The Fallout 4 soundtrack is going to be a big, big deal for some rather obscure artists. Well, not that they were always obscure but I’m sure if you told The Ink spots that 60 years later “I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire” would be the centerpiece of a post-apocalyptic video game loved by millions they’d say “What’s a video game?”
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Fallout 4 Soundtrack: The Ink Spots
There will be Ink Spots in Fallout 4. We already have one song as the “theme song” for the game, “It’s All Over But The Crying.” The band was used in the very first Fallout game, and was well represented in Fallout 3 with a total of three different songs, including the infamous “I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire.” So we’ll start with four Ink Spots tracks I think will fit the bill for Fallout 4.
It's All Over But The Crying
It’s in the game. We’ve heard it. ‘Nuff said.
Whispering Grass (Don’t Tell The Trees)
It’s got that smooth but haunting vibe that fits so well in Fallout. Plus, this track was tweeted out by none other than Three Dog himself, so you know it at least strikes a chord with the Fallout creatives.
The Gypsy
Thematically, this song is on point for Fallout 4. This song about a mysterious woman who can see the fortunes of a young man could fit in with so many potential plot points for the story. I mean, we know the Androids will likely be a big part of the storyline. Is it possible that our vault survivor meets and falls in love with an android woman, and then needs to make a decision of whether or not to betray her for the sake of humanity? Sure, it’s possible. Maybe not as possible as this No. 1 track from the Ink Spots appearing in the game, but still, it’s possible.
Street of Dreams
This song gets included because, like other songs on this list, I think it hits on themes of memories and reality. I’m projecting a lot off of the “Memory Den” we’ve seen in the trailers and, as a huge Total Recall nerd, I’m kind of in love with the the idea that we might get a “is this real or is this a manufactured memory” subplot. Add in my Blade Runner obsession and I’m sporting a serious “is this artificial memory the product of being an android and not knowing it” boner.
Fallout 4 Soundtrack: The Dot Records Connection
Outside of the Ink Spots, I tried to base the next few tracks off some logic. The first song, "Atom Bomb Baby," was included in the Fallout 4 reveal. It was also released by Dot Records. I’m assuming Bethesda had to pay Dot Records for some licensing to use the song. If they’re already paying for one song, I’m thinking that maybe they just plunked down a pile of cash for access to other songs in the Dot Records catalogue. I could be wrong, sure, but I managed to find some damn catchy tunes that really fit the mood we’re expecting for the Fallout 4 soundtrack.
Atom Bomb Baby - The Five Stars
This is the only song we KNOW is in the game because it was featured in the reveal trailer. I don’t think I need to explain why it’s perfect for Fallout. The title says it all.
Pickin’ On The Wrong Chicken - The Five Stars
This is the biggest hit Five Stars ever released. It’s short, it’s snappy and it’s silly enough to balance out some of the heavier tracks on this list.
Trying - Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald is no stranger to Fallout soundtracks, but why this track? For starters, it plays into themes of memory and nostalgia, something that’s likely to be a big part of Fallout 4 based on the Memory Den we’ve seen in Diamond City.
It also has a connection to one the two known songs on the Fallout 4 soundtrack thus far. Trying was originally recorded by The Hilltoppers and became a #7 song on the national charts, an early hit for Dot Records.
Hearts Made Of Stone - The Fontane Sisters
Another big hit for Dot Records, The Fontane Sisters "Hearts Made of Stone" became a gold record in the U.S. In a game that’s going to feature androids, cold-blooded survivors and a healthy dose of dystopian madmen the phrase “hearts of stone” can probably be applied to most of the characters we’ll come across in the Commonwealth.
Four Walls - Jim Lowe
I don’t think this song needs much explaining. It’s a doo-wop hit about the claustrophobic feeling of the walls closing in around you. Vault 111, much?
Jim Lowe Gambler's Guitar
The last Dot Records hit I’ll put on this list, "Gambler’s Guitar" has all the makings of a Fallout 4 soundtrack hit. A unique sound that transcends the vanilla pop sounds of the '50s, it’s a little crazy, a little dysfunctional and full of the wanderlust spirit that typifies the Fallout experience.
Fallout 4 Soundtrack: Miscellaneous Wild Guesses
The remaining tracks on this unofficial Fallout 4 soundtrack song list are baseless speculation. I examined the musical eras the Fallout 3 soundtrack pulled from and it runs from about 1935-1958. So I looked at some chart toppers for those years, dug into some deep cuts, looked for tunes about nuclear bombs (there’s more than you’d expect) and generally just tried to pick the songs that I felt “fit” into Fallout 4 and the Wasteland we know and love.
Fujiyama Mama - Wanda Jackson
If this song ISN’T part of the Fallout 4 soundtrack then Bethesda didn’t do their homework. I can’t think of any other pop songs that have a carefree, celebratory attitude toward nuclear destruction. Wanda Jackson’s boozy wail is the perfect tone for a Fallout game, too. If "Atom Bomb Baby" can make the cut, so can this classic tune.
A Fine Romance - Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
This was a big hit for Ella Fitzgerald and, more importantly, references chowder. Chowder = Boston = Fallout 4, amirite? Ok, ok, ok I’m reaching on that. But I can’t shake this feeling that Fallout 4 is going to include some kind of love story for the main character. And if there’s a love story, you need love songs and this one fits the bill.
Perfidia - Glenn Miller
Fallout 3 had a few jazz tunes, and this No. 1 hit from Glen Miller has the swingy, dreamy, catchy feel that makes decapitating Super Mutants with shotgun fire in V.A.T.S. so enjoyable. It’s been a jazz standard for about 60 years now, so it has the added bonus of being one of those songs you’ve probably heard in some form before. It’ll be familiar even though you’re hearing it for the first time.
Atom Bomb - Glenn Barber
The title says it all. It’s a song about an atom bomb. Doesn’t get much more Fallout 4 appropriate than that. Of course, it helps that this song is catchy as all hell, with a great bass line and plenty of guitar pickin’ too.
You Always Hurt The One You Love - The Mills Brothers
Another big hit from the 40s that fits into my burgeoning Fallout 4 love story theory. But, thematically, it goes along with the hard choices Wasteland survivors are forced to make. Survival in a post-apocalyptic future involves a good deal of hurting, and not much love. The bittersweet notion of romantic tragedy in this song is on theme, and it’s got some damn fine guitar picking in it, too.
Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town) - Bill Haley And His Comets
The best part of a nuclear apocalypse? More chicks for me! This track imagines a world where an H-bomb eliminates all the eligible bachelors in town because if you’re going to look for a silver lining it’s best to find it on the inside of that condom wrapper. Just kidding! No one wore condoms in the 50s. It’s called a baby boom for a reason, folks.
Till The End of Time - Perry Como
Perry Como was a big friggin’ deal back in the day. It seems strange that this iconic crooner didn’t get any love on the Fallout 3 soundtrack. This track, rumored to be his personal favorite, would make an excellent fit in the Fallout 4 soundtrack. What is a nuclear apocalypse if not an “end of time” of sorts? Including this track adds a bit of gallows humor to those Wasteland romps.
I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday had a few tracks on the Fallout 3 soundtrack, so I’m hoping we get another dose of her in Fallout 4. This track is choc full o’ Wasteland imagery. It talks of storms and burning and fires and survival.
The Thing - Phil Harris
It’s easy to dismiss the golden oldies as kind of dry or boring but this hit for Phil Harris is anything but. It’s just a very upbeat, very strange song about a man who finds a mysterious object on a beach that, ultimately, belongs in hell. It’s basically a song about loot.
Atomic Cocktail - The Slim Gaillard Quartette
Another Cold War era pop gem, "Atomic Cocktail" reimagines nuclear holocaust as a stiff drink. Like "Fujiyama Mama" it tries to capture the nation’s fascination with atomic bombs without addressing the utterly terrifying reality of what they do and how they work. It’s like the duck-and-cover B.S. but in jazzy song form. In short, a perfect fit for Fallout 4.
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
The line “please turn on your magic beam/ Mr. Sandman bring me a dream” might be one of the most inadvertent video game-sounding lyrics of all time. In a game featuring Memory Dens, flashbacks, lasers and death this song can go from upbeat to creepy without much imagination. It’s a more well-known song, and the Fallout soundtracks don’t typically pull from the shallow end of pop culture, but I felt the lyrics and the themes are too in-sync with Fallout 4 to exclude it from this list.
Les Paul - Nola
Les Paul is arguably the most influential guitarist in music history. This track shows us why. It’s just an incredible instrumental full of cutting-edge (for the era) production techniques and musical style. There’s nothing particularly post-apocalyptic about it, but it’s a wonderful piece of music and worthy of our Wasteland adventures.
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake - Eileen Barton
Another one of those 50s songs that’s just weird enough to fit in the Fallout 4 soundtrack. It touches on the theme of surprise visitors, something we’re likely to see a lot of as a Vault Dweller making his way in the world. “I don’t know where you came from because I don’t know where you’ve been,” is as accurate a backstory as the Vault 111 survivor could have in the eyes of the people he meets.
