Mild spoilers for The Bear Season 3 and the series as a whole are below…
The much-anticpated third season of FX/Hulu’s The Bear just dropped this week and it follows Carmy, Sydney, Richie and the rest of crew through the first few months of The Bear restaurant. In addition to richly detailed characters, gorgeous food, ratchetted tension, and celebrity/chef cameos, the show is also known for its soundtrack full of very cool needle drops and Season 3 is no different.
We already mentioned that an extended version of Nine Inch Nails‘ “Together” from Ghost IV: Together provides the score for the impressionistic montage that is its first episode (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross get a “music by” credit), and that Eddie Vedder‘s cover of The (English) Beat’s “Save it For Later” features in episode 2, and new Jennifer Castle song “Blowing Kisses” features in episode 9. Now here’s a list of every song used in The Bear S3.
A few things to keep an ear out for: Cocteau Twins‘ “Pearly Dewdrops Drops” soundtracks a sweet flashback in Episode 4, which also features songs by Weezer, Taylor Swift and Brian Eno & John Cale; “Dream Little One, Dream,” the main theme from Charles Laughton’s 1955 thriller The Night of the Hunter, is put to great use in the fifth episode; Adrianne Lenker‘s “No Machine” is featured prominently in episode 7, which also includes The (English) Beat’s original “Save it for Later”; episode 8 brings back Refused’s “New Noise” which was used heavily in The Bear‘s first season, while The Ronettes‘ “Baby I Love You” figures into the episode’s story.
More: listen closely for Joyce Manor‘s “Constant Headache” in a scene between Fak brothers Matty Matheson and Ricky Staffieri set in a car in episode 9 which also features songs by Mk.gee, Stevie Nicks, Counting Crows, and R.E.M.‘s “Strange Currencies” which was also used in S2.
The season finale is the most needle-drop heavy of S3, with James‘ “Laid” getting the biggest play, but the episode also uses songs by The Sundays, The Replacements, and David Bowie, plus Susanna Hoffs’ cover of (Oingo) Boingo’s “We Close Our Eyes” from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie soundtrack, and some of Tangerine Dream‘s score for Michael Mann’s Thief. Season 3 goes out with Smashing Pumpkins‘ “Disarm” over the closing credits.
The third episode, which is one of the most tense in S3, uses an entirely classical score.
The first episode is not the only one to use Nine Inch Nails and Reznor/Ross’ ambient music, as many episodes feature their music in more contemplative moments.
Eddie Vedder’s cover of “Save it for Later” sounds a lot like Pete Townshend’s cover from 1985 which The Bear should’ve also used (imo).
We put together a playlist of all songs from The Bear Season 3 that were on spotify (basically everything except Tangerine Dream) and you can listen to that, and check out episode by episode soundtracks, below.
Episode 1 – “Tomorrow”
“Together” – Nine Inch Nails
Music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Episode 2 – “Next”
“Save It For Later” – Eddie Vedder
“(Nice Dream)” – Radiohead
Episode 3 – “Doors”
“L’amico Fritz / Act 3: Intermezzo” – Herbert Von Karajan,
Berlin Philharmonic
“Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo” – National Philharmonic Orchestra, Gianandrea Gavazzeni and Giuseppe Patané
“Corda” – Alessandro Cortini
“Il segreto di Susanna: Overture” – Oviedo Filarmonica, Friedrich Haider
“La Traviata: “Intermezzo” – Yuri Sazonoff & Jerry Caringi
“Lurline: Overture” – Richard Bonynge, Victorian Opera Orchestra
“Mendelssohn: 4. Saltarello (Presto) [Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90, MWV N 16 – “Italian”]” – Wiener Philharmoniker and Conductor Christoph von Dohnányi
“Spalicek Suite No. 2, H. 214b: II. The Shoemaker’s Capricious Patron” – Neeme Järvi & Estonian National Symphony Orchestra
“String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135 (Arr. Bernstein for String Orchestra): II. Vivace (Live)” – Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic
“Symphony No. 7 in G Minor, P I:7: IV. Finale. Adagio – Allegro” – Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Howard Griffiths
“Symphony No. 44 ‘Mourning’: Allegro con Brio” – APM Music
“Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks), Op. 28, TrV 171” – Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg,
Marc Albrecht
“Danse macabre, Op. 40” – Leopold Stokowski
Episode 4 – “Violet”
“Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops” – Cocteau Twins
‘Spinning Away’ – Brian Eno & John Cale
“Long Live’ – Taylor Swift
“Getchoo” – Weezer
Episode 5 – “Children”
“Night of the Hunger Main Title: Dream Little One, Dream” – Walter Schumann & Charles Laughton
“Purple Heather (Live at the Troubadour)”by Van Morrison
“Mixed Emotions” – The Rolling Stones
Episode 6 – “Napkins”
“Get Down On It” – Kool and the Gang
“The Start of Things” – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
“The Morning Fog” – Kate Bush
“Let It Whip” – Dazz Band
“Sabotage” – Beastie Boys
“Got This Happy Feeling” – Ghetto Brothers
Episode 7 – “Legacy”
“No Machine” – Adrianne Lenker
“Save It For Later” – The (English) Beat
“Fight For Your Right” – The Beastie Boys
“Stephanie” – Lindsey Buckingham
“Up on the Roof” – Carole King & James Taylor
Episode 8 – “Ice Chips”
“New Noise” – Refused
“Baby I Love You” – The Ronettes
Episode 9 – “Apologies
“13 Ghosts II” – Nine Inch Nails
“Are You Looking Up” – Mk.gee
“The Forever Rain” – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
“Strange Currencies” REM
“Secret Love” – Stevie Nicks
“Blowing Kisses” – Jennifer Castle
“Constant Headache” – Joyce Manor
“A Murder of One” – Counting Crows
Episode 10 – “Forever”
“In the Garage” – Weezer
“The Big Country” – Talking Heads
“Joy” – The Sundays
“Within’ Your Reach” – The Replacements
“Can You Hear Me” – David Bowie
“Diamond Diary” – Tangerine Dream
“The Start of Things” – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
“We Close Our Eyes” – Susanna Hoffs
“Just One More Day” – Otis Redding
“Big White Cloud” – John Cale
“Laid” – James
“Disarm” – Smashing Pumpkins
