One Tree Hill: The 10 Best Songs In The Series

When One Tree Hill started in 2003, it showed right off the bat that it was going to have a great soundtrack. Throughout the seasons, the series featured countless iconic songs and even had guest artists on the show like Sheryl Crow and Fall Out Boy.

The songs heard in One Tree Hill always paired well with the mood of the show and the pivotal events its characters were going through, though some stand out above the rest for how they perfectly captured the character’s thoughts and feelings. The soundtrack is one of the most memorable of the 2000s and revisiting it always brings back fond memories for fans.

“Re-Offender” By Travis

There were many times on One Tree Hill where the characters were finding themselves at crossroads. One of these times occurred in One Tree Hill‘s first season, during the episode titled “With Arms Outstretched” when, as the song “Re-Offender” by the band Travis played, several characters faced big decisions or changes.

The lyrics to the song’s chorus repeat the words “I’m fooling myself,” and it mirrors several of the characters’ mindsets as they keep hoping their decisions will make things better for themselves and others. As the rock song was featured, Whitey left his office after deciding to suspend basketball practices following Nathan’s accident, Peyton found herself between Brooke and Lucas, and Dan left the Scott household after Deb asked for them to separate.

“Dare You To Move” By Switchfoot

Nathan and Haley are a model couple for many One Tree Hill fans, and it all started when, back in the show’s first season, Nathan showed up at Haley’s house to tell her: “I want to be someone who’s good enough to be seen with you,” moments before kissing her.

As Haley returned his kiss, the chorus of the song “Dare You to Move” by the rock band Switchfoot played to mark the true beginning of their love story, underlined by the lyrics “What happens next?” which serves to ponder what the future of Nathan and Haley’s relationship will hold.

“Heartbeats” By Jose Gonzalez

Lucas had many romances in One Tree Hill but the Lucas, Brooke, and Peyton love triangle caused the most havoc on the show, although it was always clear from the beginning that Peyton and Lucas were meant to be. Every fan remembers the championship episode in season 4 and the song that played as Lucas uttered the famous “It’s you, Peyton” line.

As the Ravens won the state championship and everyone ran to their loved one, Brooke asked Lucas who he wanted to be with in that moment. He turned to Peyton as the gentle song “Heartbeats” by Jose Gonzales played in the background. The song perfectly counters the excited mood of the scene. With everyone cheering and celebrating in the background, time seems to slow down to the beat of the music for Lucas and Peyton as they get carried away in their own bubble of love.

“When The Stars Go Blue” By Bethany Joy Lenz And Tyler Hilton

Haley started expressing interest in singing in the first season of One Tree Hill, but it wasn’t until she met Chris Keller that her talent flourished and she turned her love for music into a career path. In the second season, Haley and Chris record a cover of Ryan Adams’ song “When The Stars Go Blue.” The experience led to Haley truly coming out of her shell as a singer and developing her musical skills.

The song is one of the first ones that showcased Haley’s talent but it is also pivotal in Nathan and Haley’s love story because her collaboration with Chris caused a lot of problems in their marriage. Despite that aspect, it is still one of the best songs Haley sings on the show because her voice pairs very well with Tyler Hilton’s and it marks the true beginning of her musical journey.

“The Good Kind” By The Wreckers

The Tree Hill all-ages nightclub Tric welcomed a plethora of great singers, including Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp, who appear as their country music duo The Wreckers on the show. Their mellow, acoustic guitar duet, titled “The Good Kind” played over an important moment in the show.

As the song says “I’m tired of hiding behind these lying eyes,” it becomes easy to connect the song to the complicated story between Karen and Keith. At this point in the show, Keith is about to get married to Jules but it’s obvious there are still feelings between him and Karen. In fact, as the song plays Karen expresses her concerns to Keith that their relationship is going to change now that he is going to marry, but she is still keeping her real feelings to herself.

“Halo” By Bethany Joy Lenz

Things got rocky between Haley and Nathan when Haley’s musical career started kicking off, leading to one of One Tree Hill’s most devastating breakups. However, it allowed the show to really develop storylines around Bethany Joy Lenz’s musical talents and gave fans several great songs sung by the actress, including “Halo,” which was written for the show.

The lyrics to this song are very much inspired by Nathan and Haley’s relationship. Through words like “I always said that I would make mistakes” it seems like Haley is trying to explain to Nathan that she isn’t perfect and that while he always saw her as someone that could do no wrong, she is still working hard to do her best.

“The First Cut Is The Deepest” By Sheryl Crow

One of the biggest music stars that One Tree Hill scored in the early seasons of the show is Sheryl Crow, who appeared in an episode toward the end of the first season. As Nathan and Haley are getting ready to leave Karen’s Cafe, the singer-songwriter walks in to order coffee and Haley requests a couple of songs as payment for the beverages.

Crow then starts singing her hit “The First Cut is the Deepest” and the song continues to play as the final moments of the episodes are shown in a montage. Amongst those moments are two key moments that can be seen as “first cuts” about to greatly influence the show: Deb telling Dan that Nathan is asking for emancipation from them, and Nikki showing up at Jake’s door to enquire about baby Jenny.

“Always Love” By Nada Surf

A lot of things happened in One Tree Hill‘s third season, from breakups to makeups and major character deaths. But before things got out of hands for the residents of Tree Hill, the season started with many of them trying to turn a new leaf.

In the season’s third episode, Nada Surf’s song “Always Love” plays as Lucas and Haley are writing predictions about what they expect their high school senior year to be like. Both of them are trying to mend relationships and the rock band’s song perfectly fits the mood of the episode’s ending.

“Dance, Dance” By Fall Out Boys

Several Fall Out Boys songs have been used in One Tree Hill, and the band appeared on the show several times, including for a storyline involving Pete Wentz briefly dating Peyton. But in season 3 episode 4, titled “An Attempt to Tip the Scales,” while Haley was desperately trying to get Nathan back, the band played their song “Dance, Dance” at Tric’s Masquerade Ball.

While most of the scene focuses on the band playing music and highlights just how much One Tree Hill liked to feature hip rock bands on the show, it does cut to Haley and Brooke talking backstage for a moment. Brooke tries to reassure Haley that things with Nathan will get better, and it’s actually a great moment that reminds the audience how far along the girls’ friendship on One Tree Hill has come.

“I Don’t Want To Be” By Gavin DeGraw

One Tree Hill would not be the show that it is without its opening credits and the song that came with it. Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be” set the tone for the show and the singer actually appeared on the series a few times.

Filled with angst and passion, the song fit the lives of the One Tree Hill teenagers and it helped make the show relatable. There isn’t a fan of the series that won’t belt out the lyrics to this iconic song as soon as they hear its first piano notes being played.

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