Music on The Shield

Music plays an important role on the FX television drama The Shield. Stylistically, the music ranged from hip hop (Master P) to mainstream pop (Duran Duran) to rock (Kid Rock) to country music (Johnny Cash), often within a single episode.

Opening and end credits

The opening credits for each episode displays each starring cast member's name on a black screen interspersed with scenes from the episode. Usually at a poignant moment, an excerpt of the show's theme is played, leading into the show's logo and the listing of series creator Shawn Ryan. The theme is played in full during the closing credits. The tune is "Just Another Day", by Vivian Ann Romero, Ernesto J. Bautista & Rodney Alejandro.

Music throughout the episodes

Most episodes use a unique piece of music during the opening or closing montage sequence. Often the song signals the characters' emotional mood or the episode's themes. The show's characters visibly listen to music. The show makes little other use of background music.

Season 1

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Pilot"	"Bawitdaba" "Something's Coming" "Ponle Cadera" "Descarga Total" "Graciosa" "God Says No" "La Plaga" "Maricela" "Alleluia Melisma"	Kid Rock Nick Pantell Megatrax Maraca Moby Monster Magnet Tha Mexakinz Los Lobos Steve Edwards
2	"Our Gang"	"A Crowd Killer" "Dámelo" "Amazing Grace" "Highway 45" "Rock Tha Spot" "Like Lightning Strikin'" "Kansas City Feel" "Perkins" "Promises"	Cage Mike Jimenez Production Bernie Marsden The Urbanites Bernie Marsden Paul Lenart El Peyote Asesino India.Arie
3	"The Spread"	"Show a Lil Mo" "Get E Up" "Air Max 95 Remix" "Ese Es Mi Amigo" "You Can't Always Get What You Want" "Alegria" "The Streets of Iran" "Que Vuelva"	Out of Order Howard Roark Milo Berger & J. Zone Los Corales Fatima Los Pinguos Zamp Nicall Delinquent Habits
4	"Dawg Days"	"The Flute Thing" "Rebuttal" "One by One" "Weight" "Dance With the Devil" "Sunday Jack" "Do It Right" "Throwin' You a Party" "Deeply" "Crank" "Heart of a Rebel"	Push Project 86 Jason Darling Matthew Anthony Young Dre Flight 180 Molly M Debbie Mitchell Abby Dobson John Leber SX-10
5	"Blowback"	"Beer" "Hyots Aghunak" "Get Away" "Laraca" "Wah Wah" "Caught Up In the System" "Yreg Votnlvai" "Trial by Fire" "The Flute Song" "Rebuttal" "One by One" "Ballad of Joliet"	Trailer Park Cassanovas Seda Garibyan Danny Wood Arte Mixto 3rd Root SX-10 Arakel Siunetsi Sam Spade Push Project 86 Jason Darling Bernie Marsden
6	"Cherrypoppers"	"Love Loss" "Under the Midnight Sun" "Crazy" "Forbidden Fruit" "Eine Kleine" "Sexy Samba" "Night In the City" "Whiskey In the Morning"	Ian Love Zamp Nicall Lee Jung Hyun Jim Blake Nachmusik Sam Spade Gregg Montante Buckcherry
7	"Pay in Pain"	"Fumaza" "Get Away (Alternative Remix)" "Sugar Fine" "Heartbreaker" "La Maraca" "No Queda Nada" "Reflections of Isis" "Reckoning" "Montfort" "Take Me Somewhere Nice"	Los Pinguos Danny Wood Gerard McMahon Bernie Marsden Arte Mixto Ducomet & Ascencio Sam Spade Dislocated Styles Stephen Edwards Mogwai
8	"Cupid & Psycho"	"All My Little Words" "Erase Me" "Laws of Physics" "We Got the Youth" "Where Are You Gonna Find Another Fool"	The Magnetic Fields SX-10 Loot Pack Sam Black Church Soul Brother Six
9	"Throwaway"	"Nacionabismo" "Let's Ride" "Cuiden a Los Ninos" "Como En Secundaria" "Salvavidas" "Green Fantasy" "El Capitan" "Fe"	Cage 9 Conejo Brujeria Kinto Sol Julieta Venegas Nick Pantell Kinto Sol Julieta Venegas
10	"Dragonchasers"	"Pull You Into Me" "Anthem" "Satellite" "Sing Along" "I Am King" "Helicon 1" "Take Me Somewhere Nice"	Hedder Tempest Goleta Goleta Erinn Williams Mogwai Mogwai
11	"Carnivores"	"Punk Ass" "I'm Gone" "What's Up For Tonight" "Vesti la giubba" "Mil" "Los Parrandones" "All I Really Want" "Casta Diva"	SX-10 Luther Johnson (Guitar Junior) Out of Order Pagliacci Gahee Lee Daniel Indart Goldo The Royal Philharmonic
12	"Two Days of Blood"	"Como Te Gusta (Remix)" "Superfunk 2000" "Mystery" "Freedom Band" "Teeny Bopper" "Pa'Gozar Pilon" "Even Now" "Esperanza" "I'm On the Move" "Statistics"	Daniel Indart Soultice Henri Yonet Delinquent Habits Tony Cook Maraca Steve Reynolds Daniel Indart Bobby Byrd Rumblefish
13	"Circles"	"Trouble" "Nothing's Clear" "Spill Me" "O'Chanko" "Planet LA" "Eddie's Thing" "Cultifornia"	Coldplay Ill Niño Project 86 Transultra Conejo Push Jaya the Cat	Played during closing montage

Season 1 promo trailer by Rachel Stamp - Blackcherry

Season 2

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"The Quick Fix"	"Blue on Black" "Long Awaited"	Kenny Wayne Shepherd Lootpack
2	"Dead Soldiers"	"Cuentan Que El" "No Muerdas La Mano" "Baby"	Whitehouse Kinto Sol Supervision
3	"Partners"	"Breakdown" "Debemos Creer" "The Whole Truth"	Tantric Bye Sami Michael Penn
4	"Carte Blanche"	?	?
5	"Greenlit"	"Drinking Muddy Water" "Fish Head"	North Mississippi Allstars Slim & the Soulful Saints
6	"Homewrecker"	?	?
7	"Barnstormers"	"Rich Girl"	Hall & Oates
8	"Scar Tissue"	"If I Ever Leave This World Alive"	Flogging Molly
9	"Co-Pilot"	"Justice"	Black Uhuru
10	"Coyotes"	?	?
11	"Inferno"	?
12	"Breakpoint"	"Thorn"	Unida
13	"Dominoes Falling"	"Trouble" "Ghetto Starzz" "Overcome" "Firefly"	Daniel Ash Littles Live Grand Drive

Season 3

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Playing Tight"	"Holy Roller Novocaine" "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"	Kings of Leon Rupert Holmes
2	"Blood and Water"	"Nothing I Can Do About It Now"	Willie Nelson
3	"Bottom Bitch"	?	?
4	"Streaks and Tips"	"The Stroke"	Billy Squier	Played as the Decoy squad streak
5	"Mum"	?	?
6	"Posse Up"	"3030"	Deltron 3030
7	"Safe"	?	?
8	"Cracking Ice"	"Sway" "Feelin' Me"	Phaser Baby Bash	Played while Shane gives Mara an engagement ring. Playing in the background when Lil Syke and Trish begin to have sex while she is undercover.
9	"Slipknot"	"Ashes to Ashes"	Steve Earle
10	"What Power Is..."	"Riley and Spencer"	Blue Mountain	Playing on Shane's car stereo just before Mara calls about her mom wanting more money.
11	"Strays"	?	?
12	"Riceburner"	"Hangin' By A Wire"	Gordie Sampson
13	"Fire In the Hole"	?	?
14	"All In"	"It's Gonna Be a Long Night"	Ween
15	"On Tilt"	"Back of Your Hand"	Dwight Yoakam	Played in Shane's car

Season 3 promo on STV was Deltron 3030 - 3030

Season 4

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"The Cure"	Ooohwee	Master P.
2	"Grave"	Amazing Grace	Dropkick Murphys	Played while Strike Team members Vic Mackey, Curtis Lemansky and Ronnie Gardocki along with Captain Monica Rawling attend former Assistant Police Chief Ben Gilroy's funeral.
3	"Bang"	Lay Down	Mikal Raymo	Played on the pornographic video
4	"Doghouse"	"Demon Called Deception"	Grant Lee Buffalo	Played during ending
5	"Tar Baby"	"Hungry Like the Wolf"	Duran Duran	Played in Dutch's car as he sings to it, unaware that he's being recorded.
6	"Insurgents"	?	?
7	"Hurt"	"Will You Smile Again"	…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead	Played during ending montage
8	"Cut Throat"	"Nutshell"	Alice in Chains	Played in introduction as Vic, observing destitute urban conditions, drives through Farmington streets to the Captains new house
9	"String Theory"	?	?
10	"Back in the Hole"	?	?
11	"A Thousand Deaths"	?	?
12	"Judas Priest"	?	?
13	"Ain't That a Shame"	"Ain't That a Shame"	Cheap Trick	Source of episode title.

Season 5

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Extraction"	"Til Kingdom Come"	Coldplay
2	"Enemy of Good"	?	?
3	"Jailbait"	?	?
4	"Tapa Boca"	?	?
5	"Trophy"	"Devil In Me"	22-20s	Played while the Strike Team loads their weapons.
6	"Rap Payback"	"Anything Goes"	Madison Smartt Bell and Wyn Cooper	Played during closing montage.
7	"Man Inside"	"Glass House"	SiOP
8	"Kavanaugh"	?	?
9	"Smoked"	?	?
10	"Of Mice and Lem"	"Disarm"	Smashing Pumpkins	Played during closing montage.
11	"Postpartum"	?	?

• Season 5 promo — "Bad, Bad Man" by John Cena

Season 6

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"On the Jones"	"I Hung My Head"	Johnny Cash	Played at beginning and end of episode; written by Sting
2	"Baptism by Fire"	Amazing Grace	Dropkick Murphys
3	"Back to One"	"I Ran (So Far Away)"	A Flock Of Seagulls	Played in Dutch's car.	"Miles de pasajeros"	Bajofondo	Played while Vic Mackey is invading Guardo's hiding place.
4	"The New Guy"	?	?
5	"Haunts"	"18 Wheels Of Love"	Drive-By Truckers	Played in Shane's car.
6	"Chasing Ghosts"	"GTO"	Dirty Rig	Played during the raid on Snail's crib.
7	"Exiled"	?	?
8	"The Math of the Wrath"	Motivate Al Baile	Baby Ranks	Played in front of Santi place
9	"Recoil"	?	?
10	"Spanish Practices"	"Interview "Respek"	Skripture (Mike Foy)	Played on Gangbanger porch scene

• Season 6 promo — "This Night" by Black Lab

Season 7

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Coefficient of Drag"	"Reach for the Sky"	Social Distortion	Played at beginning of the episode.
2	"Snitches"	?	?
3	"Money Shot"	?	?
4	"Genocide"	?	?
5	"Game Face"	?	?
6	"Animal Control"	"My Ashes"	Porcupine Tree	Played at the end of the episode.
7	"Bitches Brew"	?	?
8	"Parricide"	"A Blessing And A Curse"	Drive-By Truckers	Played at beginning of the episode.
9	"Moving Day"	?	?
10	"Party Line"	"Tonight"	Michael Mazochi
11	"Petty Cash"	?	?
12	"Possible Kill Screen"	?	?
13	"Family Meeting"	"Los Angeles" "...Long Time Ago"	X Concrete Blonde	Played at the beginning of the episode. Played during the closing credits.

• Season 7 promo — "Farewell Ride" by Beck

Soundtrack compilation

The Shield: Music from the Streets
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	September 5, 2005
Genre	Various
Label	Lakeshore Records

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Empire Movies	link

As of 2012, one official soundtrack compilation had been released. The Shield: Music from the Streets was released in 2005, and contains selections from the first four seasons. Unofficial soundtracks on the Internet compiled by fans include tracks featured in episodes that were not included on the official soundtrack.

Track listing

1. "The Shield Theme" – Vivian Ann Romero, Ernesto J. Bautista & Rodney Alejandro
2. "Hating Hollywood" – Theory of a Deadman
3. "Death March" – Black Label Society
4. "Bring Em Out Dead" – Onyx
5. "Lay Down" – Mikal Raymo
6. "Perkins" – Peyote Asesino
7. "Caught Up in the System" – SX-10
8. "Freedom Band" – Delinquent Habits
9. "Pride" – Damageplan
10. "Nothing's Clear" – Ill Niño
11. "Rushing In" – Crazy Anglos
12. "No Muerdas La Mano" – Kinto Sol
13. "Breakdown" – Tantric
14. "Betrayal" – The Black Maria
15. "Let's Ride" – Conejo
16. "Ooohhhwee" – Master P
17. "Mafia" – Kelis featuring Markita
18. "Cuiden A Los Niños" – Brujeria
19. "The Shield" (X-Ecutioners Remix) – The X-Ecutioners

External links

• Music used in 'The Shield'