", and "Ricktional Mortpoon's Rickmas Mortcation" are just some of the hilarious twists on well-known films given a Rick & Morty spin. The Big Bang Theory also has similarly thematic episode titles, with each deliberately made to sound like a scientific principle that also reflects the plot, such as "The Hamburger Postulate" in season 1, season 6's "The Proton Resurgence", or season 10's "The Romance Recalibration".

Grey's Anatomy made a smart move by naming its episodes after popular songs, and an even smarter one by naming its episode about domestic violence in season 14 "1-800-799-7233". While many other shows have put more thought than needed into its episode titles, it's safe to say that few have managed to do so quite as effectively as Grey's Anatomy since — even when it bucks its own trend — it's for memorable and well-thought-out reasons.