John Wick Soundtrack: Composers, Songs and Tracks by Film

Tyler Bates scored John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4 and the spin-off Ballerina, while Joel J. Richard scored John Wick: Chapter 2. That makes Bates the composer on four of the five films, with Richard as the single change in the run.

Bates opened the saga on John Wick (2014), directed by Chad Stahelski. The score album "John Wick" came out on Colosseum on October 24, 2014, the same day as the US release, and runs 27 tracks. The cues people search for most are "Every Ending Has a Beginning", "Story of Wick", "Lure the Wolf" and "Iosef the Terrible".

Richard took over for John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). Varèse Sarabande released "John Wick, Chapter 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" on February 10, 2017, with 23 tracks. Its best-known cues by title are "Plastic Heart", "Shark Chevelle", "Sumo Showdown", "Santino" and "Guns & Turtlenecks". Does the change matter? In my opinion it does, because track names like those give the sequel its own personality inside an otherwise steady run. No source explains why the credit changed, so that reading is analysis rather than reported fact.

Bates returned for John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019). Varèse Sarabande put out "John Wick, Chapter 3: Parabellum: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" on May 17, 2019, with 24 tracks. The standouts are "Parabellum (opening titles)", "Tick Tock Mr. Wick", "Rain Chase", "Dance of the Two Wolves" and "Wick in Morocco".

His biggest album is for John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). Lakeshore Records released "John Wick, Chapter 4: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" on March 24, 2023, with 35 tracks. The cues to start with are "Big Wick Energy", "Sand Wick", "Continental Breakfast", "Wick in Osaka", "High Table in Osaka" and "I Would Die for You".

Bates also scored Ballerina (2025), directed by Len Wiseman. If you want the full cast and crew behind each film, the John Wick cast page lists them.

The John Wick soundtrack songs that stand out most are "Bullet Holes" by Bush in John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019), "Eye for an Eye" by Rina Sawayama and "I Would Die for You" by In This Moment in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), and "Fight Like a Girl" by Evanescence and K.Flay in Ballerina (2025). All four were written for their films, and the licensed tracks around them fill in a series that otherwise leans on its scores.

John Wick (2014). The first film carries five songs: "Killing Strangers" by Marilyn Manson and Tyler Bates, "Think" by Kaleida, "Evil Man Blues" by The Candy Shop Boys, "In My Mind" by M86 and Susie Q, and "Who You Talkin' To Man?" by Ciscandra Nostalghia. Bates is the film's composer, so "Killing Strangers" is the one that ties the song list directly to the score.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017). "A Job to Do" by Jerry Cantrell was written for the film, and "John Wick Mode" by Le Castle Vania sits alongside it. If you are asking which band is in John Wick 2, Cantrell's "A Job to Do" is the song to look for, while the rest of the music is Joel J. Richard's score.

John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019). This is the series' richest mix of songs and classical pieces, and the scenes are easy to place:

• "Bullet Holes" by Bush plays over the end credits and was written for the film.
• "Ninja Re Bang Bang" by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu plays from the speakers in a restaurant while the Adjudicator visits and tells Zero about a task.
• "Pas de Deux/The Prince and the Sugar-Plum Fairy (from The Nutcracker)" by the Russian National Orchestra plays as a ballerina rehearses a solo to a speaker system, and she falls during her routine.
• "Winter (from The Four Seasons)" by Capella Istropolitana and Takako Nishizaki plays when Winston puts on a record while John organizes weapons in a church.
• "Grand Allegro" by Søren Bebe plays softly as John enters a room where the Director waits while two men wrestle.
• "Fra Holbergs Tid (From Holberg's Time): II. Sarabande" by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra plays from a speaker as John calls out to Winston and Charon arrives to help him organize weapons.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). Four songs are tied to the film: "Eye for an Eye" by Rina Sawayama, "Nowhere to Run" by Lola Colette, "I Would Die for You" by In This Moment, and "Marie Douceur, Marie Colère" by Manon Hollander. "Eye for an Eye" and "I Would Die for You" were both written for the film. Sawayama also appears on screen as Akira, so her song and her role share a film. The French title is Hollander's "Marie Douceur, Marie Colère".

Ballerina (2025). The spinoff, set during Chapter 3, is the most song heavy entry. "Fight Like a Girl" by Evanescence and K.Flay was written for it and plays over the end credits. Around it sit "The Emptiness Machine" by Linkin Park, "Surrender" by Godsmack, "Chokehold Cherry Python" by Ashnikko, "The Four Seasons: Summer 3 (Robot Koch Remix)" by Max Richter, "So What Now" by The Peter Blair Combo, and three tracks by Le Castle Vania: "Minus Eleven", "Ballerina Code" and "One Bullet Well Placed". Søren Bebe's "Grand Allegro" returns here from Chapter 3.

Our picks: the best songs in the John Wick films (opinion)

• "Bullet Holes" by Bush: in my opinion it is the best use of the end credits in the series, because it was written for Chapter 3 and sends the film out on its own terms.
• "Eye for an Eye" by Rina Sawayama: it could be argued that this is the strongest song written for the series, and her on screen role as Akira gives it extra weight.
• "I Would Die for You" by In This Moment: another Chapter 4 original, and perhaps the most emotional of the licensed tracks.
• "Fight Like a Girl" by Evanescence and K.Flay: a fitting closer for Ballerina, since it was made for the film and plays over its end credits.
• "Winter (from The Four Seasons)" by Capella Istropolitana and Takako Nishizaki: I like the contrast of a record on Winston's turntable while John organizes weapons in a church.
• "Pas de Deux/The Prince and the Sugar-Plum Fairy (from The Nutcracker)" by the Russian National Orchestra: the falling ballerina in rehearsal makes this the most striking classical cue.
• "A Job to Do" by Jerry Cantrell: the lone song written for Chapter 2, and the one to play if you want that film's sound.

To hear these tracks in context, the where to watch John Wick page shows the streaming options for each film.