The show once again featured a stacked playlist, featuring hits from Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Wilco and Curtis Mayfield, among many more.
Jeremy Allen White (left) as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto and Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu in ‘The Bear’
Courtesy of FX
Needle drops play a key role in The Bear’s storytelling. Selected by showrunner Christopher Storer and executive producer Josh Senior — who also serve as co-music supervisors — the soundtrack isn’t so much about new music discovery as it is about rediscovering classics or overlooked deep cuts. Their personal tastes shape the series’ musical identity, with favorites recurring across all four seasons. Chicago artists like Serengeti and Wilco share space with frequent appearances from Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Nine Inch Nails, R.E.M. and The Budos Band.
This season continues the show’s use of extended music cues, which effectively underscore the narrative. Some of the most powerful scenes rely solely on music to carry the emotions and actions. This season, The Bear managed to secure a Led Zeppelin feature with their warm acoustic track “That’s the Way,” and other unexpected needle drops include three tracks by The Ronettes — “(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up,” “Walking in the Rain” and “Baby, I Love You” — as well as Elton John’s lesser-known “Western Ford Gateway” and Manchester’s baggy-era band James, whose song “Laid” appeared in Season 3, returning here with “Nothing but Love.”
Here are the best needle drops from all 10 episodes of this season. Spoilers ahead.
-
Episode 1: “Groundhogs”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Tangerine Dream, “Diamond Diary”
The season 4 premiere features a stacked list of songs between Led Zeppelin’s “That’s The Way” and The Who’s “Getting in Tune,” but “Diamond Diary” was particularly exhilarating. This instrumental kicks in as Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) reveals he’s hired the hyper-efficient Jessica (Sarah Ramos) from Ever (Olivia Colman’s restaurant) to streamline The Bear’s operations. The track weaves through the din of the kitchen: Lockers slamming, Sharpies clattering into a metal bin, cutting boards aligning, knives sharpening, plates rattling, Chef Syd (Ayo Edebiri) slamming a bag of asparagus on the counter. It punctuates Jessica’s rapid-fire directives and builds momentum alongside the team’s adjustment to the brisk new pace. As the first night’s service begins, the music swells into an uplifting section that heightens the tension and carries through the closing credits, playing for a full seven minutes.
-
Episode 2: “Soubise”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Bob Dylan, “Most of the Time”
Every track in this episode is from the ’80s, including Dylan’s 1989 Oh Mercy ballad, “Most of the Time.” It plays as Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) calls his sister Natalie, aka Sugar (Abby Elliott), to apologize for not yet meeting his newborn niece. She assumes he’s calling about cutbacks at The Bear, but once they clear the air, she asks how he’s doing. He offers little, then gently flips the question back on her. What follows is a rare, sincere exchange full of quiet affirmations—a throat-lumpy moment of emotional clarity amid the chaos. Though the song centers on romantic heartbreak, its lyrics echo Carmy’s internal state perfectly. -
Episode 3: “Scallop”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Dion, “Only You Know”
Dinner service is calmer now as everyone finds their stride. Carmy plates a classic Original Beef of Chicagoland sandwich on checked paper for Richie to deliver as a surprise meal for a family celebrating their daughter’s cancer recovery. “Only You Know” swells and dips as Richie chats with someone who may be a food critic. Later, the family steps outside with mugs of hot chocolate, where Richie orchestrates a whimsical fake snow scene. It feels like a collective reward as Dion sings, “And only you know where you have been to/Only you know what you have been through.”
-
Episode 4: “Worms”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Curtis Mayfield “So in Love”
This heartwarming episode centers on Syd getting her hair done at her cousin’s home while bonding with her cousin’s young daughter TJ. TJ’s schoolyard drama mirrors Syd’s own dilemma — whether to stay at The Bear or take Chef Shapiro (Adam Shapiro) up on his offer to open a new restaurant. The episode closes with Syd calling Shapiro to handle some paperwork, signaling her choice. As the credits roll, Curtis Mayfield’s “So in Love” kicks in, its smooth, grounded warmth matching the quiet confidence of her decision.
-
Episode 5: “Replicants”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Paul Simon, “Let Me Live in Your City”
Some of the show’s richest moments happen when the characters step away from the kitchen. Paul Simon’s “Let Me Live in Your City” plays as Carmy drives alone, the camera catching the undersides of bridges and blurred city scenes — like seeing the world through a dirty windshield. He visits the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, a sequence that flirts with travelogue territory but ultimately pulls us closer to him. With no dialogue, Simon’s warm, conversational vocals overlaying Carmy’s quiet wandering makes the scene feel unusually intimate.
-
Episode 6: “Sophie”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Wilco, “I’m Always in Love”
Chicago mainstays Wilco return to The Bear as the staff rally around Syd, whose father is in the hospital. The Faks (Matty Matheson, Ricky Staffieri) try to sneak a sniff of Sugar’s baby Sophie, Tina edges closer to hitting her plating time goal, and sommelier Sweeps (Corey Hendrix) pitches Richie a streamlined service solution. The midtempo brightness of “I’m Always in Love” hints that, for once, some problems might actually have fixes.
-
Episode 7: “Bears”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Everything But the Girl, “Apron Strings”
At nearly twice the usual runtime, this wedding episode features a full album’s worth of music. But the most affecting moment comes during a quiet exchange between Syd and the Berzatto matriarch, Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), underscored by Everything But the Girl’s “Apron Strings.” Of all the meaningful conversations in the episode, this one stands apart: intimate and only possible between these two. The song’s double meaning — both culinary and emotional dependence — echoes their dialogue. It’s a fitting centerpiece and a clear inspiration for the episode’s title.
-
Episode 8: “Green”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Sonny & Cher, “I Got You Babe”
This isn’t the first time “I Got You Babe” surfaces this season. It first played in “Groundhogs” as Carmy woke up to Groundhog Day playing on his TV, with Bill Murray’s radio alarm clock playing the song. Here, it reappears over a montage of beautifully plated dishes, stamped “paid” invoices, ingredient order lists, clock countdowns and crisp produce being expertly prepped. The sequence is bright and buoyant, perfectly matching the song’s playful optimism.
-
Episode 9: “Tonnato”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX Bruce Hornsby & the Range, “The Show Goes On”
Eddie Vedder’s cover of The English Beat’s “Save It for Later,” featured three times in Season 3. It returns in this penultimate episode, as does Refused’s defiant “New Noise.” But it’s Bruce Hornsby & the Range’s “The Show Goes On” that truly pulls at the heartstrings, underscoring Sugar’s announcement of Food & Wine’s new “best new chefs” with Marcus (Lionel Boyce) receiving the honor. After a gooey photo montage of The Bear, Marcus texts the Food & Wine article to his father. By the time he hits “send,” we’re already in tears.
-
Episode 10: “Goodbye”
Image Credit: Courtesy of FX St. Vincent, “Fast Slow Disco”
The 2018 remix of St. Vincent’s “Fast Slow Disco” is the sole needle drop in this tense season finale. First heard in “Scallop” as Syd prepares the dish, it returns here as the clock on the restaurant’s closing time expires and plays through the credits. The chorus: “Slip my hand from your hand/Leave you dancin’ with a ghost” feels like a poignant reflection of Carmy getting ready to leave Syd behind.
