The 11 best alt-rock Yellowjackets needle drops

Despite initially drawing viewers in with the promise of mystery, teen angst, and cannibalistic rituals, Yellowjackets fans also tune into the Showtime series every week because of the promise of killer needle drops to soundtrack it all. From its eerie yet catchy intro music to songs from beloved ‘90s artists, the series about a girls’ soccer team stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash has gained a reputation for its alternative music selection. 

Its first season was supervised by Jen Malone, who also worked on the cult HBO series Euphoria. Malone handpicked underground faves and chart-topping hits alike to transport the viewer directly into its ‘90s-set timeline and capture the mood of its present-day arc, driven by decades of trauma. For season 2, Nora Felder, who worked on period pieces such as Netflix’s Stranger Things and the Fear Street trilogy, joined as music supervisor and hasn’t disappointed.

Both have expertly curated tracks that allow the show to flourish as the tense and heartfelt drama that it is, fully embracing how music encapsulates the characters’ feelings and helps them to escape — from listening to a dilapidated walkman in a deserted cabin to humming tunes in order to stay sane. Because Yellowjackets so notably cocoons its audience in sound waves, Alternative Press rounded up some of the show’s very best needle drops so far. 

Read more: 10 TV shows to watch right now if you like Yellowjackets

The best Yellowjackets needle drops

Courtesy of Paul Sarkis/Showtime

“Miss World” – Hole (season 1, episode 1)

One of the show's first needle drops, and perhaps its most quintessential, takes place when the Yellowjackets are at a party the night before their trip to a national tournament. At the party, Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) is clearly yearning for a different life than the one she has, glancing at her best friend Jackie (Ella Purnell) and her boyfriend Jeff (Jack DePew), who we later find out Shauna has been sleeping with. As Hole frontwoman Courtney Love drawls, “I'm miss world, somebody kill me/Kill me pills/No one cares, my friends,” Shauna longs to tell Jackie her secret, and to become a different version of herself — establishing an essential part of her character. 

Courtesy of Paul Sarkis/Showtime

“Down By the Water” – PJ Harvey (season 1, episode 1)

The perfect song to signal someone's mind becoming unbound, PJ Harvey’s “Down By the Water” plays while Natalie is tripping on LSD in the show's first episode. Gazing into a bonfire at a party, her eyes grow hazier by the second, Harvey’s eerie vocals accompanying her into the abyss. Her eyes then become focused once more, and she sees a figure standing in the distance, shrouded by tree’s and darkness. The figure materializes into Misty Quigly (Samantha Hanratty), the Yellowjackets’ water girl, whom adult Natalie later seeks out and reunites with. 

Courtesy of Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

“Glory Box” – Portishead (season 1, episode 2)

Another staple in ‘90s music culture, Portishead appears in the second episode of season 1. Vocalist Beth Gibbons’ yearning voice haunts the sphere of the frame as the remaining teammates lay the victims of the initial plane crash to rest in the best way they can. During a makeshift send-off in which their bodies get covered in blankets and clothing, the song lilts, “Sow a little tenderness/No matter if you cry.” While the fallen members may not be able to get a proper funeral, the show lets Gibbons’ vocals carry their souls away.

Courtesy of Colin Bentley/Showtime

“Dreams” – The Cranberries (season 1, episode 3)

After abandoning the safety of the plane, the Yellowjackets pack up in hopes to find a lake they can see in the distance. The teammates shed their clothing and rush towards the water, experiencing a moment of peace and becoming the young girls they were before the plane crash. The song's upbeat tempo pairs well with the sequence, and lead singer Dolores O'Riordan’s dreamy vocals allow you to feel as if, just for a moment, you’re watching a very different show — one where these characters have a defining coming-of-age moment. 

Courtesy of Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

“Firestarter” – Prodigy (season 1, episode 7)

In the seventh episode, Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Taissa (Tawny Cypress), and Natalie (Juliette Lewis) attempt to uncover the identity of an unknown figure who is blackmailing them for money. As a ski mask donned assailant comes into view, the iconic whirred synths of “Firestarter” bleed into the scene, picking up as the characters chase after him. It’s a surprising aspect to the show, which while it remains tense, doesn’t necessarily partake in action scenes. The song is also present in one of the most iconic scenes in the 2004 film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, which makes it perfect for this brief albeit fantastic action sequence. 

Courtesy of Michael Courtney/Showtime

“Fade Into You” – Mazzy Star (season 1, episode 8)

A show partially set in the ‘90s would not be complete without Mazzy Star in one of its episodes. The quintessential love song “Fade Into You” plays as a young Natalie asks Travis (Kevin Alves) to go hunting with her, and he refuses. The scene transitions to an older Natalie laying in bed remembering the interaction, reminiscing, as well as mourning. She then gets up and begins to put on makeup, in an attempt to mask her emotions and not forget Travis, but move on from his disappearance and death.

Courtesy of Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

“Come Out and Play” – The Offspring (season 1, episode 10)

Despite just cleaning up a murder scene, the adult characters in season 1 don't let that stop them from attending their high school reunion. As the characters enter their old school gymnasium together, “Come Out and Play” begins, guiding them along as they march through the gym in slow-motion. The track repeats the line, “You gotta keep ‘em separated,” symbolizing that the new bond the women have grown may be detrimental to their separate healing journeys — but it’s also establishing them as a tight knit force that their fellow classmates can't mess with. 

Courtesy of Kimberley French/Showtime

“Seventeen” – Sharon Van Etten (season 2, episode 1)

The opening scene of season 2 instantly reminds us that our lost protagonists are still, in fact, teenagers. A song that feels as freeing as it is haunting, the sequence sees the yellowjackets huddled in the cabin. The series then reveals what became of Lottie (Courtney Eaton) after they were rescued: sent to a psychiatric facility and forced to undergo electroshock therapy. Van Etten croons, “You're crumbling up just to see/Afraid that you'll be just like me,” and we’re given a brief glimpse at Lottie’s relationship with her parents, who are clearly unequipped to make decisions for their daughter who is suffering from a serious mental disorder.

Courtesy of Showtime

“Last Resort” – Papa Roach (season 2, episode 1)

There’s a lot of angst pulsing throughout Yellowjackets and its teenage ensemble, but Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” ends up being the perfect song to accompany one of the few characters not present in the 1996 timeline. Shauna’s husband, Jeff (Warren Kole), is the show's resident himbo, and the last person you would expect to have Papa Roach on his playlist. But where Shauna is seen skinning animals and even committing murder, Jeff’s anger is more subdued. Frustrated with his wife’s infidelity and apt to avoid getting caught for her crimes, in one very metal scene he lets it all go by drumming his open palms on his car's steering wheel in tune with a rock beat.

Courtesy of Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

“Cornflake Girl” – Tori Amos (season 2, episode 1)

Though it was hinted at, for some time, the characters in the show had yet to actually take part in any form of cannibalism. That is, until Shauna at the end of “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” plucks one of Jackie’s frozen ears from her pocket. As Tori Amos muses, “This is not really happening,” Shauna closes her eyes and swallows her dead friend's ear, and the screen cuts to black as Amos moves on to the chorus, chanting, “You bet your life it is/You bet your life it is.”

Courtesy of Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

“Climbing Up the Walls” – Radiohead (season 2, episode 2)

There’s no better way to set the mood to a long-awaited cannibalistic ritual. Thom Yorke’s crooning voice is perfect for a ravenous meal — which, although it was anticipated by fans, remains disturbing as ever. While the surviving Yellowjackets finally feast on Jackie’s flesh, the lyrics, “And if you get too far inside/You'll only see my reflection,” haunt the frame. No matter how hard the older teammates try, this act of desecration will remain with them forever — Jackie perpetually haunting them.