Everyone knows the songs “Another Love” and “Heal” by Tom Odell, “A Drop in the Ocean” by Ron Pope, and “Skinny Love” by Birdy which were all popularized by the hit TV show The Vampire Diaries. This show has such a unique variety of music incorporated into every episode. Here are a few that are a little lesser known, but don’t read the descriptions if you don’t want spoilers!
“On A Mission” by The Dandelions
This song was played in Season One, Episode 11 “Bloodlines” when Elena and Damon were taking a road trip to find Damon’s old witch friend. This is the perfect car ride, windows down song for summertime. It’s quite hard to find on streaming platforms, so much so, that the lyrics are nowhere to be found on the internet. A hidden gem is an understatement.
“1901” by Phoenix
This song was played in Season One, Episode 18 “Under Control.” This is the episode where Stefan struggles to control his urges to feed on humans, rather than his usual bunny diet. It plays when Stefan compels the DJ at a Lockwood party to play music that people can dance to. This song is perfect for this kind of occasion and is actually the entire purpose of this song. It was made so that the lyrics were almost put on the back burner and the production was highlighted instead.
“Never Let Me Go” by Florence + The Machine
This song was played in Season Three, Episode 19 “Heart of Darkness.” Anyone who is a fan of Damon and Elena’s relationship knows this pivotal scene where Elena kisses Damon for the first time. This scene sets the stage for their developing relationship and this song is the perfect one to encompass their feelings for each other. Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence + The Machine, rarely ever plays this song live due to its emotional meaning to her, but just recently in 2022, she played it for the first time in years.
“Future Starts Slow” by The Kills
This song was played in Season Three, Episode 17 “Break on Through,” specifically during the scene where Damon, Sage, and Rebekah are dancing together in the Salvatore Boarding House. It’s perfect for this scene because the song is about codependence and dangerous relationships that you can’t let go of because you need one another more than you need your own well-being. This is true for Sage’s relationship with Finn, whom she waited for for over 900 years…talk about codependency. This song is a great dancing song and one that has definitely been coined as one of the best to come from this show.
“Dreaming” by Smallpools
This song was played in Season Five, Episode 1 “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” It plays during a college party that Elena and Caroline are attending. In contrast to the upbeat vibe of the song, it is about a relationship going wrong when you thought you had everything figured out. This is foreshadowing Damon and Elena’s relationship. Yet again, this is a great windows down summer car ride song. Smallpools are an indie rock band from LA, and this song was one of the first they ever released.
“Bloodstream” by Stateless
This song was played in Season One, Episode 22 “Founder’s Day.” As we know, season finales are some of the most impactful when it comes to plot and in this episode, this song plays in a scene where Damon thinks he’s kissing Elena, when in reality it’s her doppelgänger, Katherine. Talk about confusion…people to this day still think that Damon and Elena’s first kiss was during this episode, when in fact it’s actually Season Two, Episode 22 “As I Lay Dying.”
“Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran
This song was played during Season Four, Episode 7 “My Brother’s Keeper.” This is the moment that Damon and Elena dance in the living room and have…a moment. One of the best parts of this scene is the contradictory scene split between Caroline and Stefan where they are trying to justify why Elena could have feelings for someone like Damon, settling on the sire bond. This song is not unknown by any means, but in terms of Ed Sheeran songs, this one off of his debut album + (Plus) should get more recognition than it does. It would be the perfect wedding song.
“What You Know” by Two Door Cinema Club
This song was played during Season Three, Episode 1 “The Birthday.” It’s hard to catch in the scene, but it is played as music on the speakers of “The Grill” after Jeremy has another ghost encounter. It is also in the background of the scene directly afterward where Caroline and Tyler are discussing their relationship. This song is about someone who isn’t as present in their relationship as they should be because they don’t feel like they are capable of filling that position in their partner’s life. It also talks about hiding one’s actual feelings and repressing them so they don’t have to deal with them in the future. This sums up Jeremy’s relationship with Bonnie at this point in the show. Two Door Cinema Club has another song that you may recognize called, “Undercover Martyn.”
“Twice” by Little Dragon
This song is played during Season Four, Episode 1 “Growing Pains.” This is the episode where Elena is going through her transition into becoming a vampire. It is played during the scene where Elena is remembering one of her interactions with Damon that he compelled her to forget. He told her that he loved her, but that he didn’t deserve her; instead, his brother Stefan did. This was one of Damon’s most selfless moments as he took away a memory that easily could have been a reason for Elena to fall for him. This song has a very nostalgic feeling and brings me back to wintertime.
“Enjoy The Silence” by Anberlin
This song is played during Season One, Episode 6 “Lost Girls” when Damon is taking care of Vicky Donovan while she is going through her vampire transition. It is the iconic scene where they are both dancing with each other around the house having a heart-to-heart conversation about Vicky’s life. This song is the perfect dance-around-the-house song, perfectly used in The Vampire Diaries.
There are so many more songs where this came from. Check out this playlist I made of over 84 songs that remind me of The Vampire Diaries: