Nine note-perfect needle-drops in FX’s ‘The Bear’

17 June, 2024

The Bear

In partnership with Disney+ UK

FX’s The Bear is back. Season three of the Emmy-winning show about a Chicago eatery, starring Jeremy Allen White as Carmy and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie, is set to land on Disney+ on June 27. Once more, the dishes are mouthwatering and so is the soundtrack. To celebrate, we’ve picked the best needle-drops so far in this stunning series.

When Carmy wakes up at The Original Beef

Refused – ‘New Noise’
‘System’, season one, episode one

Swedish hardcore band Refused’s vibrant, electric 1998 track feels like the perfect way to usher in the first episode of FX’s The Bear. From their album ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’, its opening guitar riff sets your nerves a-jangling as Carmy is faced with mounting bills and incorrect food orders, while he tries to get his head round everything his late brother Mikey left behind at his sandwich restaurant, The Original Beef Of Chicagoland.

Sydney’s frustrations boil over

Genesis – ‘In Too Deep’
‘Brigade’, season one, episode three

Unprepared for her new role, Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) begins to stress out, even slicing herself with a boxcutter knife. Over the soundtrack, that early ’80s Genesis classic ‘In Too Deep’ almost tries to soothe away her pain, as Phil Collins’ vocals drift in, telling us that “All that time I was searching with nowhere to run to.” Not since American Psycho have these one-time prog-rock kings been so well used.

Mikey shows us who’s boss

LCD Soundsystem – ‘Call The Police’
‘Ceres’: season one, episode six

As the episode opens, we finally get to meet Carmy’s dear, departed brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal), who is making braciole, commanding the kitchen as Carmy, Richie and sister Natalie (Abby Elliott) watch in awe. Foreshadowing events to come, LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Call The Police’ throbs underneath the scene like a siren dashing through the night.

Money magic in the tins

Radiohead – ‘Let Down’
‘Braciole’, season one, episode eight

After Richie gives Carmy a letter from Mikey, his late bro urges him towards a spaghetti recipe, using those smaller tins of tomatoes. When he opens one, pouring the contents into a pan, he finds a sealed stash of hundred-dollar bills inside. What comes next is typical of FX’s The Bear’s off-kilter jukebox, as Radiohead’s magically mournful ‘OK Computer’ classic ‘Let Down’ strikes up, a strangely fitting counterpoint to this rare moment of euphoria.

When The Original Beef becomes The Bear

Bruce Hornsby & The Range – ‘The Show Goes On’
‘Beef’, season two, episode one

What a soulful way to start the second series. Cut to aerial shots of the Chicago skyline, the piano intro from Bruce Hornsby & The Range’s ‘The Show Goes On’ kicks in, as Carmy and co. start setting up new restaurant The Bear. “Still without you, the show goes on,” sings Hornsby, a reminder of Mikey, the late older brother who will always hold a place in their hearts.

School’s out for Ebra

The Replacements – ‘Bastards Of Young’
‘Pop’, season two, episode five

Two minutes into the episode, Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) sits by the lake, smoking a huge cigar, reflecting on his decision to ditch his training. As if to herald this, The Replacements’ raw, emotional ‘Bastards Of Young’ drops. Cutting across scenes, this energetic track then spins us back to the restaurant, where Carmy is testing his response times by stopwatch in their soon-to-be-built kitchen.

Richie takes Taylor Swift to his heart

Taylor Swift – ‘Love Story (Taylor’s Version)’
‘Forks’, season two, episode seven

Driving through Chicago, Richie sings Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story (Taylor’s Version)’ loud and proud, in between swearing at other motorists of course. Like the rest of us he’s been trying to score tickets for a Swift concert for his daughter. But this really hits after Richie bonds with Olivia Colman’s head chef later in the episode. “Every second counts” reads a sign on the wall, as Swift’s anthem strikes up over the end credits. Powerful.

Richie for Ever

David Byrne – ‘Glass, Concrete & Stone’
‘Forks’, season two, episode seven

Sent by Carmy to work at Ever, an upscale fine dining restaurant for a week of education, Richie arrives at the crack of dawn to explore the venue. Empty and silent, it’s accompanied by Talking Heads maestro David Byrne’s ‘Glass, Concrete & Stone’, an eerie-if-there-ever-was-one track from his 2004 album ‘Grown Backwards’. Perfectly summing up the nervy butterflies in his stomach, the tune’s minimalist instrumentation and angst-ridden lyrics masterfully complement Richie’s high anxiety.

Carmy cools his heels in the freezer

Nine Inch Nails – ‘Hope We Can Again’
‘The Bear’, season two, episode 10

The great Nine Inch Nails’ ambient melody ‘Hope We Can Again’ underscores season two’s closing episode, spirting us across several scenes, somehow fitting them all. With Carmy locked in the freezer, reflecting on his foolhardy screw-up with girlfriend Claire, the Trent Reznor track sums up the anxieties felt, culminating in his outburst at Richie.