Stylistically, the music ranged from hip hop (Master P) to mainstream pop (Duran Duran) to rock (Kid Rock) to country music (Johnny Cash), often within a single episode.
The opening credits for each episode displays each starring cast member's name on a black screen interspersed with scenes from the episode. Usually at a poignant moment, an excerpt of the show's theme is played, leading into the show's logo and the listing of series creator Shawn Ryan. The theme is played in full during the closing credits. The tune is "Just Another Day", by Vivian Ann Romero, Ernesto J. Bautista & Rodney Alejandro.
Most episodes use a unique piece of music during the opening or closing montage sequence. Often the song signals the characters' emotional mood or the episode's themes. The show's characters visibly listen to music. The show makes little other use of background music.
| # | 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
Tha Mexakinz
Los Lobos
Steve Edwards |
| 2 | "Our Gang" | "A Crowd Killer"
"Dámelo"
"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" | "The Flute Thing"
"Rebuttal"
"One by One"
"Weight"
"Dance With the Devil"
"Sunday Jack"
"Do It Right"
"Throwin' You a Party"
"Deeply"
"Crank"
"Heart of a Rebel" | Push
Project 86
Jason Darling
Matthew Anthony
Young Dre
Flight 180
Molly M
Debbie Mitchell
Abby Dobson
John Leber
SX-10 |
| 5 | "Blowback" | "Beer"
"Hyots Aghunak"
"Get Away"
"Laraca"
"Wah Wah"
"Caught Up In the System"
"Yreg Votnlvai"
"Trial by Fire"
"The Flute Song"
"Rebuttal"
"One by One"
"Ballad of Joliet" | Trailer Park Cassanovas
Seda Garibyan
Danny Wood
Arte Mixto
3rd Root
SX-10
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
Lee Jung Hyun
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""Voluntad"
"Green Fantasy"
"El Capitan"
"Fe" | Cage 9
Conejo
Brujeria
Kinto Sol
Julieta VenegasJulieta 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 |
| # | 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 & Oates |
| 8 | "Scar Tissue" | "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" | Flogging Molly |
| 9 | "Co-Pilot" | "Justice" | Black Uhuru |
| 10 | "Coyotes" | ? | ? |
| 11 | "Inferno" | "Fade Away"
"2 Tha Floor"
"No Better Love "
"Mafia "
"Hilltop "
| Fanny Grace
Sam Sneed
Angela Johnson
Kelis (feat. Markita)
[1] |
| 12 | "Breakpoint" | "Thorn" | Unida |
| 13 | "Dominoes Falling" | "Trouble"
"Ghetto Starzz"
"Overcome"
"Firefly"
| Daniel Ash
Littles
Live
Grand Drive
|
| # | Episode title | Song title | Artist | Notes |
|---|
| 1 | "Playing Tight" | "Holy Roller Novocaine"
"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" | Jonny Lang | Long time coming | Vic talking to Farrah in the end |
| 4 | "Streaks and Tips" | "The Stroke" | Billy Squier | Played as the Decoy squad streak |
| 5 | "Mum" | ? | ? |
| 6 | "Posse Up" | "3030"
"My So Called Friends" | Deltron 3030
Honkeyball | Vic and Julien get the killer for hire |
| 7 | "Safe" | ? | ? |
| 8 | "Cracking Ice" | "Sway"
"Feelin' Me" | Phaser
Baby Bash | Played while Shane gives Mara an engagement ring.
Playing in the background when Lil Syke and Trish begin to have sex while she is undercover. |
| 9 | "Slipknot" | "Ashes to Ashes" | Steve Earle |
| 10 | "What Power Is..." | "Riley and Spencer" | Blue Mountain | Playing on Shane's car stereo just before Mara calls about her mom wanting more money. |
| 11 | "Strays" | ? | ? |
| 12 | "Riceburner" | "Hangin' By A Wire" | Gordie Sampson |
| 13 | "Fire In the Hole" | ? | ? |
| 14 | "All In" | "It's Gonna Be a Long Night" | Ween |
| 15 | "On Tilt" | "Back of Your Hand" | Dwight Yoakam | Played in Shane's car |
| # | 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" | EI Imperio | Nena | Played while Vic is aheading to Santi's crib | El Maloso | Raza Pesada | Vic and Santis guys face off with guns inside |
| 3 | "Back to One" | "I Ran (So Far Away)"
"Miles de pasajeros" | A Flock Of Seagulls
Bajofondo | Played in Dutch's car.
Played while Vic Mackey is invading Guardo's hiding place. |
| 4 | "The New Guy" | ? | ? |
| 5 | "Haunts" | "18 Wheels Of Love" | Drive-By Truckers | Played in Shane's car. |
| 6 | "Chasing Ghosts" | "GTO" | Dirty Rig | Played during the raid on Snail's crib. |
| 7 | "Exiled" | ? | ? |
| 8 | "The Math of the Wrath" | Motivate Al Baile | Baby Ranks | Played in front of Santi place |
| 9 | "Recoil" | ? | ? |
| 10 | "Spanish Practices" | "Interview "Respek" | Skripture (Mike Foy) | Played on Gangbanger porch scene |
As of 2012, one official soundtrack compilation had been released. The Shield: Music from the Streets was released in 2005,[2] and contains selections from the first four seasons. Unofficial soundtracks on the Internet compiled by fans include tracks featured in episodes that were not included on the official soundtrack.