"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Lyrics

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling" Soundtrack Description

Questions and Answers

Is there an official 2002 soundtrack for the TV series?

Yes. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling released September 24, 2002 via Rounder Records, collecting the musical-episode songs plus select Christophe Beck score suites.

What does the album include beyond the episode’s songs?

In addition to all 14 on-episode numbers, it adds Beck’s score from “Hush,” “Restless,” and “The Gift,” and a Whedon/Kai Cole demo of “Something to Sing About.”

Who wrote the songs and who composed the recurring score?

Series creator Joss Whedon wrote the songs for the musical episode; longtime series composer Christophe Beck’s cues round out the album.

Did the cast sing for real?

Yes—the regular cast performed their own vocals; the episode was staged and recorded as a true TV musical.

How did the album perform?

It reached No. 49 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on Top Soundtracks; it also charted in Australia.

Is there a vinyl release?

Yes. A deluxe vinyl edition arrived in 2019 from Mondo with new art and a lyric “Slaybill.”

Notes & Trivia

• Release date: September 24, 2002 (Rounder Records). The episode had aired November 6, 2001.
• The cover art is by comics legend Adam Hughes.
• The CD runs ~57 minutes and includes suites from “Hush,” “Restless,” and a score cue from “The Gift.”
• Chart peaks: U.S. Billboard 200 #49; U.S. Top Soundtracks #3; ARIA Albums #97 (Australia).
• All principal cast members perform their own vocals; Hinton Battle guests as the demon Sweet.
• In 2019, Mondo issued the first vinyl edition with a “Slaybill” lyric booklet (according to Pitchfork).
• This is separate from the non-musical compilations Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album (1999) and Radio Sunnydale (2003).

Overview

Why does a monster-of-the-week show suddenly burst into song? Because secrets demand volume. Once More, with Feeling flips Buffy’s inner weather into melodies—each character forced to sing what they can’t say. The 2002 album captures that gambit end-to-end, then widens the frame with Christophe Beck’s mood-anchoring score.

The trick isn’t novelty; it’s honesty. Songs map to fault lines: Buffy’s numb heroism, Tara and Willow’s enchantment and betrayal, Giles’ reluctant goodbye, Xander and Anya’s jitters, Spike’s yearning. On record, the shifts land cleanly: from sitcom-bright patter to rock-opera ache to jazz-smoky torch. As stated in AllMusic’s review, it’s “every bit as fun as the episode itself,” yet it also bites.

Genres & Themes

• Golden-age musical pastiche → secrets in plain sight: “I’ll Never Tell” hides doubt behind tap-happy smiles.
• Rock opera & alt → desire vs. denial: “Rest in Peace” and “Walk Through the Fire” grind through Buffy/Spike push-pull.
• Balladry & torch → enchantment and loss: “Under Your Spell” glows… until its reprise cracks the illusion.
• Orchestral score → myth & memory: Beck’s “Hush”/“Restless” suites thread the show’s dream-logic back into the musical’s bravado.

Tracks & Scenes

“Overture / Going Through the Motions” — Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy)
Where it plays: Cold-open patrol; Buffy slays while lamenting numbness (opening minutes). Diegetic (curse-induced)
Why it matters: Sets the thesis—heroism without feeling—and telegraphs the spell’s rules.

“I’ve Got a Theory / Bunnies / If We’re Together” — Cast
Where it plays: Scoobies workshop the mystery at the Magic Box (early act). Diegetic
Why it matters: Sitcom-style patter hides real cracks; the “together” refrain will be tested.

“Under Your Spell” — Amber Benson (Tara)
Where it plays: Tara drifts through town in love haze, unaware of a memory-wipe (early-mid). Diegetic
Why it matters: Bliss with a seed of tragedy the reprise will expose.

“I’ll Never Tell” — Nicholas Brendon & Emma Caulfield (Xander & Anya)
Where it plays: Domestic duet turns tap-sprint (mid). Diegetic
Why it matters: Engagement fears surface as jokes; denial gets choreography.

“Rest in Peace” — James Marsters (Spike)
Where it plays: At the cemetery; Spike pushes Buffy away while begging her nearer (mid). Diegetic
Why it matters: Rock sneer as confession—desire sharpened by self-loathing.

“Dawn’s Lament / Dawn’s Ballet” — Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn)
Where it plays: Dawn’s “notice me” plea flips into a Bronze abduction and dance. Diegetic
Why it matters: The spell literalizes teen invisibility; Sweet enters the chat.

“What You Feel” — Hinton Battle (Sweet)
Where it plays: At The Bronze; Sweet lays out the curse’s terms and stakes. Diegetic
Why it matters: Showman-devil energy; the antagonist sings the rules of the game.

“Standing” — Anthony Stewart Head (Giles)
Where it plays: Giles decides to step back so Buffy can grow (late-mid). Diegetic
Why it matters: Parental love equals painful distance; the reprise will twist the knife.

“Under Your Spell / Standing (Reprise)” — Tara & Giles
Where it plays: Cross-cut confession: Tara discovers Willow’s spell; Giles plans departure. Diegetic
Why it matters: Two breakups sung as one heartbreak.

“Walk Through the Fire” — Ensemble
Where it plays: Everyone converges on The Bronze for the showdown. Diegetic
Why it matters: A full-cast rock canon: duty, jealousy, fear—braided into momentum.

“Something to Sing About” — Buffy (+ Ensemble)
Where it plays: Buffy’s truth bomb—she was torn out of heaven—pushes her toward combustion until Spike stops her. Diegetic
Why it matters: The reveal that redefines Season 6’s grief engine.

“Where Do We Go From Here?” — Ensemble → “Coda”
Where it plays: Spell breaks; lovers uncertain; a final question mark. Diegetic → End tag
Why it matters: No easy fixes; the musical ends, the mess doesn’t.

Note: Sequence and scene details follow the episode’s broadcast cut; as a TV musical, all songs are performed on-screen.

Music–Story Links (characters & plot beats)

• Confession machine: The spell forces honest lyrics where dialogue fails; Buffy’s “motions” and Willow/Tara’s “spell” become literal songs.
• Genre = POV: Tap for denial (I’ll Never Tell), torch for enchantment (Under Your Spell), rock for hunger and hurt (Rest in Peace).
• Chorus as choice: Walk Through the Fire binds individual motives into a collective decision—the Scoobies show up anyway.
• Reprise as reckoning: The Standing/Under Your Spell reprise collapses two separations into one shared ache.

How It Was Made (supervision, score, behind-the-scenes)

Joss Whedon wrote and directed the episode, penning melodies and lyrics across multiple styles; Christophe Beck’s series score appears on the album as companion suites. Production interleaved extra vocal/dance rehearsals with four other episodes—one reason this hour remains Buffy’s most technically complex. Rounder Records released the album in 2002; producers include Whedon, Jesse Tobias, and Beck. (as reported by the Los Angeles Times and album credits)

The art—also used on scriptbooks and Region 2 packaging—comes from Adam Hughes. Years later, a 180-gram vinyl issue by Mondo reframed the package with fresh liner notes and a playful “Slaybill.” (according to Pitchfork)

Reception & Quotes

Critics and fans crowned the episode a series-best and praised the album’s stand-alone replay value. AllMusic awarded it a rare five-star rave (as stated by AllMusic), and the release charted well for a TV soundtrack. A few capsule lines:

“Every bit as fun as the episode itself.” — AllMusic

“A top-tier TV musical that still sings, 20 years on.” — feature coverage summaries

Technical Info

• Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More, with Feeling (Original Cast Recording)
• Year: 2002 (album); episode originally aired Nov 6, 2001
• Type: TV soundtrack (musical episode + score suites)
• Songs by: Joss Whedon
• Score selections by: Christophe Beck
• Producers: Joss Whedon, Jesse Tobias, Christophe Beck
• Label: Rounder Records
• Album specifics: ~57:34 runtime; includes additional music from “Hush,” “Restless,” and “The Gift”
• Chart notes: Billboard 200 #49; Top Soundtracks #3; ARIA #97
• Vinyl: 2019 limited LP by Mondo with new artwork and lyric booklet
• Context: Distinct from the compilation albums Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album (1999, TVT) and Radio Sunnydale (2003, Virgin)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Wikipedia (episode & soundtrack pages), Buffyverse Wiki, MusicBrainz release data, Pitchfork (vinyl news), Discogs (album listings), Wikipedia overviews of companion albums.

October, 26th 2025