writerSandy
  • home
  • bio
  • events
  • teaser tuesday
  • blog
  • book of shadows
  • potions & herbs
  • contact

Hollow Bones

"In our life there is a time of wonder. Walking with the ancient ones as they share their world. And the dancing voices are carried by the wind. As I walk this sacred ground, I know I'm not alone, and I thank Mother Earth."  ~Alex Davis, Seneca Cayuga

Music of Supernatural

11/29/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
It’s been more than a week, and fans are still ugly crying over the season and series finales of Supernatural. Some felt the story ended as it should. Others hated it. And many wanted to see Castiel reunited with Dean in Heaven, joined, much later, by Brother Sam.

Regardless of how you felt about the ending of the series, one aspect of this show has never disappointed me: the music. This show had more kick-ass music than any other TV series of its kind. And the music has been integral to Supernatural, whether it’s the classic rock or the scary scoring.

As creator and original showrunner Eric Kripke explains, “This music isn’t disposable. It’s like nothing on any show on this network. That was something that was really important to me, coming into the Pilot. I’m from a small town in Ohio and this is the music I listen to. I was a huge Zeppelin fan. So when it came time to write and produce the Pilot, it was important not to have the normal network music. I even wrote in the script, 'Cue music. And you can take your anemic alternative pop and shove it up your ass.'”
​
“There’s a real energy in the Midwest,” he says, “to miles and miles of flat farmland and two-lane blacktops that stretch into infinity, and you’re jamming classic rock as loud as it can go. There’s something so mythic, so American about that.”
Picture
 the Pilot, Sam and Dean have the following exchange:

Sam: I swear man, you gotta update your cassette tape collection.

Dean: Why?

Sam: Well, for one they are cassette tapes, and two…(pulls out a few cassette tapes). Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica? It’s the greatest hits of mullet rock.

Dean: Grabs a cassette from Sam and pop it in the player. House rules, Sammy. Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake hole.

And so it’s been from the first episode. Kripke sees himself as a sort of School of Rock missionary, although, sadly, not all gospel is featured. Zeppelin, for instance, won’t be preached. “I’d like to use Traveling Riverside Blues” or “Ramble On,” Kripke said, “But Zeppelin will not sell their songs to anybody but Cameron Crowe because he traveled with them when they were on tour, and they’re also a billion dollars a song, rough estimate.”

The cost of the music has always been an issue for the show. From Season three onwards, as other budget demands didn’t leave room for it, fans noticed a marked decrease in the amount of classic rock used on the show. They complained, loudly. At a Supernatural convention in 2011, Jensen Ackles sat the complaint had been heeded, and efforts were made to bring more rock back into the soundtrack. 

Kripke managed to procure an incredible collection of classic tunes that have become anthems for Supernatural’s fans. 

The most recognizable is the 1976 hit “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas. It’s the closest thing Supernatural has to a theme song. The song was first used over the montage at the beginning of the second episode, Salvation, and it has subsequently been used at the beginning of the final episode every season except the last. In the series finale, the song doesn’t play at the beginning, but rather over the Impala’s radio as Dean drives through heaven.

It’s obvious the writers gave a lot of thought to the music selection and editing. For example, in Season 2, when Dean has repaired the Impala and takes her back on the road again, AC/DC’s “Back in Black” is the fitting accompaniment. 
Picture
Then in Season 2, Episode 12 (“Nightshifter”), Sam and Dean end up on the inside of a bank holdup. Since Dean is already a wanted criminal, they’re automatically implicated.

When they do manage to get away, and make their way back to where they’ve parked the Impala, the a capella vocals of Styx’s “Renegade” announce, “Oh, mama, I’m in fear for my life from the long arm of the law.” The song’s timing allows the music engineers to extend the heartbeat-like bass drum interlude that intersperses the next few vocal lines, until Dean looks at Sam as they leave and says, “We are so screwed,” and the song echoes with “The jig is up, the news is out, they’ve finally found me.”  What fun! By the way, this is, according to convention panels, one of Jensen Ackles’ favorite musical cues. It’s mine, too.
Picture
Another of my musical interweavings occurs in Episode 21 (“Two Minutes to Midnight). This is the introduction of the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death. The montage, to the Jen Titus song, “Oh Death,” introduces the wonderful actor Julian Richings in slow motion, with dry leaves blowing in slow motion as Death takes down a businessman who has bumped into him on the street.

The stark arrangement of the Appalachian dirge “Oh Death” reinforces the chilling effect, and the lyrics are perfect. “My name is Death and the end is here.”
​
Just as important as the rock soundtrack is the incidental score, the music composed specifically for the show.

Often, the musical scoring goes completely unnoticed by the viewer, but without it the effect of the show would be completely different and have less impact.

Supernatural has a wonderful original score with many recurring motifs that fans instantly associate with a broment, or the Impala, or a gory death. Like the show itself, the score expands to cover many genres, rock, folk big band or a tribute to old monster movie.

Jay Gruska, along with Christopher Lennertz, are the composers who have been responsible or Supernatural’ original scores from the beginning, and they have won numerous awards for their work on the show. Jay has create some of Supernatural’s most instantly recognizable music, such as “Americana” which most memorably accompanies Chuck’s narration in Swan Song, which also contains the motif popularly known in fandom as the Winchester Family theme. 

Picture
“From the beginning,” Lennertz says, “Eric’s orders were to make a compelling and scary horror film every week. We all met and began to throw out ideas of how to do this musically, and came up with a palette that had roots in classic orchestral horror and twentieth century atonal music but with added production elements of the current day.

Then we added a bit of rock guitar on occasion due to Dean’s musical taste. On top of that base, we add elements of local color or inspiration from a certain time or place, depending on the setting of individual episodes. Jay and I have also explored the addition of unusual organic instruments of Americana, such as dulcimers and acoustic guitars, but played in an unconventional way. Considering the boys’ journey across America, it seemed to fit perfectly.”

After researching the Supernatural' music, I've decided to dive back into the series one more time, specifically to listen to it.

I’m also going to put together my own personal play list of favorite songs from the show. I’ll share that list with you here next week.  

I hope you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. See you here next week with Writer Sandy’s Supernatural playlist.
1 Comment
https://shareit.onl/ link
2/7/2025 10:13:53 am

I wanted to express my gratitude for your insightful and engaging article. Your writing is clear and easy to follow, and I appreciated the way you presented your ideas in a thoughtful and organized manner. Your analysis was both thought-provoking and well-researched, and I enjoyed the real-life examples you used to illustrate your points. Your article has provided me with a fresh perspective on the subject matter and has inspired me to think more deeply about this topic.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Writer, witch, mother and wife. Order of importance is a continual shuffle.

    Blog Updates

    Yes, I want to become a member of the Blog Updates Mailing List.
    Enter your e-mail address:

    Please confirm your e-mail address:


    Archives

    March 2023
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    February 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    March 2014
    September 2013
    April 2013
    July 2012

    Categories

    All
    13 Yule Lads
    Beach Wedding
    Beautiful Bride
    Beltane
    Blood Moon Eclipse
    Bucket List
    Caganer Figurine
    Candy Cane Flavors
    Carlton Hill
    Christmas
    Christmas Cat
    Christmas Pickle
    Climate Change
    Corvid Magic
    Crescent Moon Crossing
    Crow Magic
    David Richo
    Deaths In The Desert
    Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival
    Essential Workers
    Free Book
    Holiday
    Hryla
    Human Smuggling
    Iceland
    Informal Marriage Ceremony
    Jarl Jung
    Love
    Love Potion
    Marriage Blessing
    Maypole
    Mexican Border
    Mindfulness
    Mother's Day
    NaNoWriMo
    Nativity Scenes
    Newlyweds
    Northern Arizona Snow
    No Tomorrow
    Pandemic
    Proposed Import Tax
    Psychology
    Raven Magic
    Scotland
    Shadow Dance
    Shadow Self
    Shadow Work
    Sinoloan Cartel
    Snow Days
    Snow Fun
    Super Moon Eclipse
    Suspense Writing
    Tarot
    Travel
    Trump
    Weird Holiday Traditions
    Wendy Rule
    Yule
    Zen

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.