The music on Chuck is consistently awesome. A mix of indie bands, mainstream acts, and totally obscure up and coming artists. Here are my favorite songs from Chuck, along with their Youtube videos.
The New Pornographers – Challengers
Canadian supergroup (incudling members Neko Case, AC Newman, and Dan Bejar among others) adds one of the greatest songs ever written about adultery. Don’t let your significant other hear you jamming this song unless you want to answer a lot of awkward questions about that lipstick on your collar. A perfect fit for Chuck and its target audience of college-educated 25-40 year olds, as comfortable with Top 40 as with indie rock.
The New Pornographers took a while to find their target audience, much like Chuck itself, so it comes as no surprise that the two worlds would collide. After all, they’re both much too smart for their audience and much too funny to be ignored.
Band Of Horses – “No One’s Gonna Love You”
College radio mavens Band of Horses nail it once again with this awesome pop song. It is a perfect fit for the show, and a song that gets a ton of replay on my stereo. The moment this song plays during Chuck is absolutely perfect. Sing it loud, sing it proud. With the windows down. In the shower. Wherever you want.
Gogol Bordello – “Ultimate”
Gogol Bordello is the world’s greatest gypsy punk revolutionary music bar none. This song perfectly fits the funny and romantic aspect of Chuck and is a standout piece of music no matter what show its featured on. Awesome band, awesome song, awesome episode of Chuck.
Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season
Mates of State – “Second Hand News”
This chill cover of a Fleetwood Mac classic was practically written for a cable TV show. Just poppy enough to ignore, but cool enough to put on a mixtape for a friend with nostalgia and a long road trip ahead of them.
The Cave Singers – “Black Leaf”
One of the greatest lead singers in indie rock leads The Cave Singers, and this iconic song is just cool and spy-like enough for Chuck. The record this song comes from, 2011′s No Witch, is worth a listen if you’re a fan of Chuck, this song, or life in general.
Death Cab For Cutie – “You Are A Tourist”
One-time indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie are now big fish in the mainstream. This song doesn’t necessarily scream “Chuck” to me, but I do love the tune, and it would be a perfect addition to any Chuck mixtape you could put together, especially for a lady-friend or other crush.