The Winchesters mid-season finale shows an emotional musical connection to the supernatural

The Winchesters have contained a few “supernatural” Easter eggs in the past, but the choice of music in the mid-season finale is perhaps the most emotional of all. In the episode, John Winchester listens to a song called “As Time Goes By” and explains that he played it on a music box hoping his father Henry (Jil McKinney) would hear it and come home.

“As Time Goes By” was written by Hermann Hupfeld in 1931 and became famous when it was performed by Dooley Wilson in Casablanca. However, in the Supernatural universe, it was John’s favorite song as a child, and he played it whenever he was scared as a child. It is also the title of the Season 8 episode in which Henry made his debut and told Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) about the song’s meaning to their family.

The song has been featured in several movies and TV shows, often during scenes that are synonymous with nostalgia and longing. The Winchesters continue this trend, albeit with great family grief and a heavy sense of loss.