Top 9 Needle Drops in ‘Yellowjackets’

If you’re a fan of “Yellowjackets,” chances are you’re also a fan of the music featured in the show and the series' official soundtrack. With the likes of Nirvana, Collective Soul, and Alanis Morissette hitting our ears, each episode has been filled to the brim with top-notch ’90s tunes. The showrunners and music team have done an excellent job weaving some absolute bangers into the show at the exact right moment, helping to tell the story on an even deeper level.

While we wish we could highlight the entire “Yellowjackets” soundtrack, here are the top music moments from Seasons 1 and 2. Put on those headphones now!

The pilot episode of “Yellowjackets” is littered with one ‘90s jam after another. But the song that still captivated our attention long after the episode ended was PJ Harvey’s 1995 track “Down By the Water.” The song played as we saw teen Natalie (Sophie Thatcher) beginning to trip on LSD at the bonfire the night before the team left for nationals. Executive producer Karyn Kusama, who directed the episode, has spoken at length about how this specific scene is of significant importance to Natalie’s journey on the show.

As Natalie began to hallucinate, she observed Misty (Samantha Hanratty) — who was not actually at the party. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know this hinted at the fact Misty would somehow have a hand in Natalie’s demise. The song tells the story of a woman who kills her family, which falls in line with Misty being Nat’s angel of death.

There are a few scenes from “Yellowjackets” that have been permanently imprinted in our minds. Misty chopping off Coach Ben’s (Steven Krueger) leg in the second episode of Season 1 is one of those moments. Accompanied by Tracy Bonham’s 1996 hit “Mother Mother,” Misty took matters into her own hands and cut off Coach’s mangled leg after the plane crash.

The lyrics of “Mother Mother” could not be any more perfect for the show. The lines “I’m freezing, I’m starving, I’m bleeding to death” coincided with blood splatter being sprayed across Misty’s face as she took an ax to Coach’s leg. Thanks to Misty’s quick thinking, he only lost his limb and not his life.

We’d be remiss not to mention another Misty and Coach Ben moment brought to life with the help of music: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something playing during that bathroom scene. More perfection.

One of the most anticipated moments in the adult timeline during Season 1 was the Yellowjackets' 25th high school reunion. The only one who was excited about the reunion was, of course, Misty (Christina Ricci). She loves any excuse to get the gang back together again.

When the four women enter the gym, they stroll in to the tune of The Offspring’s 1994 breakthrough hit “Come Out and Play.” This was truly the best walk-up song we could have asked for, as it matches the energy of the scene perfectly. Seeing every woman’s facial expressions as the song played was a great way to highlight how each one felt individually about the reunion in general, and perfectly showcased their different personalities.

We have to give our favorite supporting man a shoutout — “Yellowjackets” wouldn’t be the same without the comedic relief that is Jeff Sadecki (Warren Kole). In the first episode of Season 2, we saw Jeff jamming out to the 2000 song “Last Resort” by Papa Roach. It was hilarious but also meaningful. You could feel Jeff’s frustration through the screen as the song pulsed through the minivan speakers.

The jam session followed Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) and Jeff paying a visit to Adam’s (Peter Gadiot) art studio. It was apparent to viewers Jeff was bothered by the amount of artwork they discovered that depicted Shauna. What better way to let out your aggression than by blasting some heavy metal in your car?

Although we all knew cannibalism was coming at some point in the show, the person who would take the first bite was something viewers speculated very heavily about. That is, until the disturbing moment finally came at the end of the first episode in Season 2. With “Cornflake Girl” by Tori Amos playing, viewers watched as Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) decided to take a bite out of the deceased Jackie’s (Ella Purnell) ear after it fell off her corpse.

Amos said it best, “Things are getting kind of gross.” Indeed, that moment set up what was eventually to come with the “Snackie Feast.”

The musical genius of Amos has been used more than once on the “Yellowjackets” soundtrack, with “Bells for Her” also making the track list. We wouldn’t be upset if we got another Amos song in a future episode (see what else is on our music wish list below).

While the previous song on our list scored the first human bite, the next tune played as almost the entire group descended into cannibalism. At the end of the second episode of Season 2, the teens feasted on Jackie’s perfectly cooked corpse. The only person who didn’t participate was Coach Ben. Radiohead‘s “Climbing Up the Walls” set the scene impeccably. You could both see and feel how palpable Coach’s fear and disgust were at that moment as he watched the teens ravenously devour Jackie without a second thought.

The first few notes of the song gave the scene an eerie and creepy feeling, as everyone awoke to the smell of Jackie being cooked. This was a defining moment for the group, as they crossed the taboo line and chose to eat their friend so they would survive.

It's hard to forget the scene where the next song on our list comes into play. It was a major turning point for teen Shauna. The 1994 song “Lightning Crashes” by Live played as Shauna beat Lottie (Courtney Eaton) to a pulp. Lottie knew Shauna was holding in an immense amount of anger and sadness over her baby's death and knew that she somehow needed to get those feelings out. So, she offered herself up and allowed Shauna to pummel her with no interference from anyone.

The song choice was extremely fitting, given the fact that Shauna had just lost her baby and the song makes references to having a child, as well as to death. “Lightning Crashes” was also used to memorable effect on “One Tree Hill.”

After the pilot episode of “Yellowjackets” showed us what happened to Pit Girl, we knew it was only a matter of time before the teens began hunting one another. But questions remained: When and who? The penultimate episode of Season 2 brought us those answers. In the eighth episode of Season 2, we saw the beginnings of the card-drawing ritual the group establishes to determine who will be sacrificed so the rest of them can survive. Whoever drew the queen of hearts card would be on the proverbial chopping block.

Natalie drew the fateful card and Shauna, as the group's de facto butcher, stepped forward to slit her throat. What happened next was a catastrophic chain of events, set to “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” by The Smashing Pumpkins. Travis (Kevin Alves) attacked the girls, which gave Nat a chance to run away. As the lyrics “Despite all my rage, I’m still just a rat in a cage” played, Natalie attempted to run to safety with the assistance of Javi (Luciano Leroux). As it turned out, it was Javi who was really in the cage and that cage was a body of freezing water.

One of the most heart-wrenching scenes of Season 2 was the moment Travis realized Javi had died instead of Natalie. He was conflicted — happy that Nat managed to survive but devastated at the loss of his younger brother. Having just been reunited with Javi not long before his death, Travis had a rough go of it in Season 2.

The 1994 hit “Zombie” by The Cranberries was the figurative nail in Javi’s nonexistent coffin, perfectly setting the mood of sadness and despair following the hunt and its tragic climax. What made the scene even sadder was everyone's lack of compassion for Travis, who just lost his brother after already losing his dad. He was left alone to grieve the loss and accept the fact that it would be Javi the group would eat to survive.

Only the showrunners know what’s in store for “Yellowjackets” Season 3 and beyond, but we don’t see the harm in speculating about potential music moments to come. We are dying to see what the teens do next following the cabin burning down. Might we hear Fiona Apple’s “Criminal” as the culprit of the fire is revealed? Spring is around the corner, so maybe we'll get some Third Eye Blind to usher in the meltdown? We also wouldn’t mind hearing the likes of ‘90s legends Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and even Sublime in future episodes.

Will adult Lottie (Simone Kessell) head to a mental hospital in the present-day timeline? Using Regina Spektor’s “Eet” to set that scene would be very fitting. Bleachers‘ “Stop Making This Hurt” would also work well in the adult timeline. Another couple of dream soundtrack picks for the present-day scenes? We wouldn’t be upset if Taylor Swift or Lord Huron got some play.

Thankfully, there is a ton to choose from for future soundtrack choices, but we also can’t wait to hear Alanis Morissette’s rendition of the show's “No Return” theme song again.

Is there a song or artist you’d love to hear in an upcoming “Yellowjackets” episode? Let us know in the comments below.

Listen to every song in “Yellowjackets” via the official playlist above!