Revisiting The Music From “The OC”

Carter Guthrie 

Journalist 

The OC was a modern American soap opera that aired from 2003 to 2007, set in, you guessed it, Orange County, California. The show followed a young cast of characters through the highs and lows of a diverse set of melodramatic teenagers. The show launched the careers of notable actors and actresses like Melinda Clarke and Peter Gallagher, while also serving as the launchpad for others like Adam Brody. Iconically, the drama featured a wide range of artists who either played live as a part of the show’s plot or were featured in the soundtrack. In the real world, Orange County has been the birthplace of many punk and rock bands like No Doubt, Young the Giant and The OC, lovingly considered this when curating the show’s tracklist. 

The very first band that played live on The OC was the California rock band, Rooney. Rooney was a perfect fit as the majority of the band’s work focuses on heartbreak with an upbeat tune that fits with the tone of the first season. Rooney exemplified the show’s dramatic, somewhat corny attitude toward the love triangle at the time. The plucky basslines and upbeat chords were the perfect background music for the main character, Ryan, to deal with the frenzy of love happening within the high school. 

One of the most notable performances that occurred on the show was The Killers playing “Mr.Brightside.” When watching the show for the first time, I nearly fell out of my seat when I heard it. “Mr.Brightside” has become a global anthem with more than 3 billion streams on Spotify as of 2026. When the episode A New Era came out, the episode where The Killers performed, the song had about 5 million plays across various outlets. The song was definitely not a secret, but small enough to be playing at the small, fictional venue, The Bait Shop. “Mr.Brightside’s” use in the show was obvious but endearing, as the two main male leads were battling their ex-girlfriends who had left them for other men. Inclusions such as these make the show feel like a product of its time, in the best way imaginable. 

Interestingly, the indie-rock band Death Cab for Cutie was on the show for a live performance and played routinely on the show’s soundtrack, with 5 different songs listed. Death Cab for Cutie not only played 2 songs live for the show but was also Seth Choen, the show’s comedic relief’s favorite band, mentioning them multiple times throughout the show’s 4 seasons.  

Other bands that were included on the show include LCD Soundsystem, playing “Daft Punk is Playing at My House,” Beck playing “Girl” and “E-Pro,” The Black Keys playing “10 A.M. Automatic,” Modest Mouse playing “Float On,” and about ten other performances that propelled the plot and these artists’ careers. These performances were not only a way to get the show’s target demographic interested in watching, but a way to use the angsty music of the time to their advantage. Many of these bands’ alternative rock sound was an excellent fit for the show’s melodramatic, often-over-the-top nature. 

The OC was not only infamous for featuring guest bands to play on the show’s episodes, but also had a stacked roster of songs that spun in the soundtrack. Artists like Jeff Buckley, Coldplay, and the Shins often made appearances during the show’s runtime. Given the timeframe, these artists produce a distinct 90s and 2000s sound that fits in the show like the perfect puzzle piece. While the inclusion of indie bands for a teenage soap opera may seem obvious now, The OC committed to this as one of the show’s core principles. While The OC was definitely not the first show to do this, its philosophy helped set a trend in future works such as One Tree Hill and even HBO’s Euphoria. Josh Schwartz, the creator of The OC, wanted the music to be an active character during the show’s runtime, and often wrote scenes completely around the booked artist or chosen music for the episode. The music supervisor, Alexandra Parsavas, was responsible for selecting the bands and often sought cutting-edge sounds that fit the characters’ experiences.

Although The OC may have been pretty corny and over the top at times, there is no denying that the creators of the show treated the music curation with love. The soundtrack, combined with live performances, left a palpable impression on the teens who watched it at the time, and on the artists who were featured.