#but I also just love the idea of Cas finding moments of respite and pleasure - whether appreciating nature or enjoying music

[hen-of-letters]

It's All Waves … Musings about Castiel and Music

In 10x09, Sam interrupts a Dean's CBGB story to explain CBGB. Cas, however, casually says, "I know. It's where the Ramones and Blondie got their start."

It's tempting to put this down to Cas being pop culture savvy after Metatron's retcon in 9x18. However, the knowledge that he gave Cas was very specific: "every book, movie and TV show" that Metatron had "consumed in the last couple of millennia." He doesn't make any mention of music. Of course, TV shows and movies have soundtracks, and novels often discuss music, but I just don't think that all of Cas' knowledge can be accounted for this way.

In 9x20, Cas gives Sam and Dean the aliases Spears and Aguilera, commenting: "I've noticed your aliases are usually the names of popular musicians." Metatron's download was only a couple of episodes ago, so the "I've noticed" just doesn't seem to me like a new realisation.

The kicker for me is that in 15x18, Cas adopts the alias of Agent Lizzo - whose career started after Metatron imparted his knowledge.

What if music is Castiel's thing? He definitely seems to have a particular taste in popular music, judging by the aliases he chooses for himself and the Winchesters: Spears and Aguilera; Rowland, Williams and Knowles; Agent Solange; Agent Swift; Agent Lizzo.

In 8x08, Castiel is able to listen in to the police band. When Sam queries this, Cas replies "it's all waves." It's logical that if he could tune in to the police radio, he could also listen to any radio station he wanted to at any time - and the evidence would suggest that he does just that.

I think that Cas' love of music goes back further, and probably spans the whole of the time he spent observing humanity. In 7x21, Cas says that the poetry of the Neanderthals was "amazing" and "in perfect tune with the spheres," referencing the concept of the music of the spheres.

It also seems to go deeper: Cas' angelic form is "a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent". He is, himself, in some way made of music. Music is, in some way, made of the same stuff as him. Also, I just like to think of Cas finding joy and beauty in something humanity has created.

(So Dean was absolutely on the right track when he tried to woo Cas with the mixtape - it's just a shame that Metatron's taste in films didn't include 80s romcoms, and therefore Cas lacked the cultural knowledge to recognise it as a romantic gesture. Sigh.)