Music plays an important role on the FX television drama The Shield. Stylistically, the music ranged from hip hop (Master P) to mainstream pop (Duran Duran) to rock (Kid Rock) to country music (Johnny Cash), often within a single episode. Each continuing season had promotional music as well.
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center |- ! Episode title ! Artist ! Song title ! Scene description |- | Pilot
| Track 1 | Megatrax | Ponle Cadera | At the beginning of the chase, when Booty puts drugs inside the mouth row.
|Track 2 | Maraca | Descarga Total |Strike Team running through the store for Booty hiding his drug stash.
|Track 3 |Moby |Graciosa |David Aceveda meeting with Terry Crowley at the park to put him undercover.
|Track 4 |Tha Mexakinz |La Plaga |Vic Mackey and Shane Vendrell visiting Miguel Esteana and making him lose the charges against them.
|Track 5 |Monster Magnet |God Says No |Vic meets Fred for information about the missing girl
|Track 6 |Los Lobos |Maricela |Vic visits Connie and forcefully requests Dmitris bankroll.
|Track 7 |Stevie Wonder |Higher Ground |While Vic is grilling at his house, Terry is talking with him.
|Track 8 |Stephen James Edwards |Melisma Alleluia |Aceveda, Dutch and Claudette rescuing the young child.
|Track 9 |Kid Rock |Bawitdaba |End montage.
|Track 10 |BZ |Fantastic Planet | Danny and Julien talking in the patrol car while driving in the deleted scene
| Our Gang |- | Track 1 |Cage |A Crowd Killer |Terry Crowleys condition announced outside of the hospital
| Track 2 | Mike Jimenez & Daniel Indart | Dámelo | Aceveda sees his colleague from the Department of Justice to talk about what went down with Terry Crowley.
| Track 3 | United States Air Force Reserve Pipe Band | Amazing Grace | At Terry Crowley's and 2Time's funeral monologue. |- | Track 4 | Bernie Marsden | Highway 45 | In Vic's flashback with Terry in the clubhouse. |- | Track 5 | The Urbanites | Rock Tha Spot | Danny & Julien take Marlon Demeral for questioning.
| Track 6 | Bernie Marsden | Like Lightnin Strikin | Strike Team playing cards, Terry describing himself as Gene Simmons. (Mackey's flashback)
| Track 7 | Paul Lenart & Bill Novick | Kansas City Feel | Strike Team visit Van Bro on the street for information.
| Track 8 | Peyote Asesino | Perkins | Gang association arresting scene. |- | Track 9 | India Arie | Promises | End montage of David Aceveda and Vic making eye contact.
| The Spread |- |Track 1 | Young Dre | Dance With the Devil | Strike Team busts into Virgil's apartment to find Derek Tripp. |- | Track 2 | Flight 180 | Sunday Jack | Dutch & Claudette, with SWAT bust in a house and find their sperm collector. |- | Track 3 | Matt Anthony | Pinched In | Vic Mackey saves a baby from a crackhead. |- | Track 4 | Delinquent Habits | Que Vuelva | End montage.
| Dawg Days |- | Track 1 | Out of Order featuring Lil John Show A Lil Mo | Twerk That Thang
| Track 2 | Artifacts | Wrong Side of da Tracks | [Instrumental] Kern's girl announces something in the microphone.
| Track 3 | Copywrite | Tower of Babble (feat. Smut Peddlers) | In the club before the shooting and T-Bonz arriving.
| Track 4 | Tame One, Copywrite, J-Zone, Cage, Mr Eon & Skillz | All Stars Air Max 95 Remix | [Instrumental] The shooting starts in the shake club between Kern and his rival T-Bonz.
| Track 5 | Los Corales | Ese Es Mi Amigo | David Aceveda and his husband Aurora visit the politician rally to find new contacts. |- | Track 6 | Abby Dobson | Deeply | Vic and Lem visit Kern Little's music studio.
| Track 7 | SX-10 | Heart of a Rebel | Vic and Lem arrive and investigate a street shootout.
| Track 8 | Los Pinguos | Alegria | Dutch and Claudette run after the migrant worker as he escapes through a small hole in the fence.
| Track 9 | Zamp Nicall | The Streets of Iran | As Danny Sofer exits the bar and is threatened at gunpoint by one of Rondell's guys.
| Blowback |- |Track 1 | Seda Garibyan | Hyots Aghunak | At the beginning where Vic and Ronnie arrive to the apartment and place a wiretap. |- | Track 2 | 3rd Root | Wah Wah | Lem and Shane talk about Rondell's drugs.
| Track 3 | SX-10 | Caught Up In The System | Strike Team preps for the bust in the club house.
| Track 4 | Haissmavourk Choir | Yerg Votnlvai (Hymn for the Washing of the Feet) | Margos guys snorting drugs before the take down.
| Track 5 | Trailer Park Casanovas | Beer (feat. El Vez) | Shane arrives at Amy's place.
| Track 6 | Push | The Flute Song | Vic and Shane meet officer Hoffman in the cafe for information about their missing SUV.
| Track 7 | Project 86 | Rebuttal | Vic has a knife pointed at the guy in the store and asks him about their missing drugs.
| Track 8 | Jason Darling | One By One | Julien Lowe visits Tomas.
| Track 9 | Bernie Marsden | Ballad of Joliet | End of the episode where Dutch rolls by his car seeing Vic kiss Danny.
| Cherrypoppers |- | Track 1 | Zamp Nicall | Under the Midnight Sun | Vic meets Connie on the street and asks about his case he is working on.
| Track 2 | Lee Jung-Hyun | Crazy | Strike Team visits Korea Town bar for suspects.
| Track 3 | Jim Blake | Forbidden Fruit | Vic enters the sex club just before the stage curtains open.
| Track 4 | Mozart String Serenade No.13 | Eine Kleine Nachtmusik KV525 Second Movement | Man in the mask is undressing underage Sun Lee.
| Track 5 | Gregg Montante | Night In The City | Strike Team and the uniformed officers sweep the illegal sex club.
| Track 6 | Buckcherry | Whiskey In the Morning | Vic meets Kurt, the alleged cherry popper movie maker.
| Track 7 | Cardia | Love Loss | Ending montage of Dutch sitting at Danny's porch and her inviting him to dinner. |- | Pay in pain |- | Track 1 | Los Pinguos | Fumaza | Beginning of the episode at the shooting range.
| Track 2 | Danny Wood | Get Away | Vic and Shane sit in the car, Shane finds the book about autism in from his car and making a racist joke about it. |- | Track 3 | Bernie Marsden | Heartbreaker | Julien Lowe asking Tomas if he even has a long-term plan to get his life together.
| Track 4 | La Maraca | Arte Mixto | Vic asks H'aime the description of the shooter.
| Track 5 | Stephen Edwards | Montfort | Dutch and Claudette at the sidekicks house asking her to come to the station.
| Track 6 | Dislocated Styles | Fire in the Hole | Vic talks to Suzanne Klassen outside of her front yard.
| Track 7 | Mariachi La Estrella | Amor No Te Vayas Mariachi | At the store when Vic asks Shane if SID check the blood pool.
| Track 8 | Gerard McMahon | Sugar Fine | Dutch going back to the sidekick asking for the message.
| Track 9 | Mogwai | Take Me Somewhere Nice | Ending scene with Julien and Tomas, when Vic abruptly breaks into the apartment. |- | Cupid and Psycho |- | Track 1 | SX-10 | Erase Me | One of Fran's boyfriends charges the other one, Julien & Danny arrive to scenery.
| Track 2 | Lootpack | Laws of Physics | Hooper can painted Fran's door, Julien & Danny try to make peace.
| Track 3 | Sam Black Church | We Got the Youth | Vic and Claudette visit the campus.
| Track 4 | The Soul Brothers Six | Where You Gonna Find Another Fool | Danny gives Fran some advice about men.
| Track 5 | The Magnetic Fields | All My Little Words | End montage. |- | Throwaway |- | Track 1 | Brujeria | Cuiden a los Ninos | Trucking is getting hijacked at the beginning.
| Track 2 | Kinto Sol | Como Secundaria | Vic Mackey meets with the tattoo artist for his sketch.
| Track 3 | Julieta Venegas | Salvavídas | Lem secures Tigre's place.
| Track 4 | Julieta Venegas | Voluntad | Lem at Tigre's place talking with her about his haircut.
| Track 5 | Cage9 | Nacionabisom | Curtis Lemansky confronts Hector with punches.
| Track 6 | Conejo | Lets Ride | Strike Team robs the evidence truck.
| Track 7 | Kinto Sol | El Capitan | Strike Team raiding Hector's house.
| Track 8 | Julieta Venegas | Fe | End montage, Lem cuddling with Tigre. |- | Dragonchasers |- | Track 1 | Zach Tempest | Anthem | Beginning montage in the strip club.
| Track 2 | Goleta | Satelitte | Playing at the van, when Lem and Shane getting to listen Ronnie's wiretap.
| Track 3 | Goleta | Sing Along | Shane getting a strip from Tulips, and suggestion from her to go outside.
| Track 4 | Erinn Williams Hunter | I Am King | Dutch talks to Shawn at his car mechanic garage.
| Track 5 | Mogwai | Helicon 1 | Connie recovering from her recent intoxication, escapes from Ronnie's watch.
| Track 6 | Hedder | Pull You Into Me | Dutch sitting into his car at the end of the episode. |- | Carnivores |- | Track 1 | SX-10 | Punk Ass | Shane and Ronnie go out on the streets for information of Rondell's drug competition.
| Track 2 | Pagliacci & Mario Lanza | Vesti La Guibba | Acaveda enters the Maureen place for the first time after many years have passed.
| Track 3 | Lee Hee Hee (이가희) | Mill (밀) | Dutch and Claudette are at the store questioning the store owner and asking to give out the evidence.
| Track 4 | Daniel Indart | Los Parranderos | Julien chasing a kid with a gun at the birthday party.
| Track 5 | Goldo | All I Really Want | Dutch and Claudette with SWAT raid the apartment of home invasionist boys.
| Track 6 | The Royal Philharmonic | Casta Diva | David Acaveda visiting Maureen, hoping she will finally recant her story about the rape allegations.
| Track 7 | Luther Guitar Junior Johnson | I'm Gone | At the end of the episode, Dutch and Claudette being in the crime scene. |- | Two days of Blood |- | Track 1 | Jesus Alejandro El Nino | Como Te Gusta (Remix) | In the beginning when the guys are drunk and elevated by their cocks fighting in the pit arena.
| Track 2 | DJ Curse, Soulstice | Superfunk 2000 | Street corner drug deal goes very wrong.
| Track 3 | Henri Yonet | Mystery | Acaveda and Claudette question the witness woman about the grove murders.
| Track 4 | Delinquent Habits | Freedom Band | Vic interrupts gang hangout.
| Track 5 | Tony Cook | Teeny Bopper | Danny Sofer and Julien Lowe respond to Dukeys garage sale.
| Track 6 | Maraca | Pa'Gozar Pilón | Shane bird wins the first fight in the night.
| Track 7 | Steve Reynolds | Even Now | SWAT raids an apartment including Acaveda and Claudette.
| Track 8 | Xocoyotzin Herrera | Esperanza | Shane is inside cockfighting arena, his bird is losing out.
| Track 9 | Bobby Byrd | On the Move | Dukey gets arrested.
| Track 10 | Rumblefish | Statistic(Roy Mayorga mix) | Riot breaks out at the end of the episode. |- | Circles |- | Track 1 | Project 86 | Spill Me | Danny & Julien get ambushed, early in the episode.
| Track 2 | Conejo | Planet Los Angeles | Vic and Shane chase an alleged witness of the shooting to the alleyway.
| Track 3 | Transultra | From Out | Comes from the alleyway when Vic blasts through the fence and starts talking to the boy.
| Track 4 | Push | Eddie's Thing - 1987 | Vic meets with Tio in the street.
| Track 5 | Transultra | O'Chanko | Vic and Shane approach the door where Sonny's junkie dad is living at.
| Track 6 | Ill Nino | Nothing's Clear | Acaveda and the whole department of the Barn chase the drive by shooters.
| Track 7 | Jaya the Cat | Cultifornia | Danny & Julien visit a woman who made an emergency call.
| Track 8 | Coldplay | Trouble | Ending montage with Vic having a mental breakdown.
{| class="wikitable" |- ! Music supervisors ! Music editor |- | Season 1 |- | P.J. Bloom, Ray Espinola Jr., Evyen Klean | Zamp Nicall
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center |- ! Episode title ! Artist ! Song title ! Scene description |- | The Quick Fix |- | Track 1 | Whitehouse | Quentan Que El | Plays at the beginning of the episode, gang setting up the murder execution. |- |Track 2 | Donatella | Under the Moon | Vic breaks into the apartment on the information Gordie gave him about his wife.
|Track 3 | Dilated Peoples, Lootpack | Long Awaited | Vic brings Alvarez in the rival hood to sweat him for information.
|Track 4 | Muffy