Supernatural Soundtracks
Can you imagine a movie or an episode of your favourite tv-show without the music? Undoubtedly, some scores are lodged in your brain like a bullet – as they are in mine. Whenever I watch any sea life documentary, for instance, Jaws’ ba-dam…ba-dam…. appears in my head. It’s almost Pavlov… Everytime any movie opens with the 20th-Century-Fox fanfare, I wait for the Star Wars March to follow… And how indistinct and insignificant would Psycho’s shower scene be without those screeching, nerve wracking violins….?
When a director rolls up his sleeves to make tv or a film, the choice of his composer is crucial, and some have worked with the same artist for decades. For example, you will commonly find the names Steven Spielberg and John Williams tied together, James Cameron and James Horner, and when a story calls for monumental adventure, often Hans Zimmer, Harry Glegson-Williams or Jerry Goldsmith will be on board.
Supernatural has been equally lucky to find two composers to enrich the creative behind-the-scenes team who are able to evoke just as strong reactions with the audience as their big screen colleagues – Jay Gruska and Christopher Lennertz. They’ve found beautifully haunting trade mark themes for the brothers’ relationship – soft, yet intense cello melodies – and on the road guitar riffs. Their scores stress the emotional state the characters are in and creep us out in the gory scenes…
One scene of the first season blew me away, as it was masterly done – the crucial sequence of Devil’s Trap – so much was culminating there: Dean’s agony of being confronted with ‘they don’t need you, not like you need them’, Sam watching his brother tortured by Azazel, the shooting of dad, the escape half-alive and the horrific car crash…
Jay Gruska pulls all possible emotional strings here – lachrymose quality and haunting horror, fear for life and hardly suppressible anger. This scene would have been intense at any rate, but the manner in which the music was used here left me in awe… (I still hope the production company would consider publishing the score, as I am and always have been a fan of fine film scores and soundtracks).
The trademark quality of Supernatural, however, has been – from the beginning – the use of classic rock music, and the unofficial Winchester theme is, by now, Kansas’ Carry On My Wayward Son.
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don’t know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I’m like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say:
Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendour
Now you life’s no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you
Carry on, my wayward son
For there’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest,
Now don’t you cry no more…
I will never listen to Kansas again without thinking of our dear Winchesters. Damn you Eric Kripke. You really made it impossible to listen to some of those tunes again without being reminded of the show. Which is a very clever move, by the way. Some scenes will be forever connected with the music used, and thereby, when the show will no longer be airing, we (the then old fans, staggering slowly into antiquity, oh well…) will remember moments of the show and be reminded of a hellishly great time!
Another scene-defining song was Queensryche’s Silent Lucidity - Sam needs to kill Madison, and before gathering the strength to do it, he flees into the kitchen, almost trying to dissolve into that wall he’s hiding in. A melancholy guitar, accompanied by the soft, husky voice of the lead vocalist…
Hush now don’t you cry
Wipe away the teardrops from your eye
You’re lying safe in bed,
It was all a bad dream spinning in your head.
Your mind tricked you to feel the pain
Of someone close to you leaving the game of life…
…
I will be watching over you
I am gonna help you see it though
I will protect you in the night
I am smiling next to you – in silent lucidity…
It hauntingly encompasses the beauty and the tragedy of this scene that broke all of our hearts.
After having been turned into a pretzel by the demon truck and beaten up badly by Dean, the Impala is back in season two’s Bloodlust. That whole sequence is an homage to that beautiful, give-em-hell, sexy car and what else could be a more fitting song for that scene than AC/DC’s Back in Black?
Yeah, Dean’s baby is back, listen to her roar…
Back in black
I hit the sack,
I’ve been too long and I’m glad to be back
Yes, I’m let loose
From the noose
That’s kept me hanging about
I’ve been looking at the sky
‘cause it’s gettin’ me high
Forget the hearse ‘cause I never die
I got nine lives, cat’s eyes,
Abusin’ every one of them and running wild…
Hi Jasminka
This is great, I love it.
I could only think of one, but it’s late and I’m tired.
Episode On the Head of a Pin – When we see Sam drinking Ruby’s blood for the first time.
Where Evil Grows by the Poppy Family
I like the way you smile at me.
I felt the heat that enveloped me.
And what saw I liked to see.
I never knew where evil grew.
I should have steered away from you.
My friend told me to keep clear of you.
But something drew me near to you.
I never knew where evil grew.
Evil grows in the dark
Where the sun, it never shines.
Evil grows in cracks and holes
And lives in people’s minds.
Evil grew, it’s part of you.
And now it seems to be,
That everytime I look at you
Evil grows in me.
I am old enough to have watched the Mandella Live concert (YES it was 1988!) as it was broadcast and in my (humble) oppinion this was THE BEST that Dire Straights ever performed Brothers in arms (the haunting guitars alone are worth any money). NOW I have it linked in my head with THE BOYS. PLEASE CW you HAVE to find the money for at least ONE version! Off to listen to more and think about your challenge. Thanks for setting this.
Diane
Phew, Jas, this is harder than it sounds … Here goes though, fingers in ears, kids …
Prelude to a full on big fighty Lucifer smitey gore-fest – Orgasmatron by Motorhead ( Sorry, purists, my keyboard won’t do umlauts … )
I twist the truth, I rule the world, my crown is called deceit
I am the emperor of lies, you grovel at my feet
I rob you and I slaughter you, your downfall is my gain
And still you play the sycophant and revel in your pain …
Something a bit sadder and more reflective but still sort of hopeful for broody angsty walking off into the rain and/ or future sort of moments ( not that they have many of them … fnark … ) – Long Shadow by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
Well I’ll tell you the one thing that I know
You don’t face your demons down
You grab them by the collar
And wrestle them to the ground
The Devil may care – Maybe God he won’t
So you better make sure you check all the do’s and the don’ts
Crawl up the mountain
Try to get where the eagle flies
Sure you can glimpse from the mountain top
Where the soul of the muse might rise
But if you put it all together
You don’t have to look around
You know you cast
A long shadow on the ground …
Actually now I’ve got going I can think of loads but I hear little voices in the wilderness crying for soup and attention ( but mostly soup as my bed side manner is getting a bit threadbare – It never was all that great and after a week of Novovirus and Nobloodysleep has been reduced to sticking my head round the door at intervals waving a bucket in a vaguely menacing fashion and snarling ” Not dead yet?” … )
Here’s some lyrics from my Number 1 on my “must be on the show” song.
Blaze of Glory – Jon Bon Jovi
You ask about my consience
And I offer you my soul
You ask If I’ll grow to be a wise man
Well I ask if I’ll grow old
You ask me if I known love
And what it’s like to sing songs in the rain
Well,I’ve seen love come
And I’ve seen it shot down
I’ve seen it die in vain
Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
‘Cause I’m going down in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
I’m the devil’s son
Call me young gun
Each night I go to bed
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
No I ain’t looking for forgiveness
But before I’m six foot deep
Lord,I got to ask a favor
And I’ll hope you’ll understand
‘Cause I’ve lived life to the fullest
Let the boy die like a man
Staring down the bullet
Let me make my final stand
Shot down in a blaze of glory
Take me now but know the truth
I’m going out in a blaze of glory
Lord I never drew first
But I drew first blood
and I’m no one’s son
Call me young gun
I’m a young gun
EEEK. How did I forget that one! I’m more sleep deprived than I thought …
Seconded … Or how about Miracle, or Never say Die or Justice In The Barrel, or … or … Oh, let’s not f*ck about, the whole album fits the bill perfectly!
An odd choice maybe, but what about Desperado, by the Eagles?
Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re losin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?
Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late
And then there is always Hotel California…
I have been lurking and loving this site for ages but had to join in with this!
Got so many ideas here but Westlifes “No more Heroes”
is perfect
When the waves are crashing down
Pulling you to sorry
I will sail you back to shore
When there are no more heroes
Over, under near or far
I`ll be right beside you
Standing here with open arms
When there are no more heroes
And through it all, through it all
When youre tired and you stumble
I will carry you
When starlight falls
My love will guide you home
You`ll never be alone
When there are no more heroes
It was you who showed me how
Brought me back to glory
Through hopeless nights and darkest days
It was breath you gave me
And through it all, through it all
When youre tired and you stumble
I will carry you
When starlight falls
My love will guide you home
You`ll never be alone
When there are no more heroes
There is in fact a beautiful film to accompany this song on you tube of our boys- not a dry eye anywhere afterwards!
Also I dont think that Desperado is an odd choice always thought that would work glad I am not alone
Oh, please, no Europe. Shudder, tremble, pass the booze quick. 😀
Too bad they already used a bike bit for Changing Channels, I was going to suggest Queen’s Bicycle Race.
Lucifer, the great manipulator: Master of Puppets!
I can think of a few Slayer pieces, but they might fork over the cash for a single Zep tune before that ever happens.
Motörhead!
Hi Jas.
A really, really cool article you’ve got here… Got me all thinky (yeah, for a change right? Like you guys haven’t poked my mind enough 😉 )
I have a few ideas of me own…
– Johnny Cash. I’d love his cover of Hurt but ANYTHING will suffice.
– More The Doors. I love it when they used The Crystal Ship.
– More Alice In Chains. PLEASE!!
– Guns ‘N’ Roses. You could be mine or Estranged. Or something more grey.
– Heart. Barracuda 🙂
– And lastly, I would LOVE if they could use some classical music again, like they did in Monster Movie. Maybe some sombre piano piece like Chopins Prelude *love*
What? No, I’m not trying to push them my fave bands, why do you ask? 😀
Wow folks, I had not expected these great suggestions! Thank you, thank you, ha! I love my life!
Karen, I have to admit I don’t know the song you mention, I will most certainly look it up! The lyrics are great!
Diane, wish I could have seen that concert… Brothers in Arms is definitely one of the most impressive songs ever – yeah, I’ll join you in praying for the CW to put it in…
Dany, hey, dearie, I’ve also thought of ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’, but it is too closely connected with Highlander for me, so that just didn’t work… The lyrics, well, would be so fitting.
And Bon Jovi is fantastic – I disagree strongly here with Dean: Bon Jovi does not only rock on occasion. For me, they rock pretty much all the time!
Suze, Motorhead? Wow, hard stuff – great lines.
A third of my patients suffers from the same virus – oh, dear, I so feel your pain…it’s a wonder I haven’t caught it yet, but, thank the Gods, I feel healthy as a horse.
Almost busted my knee yesterday (I fell on the ice, like in a movie, ridiculous Marx-Brothers-Style, and I just couldn’t stop laughing, despite the pain) – and thought: that would be just great, walk in on the Con in a few weeks on crutches…
Alice, yeah, bring on more Bon Jovi!!
Blaze of Glory is also on my list (as you can imagine, this article would have been waaaaaaaaaay longer), as is Something To Believe In (I lost all faith in God, in his religion too, I told the angels they could sing their songs to someone new… Tonight I’ll dust myself off, Tonight I’ll suck my gut in, I’ll face the night and I’ll pretend, I got something to believe in),
or Something For The Pain or I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (yeah!) or the 1992 version of Fever (I don’t know where this could fit in, I just love the song)
PetraO, I would love to find Hotel California in the show! Imagine some funny scenes, and that song in the background… sigh…
Julie, hey, what an honour – welcome! Great to hear you have been visiting us here! That song is deeply moving. There’s a video on YouTube? Will look it up, thanks for the hint!!
Please come back.
Randal, Bicycle Race is fantastic! Gosh, Queen are true masters. I will miss Mercury’s voice for ever… Also We Are The Champions come to mind or We Will Rock You… or Under Pressure…
Supernarttu, poking your mind is one of my best-loved leisure activities, sweetie!
Love your suggestions – I thought of the Doors, too. Have been a fan for many years. Riders On The Storm would be my favourite here. And Light My Fire (Lucifer, anyone?) or The End… Morrison was a poet.
Classical tunes would be great (some pop to mind right away), but somehow I think Kripke would not exactly favour that in his show…
Thanks for your great ideas, bring on more – perhaps we will find one or the other in the show?
Cheers everyone! Love,Jas
Woo-hoo!!! Thanks for this article, Jas! To paraphrase Dean: As long as there’s life, there’s music.
Love your choices! Brothers in Arms always remind me of soldiers (it has been used here as a kind of hymn during the war), and our guys really are soldiers. Love all the other songs, learned about some new ones, too, thank you, girl! But have to go with Randal: no Scorpions, please, not that that song wouldn’t fit the show, it would, it’s just me.
Bon Jovi – rocks always!!!
Supernartuu, just listened to Cash’s Hurt, didn’t know it before. Wow! Just … wow!!!
There’s one song, whenever I hear it I think of Sam and Dean. I’d choose it for any trouble-profile-scene. It’s Kansas’s Two Cents Worth:
Well I been drinkin’ again
And I know it’s a sin
But I just can’t refuse an old friend
Cause life is gettin’ me down
And I been two times around
And there ain’t nothing but pain around the bend
I’m not made for the time
I’m born in the wrong century
There’s too much craziness here
In twenty-five years I have used all the tears in my eyes
Now this old world is a fright
You know my future ain’t bright
And I’d just crawl in a hole if I could
Or maybe live out in space
Or some other far away place
And not come back to this earth till it’s good
Oh but I’m dreaming again
I know that I’m here till the end
There’s too much craziness here
In twenty-five years I have used all the tears in my eyes
Well you might think that I’m all wrong
The things I say in this song
I really wish I could see it your way
Cause there’s a storm rollin’ in
And it just might be the end
So I’m praying we’ll all get away
Now my cup is running dry
The weight of the world gets me down
There’s too much craziness here
In twenty-five years I have used all the tears in my eyes
There’s nowhere to turn
So I’ll just have to learn not to cry, no more
It’s all I can do till we find something new
But I’ll get by you know I’ll try
In twenty-five years I have used all the tears in my eyes.
A while ago I saw an Impala-video on youtube made by a fan. She used John Schneider’s In The Driver’s Seat, and it is a soooo Dean And His Baby song. I don’t have the lyrics, but you can see the video on youtube (“Dean & The Impala”), it’s just awsome.
Lately Zep’s Stairway To Heaven is spooking around in my mind. I know it’s about a lady, but I think, musicwise, it would work for a victory-scene, like, they defeat Lucifer and the bad angels and safe the world.
Ah, well, I really hope Kripke is reading your site, Alice 🙂
Happy listening, everyone!
Lara
The Doors is always a winner… I love Riders on the storm!
I even have it on vinyl.
A little more obscure, Roxy music’s ‘Manifesto’
I am for the man who drives the hammer
To rock you ’til the grave
His power drill shocks
A million miles away
I am for the revolution´s coming
I don´t know where she´s been
For those who dare because it´s there
I know i´ve seen
Now and then i´ve suffered imperfection
I´ve studied marble flaws
And faces drawn pale and worn
By many tears
I am that i am from out of nowhere
To fight without a cause
Roots strain against the grain
With brute force you´d better
Hold out when you´re in doubt
Question what you see
And when you find an answer
Bring it home to me.
And yes, I also have that on vinyl. I stole my fathers record collection…
Really cool article, Jasminka! Great suggestions by you, and great suggestions in the comments section, too!
I don’t know what kind of scenes I would like them in, but here are the two songs that I would love to see on Supernatural:
Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You” (we sooo need a Zep song on this show! Stupid expensive music rights!)
and The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”
That would just be awesome.
Wonderful, as ever, Jas. Gave in to a caffeinated beverage to get some work done earlier, so now I’m a wired insomniac up at this ungodly hour…
I’m loving everyone’s selections! “Brothers in Arms” definitely gets a vote from me too. I always wanted Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to make the soundtrack (a child of the nineties, what can I say…), I was hoping for it in Dream a Little Dream but no candy. I think I read that it was actually used in the original pilot but changed for the DVD release, not sure if that’s true… At least we got AC/DC’s Back in Black AND Highway to Hell, so I’m happy 😀
I’d love to hear Bob Dylan again… we got “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” in Houses of the Holy; it’s also the song I kept playing after watching AAH. I was thinking maybe Shelter from the Storm:
I was in another lifetime one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form
Come in, she said, I’ll give you shelter from the storm…
But what I really, REALLY want is Springsteen!!! He’s gotta be way too expensive, but he gets the number one spot on my Supernatural soundtrack wishlist. Just imagining the Impala barreling along to “Thunder Road” or “Born to Run”…*sigh*
From Thunder Road:
We’re riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it’s late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road sit tight take hold
Thunder Road . . .
All the promises’ll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets…
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they’re gone
On the wind so Mary climb in
It’s a town full of losers
And I’m pulling out of here to win …
From Born to Run, I love the first verse especially:
In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway american dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
Its a death trap, it’s a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we’re young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run…
As for Zeppelin… I wonder if Kripke’s planning to splurge on some for the series finale, that’d be awesome, when we get there…
Thanks for the welcome Jas, I have wanted to join you on here for ages but as I said couldn`t resist anymore as this was the chance to combine my 2 obssessions, our prog and music. Any Classic rock we can get in there is ok with me but especially any Zeppelin!
Also thought of another sad song(sorry to bring everyone down) which I think would fit the bill well
Sound the Bugle by Bryan Adams
Sound the bugle now, play it just for me,
As the seasons change, remember how I used to be
Now I cant go on, I cant even start
Ive got nothing left just an empty heart
I`m a soldier wounded so I must give up the fight
There`s nothing more for me, lead me away
Or leave me lying here.
Sound the Bugle now, tell them I dont care
There`s not a road I know that leads to anywhere
Without a light I fear that I will stumble in the dark
I`ll lay right down and decide not to go on
Then from on high, somewhere in the distance
There`s a voice that calls remember who you are
If you lose yourself, your courage soon will follow
So be strong tonight , Remember who you are
Youre a soldier now fighting in a battle to be free once more, and that`s worth fighting for.
Keep up the good work love all the articles, how would we have got through hiatus without them all, but find yours Jas especially interesting and insightful, your professional opinions into our boys psyches are fascinating. I have never become so involved with any tv show or cared about characters as much as I do these, but have to admit to a favourite, who could resist the wonderful Dean Winchester.
GREAT Jas. I will always think of the Winchesters when I hear Wayward Son. And of Dean when Eye of the Tiger plays. They really do pick great soundtracks. Wonderful article.
What song would I like to hear in an episode? Black Velvet by Alannah Myles. Whenever I hear it, I think of Sam.
Yeah…I know…MY BAD
got another one! I honestly can’t believe I didn’t think of it before… Show me the way, by Styx.
Every night I say a prayer,
in the hope that there’s a heaven.
And everyday I’m all confused
as the saints turn into sinners.
All the heroes and legends I knew as a child,
have fallen to idols of clay.
And i feel this empty place inside.
So a afraid that I’ve lost my faith.
Show me the way
Show me the way
take me tonight
to the river and wash my illusions away.
and please show me the way.
Jasminka, what a great article. My taste tends toward more modern but I do have 2 songs to add here.
The first one is “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf. Whenever I hear this song, I think of the guys in the Impala:
Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Lookin’ for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin’ with the wind
And the feelin’ that I’m under
Yeah Darlin’ go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature’s child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
The other one is a more recent tune but I think of Sam every single time I hear it. “Wrong” by Depeche Mode:
I was born with the wrong sign
In the wrong house
With the wrong ascendancy
I took the wrong road
That led to the wrong tendencies
I was in the wrong place at the wrong time
For the wrong reason and the wrong rhyme
On the wrong day of the wrong week
I used the wrong method with the wrong technique
There’s something wrong with me chemically
Something wrong with me inherently
The wrong mix in the wrong genes
I reached the wrong ends by the wrong means
It was the wrong plan
In the wrong hands
The wrong theory for the wrong man
The wrong eyes on the wrong prize
The wrong questions with the wrong replies
I was marching to the wrong drum
With the wrong scum
Pissing out the wrong energy
Using all the wrong lines
And the wrong signs
With the wrong intensity
I was on the wrong page of the wrong book
With the wrong rendition of the wrong look
With the wrong moon, every wrong night
With the wrong tune playing till it sounded right yeah
Okay, sorry for the length.
Okay, everybody, that’s it. Pack up your cd collections and come down here, we’re having a party!
Well, I’ve just been lurking but felt the need to add a song I heard on the radio last week that had me thinking they should have used it when Sam was running around w/ Ruby, drinking demon blood. Van Halen’s “Running with the devil”
yeah, yeah!
ah, yeah!
i live my life like there’s no tomorrow
and all i’ve got, i had to steal
least i don’t need to beg or borrow
yes i’m livin’ at a pace that kills
oooh, yeah
(ahh!) runnin’ with the devil (ahh-hah! yeah!)
(woo-hoo-oo!) runnin’ with the devil
i’m gonna tell ya all about it
i found the simple life ain’t so simple
when i jumped out, on that road
i got no love, no love you’d call real
ain’t got nobody, waitin’ at home
(ah, yeah-ah!)
runnin’ with the devil
(god damn it lady. you know i ain’t lyin’ to ya)
(i’m only gonna tell you one time-ya!)
runnin’ with the devil
(yes i am! yeah!)
(guitar solo)
woo!
woo!
you know i, i found the simple life
weren’t so simple, no
when i jumped out, on that road
got no love, no love you’d call real
got nobody, waitin’ at home
(ah, yeah!)
runnin’ with the devil
(hold on. hold on, i’m runnin’! ah, yeah!)
runnin’ with the devil
(uh! uh! come on, one more time)
(guitar solo)
(ha-yeah!)
runnin’ with the devil
(oh, yeah! ya-yeah!)
runnin’ with the devil
(woo! woo!)
runnin’ with the devil
(ah-ha, yeah! ah-ha, yeah! ah-hah, yeah!)
runnin’ with the devil (woo!)
It seemed so appropriate!
So, I’ve been slowly working my way through all the songs I didn’t already know– it’s been very enjoyable, and educational 🙂
Gotta say, Blaze of Glory and Never Say Die are so pitch-perfect it took my breath away. Guess it’s that Western sensibility. Can’t believe I never noticed it before. Too bad the boys are so snooty about Bon Jovi! At least they’ll admit he rocks “on occasion.” Well, it’s been, what, over a year now, time for another occasion!
“Wrong” was new to me– absolutely love it. And yeah, it’s a Sam song if I’ve ever heard one. I’d love for Johnny Cash to make the soundtrack too, ever since that awesome promo spot…
Still holding out for the Boss, though. Chances are I’ll be holding out forever! Speaking of whom, though–
Jas, you’ve seen the Grapes of Wrath!!! Read it too, no doubt. I think Henry Fonda got an Oscar nom for that one… Have you heard Springsteen’s song “The Ghost of Tom Joad”? He uses that quote in the song. Rage Against the Machine did this really rockin’ cover, too, and there’s an awesome Youtube clip of Springsteen doing it live with Rage’s Tom Morello… I know, I know, need to curb my enthusiasm…
Freebird, PetraO, Ardeospina, ElenaM, JulieUk, SAblegreen, Jeannine and furkidsrock, forgive me for not getting to your delightful replies earlier. I was incredibly busy in the real world… Wow, even more great suggestions!
Lara, thanks so much! I’ve heard about Brothers In Arms and its use in the BalkanWar, and I think it has been some kind of hymn for many a soldier all around the world. To my shame I don’t know that Kansas song – yet, I will most certainly look it up, the lyrics are impressive..
And yeah – bring on Stairway To Heaven…
PetraO, you charming thief, you – what a great song by Roxy Music, great suggestion! And Styx.. Can we get the creators to consult us here before choosing songs? To hell with the money…
Ardeospina, I concur – we do need a Zeppelin song here. One Tree Hill had one. Come on, that’s also CW, why not give Supernatural some more love?
ElenaM, ungodly hours are great. Sometimes I think I invented them… hahaha…. What great ideas from you – you’re most definitely right! How could I forget the Boss?!
How about ‘This gun’s for hire’ – Dancing in the Dark? (Amy MacDonald performed a fantastic slower version of that once, by the way)
Never curb your enthusiasm, it’s a wonderful inspiration, too, is it not? Loved the book, too, yeah, you’re right. Can’t hide it, eh? I often go through reading phases – when I feel sick to go to a certain country but can’t, I read novels from there (or cook typical food, thus travelling culinarily), I have a plan to read books from all over the world. Guess I need to get two hundred years old to do that… But I have my US-phase repeatedly (often alternating with my UK phase, as I miss going to England more often, but try at least twice a year), right now I’m reading US novels again, as I’m getting ready to board my flight to the US in less than two months…
JulieUk, I’m glad that you decided to finally join us after ages of lurking. Spectacular idea! Can we do anything to keep you coming back to comment once in a while? The more voices, the more fun… don’t you think?
Love your choice of Adams, wow, beautiful
I couldn’t find that video on youtube you mentioned. Do you happen to know the direct link?
Thank you also and very much for your acknowledgement! Getting involved in this manner with a tv show is also a first for me, and it has been a great trip so far. – I guess hardly anyone could resist Dean Winchester. I have to admit, though, as we are admitting, that I have a thing for Sam. But wouldn’t mind having a big brother like Dean…
Sablegreen – Black Velvet? Aha…. Hey, fantasies are fun!!
Jeannine, hi, wow, Steppenwolf, yeah! Whenever I hear it on the radio and happen to be riding my car, I get into a Dean-posture and think of the show. So much for not being crazy…
And that Depeche Mode Song… doesn’t matter, really, that it’s modern… it’s great. I’ll have to look for my cds and listen to it again… Sam? The lyrics seem so fitting..
Furkidsrock, finally, Van Halen! Thanks for this great suggestion! They definitely rock!!
Thanks, y’all, I really had never thought of such reactions, wow, wow, you guys rock…. You make my job here so much fun. So again: Thank you from all the way down my heart… Oh, that was cheesy, even for me….
Jas
This was an amazing post!
I am sorry for posting this so long after you posted the original article.
I agree with all of your song choices. In fact, I’ve always thought that Dust in the Wind, Another One Bites the Dust, and Brothers in Arms would be excellent for Supernatural. Bohemian Rhapsody reminds me a bit of the boys (especially the moral dilemma of the singer, who cries that “Beelzebub has a devil set aside for me”).
I would also love to hear Bruce Springsteen on the show (like the other posters mentioned).
In particular, his song Blood Brothers would be incredibly touching if used correctly.
Here are the lyrics:
We played king of the mountain out on the end
The world come chargin’ up the hill, and we were women and men
Now there’s so much that time, time and memory fade away
We got our own roads to ride and chances we gotta take
We stood side by side each one fightin’ for the other
We said until we died we’d always be blood brothers
Now the hardness of this world slowly grinds your dreams away
Makin’ a fool’s joke out of the promises we make
And what once seemed black and white turns to so many shades of gray
We lose ourselves in work to do and bills to pay
And it’s a ride, ride, ride, and there ain’t much cover
With no one runnin’ by your side my blood brother
On through the houses of the dead past those fallen in their tracks
Always movin’ ahead and never lookin’ back
Now I don’t know how I feel, I don’t know how I feel tonight
If I’ve fallen ‘neath the wheel, if I’ve lost or I’ve gained sight
I don’t even know why, I don’t know why I made this call
Or if any of this matters anymore after all
But the stars are burnin’ bright like some mystery uncovered
I’ll keep movin’ through the dark with you in my heart
My blood brother
If they used this song at the end of the series, I would cry. I would only hope that they would use it in a positive way instead of playing it after one pf the brothers dies or something!
It would completely wrap up the series/season for me. The lyrics would cement the message that family is everything. Sam and Dean have been through so much, but they still stick together because they’re family. If the writers make the brothers realize that (and make them get along again), this would be a great song to end an episode or a season.
We would see the Impala driving down some desolate Midwestern road, and Sam and Dean would be sitting there quietly, reflecting on the recent apocalyptic events that have transpired.
Dean would look over to Sam and smile at him as the song plays and the scene fades out:
“But the stars are burnin’ bright like some mystery uncovered
I’ll keep movin’ through the dark with you in my heart
My blood brother…”
First off, I’ve only recently discovered this sight and your articles and I’ve been rabidly finding and reading them. Your stuff is fantastic!
Oh, and I heard that Kripke would love to use some Zepplin songs but there are some copyright issues or something.
Not sure if anyone has brought them up yet, but there are several songs by Uriah Heep that I have longed to hear in the show. Not creative enough to establish a sequence shot but the rockin insturmentals would just be pure good background.
The beginning…check that, the whole sound of ‘Gypsy’
‘Lady in Black’ (my favorite!)
Others are “July Morning”, “The Wizard”, “Easy Living” (fitting lyrics in that one)
The more I think of “Circle of Hands” the more I believe it fits the show, though it’s softer than some of the others.
Circle of hands, cold spirits’ plan,
searching my land for an enemy.
Came across love’s sweet cost
and in the face of beauty evil was lost.
Sky full of eyes. Minds full of lies.
Black from their cold hearts down to their graves.
Murder the dawn. Spreading their scorn.
Cursing the sun of which love was born.
We must keep them away or pretty soon we’ll pay
and count the cost in sorrow.
Sacrifice, the future has its price
and today is only yesterday’s tomorrow.
We must keep them away or pretty soon we’ll pay
and count the cost in sorrow.
Sacrifice, the future has its price
and today is only yesterday’s tomorrow – tomorrow.
Tomorrow Tomorrow
Tomorrow Tomorrow
Bit of a youngling so I’m unfamiliar with most classic rock, but had to give this band some love!
For me, there is one song that captures Dean perfectly: Jackson Browne’s “The Road” off his album “Running on Empty.”
Highways and dancehalls
A good song takes you far
Your write about the moon
And you dream about the stars
Blues in old motel rooms
Girls in daddy’s car
You sing about the nights
And you laugh about the scars
Coffee in the morning, cocaine afternoons
You talk about the weather
And you grin about the rooms
Phone calls long distance
To tell how you’ve been
Forget about the losses, you exaggerate the wins
And when you stop to let ’em know
You’ve got it down
It’s just another town along the road
The ladies come to see you
If your name still rings a bell
They give you damn near nothin’
And they’ll say they knew you well
So you tell ’em you’ll remember
But they know it’s just a game
And along the way their faces
All begin to look the same
And when you stop to let ’em know
You got it down
It’s just another town along the road
Well it isn’t for the money
And it’s only for a while
You stalk about the rooms
And you roll away the miles
Gamblers in the neon, clinging to guitars
You’re right about the moon
But you’re wrong about the stars
And when you stop to let ’em know
You got it down
It’s just another town along the road.
To me it represents the disillusionment Dean has experienced from the beginning of the series. He’s come a long way from the relatively enthusiastic hunter he was in Season One. I think this song really captures that.
O Joy!! Another soundtracks geek like me! (How was that I never saw this article? 😮 ) I’ve always enjoyed discovering more about the soundtracks of movies I loved, and some authors like Morricone, Zimmer, Williams, Barry, Shore and Horner for me are like “classical” authors (i.e. Beethoven and Tchaikovsky and so).
I enjoy also seeing fanmade music videos on YouTube and I watched quite many videos about SPN that were just perfect, with songs so perfectly matched to the situations or the characters involved in the video. So I have a LOT of songs that I link to SPN, and some were already nominated here by you, Jas, or by other users.
There’s a song, though, that I saw many times used for a SPN video, but never for what I think is the best match among the different situations of the show, i.e. Soulless Sam and the first half of Season Six. It’s Evanescence’s “Bring me to life”: for me is just Sam (the “real” Sam) begging Dean to help him to be whole again…
How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core
where I’ve become so numb.
Without a soul (without)
My spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back….home
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I Can’t Wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I’ve become
Now that I know what I’m without
You can’t just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I Can’t Wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I’ve become
(Bring me to life)
I’ve been living a lie,
there’s nothing inside
(Bring me to life)
Frozen inside without your touch,
Without your love,darling
Only you are the life, among the dead
All this time I can’t believe I couldn’t see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I’ve been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul
Don’t let me die here
There must be something more!
Bring me to life
(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I Can’t Wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
Call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me)
Save me from the nothing I’ve become
(Bring me to life)
I’ve been living a lie, there’s nothing inside!
(Bring me to life.)