The role of music is an important one on the FX television drama The Shield. Stylistically, the music on the show can range from hip hop (Master P) to mainstream pop (Duran Duran) to hard rock (Kid Rock) to country music (Johnny Cash), often within the span of a single episode.

Opening and end credits

The opening credits for each episode consists of simply each starring cast member's name on a black screen interspersed with the action of the episode. Usually at a poignant moment, the brief excerpt of the show's theme is played, leaving into the show's logo screen and the listing of series creator, Shawn Ryan. The theme, which is played again in full during the closing credits, is called "Just Another Day", by Vivian Ann Romero, Ernesto J. Bautista & Rodney Alejandro.

Music throughout the episodes

Most episodes use a unique piece of previously recorded music during the opening or closing montage sequence, with few exceptions. Often the song relates to the emotional mood of the characters or themes presented in the episode. Music is also heard being listened to by the show's characters. Other than these, the show makes little use of background music to enhance the show's realism.

The following is a list of songs used in each episode:

Season 1

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Pilot"	"Bawitdaba" "Something's Coming" "Ponle Cadera" "Descarga Total" "Graciosa" "God Says No" "La Plaga" "Maricela" "Alleluia Melisma"	Kid Rock Nick Pantell Megatrax Maraca Moby Monster Magnet The Mexakinz Los Lobos Steve Edwards	Played during closing montage
2	"Our Gang"	"Crowd Killa" "Damelo" "Amazing Grace" "Highway 45" "Rock Tha Spot" "Like Lightning Strikin'" "Kansas City Feel" "Perkins" "Promises"	Cage Mike Jimenez Production Bernie Marsden The Urbanites Bernie Marsden Paul Lenart El Peyote Asesino India.Arie
3	"The Spread"	"Show a Lil Mo" "Get E Up" "Air Max 95 Remix" "Ese Es Mi Amigo" "You Can't Always Get What You Want" "Alegria" "The Streets of Iran" "Que Vuelva"	Out of Order Howard Roark Milo Berger & J. Zone Los Corales Fatima Los Pinguos Zamp Nicall Delinquent Habits
4	"Dawg Days"	"Beer" "The Flute Tune" "Rebuttle" "One by One" "Weight" "Dance With the Devil" "Sunday Jack" "Do It Right" "Throwin' You a Party" "Deeply" "Crank" "Heart of a Rebel"	Trailer Park Cassanovas Push Project 86 Jason Darling Matthew Anthony Young Dre Flight 180 Molly M Debbie Mitchell Abby Dobson John Leber SX10
5	"Blowback"	"Hyots Aghunak" "Get Away" "Laraca" "Wah Wah" "Caught Up In the System" "Yreg Votnlvai" "Trial by Fire" "The Flute Song" "Rebuttle" "One by One" "Ballad of Joliet"	Seda Garibyan Danny Wood Arte Mixto 3rd Root SX10 Arakel Siunetsi Sam Spade Push Project 86 Jason Darling Bernie Marsden
6	"Cherrypoppers"	"Love Loss" "Under the Midnight Sun" "Crazy" "Forbidden Fruit" "Eine Kleine" "Sexy Samba" "Night In the City" "Whiskey In the Morning"	Ian Love Zamp Nicall Le Jung Hyu Jim Blake Nachmusik Sam Spade Gregg Montante Buckcherry
7	"Pay in Pain"	"Fumaza" "Get Away (Alternative Remix)" "Sugar Fine" "Heartbreaker" "La Maraca" "No Queda Nada" "Reflections of Isis" "Reckoning" "Montfort" "Take Me Somewhere Nice"	Los Pinguos Danny Wood Gerard McMahon Bernie Marsden Arte Mixto Ducomet & Ascencio Sam Spade Dislocated Styles Stephen Edwards Mogwai
8	"Cupid & Psycho"	"All My Little Words" "Erase Me" "Laws of Physics" "We Got the Youth" "Where Are You Gonna Find Another Fool"	The Magnetic Fields SX-10 Loot Pack Sam Black Church Soul Brother Six
9	"Throwaway"	"Nacionabismo" "Let's Ride" "Cuiden a Los Ninos" "Como En Secundaria" "Salvavidas" "Green Fantasy" "El Capitan" "Fe"	Cage 9 Conejo Brujeria Kinto Sol Julieta Venegas Nick Pantell Kinto Sol Julieta Venegas
10	"Dragonchasers"	"Pull You Into Me" "Anthem" "Satellite" "Sing Along" "I Am King" "Helicon 1" "Take Me Somewhere Nice"	Hedder Tempest Goleta Goleta Erinn Williams Mogwai Mogwai
11	"Carnivores"	"Punk Ass" "I'm Gone" "What's Up For Tonight" "Vesti la giubba" "Mil" "Los Parrandones" "All I Really Want" "Casta Diva"	SX-10 Luther Johnson (Guitar Junior) Out of Order Pagliacci Gahee Lee Daniel Indart Goldo The Royal Philharmonic
12	"Two Days of Blood"	"Como Te Gusta (Remix)" "Superfunk 2000" "Mystery" "Freedom Band" "Teeny Bopper" "Pa'Gozar Pilon" "Even Now" "Esperanza" "I'm On the Move" "Statistics"	Daniel Indart Soultice Henri Yonet Delinquent Habits Tony Cook Maraca Steve Reynolds Daniel Indart Bobby Byrd Rumblefish
13	"Circles"	"Trouble" "Nothing's Clear" "Spill Me" "O'Chanko" "Planet LA" "Eddie's Thing" "Cultifornia"	Coldplay Ill Niño Project 86 Transultra Conejo Push Jaya the Cat	Played during closing montage

Season 2

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"The Quick Fix"	"Blue On Black" "Long Awaited"	Kenny Wayne Shepherd Lootpack
2	"Dead Soldiers"	"Cuentan Que El" "No Muerdas La Mano" "Baby"	Whitehouse Kinto Sol Supervision
3	"Partners"	"Breakdown" "Debemos Creer" "The Whole Truth"	Tantric Bye Sami Michael Penn
4	"Carte Blanche"	?	?
5	"Greenlit"	"Drinking Muddy Water" "Fish Head"	North Mississippi Allstars Slim & the Soulful Saints
6	"Homewrecker"	?	?
7	"Barnstormers"	"Rich Girl"	Hall and Oates
8	"Scar Tissue"	"If I Ever Leave This World Alive"	Flogging Molly
9	"Co-Pilot"	"Justice"	Black Uhuru
10	"Coyotes"	?	?
11	"Inferno"	?	?
12	"Breakpoint"	"Thorn"	Unida
13	"Dominoes Falling"	"Trouble" "Ghetto Starzz" "Overcome"	Daniel Ash Littles Live

Season 3

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Playing Tight"	"Holy Roller Novacaine" "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)"	Kings of Leon Rupert Holmes
2	"Blood and Water"	"Nothing I Can Do About It Now"	Willie Nelson
3	"Bottom Bitch"	?	?
4	"Streaks and Tips"	"The Stroke"	Billy Squire
5	"Mum"	?	?
6	"Posse Up"	"3030"	Deltron 3030
7	"Safe"	?	?
8	"Cracking Ice"	"Sway"	Phaser
9	"Slipknot"	"Ashes to Ashes"	Steve Earle
10	"What Power Is..."	?	?
11	"Strays"	?	?
12	"Riceburner"	?	?
13	"Fire In the Hole"	?	?
14	"All In"	"It's Gonna Be a Long Night"	Ween
15	"On Tilt"	?	?

Season 4

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"The Cure"	?	?
2	"Grave"	Amazing Grace	Dropkick Murphys	Played while Strike Team members Vic Mackey, Curtis Lemansky and Ronnie Gardocki along with Captain Monica Rawling attend former Police Chief Ben Gilroy's funeral.
3	"Bang"	?	?
4	"Doghouse"	"Demon Called Deception"	Grant Lee Buffalo
5	"Tar Baby"	"Hungry Like the Wolf"	Duran Duran	Played in Dutch's car as he sings to it, unaware that he's being recorded.
6	"Insurgents"	?	?
7	"Hurt"	"Will You Smile Again"	…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
8	"Cut Throat"	"Nutshell"	Alice in Chains
9	"String Theory"	?	?
10	"Back in the Hole"	?	?
11	"A Thousand Deaths"	?	?
12	"Judas Priest"	?	?
13	"Ain't That a Shame"	"Ain't That a Shame"	Cheap Trick	Source of episode title.

Season 5

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Extraction"	"Til Kingdom Come"	Coldplay
2	"Enemy of Good"	?	?
3	"Jailbait"	?	?
4	"Tapa Boca"	?	?
5	"Trophy"	"Devil In Me"	22-20s	Played while the Strike Team loads their weapons.
6	"Rap Payback"	"Anything Goes"	Madison Smartt Bell and Wyn Cooper	Played during closing montage.
7	"Man Inside"	?	?
8	"Kavanaugh"	?	?
9	"Smoked"	?	?
10	"Of Mice and Lem"	"Disarm"	Smashing Pumpkins	Played during closing montage.
11	"Postpartum"	?	?

Season 6

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"On the Jones"	"I Hung My Head"	Johnny Cash	Played at beginning and end of episode; written by Sting
2	"Baptism by Fire"	?	?
3	"Back to One"	?	?
4	"The New Guy"	?	?
5	"Haunts"	?	?
6	"Chasing Ghosts"	?	?
7	"Exiled"	?	?
8	"The Math of the Wrath"	?	?
9	"Recoil"	?	?
10	"Spanish Practices"	?	?

• Season 6 promo — "This Night" by Black Lab

Season 7

#	Episode title	Song title	Artist	Notes
1	"Coefficient of Drag"	"Reach for the Sky"	Social Distortion	Played at beginning of the episode.
2	"Snitches"	?	?
3	"Money Shot"	?	?
4	"Genocide"	?	?
5	"Game Face"	?	?
6	"Animal Control"	"My Ashes"	Porcupine Tree	Played at the end of the episode.
7	"Bitches Brew"	?	?
8	"Parricide"	?	?
9	"Moving Day"	?	?
10	"Party Line"	?	?
11	"Petty Cash"	?	?
12	"Possible Kill Screen"	?	?
13	"Family Meeting"	?	?

Soundtrack compilation

To date, there has been one official soundtrack compilation released in association with The Shield. The Shield: Music from the Streets was released in 2005 , and contains selections from the show's first four seasons.

Track listing

1. "The Shield Theme" — Vivian Ann Romero, Ernesto J. Bautista & Rodney Alejandro
2. "Hating Hollywood" — Theory of a Deadman
3. "Death March" — Black Label Society
4. "Bring Em Out Dead" — Onyx
5. "Lay Down" — Mikal Raymo
6. "Perkins" — Peyote Asesino
7. "Caught Up in the System" — SX-10
8. "Freedom Band" — Delinquent Habits
9. "Pride" — Damageplan
10. "Nothing's Clear" — Ill Niño
11. "Rushing In" — Crazy Anglos
12. "No Muerdas La Mano" — Kinto Sol
13. "Breakdown" — Tantric
14. "Betrayal" — The Black Maria
15. "Let's Ride" — Conejo
16. "Ooohhhwee" — Master P
17. "Mafia" — Kelis featuring Markita
18. "Cuiden A Los Niños" — Brujería
19. "The Shield" (X-Ecutioners Remix) — The X-Ecutioners

===Notes===

External links

• Music used in 'The Shield'