The West Wing soundtrack: All songs featured in the show explored

In The West Wing, political intrigue meets the intensity of a two-term Democratic President of the United States, Josiah "Jed" Bartlet (Martin Sheen), and his team at the White House. They navigate the complex and charged world of politics at the turn of the millennium, revealing the person behind the powerful figureheads.

An American drama about the biggest political contingent requires a heroic soundtrack, which the show delivers. The main title, composed by Emmy Award-winning musician W.G. Snuffy Walden, incorporates Americana, folk, gospel, and military instruments to create a bold theme shrouded in an element of mystery. His instrumentals across the show's seven seasons underscore tense moments perfectly.

Here is a complete rundown of The West Wing and its music.

The soundtrack of the political drama The West Wing

Season 1 soundtrack (1999)

In Jed Bartlet's first year as the POTUS, the internal conflict of the West Wing is in full swing as White House staff try to adjust to their new roles and responsibilities. The tense, dramatic, and emotional moments are underscored by W. G. Snuffy Walden's soundtrack.

Episode 1

• Moment of Weakness —Bif Naked
• Walking the West Wing — W. G. Snuffy Walden

Episode 2

• Fizz Drop — Joydrop, Mandy arrives by car in The West Wing

Episode 3

• Proportional Response — W. G. Snuffy Walden

Episode 4

• Happy Days Are Here Again — Barbara Streisand

Episode 5

• Ave Maria from Ellen Song III, D. 839 —Franz Schubert

Episode 6

• Learn to Fly — Foo Fighters, plays at the bar where Zoe is approached by men in The West Wing.
• Automatic — Collapsis

Episode 7

• Hail to the Chief — James Sanderson
• Canon in D Major — Johann Pachelbel

Episode 10

• The Little Drummer Boy — Harry Simeone Chorale, plays during the White House Christmas party in The West Wing.

Episode 14

• Hashkiveinu — Max Helfman, plays at the synagogue

Episode 15

• Sorry —Stretch Princess
• Forever Lost — The Magic Numbers

Episode 18

• The Jackal — Ronny Jordan, Dana Bryant
• Put on a Happy Face (Demo) — Charles Strouse and the Original Broadway cast of Bye Bye Birdie!

Episode 20

• Sympathique —Pink Martini

Season 2 soundtrack (2000)

The aftermath of the assassination attempt on the president's public aide causes tension and strife in season 2 of The West Wing. The White House preps for the 2000 midterm elections while contemplating a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The soundtrack features the world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Kool & The Gang, and others.

Episode 1

• Leavin' On Your Mind — Patsy Cline, plays at the bar where Toby drinks in The West Wing.

Episode 2

• Don't Pull Your Love —Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
• Celebration — Kool & The Gang

Episode 5

• H.M.S. Pinafore: "For He Is An Englishman" — Donald Adams, Eric Wilson-Hyde, George Cook, Gillian Knight, Isidore Godfrey, Jean Hindmarsh, Jeffrey Skitch, John Reed, The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Joyce Wright

Episode 8

• We Gather Together — Cedarmont Kids, the song CJ and the children sing in the Rose Garden in The West Wing.

Episode 10

• Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: I. Prelude — Yo-Yo Ma plays it live at the Congressional Christmas party in The West Wing.
• Carol of the Bells — Mykola Dmytrovych Leantovych

Episode 12

• Minuet & Trio — Luigi Boccherini

Episode 13

• Blame it on the Bossanova —Eydie Gorme

Episode 16

• New York Minute — Don Henley

Episode 19

• Wells Fargo Wagon —Meredith Wilson, Josh Lyman sings the song while explaining the devaluation of the Mexican Peso to Donna in The West Wing.
• Suite No. 3 in D Major — Johann Sebastian Bach & other artists

Episode 22

• Brothers In Arms — Dire Straits

Season 3 soundtrack (2001)

As terror attacks threaten the peace of the United States, President Bartlet steps up to run for a second term. Different entities look into rumors of him having multiple sclerosis, but strategic planning for the re-elections is well underway. The West Wing season 3 soundtrack features Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison, and others.

Episode 1

• For What It's Worth — Buffalo Springfield

Episode 2

• Rock the Boat — The Hues Corporation
• Instead — Abandon Jalopy, plays at the bar where CJ & Toby play pool in The West Wing.

Episode 6

• You Make Me Feel So Young — Frank Sinatra

Episode 7

• I'm Too Sexy — Right Side Fred, CJ asks Carol what this song means in The West Wing.

Episode 11

• West Side Story: "Cool" — Chorus, Kurt Ollmann, Leonard Bernstein, London Symphony Orchestra

Episode 12

• The Surrey With the Fringe on Top (Oklahoma!) —Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones & Charlotte Greenwood, Dona sings this song, and it also gets a piano solo moment at the bar where Josh and Amy meet in The West Wing.
• Cello Sonata No. 5, E-Minor: 2nd Movement —The Vienna Chamber Ensemble

Episode 13

• Red Wine — UB40

Episode 14

• Destiny — Zero 7

Episode 15

• Destiny — Zero 7

Episode 16

• "O Canada" (The National Anthem of Canada) — Calixa Lavallee, plays at an event Donna attends after she gets a letter saying she is Canadian and might be facing immigration issues.

Season 3 Documentary Special

• Hanging By a Moment —Lifehouse
• Texas, Our Texas — 50 Guitars of Tommy Garrett
• West Wing — The Electronic Symphony Orchestra
• Red Red Wine — UB40
• Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: 1. Prelude — Yo-Yo Ma
• Oeuvres Vocales Et Chorales: Ave Maria (a Quatre Voix), Op. 2 — Frédéric Ledroit, Maîtrise Saint-Louis de Gonzague & Rémi Gousseau

Episode 20

• Don't Know Why — Norah Jones

Episode 21

• Caravan — Van Morrison, Amy dances to this song in The West Wing.
• Moondance —Van Morrison

Episode 22

• Hallelujah — Jeff Buckley
• Patriotic Chorus — Gilbert & Sullivan (originally by Stephen Oliver), plays as the US covert forces attack and kill a Middle Eastern terrorist while President Bartlet is at the Theater in The West Wing.

Season 4 soundtrack (2002)

A new term begins at the White House, and President Bartlet deals with the changes in his staff, with Sam leaving and Will joining. A s*x scandal related to the vice president threatens the POTUS' credibility. In the series finale, his daughter is kidnapped, ending The West Wing season 4 in a cliffhanger. The soundtrack elevates the heavily charged scenes, with more live performances from bands like The Whiffenpoofs and Aimee Mann.

Episode 1

• National Emblem March — Edwin Eugene Bagley
• The Battle Hymn of the Republic — William Steffe, Robert Shaw, Thomas Pyle
• Always — Liars Inc.
• The Washington Post — John Philip Sousa

Episode 2

• I Don't Like Mondays — Tori Amos (Original by The Boomtown Rats)
• The Wanderer — Dion DiMucci

Episode 3

• One Week — Barenaked Ladies
• Shed a Little Light — Aimee Mann performs live during the Rock the Vote rally in The West Wing.

Episode 4

• Gloria in D: I. Gloria in Excelsis Deo — Antonio Vivaldi

Episode 5

• Gaudeamus Igitur — performed by The West Wing cast

Episode 6

• Midnight Confessions (Single) — The Grass Roots, plays at the bar as Sam and Will talk.

Episode 7

• The Times They Are A-Changin' — Richie Havens, plays after President Bartlet's acceptance speech on election night in The West Wing.
• Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home (feat. The Jordanaires) — Patsy Cline

Episode 8

• I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm — Dean Martin
• Someone to Watch Over Me — George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin

Episode 11

• O Holy Night — The Whiffenpoofs perform live in The West Wing for Toby and his father.
• Bye, Bye Blackbird — The Whiffenpoofs
• Anything Goes — Cole Porter
• The Girl From Ipanema (With Antonio Carlos Jobim) — Frank Sinatra

Episode 15

• Rock Me to Sleep — Jill Sobule
• Heroes — Jill Sobule
• March of the Toys — Victor Herbert

Episode 16

• Rock This Town — Stray Cats

Episode 17

• Sand In My Shoes — Bobby Short

Episode 18

• Pastoral Beauty — Debbie Wiseman, KPM String Quartet, plays during the DAR Reception in The West Wing.

Episode 22

• Pomp and Circumstance — Edward Elgar

Episode 23

• Angel — Massive Attack, plays when Zoe gets kidnapped.

Season 5 soundtrack (2003)

President Bartlet starts season 5 on the back foot: his daughter is kidnapped, followed by a Republican Speaker of the House pushing him to cut federal spending. Nuclear testing and terrorism warnings weave their way into the storyline, leading to intense instrumental pieces featuring Frederic Chopin, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, and others.

Episode 1

• Sanvean- I Am Your Shadow — Lisa Gerrard, plays as the search for Zoey intensifies. It perfectly sums up the tension and fear of not knowing if she's alive or dead.
• Sanvean — Sarah Brightman

Episode 3

• Jefferson Lives —W. G. Snuffy Walden

Episode 4

• Ballad No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52 —Frederic Chopin
• Prelude No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 28 — Frederic Chopin
• Etude for Piano No. 12, Op. 10, 12 — Frederic Chopin

Episode 9

• What Child Is This?- William Chatterton Dix — Roy Todd

Episode 10

• Suicide is Painless — The MASH
• Last Post — American Military Band

Episode 11

• Super Duper Love — Joss Stone
• Oh, What a Beautiful Morning —Gordon MacRae

Episode 13

• Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground — Blind Willie Johnson

Episode 14

• My Country 'Tis of Thee — Crosby & Nash, plays when Leo and President Bartlet have a chat after a bribery comes to light.

Episode 17

• American Pie — Don McLean
• Stay — Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

Episode 18

• In the Waiting Line — Zero 7, plays as C.J. wraps up her work day.

Episode 20

• Sunrise, Sunset — Jerry Bock, Ferrante & Teicher

Episode 21

• Indra — Thievery Corporation
• Way of the Mystic — Angel Tears

Season 6 soundtrack (2004)

As President Bartlet's second term comes to a close, things begin heating up in the Democratic primary race between Senator Santos and Vice President Hoynes. A credible Republican frontrunner emerges as well. CJ gets promoted to Chief of Staff. Some songs are cover versions by the cast themselves, while others play during emotionally charged and drama-filled moments at the White House.

Episode 7

• A Change is Gonna Come —Sam Cooke, covered by James Taylor
• Jelly Man Kelly — James Taylor
• Handy Man —James Taylor
• The Mikado: 3. A Wand'ring Minstrel I — The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The D'Oyly Carte Opera Chorus, Royston Nash, Colin Wright

Episode 9

• Monday, Monday — The Mamas & The Papas, Josh and Donna sing while having breakfast.

Episode 11

• Someday, Someway — Marshall Crenshaw

Episode 13

• Desire — Ryan Adams, end credits montage in The West Wing
• Walkin' After Midnight — Patsy Cline
• Green, Green Grass of Home (Live) — Johnny Cash
• Peace Train — Cat Stevens, a fringe candidate sings this live

Episode 14

• Otello, Act Four: Mia Madre Aveva una Povera Ancella — Herbert Von Karajan, John Vickers, Mirella Freni, Peter Glossop
• My Funny Valentine — Ella Fitzgerald, it's Valentine's Day and Annabeth sings the song while handing out candy in the press room in The West Wing.

Episode 16

• Alison — Elvis Costello, a live cover version is sung by Congressman Santos in The West Wing.
• Take Five — Dave Brubeck

Episode 17

• Begin the Beguine — Artie Shaw and His Orchestra

Episode 19

• Cirrus — Bill Anschell
• Stories We Told — Bill Anschell

Episode 20

• Sir Duke — Stevie Wonder, the instrumental portion of this song plays when Senator Vinnick is celebrating his win.

Episode 22

• Desire — Ryan Adams

Season 7 (2005)

The focus shifts to Santos' race to election night as President Bartlet's second term comes to an end. Fun, inspiring, and powerful songs underscore his campaign trail, vote count, and inauguration as the next President of the United States. Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, and Bon Jovi feature.

Episode 2

• Jet Airliner — Seteve Miller Band, plays when Santos goes on his campaign trail.

Episode 8

• Hallelujah — Various artists
• Oyaheya — Rickie Byars Beckwith

Episode 9

• Music for the Royal Fireworks Suite, HWV 351: 3. La paix — Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood

Episode 13

• Body and Soul — Billie Holiday
• Bang Bang — Dizzy Gillespie, plays when Donna and Josh share a kiss.

Episode 15

• For Once In My Life — Stevie Wonder, Annabeth covers it while the senior staffers from Santos' rally talk about the singer performing it.
• Welcome to Wherever You Are — Bon Jovi

Episode 16

• Resolve — Foo Fighters

Episode 17

• Miracle —Foo Fighters
• Beautiful Day — U2
• My Cherie Amour — Stevie Wonder
• Deep in the Heart of Texas —Gene Autry, election results are in, and Santos has won his home state of Texas.

Episode 22

• America the Beautiful —Keb' Mo', performed at President Santos' inauguration.
• The Angel Song — Jaci Velasquez
• Love Kills — Freddie Mercury
• Drownin' On Dry Land — Little Junior Parker
• Washington Post — John Philip Sousa
• Hail to the Chief —James Sanderson
• Semper Fidelis — Jogn Philip Sousa

Other W. G. Snuffy Walden songs featured in The West Wing

• The Aftermath
• One Down in Gaza
• Leo Has To Go
• Ways and Means
• Leo's Lament
• Two Cathedrals
• No Exit
• Donna and the Delegation
• The 14th Amendment
• Halls of the White House
• The First Commandment
• The Oval Office
• Retaliatory Strikes
• Recovery
• 24 Hr. Deadline
• Charlie in the Oval Office
• Mrs. Landingham
• One Of Three
• Presidential Proclamation
• Questions
• Strike Immediately
• Super Tuesday
• Alternate Options
• The Nomination

Stream all episodes of The West Wing on Hulu.

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