Supernatural Sound

"Gasoline" by The Living Daylights
"What Cha Gonna Do" by Classic
"Speaking In Tongues" by Eagles Of Death Metal
"Ramblin' Man" by Allman Brothers Band
"Back In Black" by AC/DC
"Highway To Hell" by AC/DC
"My Cheatin' Ways" by Kid Gloves Music

CUE MUSIC: [And you can take your anemic, alternative pop music and shove it up your ass. Dean plays bass thumping, pile driving Zeppelin, and he plays it loud.]

That’s the way series creator Erik Kripke noted the music intro for the pilot script of Supernatural. A small town Ohioan, and big time Led Zepplin fan, Erik fought to make Supernatural stand out on the soundtrack landscape. His beloved 70’s mullet rock was so important to him he nearly quit the show when they tried to steer him from metal to McLachlan. Fortunately, Kripke won and those eight songs quickly told viewers this show was going to be different. Now legions of new fans are downloading AC/DC, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Foreigner and I know I’m not the only one with Kansas’s Carry On My Wayward Son as a ringtone.



While Kripke is the most paramount influence over Supernatural’s sound, kudos also have to go to music supervisor Alex Patsavas. Patsavas has paired music with pictures for Roswell, The O.C., Gossip Girl, Chuck, Twilight (Yes, that Twilight) and Grey’s Anatomy. She combs through over 500 submissions a week for all the shows she works on and is considered a golden girl for her ability to discover new talent and shoot songs to the top of the charts. After Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars played during Denny’s (our Jeffrey Dean Morgan) death scene on Grey’s it became #1 on I-Tunes download list the following day. Patsavas considers music to be a character and that certainly holds true for the Supernatural soundtrack.

Sadly, though the fans and Kripke would love to see official Supernatural soundtracks released, it doesn’t look to be possible due to steep costs. Led Zeppelin, in particular, is impossibly (read: obscenely) expensive to license, but I imagine they have to know how much this show has created a resurgence of interest in their songs. As an alternative Kripke has asked Warner Music to create an official Supernatural I-Tunes playlist, but that hasn’t happened either (even though you can download all the episodes). However, fans have created some pretty awesome I-Tunes I-Mix’s so you can download your own soundtrack that way. And if you want to see a broken down song episode guide check out Supernatural.TV.

I know I’ve gained a greater appreciation for classic rock because of this show and that’s one of Kripke’s greatest pleasures.

"One of the best pleasures I've had with this show is when I'm online checking out the blogs and there's this 14-year-old kid who says, 'What is this band, Foreigner and this song, Hot Blooded? I really liked it and I went out and bought the greatest hits of Foreigner' and I'm like, ah, I'm doing God's work! I'm introducing people to Foreigner, now if I can get people on board with Triumph! Spreading that sick obsession of mine has been very, very gratifying."

Did you love mullet rock before Supernatural? Got any Supernatural ringtones? What do you think Sammy listens to? And are you waiting for Carry on Wayward Son to make an appearance in season 4 like I am? This song has become a heartbreaking season ending hallmark--1.20 Salvation, 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose, 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked—and I expect this season to be no different.