Alien Soundtrack: Every Composer and Score in the Series

Seven composers have scored the Alien films, one per film, from Jerry Goldsmith on Alien (1979) to Benjamin Wallfisch on Alien: Romulus (2024). Each score has its own sound, so the series has no single theme that carries from one film to the next.

Jerry Goldsmith scored Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott. Its album, "Alien", came out on 20th Century Records in 1979 with ten tracks, among them "Main Title", "The Face Hugger", "Breakaway", "Acid Test" and "The Landing".

James Horner scored Aliens (1986), directed by James Cameron. The "Aliens" album was released on Varèse Sarabande in 1986 and runs to nine tracks, including "Main Title", "Ripley's Rescue", "Bishop's Countdown" and "Resolution and Hyperspace".

Elliot Goldenthal scored Alien 3 (1992), directed by David Fincher.

John Frizzell scored Alien Resurrection (1997), directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. RCA Victor released the 14 track "Alien Resurrection" album on November 11, 1997, with cues such as "Docking the Betty", "Face Huggers" and "Ripley Meets Her Clones".

The prequels brought two more composers. Marc Streitenfeld scored Prometheus (2012), also directed by Ridley Scott, and Sony Classical released the 25 track "Prometheus" album on June 12, 2012. It includes "A Planet", "Engineers" and "David". Jed Kurzel scored Alien: Covenant (2017), and, according to Film Music Reporter, he replaced Harry Gregson-Williams and was revealed alongside the first trailer. Milan released the 22 track "Alien: Covenant" album on May 12, 2017, with "The Covenant", "Planet 4 / Main Theme" and "Wheat Field" among its cues.

Benjamin Wallfisch scored Alien: Romulus (2024), directed by Fede Álvarez. Hollywood Records released "Alien: Romulus (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", 20 tracks long, on August 16, 2024. Its cues include "The Chrysalis", "XX121" and "Prometheus Fire".

Two crossover films sit beside the series. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) was scored by Harald Kloser, and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) by Brian Tyler. Their full pages live with the Predator franchise.

To hear the scores in sequence, the Alien movies in order guide shows where each film falls, and the Alien timeline places them in story order. The wider series is covered on the Alien movies hub.

Yes, but only a handful, and almost all of them are existing pieces that a film borrowed for a single scene. The Alien series is remembered for its scores, so the songs that do appear are small details, and Alien: Covenant (2017), directed by Ridley Scott, uses the most of them.

Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott. An excerpt of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2, Op. 30 plays over the end credits of Alien (1979). It follows a score by Jerry Goldsmith, so the film closes on a different musical voice from the one that carried the Nostromo story.

Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien: Romulus. Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien: Romulus have no signature songs attached to them. Their music is the score alone.

Alien Resurrection (1997), directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The one song reference in Alien Resurrection is "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man", written by Sammy Lerner. The mechanic Vriess whistles the tune, which is a small, odd moment in a film about a cloned Ripley and a ship run by military scientists.

Prometheus (2012), directed by Ridley Scott. Frédéric Chopin's "Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No. 15 (Raindrop)" plays in one of the earliest sequences of Prometheus. The android David drifts around the ship doing his chores while the piano piece plays, and it returns over the end titles.

Alien: Covenant (2017), directed by Ridley Scott. Alien: Covenant leans on Richard Wagner's "Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla (from Das Rheingold)". In the opening sequence David plays a piano version at Peter Weyland's request, and the same piece returns on a Naxos recording, performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under José Serebrier, in the final scene. The film also features John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads", Paolo Nutini's "Let Me Down Easy" and Fred Gilbert's "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo". These three are not tied to a particular scene.

None of these songs is described as written for a film. If you want the cues that define the series, the score album for each film is the better place to start, and the full list is on the Alien soundtrack page here at Cinvibe.

Our picks: the best songs in the Alien films (opinion)

1. "Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No. 15 (Raindrop)": in my opinion, calm piano over David's chores is the most telling early signal of what kind of character he is.
2. "Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla (from Das Rheingold)": it could be argued that bookending Covenant with one piece, once on piano and once on a full orchestral recording, is the neatest musical idea in the series.
3. Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 2, Op. 30: perhaps the quietest choice, but a classical excerpt over the credits suits a film that spends two hours refusing to be comforting.
4. "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man": a whistled cartoon theme in the middle of Alien Resurrection is strange, and for that reason it sticks.
5. "Take Me Home, Country Roads": the most widely known title on the list, which makes its appearance in a Covenant soundtrack a talking point on its own.
6. "Let Me Down Easy": a modern song among older classical pieces, and an unusual presence in a franchise that rarely uses vocals.
7. "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo": the oldest popular tune of the set, and a good reason to listen closely to what Covenant plays.