SuperMusicVision: The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead (AMC)

The Walking Dead is an American horror television drama series originally developed by Frank Darabont. It is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The series stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.

Music Supervisor: Thomas Golubić
Music Coordinators: Yvette Metoyer, Michelle Johnson
Music Assistant: Garrett McElver
Producers: David Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, Robert Kirkman, Greg Nicotero, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Glen Mazzara, Angela Kang, Caleb Womble, Tom Luse, Frank Darabont
Composer: Bear McCreary
Music Editors: Michael Baber, Ren Stewart
Studio: AMC
Network: AMC
Cast includes: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira

TWD Composer: Bear McCreary

Bear McCreary is a Los Angeles based Composer and Musician. He is best known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series and for the TV series The Walking Dead. McCreary won an Emmy for his main title of Da Vinci's Demons.

For more information about The Walking Dead's composer, Bear McCreary, visit his website at: http://www.bearmccreary.com

TWD: AMC Original Soundtrack, Vol. 1

Featuring tracks from and inspired by AMC's television series The Walking Dead released on March 17, 2013 by Republic Records. Produced by Thomas Golubic and SMV.

Available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

TWD: AMC Original Soundtrack, Vol 2. - EP

Featuring five new and exclusive songs featured in and inspired by the fourth season of The Walking Dead. Released March 25, 2014 by Republic Records. Produced by Thomas Golubic and SMV.

Available for purchase on Amazon, iTunes, and www.shopthewalkingdead.com

TWD: AMC Original Soundtrack, Season 3 - Sounds of Survival

Republic Records and AMC’s The Walking Dead AMC Original Soundtrack – Vol. 2... Sounds of Survival will sink its teeth into Wal-Mart stores exclusively as of Tue., Aug. 27, 2013 as part of the special edition Blu-ray and DVD set The Walking Dead: The Complete Third Season. Soundtrack produced by Thomas Golubic and SMV. Available exclusively at Walmart.

TWD: AMC Original Soundtrack, Season 4 - Songs of Survival - Volume 2

AMC has partnered with Anchor Bay Entertainment and Republic Records to release another companion soundtrack album. Featuring eight new and exclusive songs inspired by the fourth season of The Walking Dead. Bundled with the Season Four Blu-Ray and DVD sets at Walmart.

Available exclusively at Walmart.

COMPLETE THE WALKING DEAD SONG LIST

SEASON ONE

101 - "DAYS GONE BYE"

Wang Chung, "Space Junk" (iTunes)

102 - "GUTS"

Black Strobe, I Am A Man

103 - "TELL IT TO THE FROGS"

No Source Music In Episode 103

104 - "VATOS"

No Source Music In Episode 104

105 - "WILDFIRE"

John Murphy, "Sunshine - Adagio in D Minor" (iTunes)
Beethoven, "Sonata for Piano No 8. in C Minor, Op 13 Pathetique"

106 - "TS-19"

Peter Gabriel, "Running To The Rain" (iTunes)
Bob Dylan, "Tomorrow is a Long Time" (iTunes)

SEASON TWO

201 - "WHAT LIES AHEAD"

No Source Music In Episode 201

202 - "BLOODLETTING"

No Source Music In Episode 202

203 - "SAVE THE LAST ONE"

No Source Music In Episode 203

204 - "CHEROKEE ROSE"

No Source Music In Episode 204

205 - "CHUPACABRA"

No Source Music In Episode 205

206 - "SECRETS"

No Source Music In Episode 206

207 - "PRETTY MUCH DEAD ALREADY"

No Source Music In Episode 207

208 - "NEBRASKA"

Clutch, "The Regulator" (iTunes)

209 - "TRIGGERFINGER"

No Source Music In Episode 209

210 - "18 MILES OUT"

Wye Oak, "Civilian" (iTunes)
Wooden Ships, "Lazy Bones"
Sniff 'n' the Tears, "Driver's Seat" (iTunes)
Cave Singers, "Faze Waze" (iTunes)

211 - "JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER"

No Source Music In Episode 211

212 - "BETTER ANGELS"

No Source Music In Episode 212

213 - "BESIDE THE DYING FIRE"

No Source Music In Episode 213

SEASON THREE

301 - "SEED"

Emily Kinney, "The Parting Glass" (iTunes)
Patrick Watson, "Noisy Sunday" (iTunes)

302 - "SICK"

No Source Music In Episode 302

303 - "WALK WITH ME"

No Source Music In Episode 303

304 - "KILLER WITHIN"

No Source Music In Episode 304

305 - "SAY THE WORD"

Frederic Chopin, "Etude No. 3 In E Major, Op. 10, No. 3" (iTunes)
Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Saturday Night Special" (iTunes)
Baby Bee, "Love Bug (Butch Walker Mix)" (iTunes)
Warlock, "I'm Ready To Rock"

306 - "HOUNDED"

No Source Music In Episode 306

307 - "WHEN THE DEAD COME KNOCKING"

Jo Stafford, "It Could Happen To You" (iTunes)
Jo Stafford, "Long Ago and Far Away" (iTunes)

308 - "MADE TO SUFFER"

No Source Music In Episode 308

309 - "THE SUICIDE KING"

No Source Music In Episode 309

310 - "HOME"

No Source Music In Episode 310

311 - "I AIN'T A JUDAS"

Tom Waits, "Hold On" (iTunes)
Frederic Chopin, "Prelude in D flat Major, Op. 28,15 'Raindrop'"

312 - "CLEAR"

Jamie N Commons, "Lead Me Home" (iTunes)

313 - "ARROW ON THE DOORPOST"

Fink, "Warm Shadow (Dactyl Remix)" (iTunes)

314 - "PREY"

Voxhaul Broadcast, "You Are The Wilderness" (iTunes)

315 - "THIS SORROWFUL LIFE"

Motorhead, "Fast and Loose" (iTunes)
Ted Nugent, "Turn It Up" (iTunes)

316 - "WELCOME TO THE TOMBS"

No Source Music In Episode 316

SEASON FOUR

401 - "30 Days Without An Accident"

Stanley Brothers, "Precious Memories" (iTunes)
Tchaikovsky, "1812 Overture"

402 - "Infected"

Cole Porter, "I've Got You Under My Skin" (On-screen performance by Chad Coleman as "Tyreese")
Tom Waits, "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" (On-screen performance by Emily Kinney as "Beth")

403 - "Isolation"

No Source Music In Episode 403

404 - "Indifference"

Sharon Van Etten, "Serpents (Basement)" (iTunes)

405 - "Internment"

Ben Howard, "Oats In The Water" (iTunes)

406 - "Live Bait"

Ben Nichols, "Last Pale Light In The West" (iTunes)

407 - "Dead Weight"

No Source Music in Episode 407

408 - "Too Far Gone"

No Source Music in Episode 408

409 - "After"

Extreme Music Library, "Average Joe"

410 - "Inmates"

No Source Music in Episode 410

411 - "Claimed"

No Source Music in Episode 411

412 - "Still"

The Mountain Goats, "Up The Wolves" (iTunes)

413 - "Alone"

Lee DeWyze, "Blackbird Song" (iTunes)
Waxahatchee, "Be Good" (on-screen performance by Emily Kinney) (iTunes)

414 - "The Grove"

The Ink Spots, "Maybe" (iTunes)

415 - "Us"

A.C. Newman, "Be Not So Fearful" (iTunes)

416 - "A"

No Source Music in Episode 416

SEASON FIVE

501 - "No Sanctuary"

No Source Music in Episode 501

502 - "Strangers"

No Source Music in Episode 502

503 - "Four Walls and a Roof"

No Source Music in Episode 502

504 - "Slabtown"

Kiev, "Be Gone Dull Cage - Walker Version" (iTunes)
Junior Kimbrough, "You Better Run" (iTunes)
Blind Willie Johnson, "It's Nobody's Fault But Mine" (iTunes)

505 - "Self-Help"

The Consolers, "May The Work I've Done Speak For Me" (iTunes)

506 - "Consumed"

Eric Arjes & Alison Mosshart, "Bad Blood" (iTunes)

507 - "Crossed"

No Source Music in Episode 507

508 - "Coda"

No Source Music in Episode 508

509 - "What Happened and What's Going On"

Jimmy Cliff - "Struggling Man" (on-screen performance by Emily Kinney)

510 - "Them"

No Source Music in Episode 510

511 - "The Distance"

No Source Music in Episode 511

512 - "Remember"

No Source Music in Episode 512

513 - "Forget"

Firstcom library, "Gymnopedie No. 1"
Extreme Library, "Arabesque in C Major Op. 18"
Extreme Library, "Nocturne, Opus 27 No. 2"
APM Library, "Andate Larog Solo Guitar"
Crucial Music, "As Only Yesterday"
Crucial Music, "Away In A Manger"
The Bee Gees, "Spicks and Specks" (iTunes)

514 - "Spend"

Knife Party, "Internet Friends" (iTunes)

515 - "Try"

Nine Inch Nails, "Somewhat Damaged" (iTunes)

516 - "Conquer"

Gazelle Twin - "Love & Mercy" (iTunes coming soon)

OUR FAVORITE MUSIC MOMENTS:

SEASON ONE

AMC's "The Walking Dead" is an epic survival adventure series from Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption, and Gale Anne Hurd, producer of The Terminator and Aliens, based on the graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman.

The series begins with sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes' being wounded in a shootout with armed criminals. He awakens weeks later from a coma in an abandoned and badly damaged hospital. Upon leaving, Rick discovers a post-apocalyptic world overrun with zombies. Rick also discovers his wife and son are missing, and he encounters two survivors who explain the situation to him. Acting on a rumor the two had heard, he arms himself and begins a perilous journey to Atlanta, Georgia, where the CDC is said to have set up a quarantined safe-zone in the city. Upon reaching Atlanta, he soon discovers the city has instead been overrun by walkers.

Click HERE for full soundtrack listing of music in The Walking Dead Season One

WANG CHUNG - "SPACE JUNK"
Episode 101 - "Days Gone Bye"

Here's a good example of where a music idea comes from a director - in this case writer, director and executive producer Frank Darabont - that I immediately thought was a terrible idea, but I was wrong. When Frank first told me he has this song - a 1997 recording from 1980s synth-pop band Wang Chung, tagged onto a Greatest Hits album as an unlikely single - it seemed like a crazy misguided choice. I desperately offered to throw some additional music ideas at the scene, but Frank was resolute: this was the song. Sure enough, once we had all the CGI finished and the full episode assembled, and we're there with Rick inside the tank, and hear Glen speaking to him from over a walkie talkie, and the song kicks in, as the camera pulls back to show the tank surrounded by an endless sea of walkers, "Space Junk" had just the right kind of 'wtf' punch the closing of the episode needed. It was the perfect breather after a very rough journey. Frank was right all along.

BEETHOVEN - "SONATA FOR PIANO NO 8 IN C MINOR, OP 13 PATHETIQUE"
Episode 105 - "Wild Fire"

In one of those "WTF" sequences in The Walking Dead, we suddenly find ourselves inside a laboratory in the Center of Disease Control (CDC) being introduced to Dr. Edwin Jenner as he’s working away. This morning NPR staple turned out to be the right sound for this sequence.

BOB DYLAN - "TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME"
Episode 106 - "TS-19"

Previously only known to the folks who collected Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits - Volume 2, this relatively obscure Dylan song helped bring our first season to an emotional and resonant close. As bob’s distinctive voice and guitar echoes in the distance, we watch our heroes leave the destroyed CDC lab into an uncertain future.

SEASON TWO

Based on Robert Kirkman's hugely successful and popular comic book series, AMC's original series "The Walking Dead" tells the story of police officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and a small group of others as they struggle to stay alive when the world is ravaged by a zombie apocalypse.

The second season begins with Rick and his group of survivors leaving Atlanta. They decide Fort Benning will be their next destination. Along the way, they encounter a traffic jam of abandoned vehicles on I-85. The group loots several vehicles and, as a large horde of walkers approaches, are forced to hide under the vehicles. Carol's daughter, Sophia, chased away from the camp by two of the remaining walkers, runs off into the woods. Carl is accidentally shot during a search for the missing girl. Otis, a hunter who shot Carl, leads Rick and Shane to a large, isolated farm owned by a veterinarian named Hershel Greene. The remainder of Rick's group moves to the farm while Carl recovers. The group tries to co-exist alongside Hershel's family, but dangerous secrets and disagreements over leadership cause tensions to rise.

Click HERE for full soundtrack listing of music in The Walking Dead Season Two

WYE OAK - "CIVILIAN"
Episode 210 - "18 Miles Out"

Wye Oak’s “Civilian” captures the spirit and tone of The Walking Dead, perhaps more so than any other song. Utilizing a The Pixies style “quiet-loud-quiet-loud” structure, with a heavy folk sound, this Baltimore duo helped establish the tone of Season Two. The song was featured prominently in the comic con trailer for this season, and when we tried it against this scene it brought a very important episode to a powerful closer.

CLUTCH - "THE REGULATOR"
Episode 208 - "Nebraska"

This song was an unlikely choice for The Walking Dead, if there ever was one. An anomaly in The Clutch catalog, “The Regulator” closed another key moment in an episode of the series. One song supports the ending of Rick and Hershel’s escapade with the two strangers at a bar, as well as the grizzly clean-up operation on the farm.

SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS - "DRIVER'S SEAT"
Episode 210 - "18 Miles Out"

A long standing favorite for myself and then show runner, Glen Mazzara. “Driver’s Seat”, by the UK one-hit-wonder group Sniff ‘N’ The Tears, likely brings up a nostalgic smile for anybody who grew up during the late 70’s.

SEASON THREE

The third season begins several months after the group escaped the farm, and Lori is in the final days of her pregnancy. The group stumbles upon an overrun prison and sets about converting it into their new home. They soon find several surviving inmates who have been trapped in the cafeteria. But while invading zombies are an ever-present danger, they must also battle the living, not only in the form of abandoned prisoners, but also the sadistic “Governor” and his followers. Michonne and Andrea have been taken to the town of Woodbury, a safe haven from the walkers. There they meet The Governor (David Morrissey), the town's leader, and learn that Merle Dixon — Daryl's older brother — has taken refuge there as well. Michonne is immediately suspicious of The Governor and the settlement and decides to leave, but Andrea refuses to go with her.

Click HERE for full soundtrack listing of music in The Walking Dead Season Three

JAMIE N COMMONS - "LEAD ME HOME"
Episode 312 - "Clear"

“Lead Me Home” led to another huge music moment in the series. This episode, written by future show runner Scott Gimple, took Rick, Michonne and Carl back to their hometown on a supply run. This is where they discover what’s left of Morgan’s sanity, and starkly establishing what little humanity they have left. With Season 3 we found an opportunity to create original songs for the series to be released on a companion soundtrack album, and this is one of the first and most successful collaborations. In this case with talented young, UK blues-rock artist Jamie N Commons, who had only released a UK only EP at this point. His sound was so distinctive an compelling that when we reached out to his manager to work with him Jamie took it upon himself to binge watch the series and create this wonderful song which found a perfect home at the end of this episode.

EMILY KINNEY - "THE PARTING GLASS"
Episode 301 - "Seed"

The challenge here was to find a song that Beth would sing, that would capture the homesickness that the group felt in their first night. That would show the relative peace just outside the prison walls. For both creative and economic reasons, we selected a public domain Irish ballad. The ballad was originally sung by Irish ex-patriots, often in America, when thinking of having left the land that they love in hopes of finding a new home.

FINK - "WARM SHADOW (DACTYL REMIX)"
Episode 313 - "Arrow On The Doorpost"

Another UK folk/blues influenced artist, Fink, aka Fin Greenall, felt really right for the ramping up the war parties sequence after Rick and The Governor meet for the first time. We commissioned a remix of the song “Warm Shadow” from label mate Dactyl, to extend Fink’s wonderful song to custom fit the scene and the story we were telling. Where the war drums were beginning to pound, and where we knew things would end ugly with Rick and The Governor’s confrontation to come.

JO STAFFORD - "IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU"
Episode 307 - "When The Dead Come Knocking"

For this scene we needed a World War II era pop song that would be used by Milton to draw out memories from Mr. Coleman, to help capture the nostalgia that he would feel on exiting the world in Milton’s experiment to see if walkers retained some sense of humanity as they turned. We originally had planned to use the song “Vera Lynn” which is a World War II classic, but budgetary constraints forced us to appraise our options, which lead us to the wonderful Jo Stafford tune.

VOXHAUL BROADCAST - "YOU ARE THE WILDERNESS"
Episode 314 - "Prey"

One of the more exciting bands coming out of Los Angeles’ indie rock scene was Voxhaul Broadcast, and when we got a chance to hear the song they created for the Twilight soundtrack (that Twilight rejected) we scooped it up and put it on our soundtrack. When revealing Andrea captured and bound in The Governor’s torture chamber we needed a dark rocking song to take us out. This one did the trick nicely.