All 10 Songs From's Diner Jukeboxes Have Played & Their Real Meanings Explained

From the very first episode of MGM+’s From, the jukeboxes that decorate the diner tables have played various songs at random. According to the Town’s self-appointed sheriff, Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), “they do that sometimes.” However, the fact that the jukeboxes seem to have a mind of their own isn’t the only unsettling part of their autoplay abilities. Every time a song plays on one of From‘s jukeboxes, it’s painfully on the nose in terms of underscoring a scene’s meaning or larger themes. Now, viewers are wondering what the jukebox songs really mean for From‘s cast of characters.

While the sci-fi horror series doesn’t boast a traditional soundtrack, the jukebox selections definitely paint a grim-but-accurate picture of the show. Although the location of From‘s Town remains a mystery, the series makes one thing abundantly clear: Once someone arrives in the Township, they can’t leave. At night, terrifying monsters lurk in the streets, waiting to lure vulnerable townspeople onto the streets. The woods seem to hold even more unsettling secrets than the Town itself. With tons of bizarre From theories out there, the jukebox songs might just offer a few clues about the show’s biggest mysteries.

10 “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” By The Animals

The First Jukebox Song Underscores The Show’s Main Conceit

The song with the easiest meaning to decipher is also the very first track that plays from one of the diner’s jukeboxes. There’s no denying that The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” hits the nail on the head when it comes to the characters’ main intention in From. Fittingly, the tune plays in the show’s very first episode, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” As the sun starts to set on the Township, Boyd Stevens makes his rounds, ringing a bell that reminds everyone to close their windows, check that their talismans are secure, and shelter in place.

At first, the Township seems strange but not necessarily dangerous. Once the sun goes down, however, From‘s monsters appear in the streets. A creature who takes the form of an old woman convinces a young child to let her into a house, leading to multiple deaths. It’s a gruesome, terrifying opener, but it makes the lyrics of The Animals’ hit resonant even more deeply. Interestingly, before the arrival of the Matthews family, the townspeople seemed somewhat resigned to their way of life, so the song could also be seen as a harbinger of the Town’s renewed fighting spirit.

9 “If It Be Your Will” By The Webb Sisters

The Leonard Cohen Song Underscores The Way The Townspeople Have Surrendered To Their Situation

In From season 1, episode 2, “Choosing Day,” The Webb Sisters’ cover of Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will” plays from one of the jukeboxes while Tian Chen (Elizabeth Moy) closes the diner and heads home for the night. The song’s lyrics are all about surrendering to the will of another. The speaker decides that they will completely abide by the whims of another or some unseen entity. It’s a meaningful choice for the scene, which depicts Tian Chen going about her routine. Instead of fighting, the people of the Township have surrendered themselves to whatever has trapped them.

Additionally, “Choosing Day” delves into how the townspeople exercise what little agency they have left by deciding whether to live in the Town or at Colony House. In episode 3, the Matthews family is forced to make their choices. While Tabitha (Catalina Sandino Moreno), Jim (Eion Bailey), and Ethan (Simon Webster) all choose to live together in Town, Julie (Hannah Cheramy) decides to split from her family and settle down in Colony House. At first, Tabitha is upset by her daughter’s choice, but she has to learn to live with it. “If It Be Your Will” foreshadows this defining moment.

8 “Last Train To Clarksville” By The Monkees & “Blue” By Joni Mitchell

The Diner Songs Underscore What The Matthews Family Is Going Through In From Season 1

Both “Last Train to Clarksville” by the Monkees and Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” play during diner scenes in From season 1, episode 4, “A Rock and a Farway.” After spending their first night in Town, the Matthews family — minus Julie — are still feeling unsettled. While Tabitha treks over to Colony House to seemingly make amends with her daughter, Jim takes Ethan to the diner for breakfast. When they arrive, “Last Train to Clarksville” plays. The song is originally about a young man being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War and saying a final goodbye to his girlfriend.

While that original meaning doesn’t quite work for the story unfolding in From, it does have some thematic and emotional resonance with the Matthews family saying goodbye to the life they knew before becoming trapped. Moreover, it plays while Tabitha reckons with the fact that Julie is no longer living under the same roof as the rest of the family. Later, the Matthews trio have dinner with Boyd and Mitchell’s “Blue” comes on the jukebox. The song is all about loneliness — about the inability to find comfort in a new place — which is pretty on the nose.

7 “If I Had A Boat” By Lyle Lovett

The Song Is The Sign From Abby That Boyd Needs

While From takes awhile to explain what happened to Boyd’s wife, Abby (Lisa Ryder), season 1’s fifth episode, “Silhouettes,” provides some much-needed insight. Midway through the episode, Boyd visits Abby’s grave and apologizes for not visiting her final resting place for some time. Recounting recent events to Abby, Boyd explains that life in the Township was starting to feel somewhat normal — or at least easier to weather — until a string of recent deaths. Unfortunately, he also developed tremors, much like his late father. All of this pushes Boyd to ask Abby what he should do next.

Boyd wonders if he should follow his gut instinct in an effort to get everyone home or if he should just maintain the status quo. Although he was never one to believe in the supernatural or spiritual, Boyd asks his wife to show him a sign. Later, while speaking with Kristi (Chloe Van Landschoot) at the diner, Boyd gets his sign when “If I Had a Boat” by Lyle Lovett plays over the jukebox. Boyd would play the song constantly, hoping to buy his own boat in retirement. Moments before arriving in the Township, Abby had gifted Boyd a boat.

6 “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” By Neil Young

The Song Scores The Arrival Of The Grand Rapids Bus In From Season 1’s Finale

In From season 1’s ending, “Oh, the Places We’ll Go,” Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” plays over the jukeboxes in the diner just as the Grand Rapids Runner Bus pulls onto the Town’s main street. Although Young’s song is actually about some of the more monotonous elements of show business, it also works to underscore the apparent futility of trying to improve life in the Township. After receiving his sign from Abby, Boyd tries to enact a plan that will save everyone — but it doesn’t get him very far.

Elsewhere, Jim works with Jade (David Alpay) to build a radio tower on top of Colony House. Jim is able to send out a transmission, but the mysterious voice that responds sends him a chilling warning about Tabitha. Essentially, they don’t get any closer to escaping the Township. Instead, a storm wrecks the complicated radio system Jim and Jade had worked hard to build, putting everyone back at square one. In fact, the townspeople might be even worse off seeing how their hopes were built up and then torn down.

5 “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” By Bob Dylan

The Protest Song Foreshadows The Difficult Times Ahead For Boyd

Bob Dylan’s iconic protest song plays during the first episode of From season 2, “Strangers in a Strange Land.” The song blares from the diner’s jukeboxes as Boyd walks through the Town and rings his bell. As he warns people to get inside before the nocturnal creatures come out, Boyd realizes the Town is completely empty. The only one outside, Boyd stares at the sky in disbelief as storm clouds gather. When Boyd’s hand starts to shake, he drops the bell. The loud sound of the bell crashing causes him to wake from a dream.

Unfortunately, Boyd wakes up in an even worse place than he began. No longer in an empty dream-version of the Town, Boyd is trapped in a dry well. Dylan’s song might be a protest anthem, but it also underscores the importance of being prepared for difficult times ahead. The title, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” indicates that the storm is on the horizon. Like in Boyd’s dream, the clouds are gathering. There’s no doubt that From season 2’s finale is even more harrowing than the first, so the Bob Dylan song is a great bit of foreshadowing.

4 “Who by Fire” By Leonard Cohen

The Song Contemplates Who Will Live & Who Will Die In From’s Future Episodes

In From season 2, episode 2, “The Kindness of Strangers,” the sun rises over the Town and the jukeboxes play “Who by Fire.” The Leonard Cohen song prompts everyone who’s been sleeping at the diner to wake up. The tune takes its title from a Hebrew prayer, Unetaneh Tokef. At its core, the prayer asks those who speak it to consider the upcoming year — to ponder who will live and who will die. With a bus load of new arrivals in the Township, the population booms at the beginning of the sophomore outing. That’s not necessarily a good thing.

Although From‘s second season doesn’t have as many deaths as the previous outing, it’s still an incredibly tense season. Three people — Julie, Randall (A.J. Simmons), and Marielle (Kaelen Ohm) — become possessed by the music box and From‘s haunting nursery rhyme. This sends both Boyd and Tabitha on life-threatening missions into the woods. While Boyd is determined to find and destroy the music box, Tabitha believes she can help everyone by journeying to From‘s mysterious lighthouse portal. “Who by Fire,” which plays as a literal new day dawns, sets up the looming conflict.

3 “In Dreams” By Roy Orbison

The Song References The Music Box & Other Plot Points In Season 2

In the fifth episode of season 2, “Lullaby,” Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” plays as Boyd walks over to Tian Chen in the Town’s diner. Orbison’s tune is about a person who waits for the sandman to come each night so that they can dream of being with a loved one. In fact, they can only be together in dreams. Notably, both Boyd and Tian Chen have lost their partners as a result of the Township’s horrors. In many ways, the duo are kindred spirits. Boyd has even stepped into a father-figure role for Kenny.

However, the song also plays as Boyd waits to speak to Tian Chen. After asking for her, Boyd notices the worms under his skin writhing again. That said, it’s more likely that “In Dreams” was chosen because of the way it references the many dreams and visions that Boyd is grappling with in season 2. Not only does Boyd have to deal with the worms in his blood, but he’s tasked with finding and destroying the music box. Meanwhile, townspeople are unable to sleep for fear of being killed in their dreams.

2 “Celebration” By Kool and The Gang

The Jukebox Taunts Kenny After Tian-Chen’s Death

In From season 3, episode 2, “When We Go,” Kenny has a completely devastating moment in the diner after learning that the creatures killed his mother, Tian Chen. In the third outing, the creatures seem to be emboldened. Not only do From‘s monsters let the animals loose, but they seem excited about toying with the townspeople more than abiding by the unspoken rules that govern the Township. This becomes even more obvious when Kenny is sitting in the diner. After Kristi leaves, he’s completely alone — and the jukebox plays “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang.

The song, which is a very upbeat and joyful tune, was chosen just to mess with Kenny. Angry and grieving, Kenny tries to pull the jukebox from the wall, but he can’t shut it off. In his rage, he picks up a tray of utensils from the counter and hurls it at the jukebox. While this does destroy the machine, and stop the song, the incident proves that the Township (and the forces that be) are only getting more hurtful and nefarious as the show continues. It’s hard to say if anything will ever be as cutting as a post-death “Celebration” pick though.

1 Songs Listed On The Jukebox In From Season 2

The Unplayed Tracks May Hold Some Clues To From’s Future Storylines

Although the following songs aren’t necessarily played during the show, they are found in the jukebox’s list of songs as seen in From season 2:

• C1: Gene Pitney – Town Without Pity
• C2: Gene Pitney – Last Chance to Turn Around
• C3: Johnny Cash – Any Old Wind That Blows
• C4: Johnny Cash – If I Had a Hammer
• C5: Talking Heads – Psycho Killer
• C6: Talking Heads – Pulled Up
• C7: Bob Dylan – One More Cup of Coffee
• C8: Bob Dylan – Hurricane
• C9: Blank
• C10: Blank
• D1: Tom Waits – Ol’ ’55
• D2: Tom Waits – The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)
• D3: Joni Mitchell – Blue
• D4: Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now
• D5: Arlo Guthrie – Motorcycle Song
• D6: Arlo Guthrie – Chilling of the Evening
• D7: Deep Purple – Highway Star
• D8: Deep Purple – Child in Time
• D9: Blondie – Hanging on the Telephone
• D10: Blondie – 11:59