Chuck Vs The Music

Chuck Vs The Music

Everyone searches for bits of magic in their life. It makes us feel alive in a spiritual sense. There is such a thing as food for the soul. One finds that in family, friends, pets, art, writing, movies, outdoor activities, or whatever. Probably the one that is most universal is music. Sometimes when I get in a funk, nothing can lift my spirits quicker than a few rousing bars of tuneage. Music is primal. It connects directly and swiftly to the emotional side of us in a way that no other creative endeavour can.

Paired with images, moving or still, music can make visual media soar to new heights. Or add subtle nuances. It all depends on how it is employed. As a person with a tin ear and an equally inept voice, music is akin to magic to me. It always amazes to see someone perform or create music. I have always kept the process of creating music at arm’s length. Music is magic and I do not want to lose that awe by peering too deeply behind the curtain.

Nowhere is that emotional response to music felt as deeply when you are engaged in watching something where you are already invested in the characters. So when an episode of Chuck runs a scene supported by music the emotional response is even more intensified. I distinctly remember getting goosebumps when the tinkling opening strains of, ‘Signs,’ by Bloc Party started playing during the final moments of Chuck Vs The Lethal Weapon. It was a perfect marriage of sound and vision topped off by Chuck’s promise to Sarah and the reveal of what was behind the Tron poster.

On its own, without the music, those scenes are powerful enough. We see Chuck and Sarah struggle with their feelings for one another against the deadly dangers of the spy world. We also get that cathartic moment of release when we see the Tron poster reveal and learn that Chuck has been taking steps to get control of his life back. But when those scenes run with, ‘Signs,’ playing, man they really soar.

One of the characteristics to admire about Chuck is how seamlessly the music is worked into the show. It always feels natural and never forced. In other shows their music use often seems clunky or contrived. A tip of the hat to the Chuck creative team for making these moments so special and for making it look so easy.

In no particular order here are my favourite music moments from the first two seasons of Chuck. Feel free to add your list or mention ones not in my list:

1)  Chuck Vs The Lethal Weapon:                  Signs by Bloc Party.
2)  Chuck Vs The Truth:                                    Fresh Feeling by The Eels
3)  Chuck Vs The BreakUp:                              Fake Empire by The Nationals
4)  Chuck Vs The BreakUp:                              Skinny Love by Bon Iver
5)  Chuck Vs The Broken Heart:                     Bloodbank by Bon Iver
6)  Chuck Vs The Fat Lady:                              Keep Yourself Warm by Frightened Rabbit
7)  Chuck Theme Song:                                    Short Skirt, Long Jacket by Cake
8)  Chuck Vs The Ring:                                     Now We Can See by The Thermals
9)  Chuck Vs The Nemesis:                             No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses
10) Chuck Vs Tom Sawyer:                             SleepDriving by Grand Archives

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31 comments

  1. Definately “Now We Can See” by the Thermals is my favorite. The opening sounds so triumphant when paired with Chuck and Casey walking side by side into Emmette’s office it gets me pumped. Now that I’ve found the vid on YouTube I blast it every chance I can (my kids complain about MY music being to loud).

  2. 3 rounds and a sound by blind pilot was the chuck and sarah scene at ellies wedding.

  3. My favorites (no particular order):

    Beck – Cellphones Dead (Chuck Vs. the Intersect)
    Brothers Martin – The Missionary (Chuck Vs. the Intersect)
    Cake – Short Skirt / Long Jacket (Theme Song)
    Foreign Born – Into Your Dream (Chuck Vs. the Intersect)
    Gnarls Barkley – Gone Daddy Gone (Chuck Vs. the Helicopter)
    Phantom Planet – Dropped (Chuck Vs. the First Date)
    Spoon – Don’t You Evah (Chuck Vs. the Tango)
    Teddybears – Cobrastyle (Chuck Vs. the Intersect)
    The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – Around the Bent (Chuck Vs. the Dream Job)
    Gotan Project – Santa Maria (Chuck Vs. the Tango)
    Bloc Party – Signs (Chuck Vs. the Lethal Weapon)
    Eels – Fresh Feeling (Chuck Vs. the Truth)

  4. Chuck vs The Ring: 3 Rounds and A Sound – Blind Pilot
    Chuck vs The Colonel: Creature Fear – Bon Iver

  5. adding to your awesome list:)

  6. i’m not good w. song names, but the tune that was playing as chuck drove into the neighborhood in chuck v. the suburbs just fit so well with what was going on in the plot and with chuck’s emotions. i remember feeling like the music editors really did a nice job with that selection.

  7. Great article and I loved the songs you picked. Just to add a few more:

    Chuck vs. the Intersect: A Comet Appears by The Shins
    Chuck vs. the First Date: The Twist by Frightened Rabbit
    Chuck vs The Ring: Christmas TV by Slow Club

    I’ll probably think of some more later lol. The music they use on Chuck is just plain awesome!

  8. Mine are(in no special order):
    Cake – the CHUCK theme song
    Flight of the Conchords – Faux du FaFa(from Chuck vs. The First Date)
    Phantom Planet – Dropped(Chuck Vs. The First Date)
    Huey Lewis and the News – Hip to be Square(Chuck Vs. The First Date)
    Huey Lewis and the News – Do you believe in love(Chuck Vs. The Seduction)
    Duran Duran – Hungry like the wolf(Chuck Vs. The First Kill)
    Bon Iver – Creature Fear(Chuck Vs. The Colonel)
    Rush – Tom Sawyer(Chuck Vs. Tom Sawyer)
    Blind Pilot – 3 Rounds and a Sound(Chuck Vs. The Ring)
    Neil Diamond – Love on the Rocks(Chuck Vs. The Undercover lover)
    and of course
    Toto – Africa(Chuck Vs. The Best Friend)
    Styx – Mr.Roboto(Chuck Vs. The Ring)

  9. Let’s not forget the great job that Tim Jones does with all the other music used in the series. The way he ties all the ‘outside’ tunes into a seamless score is great. Just check out the music behind most of the action scenes and you’ll see what I mean.

  10. Great article Lou! Love the music that they play on this show, I even have a Chuck playlist on my iPod. The music in this show definitely adds even more to an already good scene. Really like you picks, as some of mine would be the same:

    Chuck vs. The Nemesis: No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses
    Chuck vs. The Break Up: Skinny Love by Bon Iver
    Chuck vs. The Break Up: Fake Empire by the National
    Chuck vs. The Broken Heart: Blood Bank by Bon Iver
    Chuck vs. The First Date: The Twist by Frightened Rabbit
    Chuck vs. The Ring: 3 Rounds and a Sound by Blind Pilot
    Chuck vs. The Ring: Christmas TV by Slow Club

    -lifeisbeautiful

  11. this is my first time posting, and I just wanted to say I can’t believe you left out Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” and “Silent Night.” I wish I had a dollar for everytime I have gone back to see the ending to the Christmas episode and Chuck going nuts on an old-school arcade while Sarah is taking it to the baddies. 🙂

  12. My Top-15

    3 Rounds and A Sound by Blind Pilot (Chuck Vs. The Ring)
    Creature Fear by Bon Iver (Chuck Vs. The Colonel)
    Christmas TV by Slow Club (Chuck Vs. The Ring)
    Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis (Chuck Vs. The Alma Mater)
    Challengers by The New Pornographers (Chuck Vs. The Helicopter)
    Daddy’s Gone by Glasvegas (Chuck Vs. The Dream Job)
    Looking At The Sun by Gramercy Arms (Chuck Vs. The Ring)
    Now We Can See by The Thermals (Chuck Vs The Ring)
    The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News (Chuck Vs. The First Date)
    Luisa’s Bones by Crooked Fingers (Chuck Vs. The Dream Job)
    A Comet Appears by The Shins (Chuck Vs. The Intersect)
    Do You Believe In Love by Hues Lewis and the News (Chuck Vs. The Seduction)
    Africa by Toto (Chuck Vs. The Best Friend)
    Buildings and Mountains by The Republic Tigers (Chuck Vs. The Fat Lady)
    Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy (Chuck Vs. The Cougars)

  13. Looking at the Sun by Gramercy Arms( Chuck Vs. The Ring)

  14. Music plays a huge part in why I love “Chuck” so much.

    I can’t believe no one has mentioned “Love it All” by the Kooks, playing over the scene at the end of “Chuck vs. the Seduction” where Chuck got dressed up in his white Chucks and white dinner jacket and was strolling down the hall to Sarah’s door all excited, only to see Bryce when the door opened.

    Others have mentioned this one, but it bears repeating: “Creature Fear” by Bon Iver playing over the hotel-room kissing scene in “Chuck vs. the Colonel” is one of the most perfect pairings of music to action that I’ve ever seen. The music was so delicate and haunting at first when Sarah and Chuck were waking up in an unguarded moment and asking each other a wordless question, and joyful and exuberant when they realized, yeah, this really is what we both want! The scene was perfectly choreographed to the song and the acting heightened by it. I watched that scene about ten times in a row the first time I saw the episode, not because of what Sarah and Chuck were doing (I’m not really a shipper) but because I was gleeful at how PERFECT the song was for the scene.

  15. What about the actual score? That music’s pretty good too. Anybody know who composes all of it?

  16. Nice List. But imo 3 sounds a round and all bon iver songs are missing.

  17. I think all the songs used in Chuck are FANTASTIC! I have them all on my i-pod. Whenever I need a pick me up, I just listen to my Chuck Playlist and visualize the scenes when they were used. Can’t wait to here the music from the 3rd season to see what they have in store.

  18. adding to your list…
    can’t forget some on the slower side (my fav is Fresh Feeling):

    Chuck vs. The Ring: “3 Rounds and a Sound” – Blind Pilot
    Chuck vs. The Pilot: “A Comet Appears” – The Shins
    Chuck vs. The Gravitron: “Can You Tell” – Ra Ra Riot
    Chuck vs. The Suburbs: “Freeze and Explode” – Cassettes Won’t Listen
    Chuck vs. The Ring: “Christmas TV” – Slow Club
    and…
    Chuck vs. The Colonel: “Creature Fear” – Bon Iver

    for the more upbeat songs, Now We Can See is my #1 but here are the others:

    Chuck vs. The First Date: “Dropped”- Phantom Planet
    Chuck vs. The Imported Hard Salami: “Let’s Get It Crackin\'” – Deetown Allstars (club scene)
    Chuck vs. The DeLorean: “Diamond Hoo Ha Man” – Supergrass
    Chuck vs. The Wookie: “Fall Into Place” – Apartment

    The music in Chuck has literally changed my life. It’s that good. “Dropped,” “Signs,” and “Fresh Feeling” are all my various ringtones.
    Would love to see some MUTEMATH next season. “Spotlight” is my other ringtone. They’d make for a good “Dropped” scene like First Date.

    • Hey im glad someone put let get it crackin!!! It is impossible to find a link to download it or even on limewire, bearshare…

  19. Great article Lou, and thanks! The music I’ve discovered on Chuck has been a wonderful addition to my life, and I’ve discovered so many great new bands because of it. A couple of months ago I had a 6,000 mile road trip and my Chuck playlist kept me company all the way across the country and back. I think everybody here has already covered my favorites — the only one that I can think of to add is Christmas TV by Snow Club during the beach wedding in Chuck vs. The Ring. The tag end repeating “come on home” just happened to be playing as I pulled into my driveway and was the perfect end to a long trip.

    • I agree completely about “Christmas TV.” It’s kind of an unusual song and was so perfect for highlighting the contrast between the wedding-on-the-beach scenes and the massacre happening in Castle.

  20. First of all, Mr Tim Jones, you RULE. Thank you so much for that awesome music. It is one of the main reasons I enjoy this show so much. Can’t wait to see –or hear– what you come up with for Season 3!

    As for my favorite songs in the show, I like many, “Africa” by Toto has to be one of them (Chuck Vs. The Best Friend), but my favorite one has to be “Creature Fear” by Bon Iver (Chuck Vs. The Colonel). Wow, the music and the scene complement each other so perfectly! Thank you all for that!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTL6QMB4lk

  21. After finally rewatching season 1 here are some of my favorites

    1. Chuck vs the pilot Any way you want it/Journey(now my ringtone)
    2. Chuck vs the tango Santa Maria/Gotan Project
    3. Chuck vs the sizzling shrimp Private eyes/Hall and Oates
    4. Chuck vs the truth Ain’t I been good to you/Isley Brothers
    5. Chuck vs the truth Fresh felling/The eels
    6. Chuck vs the crown vic Giving my love up to you/Henry Turner Crystal band(Took me 3 months after the original airing for me to find this mp3. Love the LP, the 1st track, music is awesome!!)
    7. Chuck vs the crown vic Christmas in Hollis/Run DMC

    I’m off to rewatch season 2. post my faves for them once i’m finished 🙂

    • great addition, I didn’t add S1 favorites because…well…I don’t why…lol
      But great additions Morningstar ; Hall and Oates, Journey,Isley Brothers…all Classics.
      Eels and Henrt Turner Crystal band are also great.

      • sorry for the mistakes, my damn keyboard strikes again…lol
        I said, I don’t know why I haven’t added S1 songs.
        Henry Turner Crystal Band is indeed very nice.

  22. Great list though I think Freeze and Explode for Chuck vs. the Suburbs should be on that list too.

  23. Definitely all of the Bon Iver tracks– namely ‘Skinny Love’ ‘Creature Fear’ and ‘Blood Bank’.

    As well as ‘The twist’ by frightened Rabbit in First Date.

    As well as ‘Christmas TV’ by Slow Club at the wedding.

    The chuck soundtrack is amazing, the music is integrated into the story perfectly 😀

  24. They should release 2 chuck soundtracks – the music used, and all the Tim Jones Music. I would 100% buy the composed stuff of Tim Jones, just I have already downloaded virtually every other proper song used. =)

  25. I know it’s not in one of the episodes but Jeffster playing fat-bottom girls at comic con.