Percy Jackson Soundtrack: Composers and Songs for Both Films

Two composers scored the Percy Jackson films, one per movie: Christophe Beck wrote the music for Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), and Andrew Lockington scored Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013). Each film has its own score album, and neither composer returned for the other picture.

Christophe Beck: The Lightning Thief (2010). Directed by Chris Columbus, the first film has its score on the album "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief", released by ABKCO on February 16, 2010, with 19 tracks. The track titles read like a quest map: "Prelude", "The Minotaur", "Chiron", "The Fury", "Dyslexia", "The Hydra", "Medusa", "Son of Poseidon", "The Parthenon" and "Victory". If you are looking for the cues people search for most, the creature pieces such as "The Minotaur", "The Hydra" and "Medusa", along with "Son of Poseidon", are the natural place to begin. "Dyslexia" is the unusual title, since it is named for a trait Percy himself has in the story.

Andrew Lockington: Sea of Monsters (2013). Directed by Thor Freudenthal, the sequel has a 21 track score album, "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters", released in August 2013. The sheet we work from gives no label for it. Its track titles include "Thalia's Story", "Percy at the Lake", "Colchis Bull", "The Shield Is Gone", "The Oracle's Prophecy", "Cursed Blade Shall Reap", "Wild Taxi Ride", "Hermes", "Hippocampus" and "Onboard the Yacht". Those titles follow the film's story closely, from Thalia Grace's sacrifice and the bull attack on camp to the taxi ride and the sea voyage.

Do the two scores connect? They come from different composers working for different directors, so they stand as separate bodies of work rather than one continuous saga score. That is common when a franchise changes hands between films (think of a TV series that swaps showrunners and quietly shifts its tone). In my opinion, the quickest way to hear the difference is to play "Prelude" and then "Thalia's Story" back to back.

The Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a separate television adaptation rather than a third film, and the film albums above are the only film scores for the franchise. For the people behind each movie, see the Percy Jackson cast and crew page, and for what comes next, see the new Percy Jackson movie page.

The Percy Jackson films feature eleven notable songs between them: seven in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) and four in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013). The only scene placement on record is for "To Feel Alive" by IAMEVE, which was written for Sea of Monsters and plays over the closing credits.

What songs are in The Lightning Thief? Chris Columbus's 2010 film pairs Christophe Beck's score with a run of well known pop, rock and swing tracks, and the mix is wide enough that it reads like a family road trip playlist. The songs are "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC, "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga, "Tik Tok" by Kesha, "A Little Less Conversation (Junkie XL Remix)" by Elvis Presley and Junkie XL, "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night, "I'll Pretend" by Dwight Yoakam, and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. The scenes where each one plays have not been published, so if you are hunting for one particular moment, searching the song title with the film name is the quickest route.

What is the song in Sea of Monsters? Thor Freudenthal's 2013 sequel has four notable tracks. "To Feel Alive" by IAMEVE was written for the film, and it plays over the closing credits. The others are "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" by Fall Out Boy, "Cameo Lover" by Kimbra, and "It's a Small World" by the Sherman Brothers. Andrew Lockington's score sits alongside them.

If you are choosing music for a younger fan, both films carry a PG rating in the US. To hear the songs in context, follow the Percy Jackson movies in order or check where to watch Percy Jackson. The Percy Jackson movies hub links to the rest of the franchise.

Our picks: the best songs in the Percy Jackson films (opinion)

• "To Feel Alive" by IAMEVE: in my opinion it is the most interesting entry, because it was written for Sea of Monsters and it sends the film out over the closing credits.
• "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC: perhaps the cheekiest pick for a story with Hades in the cast, and the title alone does half the work.
• "A Little Less Conversation (Junkie XL Remix)" by Elvis Presley and Junkie XL: an upbeat remix that gives a mythology adventure a very modern edge.
• "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)" by Fall Out Boy: the best known rock track in the sequel, and an easy one to build a playlist around.
• "Cameo Lover" by Kimbra: a good reminder that the 2013 film made room for pop as well as orchestral music.
• "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night: a classic rock choice that gives the 2010 film a little variety.
• "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn: the swing standard is the surprise on the first film's list, and I enjoy it for that.