Supernatural turns 20 years old, and we at ScifiPulse are celebrating this show. From the moment “Hell’s Bells” tolled us into demon season, we were “Back in Black” with Baby making “Night Moves” across America. The Winchesters proved they’re “Wanted Dead or Alive,” stared down “Bad Moon Rising” nights, and learned not to “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.”
When “O Death” drifted in, the show still found a “Spirit in the Sky”—and the fandom, glorious “Renegade” that it is, sang along. So let’s “Carry On Wayward Son” and hit play.
With that said, here are the top 20 songs to appear in Supernatural.
20) “Hell’s Bells” — AC/DC
Episode: The Magnificent Seven (S3E01)
Tolling into a new season of demons and deals, it’s the perfect chapter-opening knell.
19) “We’re an American Band” — Grand Funk Railroad
Episode: Ghostfacers (S3E13)
The Impala drive-by gag + GFR on the soundtrack = the funniest 5 seconds of classic-rock swagger in the show.
18) “Silent Lucidity” — Queensrÿche
Episode: Heart (S2E17)
Sam’s impossible choice with Madison is scored by a power-ballad that refuses to go big—just sad. Devastating.
17) “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” — Iron Butterfly
Episode: Skin (S1E06)
The shapeshifter’s unmasking set to the most lurid organ riff of the ’60s—grimy, sweaty, unforgettable.
16) “Don’t Look Back” — Boston
Episode: All Hell Breaks Loose: Part Two (S2E22)
The Yellow-Eyed Demon falls, but that last montage warns the cost isn’t over. A hopeful title with a foreboding feel.
15) “Cold as Ice” — Foreigner
Episode: No Exit (S2E06)
A chilly classic for a case that turns Jo Harvelle’s arc on a dime; sometimes the needle-drop is the subtext.
14) “You Shook Me All Night Long” — AC/DC
Episode: Lazarus Rising (S4E01)
Dean’s back from Hell; the road (and the riff) are calling. A fist-pump reset after the show’s bleakest cliffhanger.
13) “Spirit in the Sky” — Norman Greenbaum
Episode: Good God, Y’all (S5E02)
A jaunty, radio-diegetic needle-drop in a war-is-hell hour; the irony stings, which is exactly the point.
12) “Thunderstruck” — AC/DC
Episode: Sympathy for the Devil (S5E01)
Season 5 kicks off with a thunderclap—literally—announcing the stakes (and the budget) just jumped.
11) “White Rabbit” — Jefferson Airplane
Episode: Hunted (S2E10)
Psychedelic dread underlines Sam’s psychic-children arc; few songs say “the ground is shifting” like Grace Slick’s siren call.
10) “Night Moves” — Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Episode: Baby (S11E04)
The show’s love letter to the Impala needed a heartland classic; Seger’s cruise-at-midnight vibe nails the episode’s warm, intimate POV.
9) “Wanted Dead or Alive” — Bon Jovi
Episode: No Rest for the Wicked (S3E16)
The brothers’ off-key car-duet the night before Dean’s deal comes due. It’s funny… right up until it isn’t.
8) “Rock of Ages” — Def Leppard
Episode: Swan Song (S5E22)
Dean cranks it on the way to stop the Apocalypse—a swaggering, tragic march to one of TV’s all-time great finales.
7) “Back in Black” — AC/DC
Episode: Pilot (S1E01) and recurring early seasons
Kripke’s mission statement in three chords: classic rock, steel-toed boots, and a 1967 Impala.
6) “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” — Blue Öyster Cult
Episode: Faith (S1E12)
A Reaper sequence scored with the Reaper song—on the nose, yes, but perfectly moody for one of the first truly haunting hours.
5) “Bad Moon Rising” — Creedence Clearwater Revival
Episode: Devil’s Trap (S1E22)
Playing in the Impala seconds before the semi obliterates Baby—maybe the show’s most shocking smash to black.
4) “O Death” — Jen Titus
Episode: Two Minutes to Midnight (S5E21)
Death’s Chicago entrance—umbrellas flipping, mortals dropping—reframed an old folk spiritual as apocalyptic opera. Chills, every time.
3) “Heat of the Moment” — Asia
Episode: Mystery Spot (S3E11)
The gag that keeps on giving: Sam’s time-loop hell resets every morning to Asia’s gleeful synths. It’s the funniest song cue in a very dark episode.
2) “Renegade” — Styx
Episode: Nightshifter (S2E12)
The bank-heist getaway montage that launched a thousand fan edits—sirens, SWAT, and the Winchesters roaring off while Tommy Shaw wails “the jig is up.” Peak pulp cool.
1) “Carry On Wayward Son” — Kansas
Episodes: Multiple
Season-finale Road So Far recaps (S2–S15)
Sung in Fan Fiction (S10E5)
Needle-drop in the series finale Carry On (S15E20)
No song is more synonymous with the Winchesters—the annual recap tradition made it the show’s unofficial theme, the 200th episode turned it into a meta-anthem, and the finale let Dean literally drive off to it.
“Carry On Wayward Son” is THE BEST song to appear in Supernatural — but what are your top 5 songs?
