According to creator Eric Kripke, Supernatural was always intended to be about two brothers on a road trip. Of course, no road trip would be complete without a fantastic playlist. From the show's pilot episode to its last season, Dean has embraced the idea of "driver picks the music."
Having grown up on the road in a '67 Impala, he still hasn't given up on records and cassette tapes, with old school music to match. Known for his love of the classics, he has all the essentials of '60s and '70s rock. Here are a few hard-rocking tracks we'd like to hear included in his collection.
The Chain, Fleetwood Mac
This Nicks/Buckingham duet is considered an essential addition to any classic rock playlist, and so is Fleetwood Mac to any list of rock band legends. It's a wonder why the group has yet to make it to Supernatural's soundtrack, despite several references to the band members in the brothers' aliases throughout the years.
If a song of theirs were to be included, though, The Chain would be one of the top contenders. The track features deep, haunting vocals that would pair well with a dark montage as the brothers prepare for battle or a suspenseful scene of a showdown between the heroes and villains.
Runnin' With The Devil, Van Halen
Van Halen and its members have also been referenced several times in Supernatural, though none of their songs have yet been included in the show's soundtrack. Given the themes of Hell and demons and the actual devil in the show, Runnin' With the Devil seems like an obvious prospect.
The song's lyrics also paint a picture of a "simple life" on the road and living "like there's no tomorrow," much like the lives of Sam and Dean as they drive across the country, taking their lives in their hands each day on the job.
Holy Water, Bad Company
The Supernatural soundtrack has featured plenty of Bad Company over the years, specifically in the early seasons and all but one of those songs being from the band's first album in 1974, which was fronted by Paul Rodgers.
By the time Holy Water was released in 1990, Bad Company had found a new lead singer in Brian Howe. As many rock bands had done around this time, they had taken on a more vocal-heavy sound characteristic of the modern pop-rock genre. Including a newer track in Supernatural's last season could be representative of how far the show has come and how much it has changed, too.
Hell Is For Children, Pat Benatar
Aside from having the hard rock sound traditional of the Supernatural soundtrack, the lyrics explore a theme that has been touched on at more than a few points in the show: children. Specifically, those who have been dealt less-than-lucky hands by supernatural evils and have been through things people shouldn't experience that early in life.
The lyrics also feature some imagery of Hell, as promised in the song's title, which is also an important part of the world created in Supernatural. The song would be preceded by Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker, which played over the recap during the season 10 premiere.
Running On Empty, Jackson Browne
Running on Empty reflects on years past, like Supernatural, after almost 15 seasons, must do, but it is also very much a road song, a place where the two main characters often find themselves. It's a song that blends seamlessly with what the heart of the show is about and captures the "road rushing under my wheels" in the same light as Supernatural's road trip vibe does. The track would be perfectly at home playing over a shot of the Impala speeding down a desert road or through "so many summer fields."
Hey Jude, The Beatles
In season 5's "The Song Remains the Same," which finds the boys travelling back to their parents' time, Dean convinces Mary that he is her son by mentioning that she used to sing him Hey Jude, her favorite Beatles song, as a lullaby when he was a kid. From that point on, the song has been regarded by fans as a staple on any Supernatural-themed playlist, despite never having been played in the show.
The song, and the Beatles in general, take a more pop spin on rock than the music most associated with the show, which could explain why the band has yet to appear on the Supernatural soundtrack, but playing the song would be a sweet gesture toward the family aspect of the show.
Barracuda, Heart
On the subject of the Winchester matriarch, a heartwarming part of Mary's season 12 return that takes place in the episode "Mamma Mia" is backed by the Heart song Lost Angel, which remains the only track from this hard-rocking band to make the show's soundtrack.
The addition of Barracuda to an episode would fall even more closely in line with the show's established sound, offering a more classic, metal tune than its predecessor, which was released in 2004. Barracuda is definitely a song deserving of recognition by any hard rock soundtrack, especially Supernatural's, in which it would fit perfectly.
Cherry Bomb, The Runaways
There may be no better, no more punk-rocking rally song than Cherry Bomb. It has the kind of energy needed to get through a long day of monster-hunting, and it rocks hard enough to be a must on any road trip playlist.
The Runaways, the culmination of some of the '70s hardest rocking legends, following a less-than-successful reception in their time, has also been surprisingly underappreciated by Supernatural. Its only history is a song by Joan Jett, one of the band's founding members, playing briefly in a season 12 episode which features Claire Novak.
Zombie, The Cranberries
The show might have to stretch its soundtrack a bit to accommodate the more modern, alternative sound this '90s track brings, but it would undoubtedly have the grunge rock feel to match its Supernatural playlist companions.
Not to mention the references to a supernatural creature in the lyrics themselves. Fans were, after all, promised a season of zombies with the Hell gates opened again. On top of that, the song is, at its core, a war song, and a lot of the imagery in its lyrics can be seen in the hunters' efforts against the evils of the world.
Ramble On, Led Zeppelin
Dean's affinity for Led Zeppelin is mentioned frequently in the show. He states outright that both of his all-time favorite songs, one of which is Ramble On, are by the band, and a season 8 episode shows that he owns a vinyl copy of Zeppelin's first album, which he moves into the bunker with him. The brothers also use the band members' names as aliases, Page and Plant being favorites of theirs.
It's shocking that no Led Zeppelin song has ever played in an episode of Supernatural. It is highly anticipated, though, and would surely would make for an epic moment on the show.