Our Picks For The Most Iconic Songs In Buffy The Vampire Slayer

We're diving headfirst into the musical magic of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and choosing which songs are the most iconic from the soundtrack. From vengeful vamps to love-struck Scoobies, the Sunnydale night club The Bronze had us jamming to some seriously iconic songs. Here are our top picks for the most classic songs that made Buffy's battles even more epic.

If you want to find out more about the songs featured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer we have put together the ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer Spotify playlist which includes all of the music featured in the series. you can listen to it here:

Goodbye To You - Michelle Branch

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will remember this emotional song being played in the 8th Episode of the 6th Season Tabula Rasa. “Goodbye To You” plays right at the end of the episode after the Scooby Gang have come out the other side of Willow’s spell. The spell marks the end of Willow and Tara's relationship as Tara feels that Willow is relying on magic too much and is getting carried away with it. “Goodbye To You” plays over sad shots of Willow crying on the floor of the bathroom in Buffy's home and Tara packing up her belongings. 

This episode marks one of the last times the full Scooby Gang would be together as Giles heads back on a plane to the UK in the same montage. Buffy herself can be seen sat staring into space at the Sunnydale nightclub The Bronze where Michelle Branch is playing her song. Spike comes over to talk to Buffy but she isn’t interested however at the end of the montage we see them kissing in the corner.

Sugar Water - Cibo Matto

After Buffy's death and rebirth in Prophecy Girl at the end of Season 1, she returns to Sunnydale despondent and distant from her friends. She is struggling with deep feelings about the Master and her duty as the Slayer and pushes away everyone she loves to the point that Cordelia, known for her cold nature and comebacks, tells her to stop it. 

Sugar Water by Cibo Matto is a song that epitomises Buffy's behaviour in this episode as she uses Xander at the Sunnydale nightclub the Bronze to make Angel jealous. The pair engage in a really inappropriate and sexy dance which upsets Willow who has confided in Buffy about her crush on Xander.

Lucky - Biff Naked

Lucky is a song that Buffy fans may hate to love as it appears in the third episode of the fourth season named The Harsh Light of Day. While attending a party at UC Sunnydale, Buffy finds Spike and Harmony hunting for college students while she is on a date with her new guy Parker Abrams. Spike is back in Sunnydale looking for the Gem of Amara alongside the now on dead Sunnydale High student Harmony Kendall. 

After fighting off Spike, Buffy returns to the party to find Parker who discusses with her about taking a choice in life. She decides to take a choice and the pair sleep together where this song Lucky by Biff Naked plays. However this moment is bittersweet as after their night together Parker says he will call her and never does again. We see Parker moving on pulling the same tricks on different women across the campus but we are satisfied a lot later in the story when Riley Finn punches him.

Key - Devics

The song Key by Devics is an iconic choice featured in episode 14 of season 5, Crush. After Spike confesses his love for Buffy she is appalled and rejects him, he is shocked to find his old and long-term partner Drusilla back in Sunnydale as she has heard of his chip. The chip was implanted by the Initiative and it has stopped him being able to hunt humans. 

Drusilla takes Spike out like the good old days and the pair dance at the Bronze and pray on young people in the town again with this song key playing in the background. It is an excellent choice to reflect Drusilla’s influence on Spike and the pair’s charismatic nature as they walk around the club. Spike is faced with the dilemma as his personality has softened with the chip and his love for Buffy and he has to decide whether he wants to go back to his old life with Drusilla or continue on his path of fighting alongside the Slayer.

I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You - Melanie Doane

“I Can't Take My Eyes Off You” by Melanie Doane is an iconic song choice in Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured in the sixth episode of the fifth season named Family. This episode is pivotal for Willow and Tara's relationship as we are introduced to Tara's abusive family for the first time and find out that she believes that she is a demon and may be forced to abandon her lifestyle and head home. 

The Scooby gang and Spike confront Tara’s horrible family at The Magic Box where they determine she is in fact not a demon and is actually part of a long time tradition upheld by the family to manipulate the female members into a life of servitude by telling them that they are a demon. 

The episode ends with Tara celebrating her birthday at The Bronze surrounded by her friends after her family have been told to leave Sunnydale full stop Tara and Willow dance closely together while this song plays. As they are both witches, they end up levitating off the floor.

Tales of Brave Ulysses - Cream: 

Tales of Brave Ulysses was first heard in episode 6 of season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Band Candy where serial antagonist Ethan Rayne is back in Sunnydale but this time with magical chocolate. When the adults eat the chocolate bars they regress back to their teenage selves and this includes Rupert Giles and Buffy's Mum Joyce Summers. 

The pair of them run around town together and head back to Giles’ apartment where they are listening to records and smoking. This iconic song in the soundtrack links the pair of them together. The pair have a romantic evening and sleep together on a police car! 

“Tales Of Brave Ulysses” is particularly poignant as, after Joyce's death in the episode The Body, we see Giles in his apartment upset listening back to this song remembering their time together. 

Wild Horses - The Sundays

Wild Horses is another example of an emotional Buffy song that takes viewers back to the third season and the episode The Prom which is the 20th episode. Buffy wants her and her friends to have one special and normal night at the prom however Angel decides it is probably best for him to leave town as he fears that his involvement with Buffy is keeping her from pursuing her own life. Due to his curse he is unable to provide her with the life she deserves. He initially says he would not be attending the prom which upsets Buffy but it gives her time to overthrow a plot to kill students. 

When Buffy finally gets to the dance floor, she is given the Class Protector Award and watches on as Willow, Xander and Cordelia dance with their dates. Angel ends up coming to the prom and the pair of them have one last dance to The Sundays version of the song Wild Horses.

Fire Escape - Fastball

Fire Escape by Fastball is one of the most iconic 1990s sounding teen songs we could find in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is played during a montage moment in episode 5 of season 3 Homecoming where Buffy and Cordelia are fighting it out (in a different way) to win the title of Homecoming Queen. During the montage we see the pair of them sticking up photos across the school and canvassing for votes from students by giving out muffins and treats. 

Fire Escape is an iconic 90s sounding song that we think encapsulates Buffy's time at Sunnydale High School in the early Seasons.

Transylvanian Concubine - Rasputina

This song Transylvania Concubine really embodies the character of Drusilla and her charismatic and evil ways. Featured in the 13th episode of Season 2, we see Spike and Drusilla putting together the Judge and it is one of the last depictions of Spike and Drusilla before Angel turns back to Angelus and joins them. This song is rocky, haunting and bewitching much like the characteristics of Spike, Drusilla and Angelus.

Prayer of St. Francis - Sarah McLachlan

This emotional song by Sarah McLachlan is played in the season finale of season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the episode named Grave. Willow has gone magic crazy and completely bad looking to bring an end to the world after Warren shot her girlfriend Tara and killed her. It is Xander that is able to bring a stop to Willow's plan and to reach a small amount of humanity left inside of her by referencing their time growing up together and the Yellow crayon in kindergarten. Willow is able to connect with Xander's stories and as the pair of them finally embrace at the end of the episode while Willow is sobbing and Buffy and Dawn are able to escape the underground grave Willow had trapped them in, this song Prayer of St. Francis by Sarah McLachlan plays.

Window To Your Soul - Delirium

Window To Your Soul is a song that is synonymous with Buffy and Riley's relationship. Buffy gets involved with the government's Initiative alongside Riley and the pair of them fight it out with demons and vampires in a montage set to this song. 

The montage shows the connection between them performing the high adrenaline pumping activity of going out together and killing demons and fighting the good fight but it also is paralleled between their escapades when they get home to their bedroom. 

Summerbreeze - Emiliana Torrini

Summerbreeze is another memorable song from season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and connects with Buffy and Riley's relationship. In the episode Into The Woods we see Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang fully relieved after Joyce’s operation goes well. Dawn spends the night at Xander and Anya's apartment so Buffy and Riley can have some alone time together and they embrace as this song plays full stop however this song also marks the downfall in their relationship as Riley does not feel connected to Buffy and goes out in the middle of the night to meet female vampires and pays them to bite him. 

Later in the episode Spike shows Buffy where Riley has been going to selfishly get in her good books. This innocent and romantic song really contrasts with the events happening behind Buffy’s back.

Overfire - T.H.C

Overfire by THC is the haunting song sung by the character Veruca in The Bronze during season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Veruca is said to be part of a fictional band named Shy who is on the same circuit as Dingoes Ate My Baby which is Oz’s band. 

Oz feels an instant connection with the lead singer of Shy (which is really THC) Veruca and later they find out it is because they are both werewolves. Willow feels threatened by Veruca's charisma and musical connection with Oz and later the pair of them spend the night together locked up as their werewolf selves. 

Willow discovers that Oz cheated on her and he ends up leaving Sunnydale because of the situation. Overfire is an iconic song sung by Veruca as all the male members of the Scooby Gang including Giles talk about how much stage presence she has and how bewitching she is fueling Willow's doubts about Oz. 

If you want to find out more about the songs featured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer we have put together the ultimate Buffy the Vampire Slayer Spotify playlist which includes all of the music featured in the series. you can listen to it here:

And there you have it, our killer playlist of the most iconic songs from the Buffyverse! These tracks weren't just background noise – they were iconic in the show, pumping adrenaline into every battle and love ballad. Whether you're rewatching for the umpteenth time or joining the Scoobies for the first time, these Buffy The Vampire Slayer songs will have you enjoying some serious nostalgia.

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