Capitalize on Iconic End-Credit Songs for Fan Engagement & Curation

Origin Reddit Post

r/music

What’s the most perfect use of a song at the end of a movie or show(/season) that summed up the story or character arc?

Posted by u/dairmouse•08/08/2025

I'm trying to build a list of songs that were used at the end of TV shows, movies or episodes to close the story in a powerful or poetic way. Think "Baby Blue" at the end of Breaking Bad. It

Top Comments

u/T1034

Came WAY too far down the list to find this... This is the one.

u/UFO-Band-Fanatic

Zeppelin’s In the Evening at the very end of Sharp Objects. I can’t hear that song without a chill running down my spine.

u/pierco82

You meet me at a very strange time in my life

u/spider_doodle

LotR: The Two Towers - The song by Emiliana Torrini. So captivating and foreboding

u/TheWhaleAndWhasp

Exit Music (For a Film) used in Westworld was sick

u/dubbs505050

First thing that came to my mind too!

u/MCpoopcicle

Agreed. They absolutely nailed it.

u/Electrical-Injury-23

The answer I came to find.

u/Backstrom

"Baby Blue" at the end of Breaking Bad

u/Citiz3n_Kan3r

Where is my mind - Pixies - Fight Club

u/chickyp1977

"Carry On Wayward Son" on Supernatural.

u/GoblinRightsNow

You Only Live Twice at the end of Season 5 is another great one.

u/JohnnyCanuck133

This. I was so freaking hyped leaving the theater because of it.

u/Roland940

Gollums song

u/Em4gdn3m

Yeah, this is the better answer, as the song was written with Romeo + Juliet in mind. Very powerful.

u/Big-Vegetable-8425

Bittersweet Symphony at the end of Cruel Intentions

u/smilingarmpits

For me in the Black Mirror episode about (no-spoilers) the Internet wanking kid. The fuzz climax really gives weight to the already heavy plot twist in the end.

u/Sumeriandawn

The song at the end of The Killing Fields

u/Rndysasqatch

I still think Punkrocker by Teddybears ‧ 2000 was one of the best even though I just heard it

u/rrfellis

Northern Exposure - Our Town (Iris Dement)

u/thedantasm

Don’t you forget about me. Breakfast Club.

u/stabbingrabbit

Life's a piece of shit, always look on the bright side of life. Life of Brian.

u/The_Atomic_Idiot

Platoon 'Adagio for Strings'

u/ninja-squirrel

Thank you for the reminder.

u/ds3272

The Flaming Lips’ Fight Song at the end of Ted Lasso. His personal arc is leaving to give his estranged wife space, and giving up instead of staying and fighting for the relationship. Then, a

u/Learned-Dr-T

“Sweet Emotion” at the end of Dazed and Confused.

u/flipping_birds

Even better remember that song about Chicken Town? Right at the key realization moment. That was number one in any show for me.

u/twobit211

check out the walk of life project. it’s a bit old now but it posits that the dire straits song, walk of life, fits perfectly over the last shot of any hollywood movie

u/DamagedEctoplasm

Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam at the end of 50/50 Tuesdays Gone by Skynyrd near the end of Dazed and Confused

u/Opus-the-Penguin

U2's "With or Without You" in the season finale of The Americans. For maximum effect, start with episode 1 and watch your way up to it. It's so much more powerful that way.

u/KinkyDarkStranger

Came here to say this

u/JeffTheComposer

Wall-E "Down to Earth" though that's a bit easy since it was written for the movie. Still works great.

u/Nightgasm

Full of Grace by Sarah Maclachlan at the end of Buffy S2. Buffy has just lost everything and the season ends to this song as she leaves town and it's just the perfect song for the moment.

u/mgoblue5453

Extreme Ways by Moby from Jason Bourne.

u/pspahn

Walk of Life at the end of any movie.

u/ADVANTAGE_CONNORS

Two examples in the same movie; Ferris Bueller final scene- oh Yeah But much much more important; Please, Please, Please , Let Me Get What I Want in the art gallery might be the best moment

u/unusualteapot

And of course for Romeo + Juliet

u/GigaEel

"Come Join the Murder" at the end of Sons of Anarchy

u/GrandpaDongs

Wake Up- RATM, at the end of The Matrix

u/socrdad2

The Wire final episode outro: Solomon Burke "Fast Train" Bosch season 1 outro: Los Lobos "Wicked Rain"

u/putoelquelolea

"Always look on the bright side of life" at the end of Life of Brian. It's still a popular song for funerals in the UK

u/primum

a great recent example is punkrocker by teddybears in superman

u/BlindProphet_413

Mad World at the end of Donnie Darko?

u/profjamie4102005

Indeed.

u/FeistyChickadee

Mad Men made the absolute best use of music.

u/h3dge

This is the answer.

u/UFO-Band-Fanatic

Intruder by Peter Gabriel as the end of Mindhunter season two.

u/unhalfbricking

It's also a very familiar song for many people. So the harsh cut with the cut to black before the song ends makes it even more jarring. I don't care what the rubes say the end of the Sopran

u/Ogni-XR21

This, probably the best ending to any show ever.

u/tootbrun

Best TV show ending in history.

u/The_Pandalorian

Boognish approves.

u/TummySticks

Sympathy for the Devil - Fallen

u/jbla5t

"The Regulator", by Clutch in the final scene the of The Walking Dead episode, "Nebraska". Season 2 Episode 8

u/bfizzle55

Unironically, Ocean Man - Ween, for SpongeBob

u/ThrowingChicken

“We'll Meet Again” at the end of Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove

u/GhostChips42

Let Down by Radiohead in the season one finale of The Bear. Perfect.

u/SignGuy77

Mindhunter has an awesome soundtrack. So sad it only got the two seasons.

u/rod_jammer

Heat: "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" by Moby Perfect ending song for a perfect movie.

u/BeerHorse

Indeed. Bit of a cheat though, as it was written specifically for the film.

u/313_techno

Generation Kill HBO series finale - “When the Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash.

u/JaXm

Iron man - Black Sabbath at the end of Ironman.

u/Ozymannoches

Was thinking the same thing... "Tuesday Gone" playing as the kegs are kicked felt like the end of a fun movie. To then be treated to another 15 minutes of movie and ultimately end with "Slow

u/Indelwe

I always thought "Freebird" at the end of The Devil's Rejects was the most brilliant and acceptable use of an otherwise meme-ish song.

u/desolation0

Oh yeah, that is such a bleak cherry on top in the context of the film

u/HerGentlemanCaller

Clerks 2 - Misery by Soul Asylum, the song fits the characters well.

u/Commodore64Zapp

Parks & Recreation: "End of the Line" - Traveling Wilburys Hope, optimism, love, acceptance, peace, community...really sums up the whole show. Great stuff. Also pairs well with Season 3

u/YounomsayinMawfk

Fight Club - Where is my Mind?

u/MoriartyAvalon

The German version of David Bowie's Heroes playing at the end of JoJo Rabbit. That film gave me major emotional whiplash, so to have the closest thing imaginable to a happy ending was perfect

u/a_rabid_anti_dentite

I know many people hate the final season, but hearing the Stark theme kick in as Sansa is crowned Queen in the North gets me every time.

u/Capnmarvel76

I was gonna say ‘El Paso’ for the finale of Breaking Bad, which lyrically was very apt for the end of the series, but ‘Baby Blue’ is a great answer.

u/tratemusic

So glad this was the first answer

u/Carlos_Infierno

Joe Walsh "in the City" end of The Warriors

u/BlitheringEediot

Breathe Me - Six Feet Under

u/tamammothchuk

Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms” at the end of The West Wing’s episode “Two Cathedrals”

u/Indelwe

On a slight tangent - "Goin' Out West" during the bar scene in that movie was my introduction to the genius that is Tom Waits.

u/Toaster_In_Bathtub

I just finished the series for the 2nd time and it was even better than the 1st. Such a good show.

u/fretless_enigma

I want to know how many parents bought the album it appears on (The Mollusk), not seeing that two songs earlier, they sang the extremely kid-friendly Waving My Dick in the Wind.

u/TheMightyKumquat

End of Scrubs - The Book of Love, Peter Gabriel's cover.

u/unhalfbricking

Honorable mention for Zep's In the Light at the end of season one >!when Holden has a panic attack.!< Such a phenomenal use of music.

u/comicguy13

The only answer I could think of.

u/AshaydRM

The same goes for the Killing Moon at the beginning. The directors cut messed up bad removing it. Echo and the Bunnymen were a way better choice than INXS.

u/NickBurns00

Goodfellas - Layla

u/TransientAlienSheep

Elliott Smith's Miss Misery at the end of Goodwill Hunting

u/Handsome_Stranger001

Bittersweet symphony in the movie Cruel intentions

u/lkmk

“Don’t Stop Believing” in The Sopranos, for how it makes Tony’s death seem cheerier than it is.

u/CandidArmavillain

Agreed, that's a fantastic finale to a fantastic series

u/Only_Relation_189

Our Town by Iris Dement at the end of the Northern Exposure series finale.

u/PukGrum

Edge of Tomorrow - Love Me Again (John Newman)

u/rio23x

Everybody Wants to Rule the World. Real Genius. So great.

u/slowbutslow

‘The End’ opens and closes Apocalypse Now.

u/flipping_birds

Yep, especially after you’ve watched it a few times and figured out there’s no ambiguity. The girl walks in right at the moment >! to see her dad get shot in the head.!<

u/Veracious_Me

"Heroes" by David Bowie at the end of The Cove. It starts at this part: "I, I wish you could swim; Like the dolphins, dolphins can swim". Heart-wrenching 😭

u/t0wser

I thought Father and Son at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was perfect given the theme of the movie.

u/rathat

I heard SpongeBob was based on that song in the first place

u/maxthemummer

The music while the credits roll at the end of Alien - Howard Hanson: Symphony Number 2.

u/Rickety_Cricket_23

I cannot listen to this song without seeing the end scene of six feet under. Amazing ending, amazing show. I cry every time.

u/bkguyworksinnyc

Drive - “A Real Hero” by Electric Youth. Perfect soundtrack in general.

u/red_langford

Sound of Silence The Graduate

u/bebopbrain

Do musicals count? The last number in Hair (1979) goes through a wide range of emotions.

u/Peherre

The "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" jingle at the end of Mad Men

Origin Reddit Post

r/music

What’s the most perfect use of a song at the end of a movie or show(/season) that summed up the story or character arc?

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