The Plot: Season 1 (the music)

This morning’s post is a short, semi-random observation on the music of Lost. I don’t mean Michael Giacchino’s score, although that is pretty cool, I mean the soundtrack. I love how all of the songs played on the show are natural, that is, they emanate from an identifiable on-screen source. The first episode after the pilot goes out with Joe Purdy’s “Wash Away” playing on Hurley’s CD player.[1] The song’s mood totally matches the theme of that episode. The island offers rebirth, an escape from one’s mainland baggage. But it is also the type of pop song a network show would use for overly dramatic effect. It works because the audience isn’t quite ready for how different a show Lost while be. It’s still kind of an island set soap. At the point, you can almost imagine the Fray playing while Jack works on Boone. When Hurley’s Discman finally dies later in the season, it ends on a Damien Rice song.[2] Pop songs make a come back with Cass Elliot’s “Make Your Own Kind of Music” with Desmond down in the semi-civilization of the hatch. We continue to hear mostly ‘60s and ‘70s pop songs because they are from the Dharma Initiative’s time period. Of course, the change in music might just reflect J.J. Abrams leaving and Carlton Cuse joining. But still, it’s interesting to think how everything on Lost serves a very specific purpose.

[1] “Tabla Rasa”
[2] “…In Translation”