Content Warning: This article contains mention of suicide and mass violence.
One Tree Hill did a good job of having an equal representation of Tree Hill High School’s basketball team, the characters’ relationships, family drama, suspenseful moments, and more. Every episode is riveting and leaves viewers on the edge of their seats.
Throughout the show’s nine seasons, there are many scenes that are soundtracked by iconic, riveting songs. The show relied on music to add more to the scenes' storytelling and emotional impact. These scenes are unforgettable partly due to the music, including these compelling moments, which grip audiences. They’re stunned, and these songs add to the intensity in ways fans will never forget.
When Ellie Dies
At the beginning of the show’s third season, Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton) meets her birth mother, Ellie Harp (Sheryl Lee). This is a serious storyline for the troubled character. After they finally bond over their mutual love for music, Ellie reveals she has cancer. In “The Wind That Blew My Heart Away,” Ellie is preparing to die.
She prefers to be alone, so she goes home and starts listening to The Replacements’ 1985 song, “Here Comes a Regular.” The scene shows Ellie’s health decline. In the background, the lyrics accompany Ellie’s emotional state: “And everybody wants to be special here…Here comes a regular. Am I the only one here today?” The scene ends with Peyton arriving at Ellie’s home, only to find her birth mother’s dead body. The music grows softer as Peyton sobs for the mother she was just getting to know.
When Haley & Karen Are Delivering Their Babies
In the season four finale “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone,” Lucas Scott’s (Chad Michael Murray) mother, Karen Roe (Moira Kelly), is in the hospital with life-threatening conditions after giving birth to her daughter. In addition, while delivering her valedictorian speech at Tree Hill High School’s graduation, Haley James Scott (Bethany Joy Lenz) goes into labor.
As Haley arrives at the hospital, Karen flatlines. As this is happening, Live’s 1994 song, “Lightning Crashes,” plays softly in the background. The song, about the juxtaposition of a new mother delivering a child and an old mother dying, adds to the scene’s storyline. Haley is delivering her healthy son while Karen is fighting for her life. The episode is a lightning crash of emotions, and the song beautifully accompanies every fraction of the scene.
When Dan Is In The Car Dealership Fire
One Tree Hill has many unforgettable season finales. They’re intense with cliffhangers to keep audiences engaged while waiting for the next season. The season two finale, “The Leavers Dance,” is one of the best.
The episode ends with Dan Scott (Paul Johansson) alone at Scott Motors car dealership, drinking from a bottle of whiskey someone left for him. As he drinks, he notices his drink has been spiked. He looks up to find a mysterious person setting the building on fire. The scene is accompanied by The Veils’ 2004 song, “Lavinia.” As the building is on fire, the song grows in intensity as viewers don’t know what to expect. Does Dan die or does someone save him?
When Keith Tells Lucas To Open His Eyes
After the tumultuous school shooting episode in the third season, Lucas is determined to figure out who shot and killed his uncle, Keith Scott (Craig Sheffer). In the season four episode “Songs to Love and Die By,” Lucas is unconscious in the hospital and, while asleep, he’s visited by Keith.
His uncle walks him through the events of the school shooting. He tells him, “Open your eyes, Luke.” Lucas needs to see the truth. As Keith repeats his advice, La Rocca’s 2006 song “Non-Believer” plays in the background. At first, Lucas grapples with the news, but the music grows in intensity as Lucas understands Keith’s message. He’s slowly starting to believe what Keith wants him to see. He finally opens his eyes.
When Brooke Drowns
In the season eight episode “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) finds Haley and Nathan Scott’s (James Lafferty) son, Jamie (Jackson Brundage) trapped in a car during a thunderstorm. She tries to save him, but the car eventually falls off the Tree Hill bridge.
Luckily, Brooke’s fiancé, Julian Baker (Austin Nichols), finds them and Brooke tells him to save Jamie. He’s just a little boy. Brooke ends up drowning and as Julian is performing CPR on her, Willie Nelson’s 1980 song, “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” plays. A song about angels adds to the emotional scene. Audiences sat in silence as they watched their beloved character die. Luckily, she wakes up, but the music and Julian’s desperate cry made this an unforgettable scene.
When Nathan Crashes The Race Car
In the season two episode “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning,” Nathan visits his uncle, Cooper Lee (Michael Trucco), at the auto racing track in Daytona. Nathan decides to go on a solo race, but he crashes his car as he remembers everything that is going wrong in his life.
As Nathan is driving, The Get Up Kids’ 2004 song, “Like a Man Possessed,” accompanies the intense scene. The song describes a man searching for a cure to the madness in his life. That’s exactly how Nathan feels at that moment, and as he starts to crash his race car, the music becomes more intense, adding to the chilling emotions.
When Peyton Collapses After Her Wedding
Lucas and Peyton have a long, on-again, off-again relationship in the show. Overall, they're still one of the show's best couples. In the season six episode “Forever and Almost Always,” the two finally get married while Peyton’s pregnant. It’s a cautious wedding as Peyton was diagnosed with placenta previa, and she is not expected to survive the labor and delivery.
The couple has a beautiful wedding and returns home, where Lucas surprises her with white rose petals, fairy lights, and candles. Matt Nathanson’s 2007 song, “Wedding Dress,” plays as Lucas guides his bride through the house as she still wears her wedding dress. Peyton starts bleeding and finally collapses. No one knows what will happen to her, and the music juxtaposes the blissful occasion with the heartbreaking reality that Peyton might not live to meet her daughter.
When Haley Is Hit By A Car
Most fans remember the season four episode, “Some You Give Away.” In the episode, the Tree Hill Ravens win the State Championship, and everyone is elated. While walking in the middle of the street, Haley (while pregnant) is hit by a car driven by Nathan's main villain, Daunte Jones (Rick Fox), a Los Angeles Laker who tricks Nathan into point shaving.
In the emotional, heart-stopping scene, Nathan runs to punch Daunte. Lucas rushes to help Haley and goes into full cardiac arrest from seeing his unresponsive best friend. The devastating scene is accompanied by Ray LaMontagne’s 2006 song, “Lesson Learned.” It’s a soft, slow song about lies, loss, and pain, and it adds more shocking, heartbreaking emotions to the scene.
The Limo Car Crash
The season three finale, “The Show Must Go On,” is probably the best season finale of One Tree Hill. After Nathan and Haley’s wedding, they’re driving away. Their car nearly collides with a limousine, driven by Cooper and Rachel Gatina (Danneel Ackles). The limo falls into the lake.
Nathan decides to be a hero and jumps into the lake, but not before telling Haley that he loves her. In the background, Led Zeppelin’s 1969 hit single, “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” plays as Nathan tries to rescue Cooper and Rachel. The music gets louder as the scene becomes dramatic. Audiences don’t know what happens—if Cooper and Rachel are alive, and if Nathan will get trapped in the car with them. Is Nathan going to leave Haley behind?
The School Shooting
No one could forget about the heartbreaking season three episode, “With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept.” One Tree Hill tackled a school shooting. The shooter, Jimmy Edwards (Colin Fickes), is ready to commit suicide, but Keith tries to reason with him.
In the scene, Michelle Featherstone’s 2006 song, “God Bless the Child,” softly plays in the background. The music doesn’t overpower the scene, but it adds to the emotional tension as Jimmy finally takes his own life. To make things even worse, Dan appears and kills Keith—his own brother—with the same gun. Featherstone’s vocals haunt the scene, giving viewers chills that they still haven’t forgotten about after all these years.